People's Choice: Isuzu 7-Seater

Isuzu is a bit of a weird automaker, if that’s even the right word for them. In reality they operate much more like a commercial truck manufacturer who simply provide a rugged set of underpinnings before contracting out the bodywork to local coachbuilders who tailor their vehicles to regional tastes. No time was this more apparent than in the mid-2000s when Isuzu sold these three entirely different 7-seat SUVs in global markets simultaneously. Unlike Toyota who personally oversaw the development of each of the three frame-based SUVs it sells globally, Isuzu simply provided badges and sometimes a chassis and let localized outfits have at it.

First is no Isuzu at all, the GMT370 Ascender EXT. This was merely a GM Trailblazer EXT platform-mate to replace the Rodeo-based Axiom that Isuzu sold as part of their GM co-marketing agreement in North America for their truck division. While the latter lives on here even to this day, this was the final passenger vehicle marketed by Isuzu in North America when it left the market in 2008, though this extended variant died in ‘06. Of course no Isuzu diesels (or petrols) were on offer, instead the GM-sourced gas 4.2L Atlas I6 had 291 hp and the 5.3L LH6 V8 had 305 hp with either RWD or 4WD through a 4-auto by the end of production in Oklahoma City, when the plant shuttered for good after only 30 years.

Next is what would precede the now-popular MU-X, Thailand’s MU-7. Much like Toyota’s Thai-built Hilux Sport Rider, the MU-7 was nothing more than a wagon-bodied version of their D-Max ute made in Samut Prakan, marketed as the Alterra when made in the Philippines. Similar to the Hilux Sport Rider giving rise to the Fortuner, this paved the path for the MU-X that GM would ironically later rebadge as a ‘Trailblazer’. Production started in ‘04 with the 115 hp 3.0L turbodiesel I4 that would reach 145 hp in ‘08 with a variable-geometry turbo; either a 5-speed or 4-auto and 4x2 or 4x4 were powertrain options. Perhaps the leather and 'wood' interior will let you forget the bouncy leaf-sprung ute ride quality.

Finally the Panther. This oddball shines light on the ASEAN phenomenon of the AUV, conceptually a rudimentary MPV riding on a frame-based ute platform. Like the MU-7, this was a D-Max based 7*-seater but featured far fewer creature comforts and even shared the '90s D-Max’s dash. It made up for this in space and economy, and with local assembly in Vietnam, the Philippines, India, and Indonesia it was a homegrown product for many of the nations it served. The petrol 114 hp 2.2L Family II wasn’t powerful and the largest 2.0L turbodiesel I4 only had 105 hp, but 4x2 and 4x4 with 5-speed and 4-auto were offered for maximum practicality. *Troop-carrier style cargo area benches mean 7 is merely a suggestion.

So what’s your pick? A LWB GMT360, a D-Max wagon, or a D-Max MPV?

@Milky said in People's Choice: Isuzu 7-Seater:

The MU looks like it even shares a cab, so just tell the person at the parts counter its a Colorado.

I do not understand the game of cat-and-mouse that GM and Isuzu were playing at this point. I guess they were truly co-developing these models because unlike Ford and Mazda who simply went back and forth rebadging each others' trucks—first the Ranger was a Mazda, then the B-Series became a Ford—it seems like the next generation Colorado/D-Max were designed from day one by GM and Isuzu jointly to be simultaneously both a GM and an Isuzu? Chalk that up as another model that seemingly has no true nationality.

Then for some reason certain markets got Chevy-badged Isuzu-Chevies?

So I guess we could technically say that this was the last USDM Isuzu model?

@amoore100 @WhoIsTheLeader @dogisbadob How is the Panther winning? I thought this would be a cinch for the nicer, yet still diesel-powered MU-7—more proof that Oppo always gravitates toward the worst option. A few points of clarification should be made regarding the Panther that I originally glossed over but are perhaps relevant to the discussion to be truly thorough; 'Panther' was its Indonesian title as in the Philippines it was badged 'Crosswind', and it is technically based on the gen3 Isuzu Rodeo/Faster ute since Isuzu's D-Max was not a name they used until the 2003 model released as a replacement for the Rodeo/Faster. The aforementioned 'troop-carrier' style longitudinal benches were optional, and more traditional 7-seat arrangements with a third-row were also offered as pictured below. India only got it as a Chevy called the 'Tavera' after a Corsican town known for steep and narrow roads where apparently the CEO of Isuzu liked to test their models, and this model was later sold by Chevrolet in Indonesia too.

Presumably this purple example with French plates is photographed in Tavera, a place where it was never sold of course.

Ironically enough, that makes the MU-7 the only one of these three not sold under Chevy badges in this generation.

@WhoIsTheLeader said in People's Choice: Isuzu 7-Seater:

But also two forbidden fruit truckish wagony things versus the Trailblazer which, which good at many things, is currently at the very bottom of its coolness and value trajectory.

But the 4Runner-styled MU-7 losing to a truly cobbled-together bargain-basement Southeast Asian truck-MPV was not what I saw coming—proof that we're all feeling the lack of true budget utility options on the USDM these days, I reckon.

@annoying_salman said in People's Choice: Isuzu 7-Seater:

The Panther has a noticably weak ball joint, which made scene like this to be quite familiar:

Haha, I'm glad to get some local input! Sounds like as usual, Isuzu played third fiddle to Toyota and Mitsubishi. Are AUVs like the Kijang still popular, or are ute-wagons like the Fortuner taking their place these days?

@annoying_salman said in People's Choice: Isuzu 7-Seater:

brand new Panther produces pollution that rivaled my Taft

I'm surprised they allowed that since Indonesia started enforcing Euro 4 emissions in 2021, right? I guess Euro 4 is still a pretty lenient regulation compared to the latest ones.