ISUZU Trooper LTD

LOOKS . Fancy
PERFORMANCE . Robust
HANDLING . Okay
COMFORT . Deluxe
QUALITY . Nice
STEREO . Thunderous
FUN TO DRIVE . Relative
GADGET FACTOR . Premium
HEADS TURNED . Tahoe_ites
EMOTION . Show Off
CACHET . Flashy

SPECIFICATIONS

Plush One

Sport utility 4x4's are one of the hottest categories going in the car business. People just seem to love that secure, high eyepoint visibility and that indomitable feeling they get from a big. macho vehicle. In the old days, the macho was too mucho sometimes and love 'em or not, complaints came in about the hard ride, wonky handling and slow, noisy performance that once characterized these bruisers. Typical of the class the first Troopers were solid, but not very city suited. That stuff is history.

The new Trooper Limited is a plush as an Italian sofa, as pretty a machine as I can recall and a real sweet ride. Crisp. clean lines mask the boxiness and the deep crimson paint is set off by glistening silver pearl cladding; stylish but not very protective. The Trooper is a bit shorter and taller than the norm, so it parks & drives a lot smaller than it is . . .nice. It is flashy enough for a movie star's big night out.

Swing open the door and you'll find a very tasteful, charcoal leather land with classy wood accents and a beautifully functional dash layout. Way cool and very upscale. The luxury is no illusion. Seats are every-which-way adjustable and supremely comfortable. The 100 watt 6 speaker stereo can overlay any rough terrain with beautiful sonic vistas. Step into the power and the very hi-tech quad cam V6 puts a lot of roadway into the rear view in a hurry. This is the nicest motor in any 4x4, smooth, strong and refined. Your Trooping will not leave you pooped because the suspension is balanced toward a freeway excursion.

On the utility front, we find lots of cargo room, easy back door access from the unique 60/40 back doors and plenty of back seat roominess. Push it off road and, except for the feeling that it is just too pretty to really bash in, the top Trooper is quite competent. Drawbacks - like all of these models the gas mileage is miserable, and the Isuzu 4 wheel drive system is rather basic compared to the most sophisticated full-time AWD set-ups offered by some of the competition. Quality and materials were top shelf, down to the last detail. Handsome and well built, the Trooper Limited is at the head of the class for stylin', street savvy wheeling, with ample capability to deal with the next California natural apocalypse.

REXX TAYLOR