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Isuzu PH says new RZ4E engine yields 35+km/L

As tested on manual and automatic Mu-X vehicles

The new RZ4E engine has a smaller displacement. PHOTO FROM ISUZU

Isuzu Philippines has launched its latest offering to the commercial vehicle market, and no, it’s not another SUV or truck. Instead, the Japanese automaker unveiled last week a new diesel engine that is supposedly better and more efficient than the one previously shoehorned into the Mu-X SUV and the D-Max pickup.

We’re talking about the all-new RZ4E Blue Power diesel engine, whose displacement of 1,898cc is significantly smaller than that of the 2.5-liter unit it is replacing. According to Isuzu, this Euro 4-compliant powerplant took four years to develop. Rated at 148hp and 350Nm, the RZ4E boasts such features as diamond-like carbon parts (piston pins and fuel-injector needles), a clothoid-curve combustion chamber, fracture-split connecting rods, a water-cooled variable-geometry turbocharger, a hydraulic valve lash adjuster, a single drive belt for the alternator and the air-conditioning compressor, and a cartridge-type oil filter.

Isuzu claims that all this innovation has resulted in even better fuel economy. And to put its money where its mouth is, the company conducted a fuel-efficiency test under the supervision of Automobile Association Philippines. In said test, a Mu-X RZ4E LS-A MT and a Mu-X RZ4E LS-A AT reportedly yielded 37.27km/L and 35.80km/L, respectively. These figures, if accurate, compare favorably with those of the outgoing 2.5-liter oil-burner (32.60km/L for the manual and 24.13km/L for the automatic).

If the fuel-efficiency test results are accurate, there's good reason these guys are grinning. PHOTO FROM ISUZU

The new Isuzu RZ4E Blue Power engine will be offered in the following vehicle variants:

  • Mu-X LS 4×2 MT – P1,395,000;
  • Mu-X LS-A 4×2 MT – P1,570,000;
  • Mu-X LS-A 4×2 AT – P1,595,000;
  • D-Max LS 4×2 MT – TBA; and
  • D-Max LS 4×2 AT – TBA.

The new Mu-X RZ4E variants are available in Havana Brown, Cosmic Black, Obsidian Gray, Titanium Silver and Silky Pearl White (which carries an additional price of P10,000).

In a time when diesel propulsion has been getting nothing but bad press, it’s refreshing to hear some good news for a change.



Vernon B. Sarne

Vernon is the founder and editor-in-chief of VISOR. He has been an automotive journalist since July 1995. He became one by serendipity, walking into the office of a small publishing company and applying for a position he had no idea was for a local car magazine. God has watched over him throughout his humble journey. He writes the ‘Spoiler’ column.



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