Three Doors

What was the Isuzu Amigo to do?  Reintroduced in 1998 after a three-year hiatus, its position as Isuzu’s hip, Gen-X-friendly sport-ute was all but swallowed up for 1999 by its new, ultra-radical road warrior sibling, the VehiCROSS.   Once on the cutting edge of small SUV styling, with its muscular looks and a rear body open to the elements, the Amigo was suddenly one of the more conservative members of the Isuzu SUV family.  With the introduction of the futuristic Isuzu Axiom, that doesn’t look like it’s going to change any time soon.

Conservative or not, the Amigo hasn’t gone away.  It’s been renamed the Rodeo Sport for 2001, finally acknowledging its relationship to the four-door Rodeo.  While most four-door sport-utes have become alternatives to minivans in the suburbs, the smaller, two-door variants have remained truer to the segment’s roots.  Two-door SUVs are mainstays among that select group of SUV owners who actually take their trucks off-road.

The Rodeo Sport may be dowdy compared to the evil-looking VehiCROSS, but the it looks good in its own right.  In fact, buyers who are put off by the VehiCROSS’ Transformer-on-steroids look will likely gravitate to the more familiar, Tonka-toy looks of the Rodeo Sport. Call it simple and purposeful.  The truck is very short and chunky, with a wide, confident stance.  It shares the Rodeo’s square face, and adds an extra line on the front bumper to suggest a brush bar.  The three-sectioned grille is mirrored above and below the bumper, an interesting design quirk.  It’s available as a hardtop, or with an open rear section like the original Amigo.  Hardtops sport nifty dual sunroofs as standard equipment; soft tops are covered by removable canvas that’s a little bit fussier than it needs to be, especially if one plans to use the rear door regularly.

The Rodeo Sport’s square stance gives the impression that it’s larger than it is.  Although it’s got four seats, this is really a two-person vehicle.  Back-seat passengers won’t see much of the outside world, despite a tiny B-pillar window.  White-faced gauges add a sporty touch; wheel-mounted controls and a straightforward layout are courtesy of the four-door Rodeo.  The appointments are nice, but not so nice that it would be a shame to get them dirty; this is, after all, a truck that wants to be treated like one.  Taller drivers may find the seats a little short for comfort.

The corners of the vehicle may be hard to see, but it’s a snap to feel them once you’re underway.  Two-door sport-utes tend to be more playful than their four-door counterparts, and this one’s no exception.  Bounding down the road, the short wheelbase makes the Rodeo Sport feel eager to see what’s at the next intersection or over the next hill.  It’s like driving a giant puppy.  That said, the ride isn’t as trucky as the body-on-frame construction would lead one to believe. The Rodeo Sport feels confident on the road, with no tippiness.  That demon of many a short-wheelbase SUV, violent bucking over minor road irregularities, is kept to a minimum by a fully independent suspension.  With double wishbones up front and a five-link independent setup in the rear, the suspension does a good job of keeping the truck level and minimizing steering thrash due to the tall 245-series tires bouncing around.

The short wheelbase also makes for a tight turning radius; like most other short SUVs, the Rodeo Sport is easy to maneuver in tight situations, an attribute that can be beneficial on or off pavement.  A quick U-turn will have you feeling like the Rodeo Sport is about to rear-end itself.  Antilock brakes are standard.

With 205 horsepower on tap from a 3.2 liter V6, the Rodeo Sport’s old power woes are long gone.  A 2.2 liter, 130-hp four-cylinder is also available.  The V6-equipped Rodeo we drove was content even at freeway speeds, a feat that some of its competition can’t match.  The independent suspension came into play again as the Rodeo Sport lacked the twitchy feel of the equally short, V6-powered Jeep Wrangler.

Being related to the Isuzu Rodeo doesn’t hurt in the equipment department, either.  Starting at around $20,000  for a V6 model, the Rodeo Sport features a decent list of standard equipment, including the dual moonroof on  hardtop models and a handsome rigid spare tire cover.  Our test vehicle was a two-wheel drive V6, and it was optioned up with air conditioning, a CD changer, and foglights.  Isuzu has also stolen Hyundai’s claim to “America’s Longest Warranty,” with 10-year, 120,000 mile limited powertrain coverage.  Full warranty coverage lasts 3 years or 50,000 miles.

For all of its good pavement manners, the Rodeo Sport retains enough of a link to the sport-utes of yore that it can’t be completely domesticated.  Tucked away underneath the new bodywork are a tough, ladder-type frame and standard skid plates to protect the radiator and fuel tank.  If you get the impression that a Rodeo Sport will be happier if you get it really, really dirty once in a while, you’re right.  It’s more civilized than hard-core off-roaders like the Land Rover Defender or Jeep Wrangler, but the capability is very much there.

Specifications:
All specs are for the 2001 Rodeo Sport 2×4 hardtop, which we tested.

Length:     170.3 in.
Width:        71.4 in.
Height:        67.1 in.
Wheelbase:    96.9 in.
Curb weight:    3986 lb.
Cargo space:    20.1 cu.ft. (seat up), 62.5 cu.ft. (seat folded)
Engine:     3.2 liter DOHC 24-valve V6
Drivetrain:     four-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
Horsepower:     205 @ 5400
Torque:     214 @ 3000
Towing capacity:    2500 lb.
Fuel capacity:    17.7 gal.
Est. mileage:    16/19