On a road trip that spanned
over 1,000 kilometers, members of the
MU-X Owners Philippines (muXOP) and their families, on board
20 units of the
Isuzu MU-X SUV, successfully completed another epic adventure from April 27 to May 1, this time to the picturesque island province of Catanduanes.
Coming along for the trip were representatives of
Isuzu Philippines Corporation and members of the motoring media who rode an Isuzu MU-X LSA Automatic 4x2 and an Isuzu MU-X LSA Manual Transmission 4x2 variant powered by Isuzu's newest and most efficient diesel engine,
the BluePower RZ4E.
The trip started at the Petron KM 44 Southbound service station on the South Luzon Expressway in Calamba, Laguna early evening of April 27, leading to an early morning roll-on roll-off (RORO) trip from Tabaco Port in Albay Province to the San Andres Port in Catanduanes.
Catanduanes, the country's 12th largest island and a "maogma" (happy) place for the locals, also dished out wondrous sights as the convoy circumnavigated the island that weekend. The highlight of the 150-km island loop was the stop at Binurong Point, which revealed to visitors standing at the edge of a 200-foot-high seaside cliff a breathtaking view of the open Pacific Ocean.
All throughout, the reliable SUVs of muXOP provided reliable, consistent power and stability to negotiate the tricky twists and turns of the mountain and coastal roads. The MU-X offered enough comfortable space for entire families and their heavy luggage, and still leave room for the mandatory "pasalubong."
muXOP, headed by
Val Estor, explained that the barely year-old Club which already counts
over 2,000 members has been actively engaging in group tours and humanitarian missions, the most recent of which was when the club delivered relief goods to those displaced by the recent eruption of Mount Mayon.
The new RZ4E engine, Val noted, would motivate MU-X owners to embark on more trips, what with the vastly improved fuel efficiency, significantly reduced noise and vibration, and cleaner emissions.
The Isuzu RZ4E engine is the result of the Japanese carmaker's six years of extensive research, and represents Isuzu's first foray into smaller engines but with higher outputs. Even while capable of generating maximum 150 PS (148 hp) of power and
350 Nm of torque, the RZ4E-powered MU-X has been recorded to yield up to
37 km per liter on highway runs. The RZ4E engine is also
60 kg lighter than the previous 4JJ1 engine, meets
Euro 4 emission standards, and is noticeably quieter.
Occupants of the two RZ4E-powered MU-X SUVs noted that they were able to keep pace with the rest of the convoy despite being loaded with passengers, luggage, camera equipment, and native
pasalubong, and still manage to get a respectable fuel mileage of
17.63 km/liter for the automatic, and
14.37km/liter for the manual.
Indeed, "less is more" with the new Isuzu MU-X powered by the innovative BluePower, Euro 4-emission standard 1.9-liter RZ4E diesel engine. With the introductory price of
PHP1.595 million for the RZ4E LSA AT 4x2,
PHP1.570 million for the RZ4E LSA MT 4x2, and
PHP1.395 million for the entry-level variant RZ4E LS MT 4x2, one not only saves on the purchase cost, but also on owning and running the vehicle.
Available colors for the BluePower RZ4E mu-X across all variants are Havana Brown, Cosmic Black, Obsidian Grey, Titanium Silver, and Silky Pearl White.
Test drive an RZ4E-powered mu-X at your nearest Isuzu dealer.
