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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  Im in the blue one - 2002 Isuzu Rodeo
  By jenningsm - March 18 - 10:00 am

  My experiences are all good... Im slightly disappointed in the fuel economy, although it is in line with the EPA estimates (im getting 18 in town and 23 hiway) Spring for the LS... the extra features are small stuff, but they are an improvement (I didnt and wish that I did... i ended up buying some of the amenities for the cargo area and ended up spending 300 there alone)

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  Great car - 2001 Isuzu Trooper
  By mike - March 10 - 4:16 am

  This is a great vehicle that does everything pretty well. Dealer has been great with warranty issues, but no major problems at all. Mileage is decent for my city type driving.

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  1999 Rodeo - 1999 Isuzu Rodeo
  By Sunny - March 5 - 11:16 am

  I purchased my Rodeo new and used it as my main vehicle for 8 years. One of the main things I was looking for was the ability to transport my bicycle inside the SUV, yet have a mid- sized vehicle that was easy to handle. The Rodeo has met every expectation and at 112,000+ miles, I am still very happy with it. I have honestly not kept up with the scheduled maintenance as the Isuzu dealerships come and go in our town, but have done the general oil changes, etc. There have been very few problems with it, and the only real negative is that it only gets about 15 - 18 miles a gallon at this point.

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  TX Driver - 2003 Isuzu Axiom
  By TX Driver - February 10 - 9:16 pm

  Overall, Im pleased with this machine. Styling and performance is great. Its always a head-turner wherever I go. I hope that Isuzu reconsiders and produce them again.

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  Top notch quality vehicle - 1999 Isuzu Trooper
  By Dee La Barge - January 26 - 8:53 pm

  We love our vehicle. It saved our lives, when we were rear ended by a taxi on Hwy 10, on the west side of Phoenix. I feel completely safe when driving it. It goes anywhere off road. Very dependable. Im short in stature, so, I love the height it gives me, when driving. We bought our vehicle new. We both wish that it could pull our 25ft Avion travel trailor, so we could get rid of the van.

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  Woah - 2002 Isuzu Axiom
  By drivzgrlzcrz - January 12 - 11:23 pm

  I will start off by saying I am very picky about my ride, and I love this vehicle it caught my eye at first but to be fair I looked around the lot only to return to it and peek inside, this is when I turned into a kid. Sweet interior, I knew 2 minutes into my test drive I was hooked. This SUV is unique and I get loads of compliments, I was previously interested in the Scion lineup & the Element but this is so me. The engine sounds like a tuned up car in power drive, super fun. Yes the pass doors could open more, the ride is wobbly in comfort, & the steering around turns uses more muscle but try to find an SUV that is perfect.. There isnt one, but this is very close.

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  BAD to the BONE! - 2001 Isuzu VehiCROSS
  By FLASH451 - January 6 - 10:00 am

  Until someone builds something better the VX is it! This is the first time I have owned or even seen a 4X4 that you can buy and go right to off road IMMEDIATELY! All other 4x4Â’s including jeeps have got anywhere from $3000 and up before they are really off road ready. The jeep wranglers for example lean so much in a turn they feel like they will roll right over and they will. However the VX can hit a corner with hardly a hesitation and while in the corner you can just nail it and it will just hook up and launch you straight down the road. Also a VX has the articulation that other 4x4Â’s just dream they came off the assembly line with.

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  Almost There - 2001 Isuzu VehiCROSS
  By pTooner - December 30 - 10:00 am

  They came very close to building a truly exceptional vehicle. I like almost everything about it. The only problems are the difficulty of getting into the back seat and little oversights like the lack of a power unlock for the rear door.

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  GOOD VALUE - 2005 Isuzu Ascender
  By KRYSTAL - December 9 - 4:56 pm

  Our large family was looking for the biggest nicest SUV for the money. My husband was looking at the Highlander and Pilot. The Highlander was too small inside. It was nice but too small and pricey. The Pilot, well the Honda dealership was horrible. All full of lies. The Pilot was a nice SUV but the price was way too much. I talked my husband into looking at the Ascender. At first he was still leaning towards the ighlander until I put them side by side. I won, lol. ItÂ’s roomy and drives nice. Plus the dealership was great. They gave us a good deal and was willing to drive the Highlander back to the pushy Toyota dealership. This is a nice SUV with a good warranty.

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  Moment of Truth - 2002 Isuzu Axiom
  By Beverly Hills Axiom - December 5 - 2:00 am

  I had been looking at this SUV for over a full 2 months. I went to all other dealerships to check out their SUVs. I test drove the BMW, MERCEDES, LEXUS and ACURA. I just could not justify any of them with this vehicle. I mean, this SUV outperforms all of those namebrands by FAR. The warranty the comfort the reliability the pricing, oh my GOD, this is an amzing vehicle. I would recommend anyone out there to go and BUY THIS b4 it is too late. Isuzu has special 0% financing going on, you must TEST DRIVE THIS VEHICLE, and then just step on the gas, it overtakes just about any other mid-sized SUVs. In just under 8.9 seconds, it goes from 0 to 60 MPH.