Size, solid feel, when you close the doors you hear a good closing sound of solid metal. A lot of SUV for the money, Dealers are selling new ones here for 7500 off MSRP and sometimes even throwing in the 800 in holdback. Price is a good incentive on this SUV, thanks to consumer reports for declaring this vehicle unsafe. Heck, any SUV will roll, you can''t drive it like an audi!!!

Don''t like the arm-rests, would rather have a large center console to rest arm on. Cup holders are too small to hold anything but a 12oz can. Wish Isuzu offered rear AC like other manufactures.

Compared several SUV''s including the Liberty, Explorer. The Trooper had all the amendities of the other two for the same price as the Liberty and several thousand less than the Explorer. I bought mine as a new demo and the dealer gave me 11k off MSRP. The explorer is too expensive for what you get and the Liberty was too small inside to haul anything, however, it did have a nice interior.

Similar Products Used:

1998 Jeep Grand Chreokee

Roomy (front seats are great for TALL people), Distinctive "trucky" looks, no-nonsense styling, dependable and simple mechanicals (good for weekend mechanics), Reasonable on gas

Brakes have a tendency to groan (endemic problem), underpowered engine (if you're a speed demon)

I love Isuzu trucks! Isuzu is Japan's oldest truck company (far older than Nissan or Toyota) and builds a great product. My 1989 Trooper II has just hit 325,000 km, and it is showing no signs of slowing down. The engine is underpowered by today's standards, but has plenty of low-end torque for offroading. Narrow wheelbase and footprint are also excellent for offroading, can go many more places that Tahoes and Blazers cannot. When I didn't have a garage to park it in, it would still start up like a charm without being plugged in. Very little rust, even after 12 years. Interior has aged very well, still looks as new. The frame is overbuilt, and can handle anything you throw at it. In short, I would never consider buying anything but an Isuzu. They are amazing, and you only have to see the raves at http://www.itog.com to see that many, many people share this opinion. This truck has NEVER broken down or not started!

Similar Products Used:

1995 Jeep Cherokee my wife had. Very unreliable truck! Always in the shop, expensive to fix, bad headroom/legroom

4JB1-T Turbodiesel engine rules! The best Diesel engine ever!
Has Limited slip differential.

None from my piont of view

Great SUV, reliable and dependable. Created for mostly offroad driving but handles a highway very well. Now has 135000k miles and most parts are still original. Engine(4JB1-T) does not burn even a drop of oil. (oil changed every 3500k)

Similar Products Used:

Price/Performance is definitely for Trooper compared to all other SUV-s.
This is real Offroader, diesel mileage is 26mpg(9liter per 100km)

Above many SUV's in fuel tank size, clearance, power, cargo room, and solid Off Road Performance.

Boxy look, cheap and small stock tire's (Recommend 265/70R16), weak Air Conditioning (Window Tint a Must)

Excellent purchase of all SUV's. You get much more bang for the buck. Isuzu from my experience makes a solid SUV. And if you don't like the a stiff 4X4 you can still get an Isuzu Vehicross, the Sports Car of SUV's. A good balance of on-road comfort with off road performance.

Similar Products Used:

Rodeo, Explorer, Jeep, Dodge: All have smaller fuel tanks and weaker engines except the Dodge V8's of Course. Less stock ground clearance from the competition. Better value then Ford or Dodge. Less maintenance then Jeep. The Trooper is also compared against the Big Boys like tahoe and expedition since it out class's the smaller Trucks. And a lot cheaper then Toyota, Jeep and the new Want a Be SUV's coming out

the trooper has pretty good acceleration with the power drive on. it is also a great off road vehicle, it never hesitates and it makes you feel unstopable. it has great head, leg, and cargospace. it also has a great body style that looks aggressive.

it does have some wind noise aroundthe driver side pillar. the engine couldbe upgraded to a beefy v8. and the a/c could do a better job. but other than that it is a great suv

this is a great suv for the money andis an even better off road.if any one ever askedmemyopinion on suvsi would say a couple of words ISUZU TROOPER.

Similar Products Used:

i've driven bronco, blazers and suburbans and none compareto the quality andthe affordability

Strong Engine
Spacious Interior
TOD
Seats 5 adults comfortably

Gas mileage not so good

My wife and I bought a used 1998 Trooper S with 4x4 and limited slip differential added by the original owner. The trooper is awesome. It doesn't ride like a truck at all. I've ridden/driven other SUV's and the trooper's ride is one of the best. It sits high up in traffic that you can see all around you. I've never noticed it before but there are a lot of trooper owners out there even after that article from consumer reports came out (probably because I'm sitting down low in my sedan that I can't see that high).

I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a reliable, high quality SUV for off-roading and for everyday use. The gas mileage isn't very good but everyone knows that when you buy an SUV you sacrifice gas mileage. We picked up the car last week and already my kids are asking to ride in it everyday because they can see over the traffic really well. At first I was scared to drive it because of it's size but it just needs some getting used to. I can even take corners a little faster now (not recommended). will update you on performance and reliability sometime in the future.

Buy one!!!!! You won't regret owning it.

Similar Products Used:

Jeep Cherokee - doesn't even come close
Nissan Pathfinder - Costs more, Trooper has more standard features.
Toyota 4Runner - see Nissan Pathfinder

Spacious, big cargo room, seats are high off the floor, good visibility.
This SUV is a great value for its price. There's usually $4000-6000 discount at year end.

Lack of power. Poor gas mileage. Only got 14-15 mpg mixed driving. On my trip to Vegas, got only 14 mpg on freeway at avg speed of 75 mph. This is NOT acceptable for a 3.2L V6 ! A bit noisy when driving on freeway.

97 Trooper S. Bought it new and have put 42K miles on it. Had battery and water pump replaced at 37K miles. Battery was not covered under warranty but the water pump was. Overall the Trooper is a good car. I looked at Mit Montero, Nissan Pathfinder, Toyota 4Runner. They were all more expensive yet did not offer any more than the Trooper. If you're thinking about haul a boat, forget it. It can barely haul itself up any hill.

- Suspension: you may feel the road some, but speed bumps and potholes just go right on by. I still flinch when a big speed bump comes up suddenly, but then you hardly even notice it and it's gone.
- Stereo: 6 disk in dash CD and cassette with plenty of power for me, and I like my music loud.
- Sun roof: Huge and quiet
- Powerful V6: smooth and more than enough for me
- Brakes: smooth 4-wheel disks with ABS
- Extras: heated seats and mirrors are nice in the winter
- General build quality: everything feels solid
- Visibility: backs up better than many cars--I was quite shocked
- Diversity antena: hidden in rear windows; no mast; works great
- Limited slip rear differential: even in 2WD it is hard to spin tires
- 4WD system is easy and strong

- Doesn't corner like a porche, but the veiw and ride are worth the trade.
- Third headreast on back seat would be nice.
- I would like stereo and cruise controls on the steering wheel

My review may not be the most accurate because I have been driving a base Chevy S10 for the last three years, so anything will seem a lot better. If the Trooper sold at list like the Mazda Tribute and Honda Odyssey it would be too rich for my blood. But ours listed at about 33k and we ended up paying 25.5k. I think a person could get a well equipped S model with 4WD for about 21k. I feel like we got a semi-luxury SUV for the price of an X-terra. I think that is due to the Consumer Reports comments, which I think have been grossly over blown.

Similar Products Used:

Mazda Tribute (Ford Escape): I liked the Tribute a lot, but my wife found it too bouncy. I'm glad we decided to look further at the trooper. Trooper is much larger, is more comfortable on bumps, and has many more features than the tribute for almost the same price. Although if you don't mind the bumps tribute is a great little car. One note on the Tribute: Upper models with ABS were on back order until August, so that was another factor. Also looked at the Honda Odyssey, but didn't need the seating (yet) and wasn't sure about the wait or new found build quality issues.

Didn't test these, but the Trooper had more room and softer ride (and was cheaper) than the pathfinder, X-terra and 4-runner.

Very inexpensive, very burly basic 4x4. 4 wheel low will get up anything, even with smaller Isuzu 4 cylinder. Lots of head room. Huge cargo space. Excellent visibility in traffic. 4 wheel disk brakes. Short wheel base good for off road.

I had to replace the flywheel (cracked) soon after purchase, which cost a bit, but purchase price was low. Lots of road noise. Some hard to find wiring problems. Easy to break in to (30 secs. with a coat hanger).

I would recommend it for anyone looking for an inexpensive 4x4 with huge cargo space. If your purchase price is good, then putting some maintenance money into the vehicle makes more sense than buying a newer vehicle and running out of money! Flatter body panels mean knocks and dings can be pulled out easier than "bubble" SUV's, and you get that great "Landrover on a budget" look.

This is a real 4x4 with excellent hill climbing and off road capability. Gear ratio's are set well for off road. 4 wheel low gives amazing torque to the wheels.

This is not a beefed up minivan, and does not have drink holders, AC, cruise control, or any luxury items. If you have the cash, a more modern SUV may make sense if you value these items.

Similar Products Used:

Feels lighter and more responsive than Ford Ranger 4x4 pickup. Volume wise, storage space is about 75% of a small pickup with regular canopy.

Price, features, reliability, low maintenance, 4-wheel disk brakes, most room in it's class, weighed more than my wifes 83 Volvo 240(tank). Consumer Reports actually recommended it over the Jeep Cherokee (I have the article). Looking underneath you realize it's all truck, gets 23 mpg on highway @ 70mph and 19-20 going to work (the CR-V and RAV-4 folks are even impressed)

So, it looks like a metal lunchbox, the AC was under-powered and it came with no stereo. I bought a front tube bumper, side bars, added 7" rally aluminum wheels with 9.5x30x15 tires and some vinyl trim on the side bottoms and tinted the windows.

Best vehicle I have ever owned. Bought it new in Jan 1990. I bought it because it was the most for the money and I thought it would last 5 years. Got the 5 speed because it was peppier than the automatic 2.8L GM V6 motor which had problems in Jeep Cherokees before the 4.0L came out. The original 2.6L I-4 has over 200K miles now. Over 11 years later, this truck gets better every year. I still have the stock shocks and am finishing up my 3rd set of tires. Mostly minor problems compared to the domestics I've owned. The clutch lasts forever, the original starter contacts were replaced at 150K, the original distributer at 160K and the original fuel pump at 170K. I just replaced all 4 original fuel injectors at 199K because the seals finally wore out on 2 of them. I still drive this vehicle on 800 mile round trips to Florida several times a year and drive it daily to work. My kids complained that I should get a new truck, so I just purchased a 2001 Trooper 4X4 LS Anniverary Edition. Boy, is it nice! Sorry folks, I'm hanging on to my 89' for Home Depot trips and of-roading.

Similar Products Used:

The 89 Jeep Cherokee had rear drum brakes and I couldn't fit my legs in it. The 89' 4-runner was too expensive and had tranny problems if you ever towed anything. 89' Pathfinders were too small. The 90' Exploder (I mean Explorer) was too new and had less cargo space. The 90' 4 door S-10 Blazer, your kidding, right? GM was trying to learn from Isuzu how to build an SUV.