Isuzu Motors, a Tokyo-based automaker, has always been associated as a niche automotive manufacturer in the Indian market. Part of this is due to the fact that the manufacturer had only big brawny vehicles in its line-up in a market where hatchbacks still dominate the market share – despite the craze towards SUVs.
The other reason lies in the manufacturer’s overall network in India. Despite being a highly situated manufacturer in the global market, the Japanese automaker has held itself from developing a full-blown service and dealership network in the Indian market.
That said, regardless of the abovesaid, Isuzu’s products have always been a notch above or on par with the competition. That brings me to the brand’s current line-up, which is simply non-existent in India thanks to the jump to BS-VI emission norms and COVID-19 pandemic surrounding us at the same time. Therefore, the manufacturer is all set to soon bring back all of its cars back in India. Take a look at all the upcoming models from Isuzu cars down below.
1. Isuzu D-Max V-Cross BS6
Before 2020, Isuzu had the bragging rights of being the only manufacturer to sell a pickup truck in the Indian market. The Isuzu D-Max V-Cross is a vehicle that measures as long as its name and, therefore, it has oodles of road presence. Moreover, it’s not a shabby pickup truck either. It has an extensive feature list – the Z manual variant from earlier came with some new goodies like an electrically adjustable driver’s seat, a reversing camera, leather seats and full LED projector headlights and the Z prestige automatic variant brought extra features like six-airbags and more supportive leather seats to the mix – and it certainly can accommodate five passengers with a truckload of luggage for a weekend outing. The pickup truck is massively big and Isuzu has done its bit to make it drive like a car and potter around town with ease.
The car will most certainly be powered by the BS-VI approved versions of the earlier engines, comprising of a 2.5-litre four-cylinder diesel churning out 132bhp and 320Nm mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox and a 1.9-litre four-cylinder oil burner making 145bhp and 350Nm of torque mated to a 6-speed auto box. We’ve driven both the engines and we’ve simply found the 1.9-litre engine combines with the automatic gearbox to be a compelling buy. Isuzu might, however, bring a few mechanical updates to the pickup truck, but that’s highly unlikely. Moreover, expect the D-Max V-Cross to arrive in the same clothing, as it was only updated with a minor update last year. Expect prices to be in the same range when the pickup truck from Isuzu arrives sometime early next year.
2. Isuzu MU-X BS6
Unlike the D-Max V-Cross, which is a niche product, the MU-X is a full-size SUV fitting in a fiercely competitive space. So, for Isuzu to sell a good number of its MU-X SUV in the Indian market, it would really have to make it all the more appealing than its predecessor. After all, with the arrival of the feature-packed MG Gloster, the segment seems to be heading towards a new direction. But nevertheless, we’ve always been fans of the MU-X for its distinctive styling, immense off-roading capabilities, and the fact that it makes quite the lifestyle statement. For those of you who may not know, the MU-X shares the same ladder frame platform that also underpins the D-Max V-Cross pickup truck.
The Isuzu MU-X sold earlier in the Indian market was the pre-facelift version compared to other global markets. So, this time around, we’re expecting Isuzu to debut the facelift version in the Indian market, which comes with LED headlamps, dual-tone dashboard and a new touch-screen infotainment system with MirrorLink connectivity for smartphones. However, we expect the car to be powered by the same 3.0-litre diesel engine as before, which, in its BS-IV guise, was capable of churning out 174bhp and 380Nm of torque, and was mated to a 5-speed automatic gearbox. Of course, it will be updated now to meet the stringent BS-VI emission standards, so there’s a chance the power and torque figures might witness a slight drop. After all, the earlier BS-IV spec engine was punchy enough to deliver some thrills, but was not the sprightliest in town. Also, read the latest car comparisons, only at autoX.
