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Isuzu Rodeo Pick Up Truck Road TestProduced by Peter GrunertPluses:
Strong build quality, a resilient, well-shaped load area and effortless, quick responding performance.
Minuses:
Big car dimensions but not quite big car levels of quiet and comfort. Others offer more flash for your cash.
Pick Up Trucks Direct Rating:
A taste of the Wild West? Almost. A practical, reliable, tidily-styled double-cab pick up. Built for the Big Country.Pulling Power
 The Isuzu Rodeo’s name has been specifically chosen to conjure up images of ’baccy chewing, steer-wrestling cowboys toughing it out in Texas or Oklahoma. In truth this pick up is an international effort, with a Japanese maker’s badge on its bonnet and built to a good standard in Thailand. It’s even sold as a Holden in Australia and a Chevy in South America.
There’s no mistaking the loud-talking drawl of its 3.0-litre, four-cylinder turbodiesel engine though. No shrinking violet, this raucous powerplant turns in some strong figures – in standard spec, there’s 129bhp matched to 207lb ft of torque delivered at a near-instantly responding level of 2,000rpm.
Swap the precise, weighty-feeling five-speed manual gearbox for the optional four-speed auto ’box and the torque output is hiked to 217lb ft. Isuzu has even drafted in World Rally Championship specialists Prodrive to produce an optional Performance Pack for the Rodeo; a more than ample 153bhp and 258lb ft are the result with the upgrades in place.
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Toughing It Out
 Don’t be fooled by the Rodeo’s relatively subtle external appearance. This pick up is built to shrug off abuse, with under-body bash plates, galvanised panels and a sturdy chassis that’s 60 per cent more rigid than you’d have found slung beneath the previous generation Rodeo.
The mechanical spec list has been chosen to cope with harsh terrain, too. A limited-slip differential maximises traction, even if you stick with rear-wheel drive mode. At any speed up to 60mph though you can swap into four-wheel drive via a prod of a button on the dashboard. Simple. There’s also a high/low ration transfer box.
The car-style rack and pinion power-assisted steering is more precise than in some pick ups, though the Rodeo’s suspension is more old-school in its design. A live axle and semi-elliptic leaf springs at the rear cope well with big loads but give a firm, edgy ride that actually calms down proportionately, the more you carry out back.
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The Wide Open Spaces
 Let’s turn to the business end. The Rodeo offers space for five full-sized occupants inside, and the back three won’t have the permanent expressions of misery on their faces that they may have had in certain previous-gen pick ups. The Rodeo’s rear doors open wide to reveal three seats with a back rest set more like your favourite armchair than an upright church pew, giving good long-distance comfort levels.
Thankfully this arrangement hasn’t greatly compromised the loadspace. The maximum loadfloor length is a competitive 1,380mm, with few intrusions into the cargo area. Standard versions offer a healthy 1,055kg payload, reducing only a fraction to 1,045kg with the automatic gearbox fitted. Braked towing weights are worthy of respect too, at a class-leading limit of three tonnes.
And whilst we’re talking measurements, ground clearance is 225mm, while approach angles are a useful 35 degrees and departure angles 21 degrees.
Request a QuoteIn For The Long Run
 No hidden nasties here. The regular manual-gearbox Rodeo turns in an official Combined fuel economy figure of 30.7mpg, or the same as a mid-spec Ford Mondeo. The auto version only places a small penalty, dropping that to 28.8mpg. For those with company car tax to work out, CO2 emissions are 243g/km and 258g/km respectively.
The package is a good one, with a 36,000 mile warranty combined with relatively well-spaced 12,000 mile service intervals.
Choosing spec is the one dilemma. Denver models blend work and pleasure with alloy wheels, air-con, electric windows, central locking and a decent radio/CD player. And like Burger King, Isuzu can also let you ‘Max’ your Rodeo. For only a very modest extra outlay over Denver spec, the Max models add an impact-absorbing front A-bar, side steps, a chromed rear bumper and brushed stainless steel sill guards.
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