On a road trip that spanned over 1,000 kilometers, members of the mu-X Owners Philippines (muXOP) and their families, on board 20 units of the Isuzu mu-X SUV, successfully completed another epic adventure from April 27 to May 1, this time to the picturesque island province of Catanduanes.

Coming along for the trip was Isuzu Philippines Corporation’s newest offering, the mu-X LS-A powered by Isuzu’s newest and most efficient diesel engine, the 1.9-liter BluePower RZ4E.

The trip started at the Petron KM 44 Southbound service station on the South Luzon Expressway in Calamba, Laguna early evening of April 27, leading to an early morning roll-on roll-off (RORO) trip from Tabaco Port in Albay Province to the San Andres Port in Catanduanes.

Catanduanes, the country’s 12th largest island and a “maogma” (happy) place for the locals, also dished out wondrous sights as the convoy circumnavigated the island that weekend. The highlight of the 150-km island loop was the stop at Binurong Point which offers a breathtaking view of the Pacific Ocean.

All throughout, the reliable SUVs of muXOP provided reliable, consistent power and stability to negotiate the tricky twists and turns of the mountain and coastal roads. The mu-X offered enough comfortable space for entire families and their luggage, and still leave room for the mandatory “pasalubong”.


muXOP, headed by Mr. Val Estor, explained that the barely year-old Club which already counts over 2,000 members has been actively engaging in group tours and humanitarian missions, the most recent of which was when the club delivered relief goods to those displaced by the recent eruption of Mount Mayon.

The new RZ4E engine, Val noted, would motivate mu-X owners to embark on more trips, what with the vastly improved fuel efficiency, significantly reduced noise and vibration, and cleaner emissions.

The Isuzu RZ4E engine is the result of the Japanese carmaker’s 6 years of extensive research and represents Isuzu’s first foray into smaller engines but with higher outputs. While its capable of generating 150 horsepower and 350 Nm of torque, it’s 60 kilograms lighter than the previous 4JJ1 engine enabling it to yield 37 km/L in a DOE-style fuel economy run.

Indeed, “less is more” with the new Isuzu mu-X powered by the innovative BluePower, Euro4 emission-standard 1.9-liter RZ4E diesel engine.