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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  satisfied - 2004 Isuzu Rodeo
  By glewis - March 9 - 10:00 am

  Having owned 3 previous Isuzus I knew what to expect in the 2004 Rodeo. It hasnt changed in years and I was looking to take advantage of lower interest rates, remaining trade-in value and rebates to get into a new version. I like a no-frills 4-door dependable, logical sport utility I can take to the country as well as haul stuff around town. Ive always been satisfied with the Isuzu product.

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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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  Fun to Drive - 2002 Isuzu Axiom
  By William - March 5 - 7:50 am

  Truck is fun to drive, could get better gas mileage. Plenty of torque.

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  Generally Sastified. - 2004 Isuzu Axiom
  By Jimbobalina - March 3 - 10:00 am

  Drivers seat does not go back far enough.Tight leg room on drivers side.Drivers seat back does not pivot at base,instead it pivots at mid back area.

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  The best vehicle I owned. - 1998 Isuzu Rodeo
  By bobbi23 - February 23 - 10:00 am

  This is the 6th vehicle I have owned. All were bought new from a dealer. The Rodeo is the first one that never had any problems. The only money spent was oil changes every 3,000 miles and tire rotations every 6,000 miles, dealer servicing at 15 & 30,000 miles. It is a great car. The only complaint I have is the seats are uncomfortable for long distance driving.

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  Amazing - 1998 Isuzu Rodeo
  By terry b - February 17 - 5:30 pm

  I love my Rodeo I had a 91 Rodeo an loved it, it now has over 200,000 miles so i just had to check out the newer model an suggest you do the same this truck is super reliable

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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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  4cyl 5 speed - 2001 Isuzu Rodeo
  By polarzu - February 5 - 4:03 pm

  Bought new, have 60m miles on it. Not bad for the price. It has lots of cargo space and seating room with a strong ac/htr system that blows ice cold air or hot air. Have had several problems though. Ignition spark missing, odometer counting to fast(still not right),rear windshield wiper quit/front ones stalling, very expensive/inconvenient to have worked on,no one repairs except dealer 50 mi away. If youre wondering why cars are passing you at 65, its because youre really going 57. Its a pain to figure out what speed youre actually going. Also for a 4 cylinder this is terrible gas mileage.

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  good car bad problems - 1999 Isuzu Rodeo
  By mtnman - February 5 - 2:00 am

  i loved it for the first 3 yrs. lots of (real) off road in nv mtns & desert very capable off road, goes where some jeeps will not.Loud on the road. Abs sensor replaced @ 18 mo. Motor blew up @ 75000 mi. Dealer told me it was a common problem w/ Isuzu "you either get a good one, or you get a bad one" I got a bad one. lucky for me I bought the extended warrenty. took 8 wks to replace engine.There were 6 new isuzu in for new motors at the same time. WHY???

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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.