BUILDING A BETTER BUS

4X4 AUSTRALIA TRANSFORMS A BASE MODEL ISUZU MU-X FROM A STOCKER TOA COMPETENT TOURING 4X4

-  MATT RAUDONIKIS

AT the start of 2022 we bought a brand new, bog stock Isuzu MU-X with the intention of transforming it from a suburban family wagon in to something with some off-road touring ability. We chose the base model LS-M specification as it comes standard with 17-inch wheels and a manual tailgate, and it wasn't going to stay in standard trim for long.

To achieve our goal with the MU-X, we spoke to some of the leading manufacturers of aftermarket 4x4 equipment to see what they had for the Isuzu. Interestingly, many companies didn't produce gear for the MU-X as it's not on their radar despite being the second best-selling vehicle in its class in 2021, behind the Toyota Prado. More products have come online since the start of the project, but it's been a tough haul.

Over the following 12 months we were able to get the kit we needed to transition the MU-X in to what we had in mind for it. That is a 4x4 that you can take just about anywhere, be it the Central Australian deserts, Cape York or the Victorian High Country. This is now a car that will get you there and back.

Hopefully, potential wagon buyers will see what we've done with the MU-X and maybe give it another look when thinking about their next 4x4.

STAGE 1

AS some brands were still developing products for the 2022 MU-X, they wanted to get our car in their workshops to engineer the gear to be just right. This meant sending the car interstate from our Melbourne HQ, but there were a few products we could get fitted to it before it left town.