Ask a sport-ute owner to identify the most-liked qualities about these trucks, and you'll inevitably hear at least these three things: It can carry all my junk, I sit high up with a commanding view of the road, and it can get me through bad weather. Those first two qualities are easily confirmed or tossed out, but rarely have we had a four-by-four in our stable when a blizzard or a full-tilt storm rolls through our Ann Arbor headquarters.
But last spring a white 2000 Isuzu Trooper LS joined us just in time for a charming combination thunderstorm and tornado, a weather episode capable of relocating homes.
At about 6 o'clock on a Tuesday early last May, it began with sheeting rain and Gobstopper-size hailstones that flooded streets in a matter of moments. This was soon joined by howling winds and genuflecting trees. Sirens went off. Trees crackled in the near distance.
The television warned me not to dare venture outdoors, but my tiny ranch house, which does not have a basement refuge wherein I might cower, was built with less structural integrity than what was bestowed by the Commies on the Yugo. So I was forced to see this frightening storm as an adventure opportunity. Dodging lightning bolts, I ran out to the Trooper parked in my driveway. (There was a bad moment when I noticed that, all in white, it had the look of a storybook ambulance.)
We last tested a Trooper in 1998, a big year for the Japanese bruiser, when the engine had just been enlarged from 3.2 to 3.5 liters and Isuzu also added its Torque-on- Demand (TOD) four-wheel-drive system. The system's a breeze to use. Simply push a dash-mounted button, and an electronically controlled clutch automatically sends power to the front wheels when the rears slip.
I switched on TOD as I backed into the flooded street. In spots, the water was six inches to almost a foot deep. To my advantage, the Trooper has 8.3 inches of ground clearance, so I didn't snag any fallen branches. Isuzu, in fact, calls the Trooper a classic SUV-a truck with off-road capabilities. It's not some lame car-based sport-ute.
And Isuzu has a point. The Trooper has 1.6 more inches of ground clearance than the country's bestselling SUV, the Ford Explorer. Our LS model had power folding side mirrors to help you squeeze through tight trails, and there's also a floor-mounted lever that engages four-wheel-drive low range and locks the front-to-rear torque split at 50/50. Isuzu says Trooper owners are twice as likely to take their vehicles off-road as are average ute owners, with 27 percent of them claiming to leave the pavement.
Only those existing Trooper owners will be able to distinguish a 1998 model from the updated 2000 vehicle. Key clues are the front grille, new wheels, and rear taillights. Isuzu also added a two-wheel-drive model, shuffled around option groupings, and added an automatic climate-control system to all models. Pricing has held steady since 1998, when Isuzu lopped a few grand off the Trooper's sticker. Base Trooper's start at $27,455 for a two-wheel-drive S model and climb to $35,193 for a loaded four-wheel-drive LTD. Upgrading to a four-wheel-drive version of any model costs about two grand, except for the manual-transmission four-wheel-drive S model, which is only $450 more than the two-wheeler. Our LS test car, which fits between the S and LTD designations, came with seat heaters, a huge sunroof (39.5 inches by 61.5), and a six-disc in-dash CD changer for $32,337.
That is considerably more than chump change, about the same as for a similarly equipped Ford Explorer XLT or Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo, both of which have slightly smaller cargo areas-85 cubic feet of space with the rear seats folded compared with the Grand Cherokee's 72 and the Explorer's 80.
During my storm wanderings, I didn't need the Trooper's cavernous cargo hold or 5000-pound towing capacity, but I did appreciate the high, upright seating position, the large windshield, and the down-ward- sloping hood, all of which afforded a clear view of what looked like a road.
Earlier in the day, on dry roads, I found two downsides to the Trooper's tall stance. There's a bit too much body roll in turns, and it gets tossed around by crosswinds. But you don't get the feeling the Trooper is mainly an off-road vehicle. The interior is subdued and quiet when flogging this big SUV to its adequate 9.4-second 0-to-60- mph sprint. The ride is compliant without being floppy. We've always commended Troopers for their excellent build quality, and this one was no different. Perhaps as a nod to the Trooper's durability, Isuzu now offers a 10-year/120,000- mile powertrain warranty and a 3- year/50,000-mile vehicle warranty.
By 8 p.m., the storm had passed and the streets drained. I didn't have the fun of towing stranded cars from ditches or bouncing over fallen trees, but at least I knew I could have.
Specifications
Specifications
2000 Isuzu Trooper LS
VEHICLE TYPE
front-engine, rear/4-wheel-drive, 5-passenger,5-door wagon
PRICE AS TESTED
$32,337 (Base price: $31,145)
ENGINE TYPE
DOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block and heads, Isuzu engine-control system with port fuel injection
Displacement
213 in3, 3494 cm3
Power
215 bhp @ 5400 rpm
Torque
230 lb-ft @ 3000 rpm
TRANSMISSION
4-speed automatic with lockup torque converter
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 108.7 in
Length: 187.8 in
Curb weight: 4550 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 9.4 sec
100 mph: 35.2 sec
Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 10.2 sec
1/4 mile: 17.3 sec @ 79 mph
Top speed (drag limited): 109 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 215 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.67 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 15 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
City/highway: 15 mpg
