1991 Isuzu Rodeo LS Won’t Throw You Off

From the July 1991 issue of Car and Driver.

Is it fair to say that the average Ameri­can doesn’t know much about Isuzu?

If so, too bad for the average Ameri­can, because the new-for-1991 Isuzu Ro­deo shows that there’s a lot more to this Japanese company than just a funny, ly­ing spokesman named Joe. In brief, the Rodeo is a sport-utility vehicle (SUV) that definitely deserves your attention.

We won’t wade too deeply into the Rodeo’s background here. But let’s hit a few of the highlights.

The Rodeo is built at the joint Isuzu-Subaru plant in Lafayette, Indiana. It’s available as a five-door wagon only, which Isuzu defends by noting that, even given a choice, the vast majority of SUV buyers opt for models with four side doors anyway. (Those buyers who insist on having a sportier Rodeo can opt for its stubby sibling, the two-door Amigo.) The Rodeo rides on a 108.7-inch wheel­base, which is long for this class; but at 176.4 inches overall, it’s compact on the outside. There are two engines (a 2.6-liter four or a 3.1-liter V-6), two transmis­sions, two- or four-wheel drive, and three trim levels. Our test vehicle was a top-­of-the-line Rodeo LS, equipped with the six-cylinder engine, a four-speed automatic transmission, and four-wheel drive.

Spend a few minutes behind the wheel of the Rodeo and you quickly become impressed by how civilized it is. The steering is light, the cabin is quiet at high­way cruise, and the ride verges on plush. The driving position is excellent—while some other SUVs in this class have the driver’s seat planted deep down below the instrument panel and the door sills, the Rodeo’s helm sits high and comfort­able. Also notable is the ease of entry and exit—you can jump aboard the Rodeo without worrying about smacking your knee on a dash edge or catching your foot on a high rocker panel.

Cockpit features include a comprehen­sive and well-grouped array of analog gauges, tasteful materials, and lots of room for heads and legs. The cabin isn’t as stylish as some in the class, but we have no complaints about how it works. There’s room for five in the Rodeo LS (which gets front buckets instead of the base model’s bench). The rear seat­—split on the LS—can be folded flat to form a large rear load floor.

Spend a few more minutes behind the wheel and you also learn that the Rodeo is no five-door Funny Car. The V-6 is good for just 120 horsepower and 165 pound-feet of torque, so the 4027-pound Rodeo needs 14.7 seconds of heavy breathing to get to 60 mph. That said, the Rodeo moves at its own pace happi­ly—like a marathoner who can go the dis­tance but isn’t interested in the sprints. Fitted with front discs, rear drums, and a standard rear-wheel anti-lock system, the Rodeo stopped from 70 mph in 234 feet—which is on the long side even for an SUV.

Judging by the reception our black test vehicle got on the street, Isuzu has scored a hit with the Rodeo’s styling. “Hey, man, awesome-looking truck,” was just one of a slew of similar com­ments. “All right! Cool! This is the new Chevrolet Blazer, right?” beamed the teller at the Taco Bell window. “You got it,” we said back to keep him smiling and nodding, and we managed on exiting to avoid knocking over a Fotomat kiosk.

No doubt contributing to our test Ro­deo’s head-turning power were its wheels, snazzy and shiny drilled alloys wearing beefy raised-letter 225/75R-15 tires.

The base Rodeo LS ($18,898) comes standard with everything from a leather­-wrapped steering wheel to intermittent wipers and a four-speaker AM/FM/cas­sette system with 80 watts of power. Our test LS was plumped up with such op­tions as power windows, cruise control, air conditioning, and a sunroof—which raised the out-the-door sticker to $21,348. Buyers who want more can tack on a compact-disc player; buyers who want less can move down to the Rodeo XS or S models, the latter of which starts—in four-cylinder, two-wheel-drive form—at just $12,818.

So who cares if the average American knows nothing about this talented and tempting sport-utility machine? The im­portant thing is, now you do.