Isuzu Ute Australia (IUA) launched the tougher, Walkinshaw-engineered D-Max Blade ute in November, and now it appears to be planning to release a similarly hardcore, locally developed version of the related MU-X off-roader.
Asked at this week’s launch of the facelifted 2025 Isuzu MU-X range – now topped by a new flagship X-Terrain variant – about the chances of a more capable and likely more expensive Blade version, IUA deputy general manager Sadanori Sugita said: “We are carefully monitoring the market and customer demand.
“At this point in time we’re focussing on MY25. [But] We are planning something.”
Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now.
-
2025 Isuzu D-Max X-Terrain
Other IUA officials were quick to hose down the prospects for an imminent launch of the 2025 Isuzu MU-X Blade, but IUA managing director Junta Matsui later indicated to CarExpert that its release was largely dependent on demand for the D-Max Blade.
“Maybe that’s a good strategy for us to take,” he said. “Of course we need to look at how the market is going, because the market is moving. So we are carefully observing the enquiry on Blade at the moment.”
IUA released 400 examples of the Walkinshaw Automotive developed and manufactured D-Max Blade in late 2024, and said production would be limited to 100 vehicles a month in 2025.
Mr Matsui indicated that a potential MU-X Blade sister model would be limited by production capacity at the Walkinshaw facility in Melbourne, where both vehicles would be modified on the same factory line that previously produced homegrown tough trucks like the Volkswagen Amarok W-Series and Mitsubishi Triton Xtreme.
“Frankly speaking, we are working together with Walkinshaw and we have a capacity limit,” he said.
“We need to make a nice balance between factory balance and customer enquiry and so far it’s a good balance.
“It’s [the success of the D-Max Blade] going to help for sure, because if customers are moving towards Blade segment of course we need to think about MU-X as well, for sure.
“So let’s see how the D-Max Blade segment is going over the next six to 12 months.”
Like the D-Max Blade, the MU-X Blade would offer a series of upgrades to enhance its off-road capability, and its on-road ride and handling performance at higher speeds.
If Isuzu’s new flagship dual-cab 4×4 ute is any guide, they would be headlined by a relatively small ride height increase via new front coil springs and rear spacer blocks.
We could also expect new 17-inch alloy wheels with Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac RT all-terrain tyres that also increase the ute’s track width, plus bespoke Walkinshaw-developed twin-tube dampers all round.
For the D-Max Blade, that results a 22.5mm front-end lift and a 25mm rear-end lift, which is similar to the Toyota HiLux Rogue’s suspension lift but less than the Nissan Navara Warrior’s, and a minimum ground clearance increase of just 4mm to 244mm.
However, the MU-X Blade would require an almost completely new development and engineering program, in part because the SUV has coil-spring rear suspension instead of the ute’s leaf-sprung rear-end.
But like the D-Max Blade, its SUV twin would likely retain its donor vehicle’s 140kW/450Nm 3.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine, 3500kg towing capacity and 800mm wading depth, while featuring increased payload and gross vehicle mass figures.
The D-Max Blade also brings improved underbody protection in the form of a red bash plate and black tubular side steps, and features various cosmetic tweaks like a more aggressive front bumper and black fender flares, mirrors and door handles.
It features cosmetic tweaks inside too, including a build number plaque and various Blade logos dotted throughout the cabin.
Carryover off-road equipment includes Rough Terrain Mode and a locking rear differential.
And like the D-Max Blade, the MU-X Blade would set a new price benchmark for IUA, despite the fact it’s unlikely to be based on the flagship variant in the range.
At $76,990 drive-away, the D-Max Blade commands a circa-$6000 list price premium over the high-spec D-Max LS-U+ on which it’s based, and a $9000 drive-away surcharge over the former D-Max flagship, the X-Terrain.
If IUA applied similar surcharges over the LS-T on which it’s expected to be based ($69,990 drive-away), and the new range-topping MU-X X-Terrain ($73,990 drive-away), you could expect the first MU-X Blade to cost about $83,000 drive-away, putting it roughly on par with the V6-powered Ford Everest Tremor.
MORE: Everything Isuzu MU-X