FAMILY CAR REVIEW: 2017 ISUZU MU-X

Folding down the third row of seats created a spacious and flat boot floor. With nothing else in the boot I could fit 15 shopping bags.

The boot space and its functionality are really important. I like to have a big boot space and little side wells or areas I can divide things into. So something I don’t want to move around while I’m driving such as Tulsi’s lunch bag or her wet swimming gear can be sectioned off in a little well where it’s not going to spill or get squashed by the rest of the things in the boot.

Hooks for securing shopping bags to are also favourites of mine, I like being able to secure the bag containing more fragile things like eggs so they don’t move around on the journey.

I measure the boot space in freezer shopping bags, prams and dogs. Not because I think all there is to a mum’s life is food shopping, prams and dogs. (Although it can feel like it sometimes!!) But because these are visually mesurable items we can all associate with. For me, the car company boot measurement of litres ia not an amount I can easily visualise and 400L in one car may differ in usability to that in another due to the configuration or shape of the space.

I could fit my Mountain Buggy Urban Jungle laying down with nine shopping bags to the side of it and the parcel shelf pulled across.

In most cars the Britax Holiday 2 umbrella stroller has to go diagonally across the boot floor creating unusable spaces, but to my surprise this was not the case with the MU-X, the stroller fitted the full width of the boot along with twelve shopping bags.

With the third row of seats up you have a much smaller boot space. You can get a Britax Holiday 2 umbrella stroller across the width of the boot.

Or you can get five shopping bags. The Mountain Buggy Urban Jungle stroller would not fit at all.

Just like the Holden Trailblazer, there is a plastic moulded box in the floor of the boot for storing the parcel shelf in when you are not using it. This gives you a little extra boot space when the third row of seats are in use and is great for keeping wet or muddy shoes and clothes in.

Removing the parcel shelf from the storage box, I was instantly surprised by how nice and light it was, unlike the one in the Trailblazer, so I was optimistic that it would be easy to install.

Made of a waterproof fabric which could be easily cleaned, it unrolls and connects to the car using fiddly straps and plastic clips that connect around the second-row headrests and elastic loops that connect to plastic hooks on the sides of the boot. Both are time-consuming attachment methods which felt really flimsy and I am sure over time they will break and fray and then there would be no way of attaching the parcel shelf to the boot at all. The parcel shelf doesn’t retract like normal parcel shelves, you roll it up by hand like a tarp.

There is a 12V socket in the boot, a metal bag hook on either side and a light just above your head when you open the door.

When you’re using the third row of seats you definitely won’t have room for a nappy change! With the third row of seats down there are some gaps in the boot floor where the seats join and where the seat belt clips are so if you use the boot floor for a bum change you do have to position bub in a good spot!

The MU-X is nice and high so there won’t be any bending into the boot you can just slide things straight in.

In the front of the cab, there are four cup holders; two in the central console in front of the handbrake and one that folds out, under the air vents, at either end of the dashboard. I do LOVE these cup holders as I can cool my tea with the air vents and it keeps hot drinks out of the central console where small hands could reach them!!

I was hoping Isuzu would have made the cup holders more practically sized in the MU-X but unfortunately not! All of them hold a small coffee cup and a 600ml bottle and although they are all a good size for sippy cups and baby bottles, they don’t hold anything larger than that!

In the third row, Isuzu has added cup holders over the wheel arches and they are slightly bigger. They are the only ones in the car that will hold my large refillable water bottle, allowing the third-row passengers to create the full cinematic effect with a jumbo drink and popcorn whilst they’re watching DVD’s on the fold down screen on the ceiling!!

Like the cup holders, the door pockets are small too; they will hold a sippy cup and a baby bottle or a 600ml bottle but nothing more than that.

Without anything else in the door pocket I was able to get my iPad and wallet in there, both standing up on their ends, but it was a very tight fit. In a way this was good as none of the door pockets are lined so anything you put in them tends to rattle around.

There is the same problem with the central console storage box as I had with the D-Max I reviewed (and the Holden Colorado and Trailblazer); it is a big square box with a lid that doubles as an armrest and the catch to open the lid is above the cup holders. So if you put a tall bottle in the holder it obstructs the opening catch of the central console, the opening catch needs to be above the handbrake instead.

There are three USB sockets, an HDMI socket and a 12V socket in front of the gear lever. Below these is a hidden shelf which is perfect for putting your phone on, it’s very tucked away and if your phone is a dark colour you could probably leave it there by accident and no one would notice it. You do have to have the USB wire hanging down into the footwell though.

The MU-X has the same abundance of storage compartments in the front as the D-Max, a reasonable size glove box which I can fit my wallet and the manual in and there is another lidded storage shelf above that and another large storage compartment in the centre of the dashboard. There is a single glasses case in the ceiling and two lights and a coin drawer by your right knee.

For the second row seats there is little storage, just a half map pocket on the back of the seats and the door pockets, like the front, are really small. There are two moulded cup holders in a fold down from the middle seat. Our sippy cup fitted well but the baby bottle and small coffee cup moved around in them. There is a single USB on the back of the central console box.

For third row passengers, there is a single cup holder on one side, a cup holder and square well on the other and a small well in between the seats.

The MU-X had very sensitive reversing sensors and I found I couldn't adjust the volume or mute them. When backing out of my driveway with not a thing in sight, it would beep a lot every time as if an impact was imminent! I think it was worried about the edge of the kerb?! There was no visual display for the sensor, just the reversing camera, so I couldn’t see from the screen what the alarming beep was referring to. Also, the camera image was quite dark so I found myself using the windows and mirrors more than the camera to reverse.

The indicator volume could not be adjusted either but it wasn’t an overly loud or baby disturbing noise!

You can mute the Sat Nav voice guidance easily, using the touchscreen, there is a volume icon at the bottom of the Sat Nav screen which takes you to another screen where you can adjust the volume or mute it all together. I found this a really good BabyDrive feature.

If you plug your phone in while it is playing nursery rhymes then they start playing straight away out of the car speakers, which is really good. The sound quality is very good too due to the two surround sound speakers in the ceiling above the second-row seats.

There is a DVD player in the MU-X, with a screen that folds down from the ceiling in front of the rear air-con controls. You insert the DVD and control it from the central console in the front or with a remote control. It is really simple to use, the sound quality is excellent and the screen clear. The front digital screen only plays the DVD image when you are stationary so the driver is not distracted and the front passenger cannot watch it whilst driving along.

The media system uses a simple touch screen and has no Apple CarPlay. I found it simple and easy to navigate with its minimal buttons on the home screen, including turning the screen off altogether, which I sometimes find hard to find in complicated systems.

The windows do not have a baby waking opening or closing noise! The doors do have quite a loud close to them though. You can open the driver's door while the engine is running without sounding an alarm which is great for a BabyDrive!

Since becoming a mum I spend A LOT of time parked up somewhere with a nice view while my daughter is asleep in the back! If it's hot I need to leave the engine running and the aircon on but I do like to get out and drink my cuppa tea in the fresh air while enjoying the fact my limbs are free from said dangling child!!
SO this is a very important test as I have found that sometimes I have been held hostage by a cars BEEEEPING alarms when I have taken off my seatbelt or opened the door while the engine is still running!! (I only stand outside the car, I am not a bad mother!!)

The seatbelt removal alarms seemed sporadic; the seatbelt alarm went off when I had a heavy bag on the front seat but not when I was riding as a passenger in the back and removed my seatbelt to change seats whilst we were moving along.

Becoming a parent I soon realised there are some noises and sounds I feel are unnecessary and I could happily live without if it meant my baby stayed asleep!!

That often the distraction of my screaming, distressed baby is more dangerous when driving than not having a lane departure warning for example.

If it is the lane departure warning beeping that creates distress with my baby then which is safest?

It’s where I think we need to be able to strike a balance and choose when we can mute the warnings or swap them to a vibration in the steering wheel or flashing light perhaps?

A lot of these noises come with the increase in technology and especially linked to safety features and alerts. For me these all have their place.

Another thing I have realised is I spend my time in a lot more places where small children roam, parks, beaches, play gyms, swimming lessons, daycare centre etc. I have become more aware that when I’m reversing or manouvering in the car parks I have to tripple check for small children running around behind me or being in my blind spot when reversing. For this I LOVE reversing cameras, I just don’t like their beeping sounds!!

I have become so much more aware of safety and potential accidents or hazards since having a child and so I love the peace of mind that I get from the cameras and sensors combined with my own vision from windows and mirrors as I don’t trust cameras alone.

The engine noise is much quieter in the MU-X than it was in the D-Max. Isuzu uses a truck engine with a lot of padding to dampen down the volume, so although it is a vast improvement it is definitely not a silent BabyDrive. It feels powerful and strong but going uphill you can still hear the tractor-like engine!

The headlights do not turn off automatically in the MU-X, a beep will sound to alert you if you get out and leave them on.

The seven-seater MU-X has ISO Fix and top tether connections for all three second row seats. The Top Tethers are at the bottom of the back rests rather than on the ceiling which is good as it doesn’t affect visibility.

Fitting the three child seats was actually more difficult than I thought it would be after reviewing the D-Max, which was very simple. When the third row seats are folded down their back rests obstruct the top tether points making it extremely difficult to connect them. I found it was easier to install the child seats when the third row seats are up.

Having worked this out I would make sure I didn’t have a full boot before fitting a child seat but the first time it was a bit of a hassle unloading the boot and putting the third row seats up so I could install the child seats in the second row! When the third row seats are already up, installing child seats is very simple as you do not have the problem of the top tether points being obstructed and you can reach your arm through the side of the second row seats and connect the top tethers without bringing the seat backs forward.

Installing three child seats across the second row, a rear facing Infasecure Kompressor 4 child seat (pictured here without cover as daughter had vomitted all over it the day before!!) and a Mountain Buggy Infant Protect capsule on either side and a Infasecure booster seat in the middle seat, the seatbelt clip for the booster seat was disappointingly underneath the base of it, which in reality would make it very difficult to use on a day to day basis!

The central seatbelt does come from the back rest shoulder not the ceiling which is good so it doesn’t effect visibility or cut into the child’s neck.

Posting Tulsi into her car seat from inside and outside the car was very easy. There is plenty of room to post her from either side and from outside it is a nice height without having to bend down.

With the D-Max last week I had to hop up onto the side step to reach to fasten Tulsi’s seat buckle but I haven’t found that a problem with the MU-X as I could reach okay.

There is plenty of room to breastfeed in the back with one child seat installed and the back rests recline so you can get nice and comfortable too!

The seats are definitely wipe clean, despite the rows of stitching! Having had a week of our daughter with tummy bugs and projectile vomiting I can wholeheartedly vouch for the cleanability of the leather upholstery in the MU-X!!

The side seats are very comfortable in the second row, except for the central seat. With the fold down cup holders, it is hard and would be uncomfortable on a long journey.

The third row seats are supportive and comfortable to sit in once you put the headrests all the way up, but I could not fit child seats in the third row as there were no top tether or ISO Fix points.

The front seats are comfortably padded and the seat bases are not too long for my legs, like they were in the D-Max, although the bottom of the back rest does slightly stick into your lower back. I come across it very frequently in cars I am testing at the moment and though it is relatively mild on the MU-X, it is there.

The steering wheel does not adjust in and out, only up and down, but I can reach it fine in the MU-X and the headrests alloy me tol wear a ponytail!

I had spent hours styling my hair this morning to get it just right too… said no new mum ever!!!

Having child seats installed in the second row of seats does not affect the positioning of the front seats at all, there is plenty of leg room in the MU-X and you can recline the second row back rests on a 60/40 split.

The third-row seats have pretty good head and leg room also, but they are obviously designed to carry children rather than tall adults. I am 162cm and I found there was ample room.

The cruise control in the MU-X  is lovely and simple to use! It’s one of my favourite features about this car as it’s so basic, using a simple three-button control on your steering wheel. You set the speed on the speedometer as there is no digital display, a digital display would be a welcome addition but I found it easy to use without one and the MU-X held the set speed quite well, although I couldn't set it as low as 40km/h.

It has occurred to me since becoming a mum that I seem to drive through atleast two or three school zones every day and that is before Tulsi is of school age! Very few cars seems to have cruise control that works at or below 40km/h. Why not!!??

I find I am so busy watching my speedo so I don’t go over 40km/h, as school zones are always riddled with speed cameras, very little of my attention can actually be spared for the road ahead and spotting any potential hazards! Surely if we could set the cruise control in a school zone we could allow more attention on the road and less on the speedo! 

Air-conditioning vents are throughout the MU-X. The front dash has four and there are two in the ceiling for the second row and two in the ceiling for the third row. You can angle and rotate the flow of the air from the ceiling vents however they have to be adjusted manually as you can not adjust them from the driver's seat. Equally the controls are in the ceiling above the second row and you can not adjust that from the front either. This means you have to set the rear air-con before you set off on your journey as you can not change anything once you are driving. I have driven some cars recently that have an on/off switch on the dashboard for the rear air-con. I think this is necessary because if you have little passengers in the back who cannot adjust it themselves or you have children fighting over the controls, you can turn it off from the front and use the front air-con to slowly cool the rest of the vehicle.

The aircon controls are really easy to use and well located with big round dial controller in the centre of the dash board that, like the cruise control, is really basic and simple to use!

The windows are tinted in this model preventing the need for the use of shades. The back window is flat behind the third row of seats but you cannot fit a rear facing child seat there so it would not affect them.

Visibility for the driver is good in the MU-X. With all seven seats and headrests up, three child seats across the second row and the DVD screen folded down from the ceiling it is still considerably good. None of the child seat straps attach to the ceiling, keeping all that space clear for seeing out of the windows, which are deep and long so they allow good visibility for both passengers and the driver.

There are unlit vanity mirrors for both the driver and front passenger. Perfect for checking your face when you are parked up somewhere while bub has fallen asleep!!! I do prefer vanity mirrors that are lit but the two interior lights in the ceiling with the glasses case are not too far away.

The MU-X has been a joy to drive. It has been effortless and doesn’t rock around like the D-Max did, as it has different suspension making it a much smoother ride.

The engine is the same as the D-Max but they added a lot more padding to make it much quieter, so you don’t get all that racket, except on steep hills when you can still hear the tractor in there!!!

Around town, it is easy to manoeuvre and park, the turning circle is good and it doesn’t feel too big. The digital display screen is quite dark which makes it hard to see the camera image when reverse parking. It feels as though the media screen is perhaps at the wrong angle and points slightly toward the front passenger rather than the driver, making it hard to see clearly.

There are handles suitable for a baby toy on both sides of the ceiling in the second row, with the coat hooks, good for hanging a toy from.

The handles in the doors have little wells in them which are good for popping anything little in yours or your bubs hands, whilst you’re strapping them in.

There are two 12V sockets, one inside the lidded storage shelf above the glove box and one in the boot.

The MU-X interior looks minimal with its clear and basic controls, nice textured surfaces, trims and stitch details. As I discovered, it is all quite easily cleanable!

The floor mats throughout the cab of the MU-X are carpet, in the second row they are held together by velcro tabs which just seem a little cheap and in time would collect crumbs and fluff and look dirty. I much prefer the nice thick rubber floor mats in the D-Max that you can just take out and hose down. Perfect for kids sand, mud, food spillages and sick bugs!

There are strap-like handles in the backrests of the third-row seats that you pull to raise and release the seats. They have used velcro here too so you can attach the handles to the backrests. This being the floor of the boot when the third-row seats are folded down, I just think again the velcro will fill with fluff and dirt and end up looking very scruffy. The velcro and the parcel shelf both feel like afterthoughts and for me really cheapen the MU-X, which would otherwise feel like a simple but practical and enjoyable BabyDrive.

There is keyless entry for the MU-X which I find is so helpful, when I go to load up the car with my arms full of child and all the ‘stuff’ I seem to need for just popping out now!! Being able to just touch the door handle is so much easier than searching around for keys in bags!!

For the same reason I love having a powered tailgate! Approaching or leaving the boot with arms full of children, prams or bags it is difficult to have a spare hand to open and close the boot lid. The MU-X didn’t have this function which I found disappointing.