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Subaru Outback topples Isuzu MU-X as both set segment records

Recreational off-road wagons continue to set sales records as an increasing number of Australians plan to holiday at home in the wake of the coronavirus crisis and amid international travel restrictions.


One of the newest and one of the oldest vehicles in the Large SUV category – the newly-released Subaru Outback and the aging Isuzu MU-X, the latter due to be replaced with a new version later this year – filled two of the top three spots in the category, split by the ever-popular Toyota LandCruiser Prado.

In a major upset, however, the Subaru Outback outsold all-comers in the category, reporting 1341 examples as sold – despite being the subject of a “stop delivery” recall notice.

It was an all-time monthly sales record in the 25-year history of the Subaru Outback.

However, the Toyota RAV4 was the nation's top-selling SUV – of all shapes and sizes – finishing in third place behind the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger utes, with 3522 sales.

Most of the Subaru Outbacks represented in the March 2021 tally were of the new generation model, the company says, even though they had to be held back from being delivered while the vehicles awaited urgent updates to the braking system.

Last month, Subaru issued two recalls in one day for repairs to braking software and hardware.

Meanwhile, the Isuzu MU-X posted 1179 sales – which is one more than its previous record of 1178 deliveries set in June 2017 – despite the model being eight years old.

While the Subaru Outback has a permanent all-wheel-drive system, the Isuzu MU-X sales result includes two-wheel-drive (4x2) and four-wheel drive (4x4) variants.

An all-new Isuzu MU-X is due in local showrooms by the end of this year, though exact timing and pricing are yet to be confirmed.

The new model is, however, expected to gain most if not all the advanced safety aids fitted to the new Isuzu D-Max ute released last year.

Sales of off-roaders and faux-wheel-drives have skyrocketed since the pandemic struck in early 2020, as more Australians plan domestic getaways rather than travelling overseas.

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Joshua Dowling

Joshua Dowling has been a motoring journalist for more than 20 years, spending most of that time working for The Sydney Morning Herald (as motoring editor and one of the early members of the Drive team) and News Corp Australia. He joined CarAdvice / Drive in 2018, and has been a World Car of the Year judge for more than 10 years.

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