Overview & Reviews
Just about every automotive manufacturer produces a sport-utility vehicle today. But back in the early 1990s, there was only a sprinkling of truck-based, off-road vehicles to whet the appetites of those trendsetters who were ahead of their time in appreciating elevated seating heights and macho styling. The Isuzu Rodeo was one of these pioneers; a midsize SUV with ample room for five passengers and a comfy ride. Compared to more rough-and-tumble models from Jeep or Chevy, the Rodeo was much easier to live with on a day-to-day basis, and it quickly became a best-selling import SUV.
For the second-generation Rodeo, Isuzu concentrated on weight reduction, noise deadening, passenger comfort and improved on-road driving dynamics that all made the Rodeo a more livable daily driver. Thanks to a generous warranty, it was initially one of our top choices in the segment, but quickly found itself outclassed by newer competitors despite some minor updates.
Although a well-maintained used Isuzu Rodeo should satisfy shoppers on a tight budget, those willing to spend a bit more would be better served by more refined SUVs such as the Nissan Pathfinder or Toyota 4Runner.
Most recent Isuzu Rodeo
The second-generation Isuzu Rodeo midsize SUV arrived in 1998 with the same basic shape of its successful predecessor. The spare tire was now attached directly to the hatch (rather than a separate swinging tire carrier), or it could be mounted under the truck for a cleaner tail end design. These two configurations also reduced weight, which was a key design goal for Isuzu's engineers. In total, 285 pounds were shaved off the Rodeo by reducing frame and engine weight, by switching to rack-and-pinion steering and by using a five-link rear suspension design.
This reduced the burden on the four- and six-cylinder engines, which despite going up in power, were hardly known for providing quick acceleration. The standard 2.2-liter inline-4 engine available on the base S model made an anemic 129 horsepower and 144 pound-feet of torque, and could only be coupled to a five-speed manual. The 3.2-liter V6 available on the S and standard on the LS and LSE produced 205 hp and 214 lb-ft and was mated to either the manual or a four-speed automatic. Rear-wheel drive was standard with four-wheel drive being optional on all trim levels, but only with the V6.
The base S model with the four-cylinder engine was essentially a stripper (though antilock brakes were standard) with only a few options like air-conditioning available. Standard and optional equipment on upper trim levels included alloy wheels, a limited-slip differential, full power accessories, cruise control, tilt steering wheel, keyless entry, moonroof, leather upholstery and a six-speaker stereo with cassette or CD player.
In 2000, the Isuzu Rodeo received more than 200 changes, including an aggressive styling refresh, updated seating and an optional Intelligent Suspension Control (ISC) system that automatically selected one of 17 shock rebound and compression rates depending on road conditions. A new Ironman LS package included sunroof, alloy wheels, ISC, special decals and a Best of Black Sabbath album (wait, that's a different Ironman). A transferable 10-year/120,000-mile powertrain warranty also became standard in 2000 and a two-door Rodeo Sport model was sold from 2001 to 2003.
When that second-generation Rodeo debuted, we considered it one of the top midsize SUVs on the market. We were particularly impressed with its quality interior, silky V6 engine and roomy backseat. After a long-term test and two years later, however, we were no longer so enamored (quite the opposite, really) and thought that in general, recently introduced SUVs were much better choices than the Rodeo.
While the V6 and ample space continued to score points, our long-termer's three breakdowns, shoddy build quality and numerous electrical gremlins were simply unacceptable and we began to view the interior plastics as increasingly cheap compared to those in the newer competition. We also complained about the vehicle's paltry gas mileage, low towing capacity and rough-riding suspension.
Past Isuzu Rodeo models
The original Isuzu Rodeo was introduced for 1991. Like its replacement, it was available with four- and six-cylinder engines and a choice of rear- or four-wheel drive. With its long wheelbase, this Rodeo offered one of the best rides and largest backseats on the market.
Initially, both the 3.1-liter V6 and 2.6-liter inline-4 made only 120 hp. The V6 made 30 more lb-ft of torque, but its upgrade to 175 hp in 1993 was certainly welcome. The four-cylinder remained unchanged. Early Rodeos were also not very safe, receiving poor crash test scores and offering almost no safety equipment. Antilock brakes were standard, but were rear-wheel only with four-wheel ABS becoming an option in 1995. That year also saw front airbags added along with a redesigned dashboard courtesy of Honda, which rebadged the Rodeo as its Passport SUV a year previously. The only other significant changes for the Rodeo occurred in 1996 when Isuzu bumped the V6 up to 190 hp, added a shift-on-the-fly four-wheel-drive system and improved the vehicle's ride quality.
User Reviews:
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Great fun reliable vehicle - 2001 Isuzu Rodeo
By Loved it!!! - August 11 - 5:20 pmI loved this SUV. NEVER once failed me. There was only one problem with it that had something to do with the axles but the mechanics could never figure it out. Even the small things that couldnt be fixed, it never failed to start up and drive anywhere. I could tell it was starting to die though, at only 93000 miles. It didnt have much longer to go. It was very well taken care of, i just dont believe theyre meant to last very long.
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I love it! - 2003 Isuzu Rodeo
By Brandi - August 6 - 6:43 amI love it. I traded my tiny Camaro in for this lovely SUV. This is actually our 2nd Rodeo to own and we love it. I like the length of the warranty. It covers just about everything that could go wrong. We had a Honda Passport and although they resemble each other they are nothing like each other. The Honda was a LEMON but our Rodeo is an Angel. The interior is nice and roomy and the seats are very comfy (we do NOT have lumbar support, you only need that if you are like 100 years old). The trunk area is large enough to hold all of our luggage for family vacations plus some and then we still have the luggage rack on top. I love the size of the vehicle because its not small but not big.
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Nice Inexpensive SUV - 1999 Isuzu Rodeo
By sl - July 24 - 2:00 amI like it a lot, and its worth the price. The only beef I have is with the cruise control: it doesnt hold the speed, has an upward creep. Had instances where it was going up by as much as 3 mph, even after hitting coast button several times.
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Nice Inexpensive SUV - 1999 Isuzu Rodeo
By SL - July 24 - 2:00 amI like it a lot, and its worth the price. The only beef I have is with the cruise control: it doesnt hold the speed, has an upward creep. Had instances where it was going up by as much as 3 mph, even after hitting coast button several times.
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very happy - 1998 Isuzu Rodeo
By happy169 - July 12 - 6:16 amI am very happy with my isuzu I have 200600 k on vehicle I am second owner I new ist owner he took very good care of vehicle replaced clutch at 150k only use syn oil runs great
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Surprise - 2004 Isuzu Rodeo
By randallgray - July 9 - 5:23 amThe vehicle has been a surprise. The ride and reliability have been excellent. The car has a lot of equipment at a significantly lower sticker price than the competition.
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My 2002 Rodeo S 4X2 - 2002 Isuzu Rodeo
By Brian355 - July 4 - 2:00 amI like the car. I find it to be fun and igile to drive. Great handling on wet/snowy roads for a 2WD. It is a roomy family vehicle with plenty of cargo space. The MPG is about what I expected. I do disagree with reports of a noisy/busy ride. The ride is smooth and pretty quiet in my opinion. The light steering and tight turning radius allows easy manuvering in parking lots.
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Whats that noise? - 2001 Isuzu Rodeo
By Assilemmoyers - June 26 - 10:00 amI love my Rodeo! It is an absolute dream to drive despite the enormous amount of change that goes into filling it up. It doesnt drive as smooth as I would have hoped but I like the fact that its big and roomy. There is an annoying sound coming from the back and no one seems to be able to figure out what it is. Its loud around turns and little and big bumps. Other than that its a beautiful and fun vehicle to drive. No problems as of yet mechanically except for a cold start problem that was easy to fix. Also do not play burned cds in your six disc changer, it jams pretty easily and is testy about what you put in there.
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Humm...somebody is oicking on Isuzu - 2000 Isuzu Rodeo
By dyma82 - June 5 - 10:00 amI have had my Isuzu for three years already, and I am really please with it performance so far. I have never had a serious problem with it. The most terrible problem I had was my rear wiper stopped working after three years of use. I found that acceptable. I found my Isuzu Rodeo really reliable and some friends of mine who own Rodeos also speak hight of it. I dont think there is any SUV out there other than Isuzu Rodeo from which you can get so much power out of a 3.2 6 cylinder engine.
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got knocked out of gear - 2000 Isuzu Rodeo
By Kim McGlamery - May 24 - 7:16 pmI love my Rodeo, but it was easily knocked out of gear by a 2 yr old while it was not running and keys were out. It went rolling with her in it as I tried to jump in and stop it I lost my grip and fell under. Crushed my left side. How could this have happened? usually have to step on brake to move gear shift.
