Isuzu MU-X SUV is a Chevy Trailblazer in Drag

11 years ago - 8 November 2013, Autoblog
Isuzu MU-X SUV is a Chevy Trailblazer in Drag
Back before SUVs and crossovers came to dominate the market, the Chevy Blazer was king.

In fact the nameplate was so iconic that Chevy spun it off into several different sizes, with the compact S-10 Blazer (also known as, among many other things, the GMC Jimmy) expanding to the K5 Blazer (later rebadged as the Tahoe), and in between, the mid-size Trailblazer. The last of them died off a few years ago, but got a stay of execution in developing markets overseas. And that's essentially what we're looking at here.

Based on the Isuzu D-Max (itself a clone of the overseas-market Chevy Colorado), the new Isuzu MU-X is basically a rebadged version of the second-generation Chevy Trailblazer produced in such far-flung locations as Thailand and Brazil. Set to debut in Isuzu guise at the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show later this month, the MU-X is powered by a 3.0-liter common-rail turbodiesel four with 130 kW and 380 Nm of torque (174 horsepower and 280 pound-feet), driving either the front wheels or all four through five speeds in either manual or automatic configurations.

With Terrain Control and hill ascent/descent systems, the MU-X will tow 3 metric tons (3.3 US) and carry seven passengers in the type of truck-based SUV package that's steadily being replaced by car-based crossovers in the US market. Whether there's any room for an old-fashioned ladder-frame sport-ute like this on these shores seems to be in increasing doubt, but apparently Isuzu thinks it's still got potential overseas.