Overview & Reviews

For now, Isuzu SUVs and trucks are all that you'll see at your local Isuzu dealer; it's been quite a few years since there's been an Isuzu car. The company's specialized lineup is more a function of circumstance than choice. In recent years, Isuzu has seen its share of hard times; a lack of funding for both new product investment and marketing has forced the company to rely heavily on its partnership with GM. Both of the models in its line are derived from existing GM products.

Isuzu, which means "50 bells," is the name of a river that flows through a province dotted with ancient Shinto shrines in Japan. The company's roots date back to 1916, when Tokyo Ishikawajima Shipbuilding and Engineering Company first decided to broaden its business to include automobile manufacturing. The company forged a technical union with the U.K.-based Wolseley Motor Company in 1918. Its debut licensed offering, the A9 car, soon followed, as did its first truck, the CP. By 1949, the company's name had been changed to the more succinct Isuzu.

In the postwar years, production of Isuzu trucks boomed. The company's vehicles played a significant role in Japan's reconstruction effort, and were used to ferry clothes, food and other essentials. In 1953, Isuzu rolled out the Hillman Minx passenger car, the product of a technical union with Rootes, a U.K. outfit.

The 1960s saw the launch of passenger cars like the Florian, the Bellett and the 117 Coupe, as well as trucks like the WASP. In 1971, Isuzu entered into a partnership with General Motors. The Gemini, released a couple of years later, was the first Isuzu vehicle to be produced from the pairing.

By the 1980s, Isuzu had landed on American shores. The Pup was the first Isuzu sold in the U.S. market. The Trooper, an SUV available in two- or four-door form, was introduced in 1983 and quickly became popular in that new market segment. The company entered into a joint venture with Subaru in 1987, a union that spawned the Isuzu Rodeo and the Isuzu Pickup. Less popular than the trucks were the cars, such as the dated I-Mark sedan and the handsome, Italian-designed Impulse sport coupe.

The company's sales were relatively strong in the 1990s, thanks in part to the increasing success of the Trooper, which by that time had grown in size and luxury. The Trooper was one of the models responsible for the massive popularity of the SUV vehicle category during that decade. In 1999, GM upped its stake in Isuzu to assume the role of majority shareholder.

The new millennium brought bad news, however. Previous bestsellers like the Rodeo and the Trooper were outclassed by newer, fresher competition, and sales plummeted. The Rodeo and the Axiom (a crossover SUV) were dropped from the lineup in 2004. Currently, Isuzu's lineup comprises just two vehicles — a truck and an SUV, both of which are based on GM products.

User Reviews:

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  Were thrilled! - 2003 Isuzu Axiom
  By self-evident truth - April 8 - 10:00 am

  We love our Axiom! This is our 15th new auto purchase, and by far our best vehicle yet! In our first few months of ownership, we took several 2K road trips, and everybody is happy (including kid and dog). Love the way it handles, and its got mega power (which is a welcome relief from our V6 Toyota Forerunner, which lacked as much space, as it did power)! Love the leather, and the 6CD shuttle system, and everytime we walk out to our baby, we cant help but marvel at her beauty!!!

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  Best ride ive ever had - 2002 Isuzu Rodeo
  By dexman - March 31 - 10:00 am

  I picked the S model because it fit my budget. Little did I know that the S model I chose came with all of the features of the LS model, 3.2 V6 DOHC, roof rack, CD player, power windows, locks, ABS, Intelligent Suspension Control, high performance stereo, great sound system, etc..The asking price was 25k, I got it for 23k. I love it, id buy another. I checked all the others in this class, glad I made this choice!!

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  Great Vehicle at a Resonable Price - 2002 Isuzu Axiom
  By lanetk - March 31 - 2:00 am

  Good Buying experience at the dealer, just watch out for the "add ons" they try to slip in. I compared with the Nissan Pathfinder, Toyota Highlander, and others and this was by far the best value. Factory incentives of $3000 really helped.

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  Cant beat it for your money! - 2002 Isuzu Axiom
  By Neil Boden - February 15 - 2:00 am

  My fiance and I went into looking for an SUV with the Jeep Grand Cherokee in mind. We live in MN and need something for the weather we get. We test drove the Jeep and a couple others (explorer, liberty, Xterra, Axiom) for comparison. Although we liked the Grand Cherokee and Xterra (we hated the liberty and exploder) the Axiom was perfect!

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  Very Good SUV - 2001 Isuzu Rodeo
  By Jerrico - February 12 - 8:06 pm

  So far no problem. Excellent service at dealership - done for the schedule service maintenance only

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  THE FIRST AND ORIGINAL SUV - 1999 Isuzu Trooper
  By UPYDOIN - February 12 - 2:00 am

  ALL AROUND GREAT FUN

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  Happy Owner - 2002 Isuzu Axiom
  By Chris - February 6 - 1:13 pm

  This is a SUV that drives and rides like a car. I love it and all who drive it love it.

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  Isuzu rules the world of real trucks! - 2000 Isuzu Amigo
  By Mike - January 31 - 9:23 am

  I have owned the truck for 5.5 years and I still love it. No problems to date (75K); it still has the original brake pads. I have the factory hard top which is easy to remove and replace with the factory soft-top in the summer.

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  Fun,Fun,Fun and Fun - 2002 Isuzu Axiom
  By dima chernyak - January 29 - 2:00 am

  I did a huge research on all SUVS and this was the best SUV for this money and it is just better then the others

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  Very good SUV - 2000 Isuzu Trooper
  By william tsai - January 13 - 10:00 am

  Simply a real utility + sport car