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Automotive Industry

2001 Isuzu Trooper

Automotive Industries, March, 2001 by Gerry Kobe

It almost sounds silly to say that I like a vehicle because it knows what it's trying to be, but that's a rare quality these days. Somewhere along the line, automakers decided they could hike a station wagon an extra couple inches off the ground and call it a "crossover" vehicle. Or else they take an economy car, slap boxy sheet metal on it and call it a "cute-ute" or "soft-roader." And don't forget about "tall-car." God knows that with such a contemporary label it will sell 70,000 or 80,000 units -- whatever it is.

What a pantload. How about, "good car?"

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Thankfully, Isuzu knows it wants to make trucks. The company doesn't try to second-guess itself, it doesn't apologize for what it does and it makes a very focused product. The Trooper I'm driving is a breath of fresh air with a smooth, powerful 3.5L V-6, an easy-to-understand Torque-On-Demand 4WD system, lots of ground clearance and a chassis that is tougher than a chuck steak at the local truck stop.

It's a sport utility -- a real one.

What a concept

Now if it were just me who noticed, I might not bring this up. But right after ray wife commented on how solid and safe the Trooper felt, my four-year-old daughter chimed in with, "This is a real truck, isn't it?" So is my whole family crazy?

I don't think so. I think the Trooper is just a great balance of quality, utility, power, comfort and styling.

It's the proverbial "good car."

Automotive Industry

2001 Isuzu Trooper

Automotive Industries, March, 2001 by Gerry Kobe

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