I am talking about the 2.8 Turbo Diesel versions because the non-turbo is a
pig to drive. Both vehicle manual transmissions. 70% town and 30% poor
highway. The code for 2.8 TD is UBS55 and the 3.1TDi is UBS69.
IMO, the UBS69 and UBS55 has very different driving characters. I would say
its Night & Day. To put the example to the extreme, the 3.1 would be like a
slightly underpowered lumbering heavy Mercedes (and the larger non-factory
265 tires I upgraded vs factory 245 make things slightly worst) and the 2.8
is like a nicely powered agile Japanese Honda Civic. So it all depends on
what you wanted and you simply have to drive them differently. Have you
ever seen Mercedes sedan being driven around a street corner like as though
it’s a Go-kart, have you? There is simply no such thing. The upside is that
the Mercedes would be far more comfortable and hugely better NVH.
The 3.1 gives me 23 mpg fairly gentle driving whereas the 2.8 gives me 28
mpg no matter how hard I drive them. The FC of 2.8 simply refuses to go
below 28mpg with a best highway driving of 31mpg.
I think parts availability is the same for both because there are a lot of
government 3.2/3.1 around and that helps. But ALL 4WD parts regardless of
brand are always far more expensive then saloon but 3.1 would be more
expensive. For example, original oil filter would be RM50 before going up
to RM80 now. IMO, Isuzu has far better engine then Toyota but Toyota has
better chassis toughness that's better for off-road.
I believe post 1997 Isuzu came with 3.1 engines and the engine may even be
slightly more powerful then the non-green older version.
UBS69 came with multi-linked rear suspension and torsion bar front. But I
have seen some coming from Brunei with old fashion leaf spring that may be
tougher but definitely less comfortable for the passenger. But I have
carried 500 to 700 kg in my UBS69 on some rare occasion and never have any
problem, even on farm roads. But I did keep my fingers crossed because i
can see the tires being stressed.
Based on your need, I would suggest you go for the UBS69 3.1tdi instead.
Your family would love you for the hugely extra comfort, larger space and
far better NVH. Just to remind you to drive like an matured driver aka
Mercedes and not like a punk driving like crazy round corners in a Civic
and you will do just fine.
