7 Up!

Pitting the new 2.0L Everest against the popular MU-X, in the seven-seat family wagon stakes

- By Matt Raudonikis

While the mid-size 4x4 wagon segment continues to be dominated by the Toyota Prado, the minor placings are looking a bit more exciting in 2023. Isuzu's MU-X was consistently the second-best seller behind Prado, and in 2022 it finished the year with 10,987 sales to Prado's 21,102. In third place for the segment was the Ford Everest; it tallied 10,313 sales with just a few months of the new model included.

In January '23 the Everest jumped to the top of 4x4 wagon charts, shifting 1230 units to the Isuzu's 828 and Prado's 1182. Are we seeing a shift in the wagon segment, or is the success of the Everest just the momentum of a new model?

We lined the Everest V6 up with the Prado a few months back and found them to be very evenly matched and hard to pick apart. This time we have the Everest Trend with the 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine and pitted it against the Isuzu MU-X in top-spec LS-T guise.

The Trend is the highest spec Everest you can get with the four-cylinder engine and starts at $65,290 (+ORC) in 4x4 trim. The MU-X LS-T comes with a drive-away price of $65,990 and is only offered with the 3.0-litre four-cylinder engine, so the two are a good match on price.

WHAT YOU GET

AS HIGH-SPEC models, both of these seven-seat wagons come very well-equipped for family use. As the newer model here, let's start with the Everest Trend. The Trend is the second of four models in the 2023 Everest line-up, but the highest spec with the four-pot engine. That engine is the 2.0-litre dual-turbocharged, diesel-fuelled mill that produces a healthy 500Nm and 154kW.