Isuzu Alterra

[paj4x4]

I drive one. Okay not the exact same one but pretty close. I have an Isuzu Adventure Master Elegance here in Bangkok as my company car. It shares the same chassis, engine (3.0l TDIC, 146bhp), and interior (save for the 3rd row seats – my rig’s 3rd row seats are way better) as that of the MU-7/Alterra.

Key difference would include the ff.
1. The spare tire on my rig is at the back (tail gate) of the vehicle and not under as that of the MU-7/Alterra. This is where the leg space of the 3rd row seats on my rig comes from.
2. The IAME (I abbreviated the name. Haba eh!) have “real” 3rd row seats. The 3rd row seats on the MU-7/Alterra are a joke. Quite similar in appearance to the 3rd row seats of the CRV when it was taking advantage of a tax loophole.
3. Rear quarter body/glass design

Believe it or not, I chose this over the Fortuner. Why? Simply because I needed a 4x4 vehicle which can comfortably fit myself, wife, 3 kids, and 2 nannies. The IAME fits the bill perfectly.

No doubt on my mind that the Fortuner has a better, more powerful (163 bhp), and a lot quieter engine. Body design is as well a lot better for me personally. The only downside is the rig is a bit too narrow for my needs. The 3rd row jump seats leave much to be desired as well – although better than the 3rd row seats of the MU-7/Alterra if you ask me. I think the Fortuner can only fit 6 pax comfortably.

I’ve had this rig here a little over 5 months now. Quite happy with the engine – pulling power is great. It can cruise comfortably along Thailand’s long and wide highways at 140kph for hours on end without a sweat. Top speed I’ve reached so far is 160kph (slight downhill). Fuel consumption is very good. I average 10-12km/liter in downtown Bangkok where traffic can get very heavy.

The only thing I don’t like with the engine is the noise. Oh boy if you get an Isuzu for the first time the engine noise will take a lot of getting used to.

Ride comfort – hmmm I’d give it 8 out of 10. For perspective I’d give my Gen 2.5 Paj over there in Manila 7 out of 10. I think Isuzu Thailand made the rear leafs a bit soft for better ride comfort. I brought the rig to Chiang Mai a couple of months ago. It’s an 800km trip from Bangkok which we took in only 7 hours (with two stops – one for lunch and another one for gas). My kids did not complain of feeling sore or a bumpy ride so I guess it makes the grade.

Interior – dual A/C, all leather, VCD/DVD player and monitor. No issues here on my end.

Click on the link below to see pictures of the IAME.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/paj4x4...=/99de&.view=t

[Monseratto]

[Monseratto]

[Monseratto]

paj4x4, Is the 3rd seat foldable or fixed?

[paj4x4]

Monseratto, thanks for posting some of the pics here. Yes the 3rd row seats are fully foldable. Really comes in handy when I have visitors from Manila especially when I have to bring them to and from the airport.

[mbt]

so the logical question is: why didnt they just bring in the better-looking and better-integrated IAME instead of the alterra?

[paj4x4]

Good question.

It could be because of the fact that the IAME is only available in the Thai Market. A local car company (Thairung Car Co.) makes this for Isuzu Thailand. I think Isuzu Thailand supplies the chassis, suspension, engine, main body parts (hood, doors, basic shell, windows) and bulk of the interior (dashboard etc) to Thairung. Thairung then customizes the 3rd row seats, puts the spare tire in the tailgate, etc. Thairung sends finished units back to Isuzu for their dealers to sell to the general public.

By the way, Thairung is the same company that makes the Nissan Exciter (7 seat Nissan Frontier psuedo SUV) for Nissan Thailand. They've been operating in Thailand for over 30 years and the main campaign of the company is "we provide real 7 seater vehicles" or something in Thai.

[carlocaraddict]

the adventure master looks better than the Alterra IMO.

saw a blue alterra in guadalupe last tuesday and another one in grey yesterday in a highway in Bayambang, Pangasinan.

[Jeepcruizerph]

kung yang Isuzu Adventure Master Elegance ang dinala dito sa pinas makikipag sabayan pa sa 4tuner ;)

[boybi]

the IAME looks way way way better than the local Alterra! dapat ibalik lahat ng Alterra sa Thailand at ang IAME ang dalhin dito!