Christopher Lau, the Borneo Post intern, having a photo taken while standing on the doorsill of the
MU-X near a bridge at Sematan Beach which will be connected to the Tanjung Datu National Park via the planned Pan Borneo Highway.
AM I falling in love again?
Just a week after keeping a date out on the road with the latest Isuzu model — the MU-X — I know I have fallen in love with this 4-wheel-drive beauty.
It did not come about without some acid tests though. I had test-driven the MU-X through various terrains. And, after putting the ‘multi-utility’ roadster through its pace, I found its overall performance superb.
On the first day, my team and I drove my newfound flame to Sematan, taking roughly one and half hours to cover the 120km journey from Kuching along the congested Kuching-Bau Road.
Sematan — a breathtaking beach-town that offers the best idyllic and romantic setting in the southernmost part of the state — was our destination. There, I had the opportunity to take the snapshots for this writeup.
The eye-catching MU-X, silhouetted against a beautiful mountainous backdrop, looked even lovelier, and deep in my heart, how I wished I could ‘propose’ so that this 4X4 Isuzu winner could stay as my constant companion on the road.
From Sematan, we passed through Lundu on the smooth tar-sealed road, cruising as fast as I could to test the MU-X’s optimal performance.
Along the way, we encountered events and experiences, deemed newsworthy for our daily stockpile of articles.
And why not, in Lundu itself, one should not miss the chance to sip perhaps the best kopi-O in Sarawak.
The MU-X emerging from a narrow parking space at Kampung Sentah.
This brew — with a real coffee taste and an aroma to match — makes it irresistible even though I am not a coffee guy.
I have known the kopitiam that serves this lip-smacking good coffee since the early 90’s when I used to travel to Lundu.
I was told by the kopitiam owner then that he personally processed and roasted the coffee beans to retain its real taste and aroma.
While heading back to Kuching on the final sweep of first day proceedings, we tuned to TEA FM and continued to assess the performance of the MU-X.
Inevitably, at one point in our conversation, the Lundu coffee came up — and we all agreed it is, indeed, different from the coffee we usually order at Naga Kopitiam, our hangout near our office.
On the second day, we decided to push the MU-X up the highest point in Kuching Division that is reachable via tar-sealed road. Destination: The Borneo Heights Resort. This would be the real acid test for the MU-X.
After a scrumptious brunch of prawn noodles at Mile 10 Kota Padawan bazaar, we revved towards the Resort. The drive there from Kuching took us a good 45 minutes, excluding the brunch time.
Upon reaching the foot of the Borneo Heights Resort, I arranged with the management to allow us to drive up to our destination more than 3,000 feet above sea level.
In fact, the highest point we reached with the MU-X at the Resort was at 3,281 feet.
With the rugged terrain, sharp turns and steep slopes, I had to make sure I stayed wide awake all the way up, and most importantly, how to handle the MU-X under such trying conditions.
I was briefed on how best to maximise power by Bernard Chin, Isuzu PR consultant, who said to do this, it was important to observe all aspects of safety. So, we started the climb with much caution.
I had to be totally focused, selecting the right gears, moving at the speed and keeping a clear view of the road while manoeuvring up the Resort’s highest point.
With the MU-X’s powerful 2.5 L VGS Turbo Intercooler Diesel engine, the ascent seemed smooth although I did feel the jitters as I would not want to repeat the same mistake I made a couple of years ago with another vehicle whose front disc brakes were ‘in smoke’ during a test drive.
But the MU-X is sturdy as it is attractive and I managed to take my colleagues, who tagged
along, to the top safe and sound. Most of the time along the steep terrain, I would engage the Low 1 or Low 2 gear to maximise power and avoid over-dependence on the brakes.
Overall, it was another excellent performance from the MU-X.
On day three, we decided to try the new road to Simunjan via Gedong.
With the newly-completed bridges at Gedong and Sageng, we reached our destination some two hours earlier. Had we used the old way via the Serian-Sri Aman Road junction, at least 55km from Simjunjan, it would have taken at least an hour longer.
It took us only 15 minutes to drive through the new Gedong-Simunjan road, passing vast plantations, flanked by large tracts of unspoilt vegetation mostly on peat soil, along the way.
The total distance logged — from Kuching and back via Gedong-Simunjan, Sungei Buluh Ferry and Asajaya — was about 250km.
The entire drive was pleasantly smooth except for some bumpy parts due to road upgrading works between Kampung Triboh and Gedong. Again, the overall performance of the MU-X was exceptionally smooth.
On the fourth day, we decided to drift around the Mile 7 (Kota Sentosa) area to get a feel of the MU-X’s performance in congested traffic near the Kuching Sentral regional bus terminal.
With the MU-X’s smooth gear transmission, the traffic jam was a non-issue. So was the parking with the reverse drive camera.
This is a great improvement from my previous test drives of other vehicles where every reverse manoeuvre posed an arduous challenge.
On the final day, we decided to reach Kampung Sentah, a secluded Bidayuh village some 1,000 feet above sea level.
The drive from Kuching to the foothill there was fairly routine, but from the foothill to the elevated kampung, the road was very narrow and winding.
Oft-times, I had to honk, especially at sharp curbs and bends, to warn oncoming traffic of our presence. And thank goodness, it turned out to be a very successful final acid test for the MU-X.
In the old days, no vehicles could reach this village as the road was not only very steep and narrow but also unsealed.
In fact, during those days, few dared pit their driving skills against this treacheous stretch of mud and gravels as it was considered suicidal.
It was not until recently when the road was tar-sealed that the village became a favourite haunt of joggers and a testing ground for off-roaders and their cars.
But with my newfound flame — the MU-X — I had no problems at all, not even when the MU-X appeared sandwiched between huge boulders after I parked it for a short ‘pit stop’ to have a chit chat with the villagers of Kampung Sentah.
My overall view of the MU-X is that it has passed all the tests on different terrains with flying colours, including for comfortability, agility and fuel efficiency.
The MU-X comes with the following models — MU-X 2.5L 4×2 (AT) priced at 153,140.55 ODR with insurance, and MU-X 2.5L 4×4 (AT) priced at 166,087.39 ODR with insurance.
The two models are available in four colours — Cosmic Black, Uluru Brown, Splash White and Titanium Silver.
MU-X on a ferry crossing the Sadong River at the Sungei Buluh Ferry Point.