As part of the relaunch of the new website, which will include a brand new 'Ask James' section, I will be featuring one question of the week from a reader and giving out special prize. This one comes from John Angelo Peralta Alcid, who asks:
“I would like to ask your opinion––which is better, the Chevrolet Trailblazer or the Isuzu MU-X? Since you drive a Trailblazer, how's the performance and fuel consumption? My father is contemplating what to acquire between the two SUVs, which can you recommend?”
Hi John, seeing that this has been by far the most popular question I’ve had since Isuzu pulled the covers off the worst kept secret in the automotive industry, I’ve decided to make it my question of the week and answer it publicly to give my inbox some breathing room. So congratulations, you win a BMW i8! (scale model)
There’s really not much of a dilemma here for me, so I’ll get straight to the point. Hands down, the Trailblazer is better than the MUX everyday and twice on Sundays. Try and imagine 136hp trying to carry that huge chassis. It's like child labor. Why on earth they chose to do that even has Google stumped. But even if Isuzu brought in the 3.0, 174hp engines, they still run a 5-speed rather than the Chevy’s six speed.
Personally, I find it very disappointing. Save for the D-Max (which also runs the old engine) Isuzu hasn’t had a new product since Moses played point guard for Jerusalem; and now that they have the opportunity to impress us with an all-new platform (which was developed by GM&Chevrolet) they shove in old engines and 5-speed gearboxes in them––which is like taking a shower, and then wearing your dirty clothes again.
Forgive me if that sounds a bit harsh; but so is asking more money for your top of the line version than the LTZ Trailblazer. No matter how many DVD players or GPS systems you throw in.
In the end, I’m sure it is not a bad vehicle. But it's no Trailblazer, Montero or Fortuner. In fact, with these prices and power trains, the only variant that makes sense to me is the base model; at 1,188M it makes a perfect upgrade from a Sportivo.
