When it comes to diesel engines, Isuzu is one brand that seems to know its stuff quite well. So it doesn’t really surprise many that it will soon be fielding a new diesel motor in the country in the form of the RZ4E Blue Power diesel motor. Introduced today by Isuzu Philippines Corporation, the new oil burner is set to debut in the Isuzu mu-X midsize SUV.
So what’s so special about this new diesel lump, you ask? For one, it displaces a mere 1,898cc or 1.9-liters. Don’t let the smallish figure fool you as it is capable of producing 150hp and 350Nm of torque—figures clearly in the 2.5-liter four-cylinder range. Moreover, Isuzu claims that this powerplant is way more efficient than the existing 2.5-liter diesels found in its line-up.
Tested under the watchful eye of the Automobile Assocation of the Philippines using Department of Energy parameters, the RZ4E equipped Isuzu mu-X LS-A MT was able to do 37.27km/L—a jump from the old mu-X 2.5-liter variant’s 32.60km/L. its mu-X LS-A AT version, meanwhile, did the same run netting 35.80km/L, which is likewise an improvement over its 2.5L AT counterpart’s 24.13km/L.
