ALL-NEW ISUZU RODEO PICKUP

• Tough, style-setting new body with car-like detailing
• Spacious interior with luxurious, soft-touch materials
• Choice of Single or Double Cab, 4x2 or 4x4 drivetrains
• Tax-friendly 1,000 kg-plus payloads
• New 130 PS 3.0 litre DT for 4x4 models - bigger than most competitors
• 99 mph top speed in optional 4-speed automatic form
• Rodeo 3.0 litre boasts 2,500 kg braked towing limit
• Smaller, updated 100 PS 2.5 litre continues for 4x2 versions
• Extra Urban economy of 38.7 mpg from Rodeo 2.5 DT
• New suspension with precise rack-and-pinion power-assisted steering
• Outstanding standard safety features include ABS with EBD, twin front airbags, door beams, front and rear crush zones and three-point seat-belts for all occupants including the Double Cab's fifth passenger
• ISOFIX child safety seat mountings
• Luxury-spec 5-seat 'Denver' boasts alloy wheels, air-conditioning, leather-wrapped steering wheel, radio/CD player, and electric windows

This fifth-generation Isuzu pickup will be sold in more than 130 countries worldwide wearing, for example, Holden badges in Australia and Chevrolet in the United States. The Rodeo underwent more than 1,000,000 km of torturous testing and has already captured a large market share in Thailand where it is built in an impressively modern factory.

Isuzu (UK) Limited's ambitions are more modest at upto 3,500 units per year but both the importer and its dealers are determined to capture sales from the established Mitsubishi, Nissan, Toyota and Ford/Mazda competition.

Key customers will be public utilities, farmers and the construction industry for the workhorse models. However, thanks to its comfort, performance and safety initiatives, the Rodeo Denver should prove ideal for businessmen wishing to minimise their tax bills.

Because of their 1,000 kg-plus payloads, all Rodeos allow a registered company to reclaim the VAT, while company car drivers are only liable to taxation on a fixed £500 per year - including the use of free fuel where offered. The new Rodeo also has the potential to attract loyal Isuzu Trooper owners - especially when fitted with optional side-glazed cargo tops which effectively turn the vehicle into a versatile estate car.

The Best-Looking One Tonne Pickup

Japan's Number One truck manufacturer and a world leader in the design and manufacturer of diesel engines, Isuzu was determined to create the best-looking one tonne pickup available, combining toughness with car-like detailing.

For example, the bold front-end boasts jewel-like vertically-stacked multi-reflector headlamps which swoop into the bonnet line as first seen on Isuzu concept cars. The strong-looking front grille also dominates, especially when chromed as in the top-spec Denver.

All Rodeos have wide tracks and clearly-defined wheelarch swage lines - further enhanced by chunky-looking extensions on 4x4 models. The cab design itself is especially well integrated with the load bed - avoiding the boxy, add-on look of many of the Rodeo's competitors. Car-like detailing extends to the tight panel-gaps and smoothly-contoured surfaces which are further enhanced by the optional high-gloss Mica or Metallic paint. Even the exterior door handles have a substantial feel yet exude quality, being of grab-type design but with an especially light movement. Practical exterior details include large wrap-round rear lights and a tailgate with lip spoiler. Featuring a 180 degree opening facility, the tailgate can be dropped down vertically for easing loading and unloading.

Spacious, Ergonomic, Comfortable Interior

Considerable thought and effort has gone into the new Rodeo's interior, resulting in car-like standards of soft-touch surfaces such as the doors and fascia plus ergonomics and seat comfort previously unheard of in a pickup.

The stylish one-piece fascia would not look out of place in an upmarket executive saloon with all major controls readily at hand. Air-conditioning controls on the Denver are easy to use rotary dials and all models have four-speed wipers with intermittent control. The manual gearbox is especially slick-shifting and every variant also has a floor-mounted handbrake. Remarkably, some competitors still persist with an umbrella-type design. Rodeo 4x4 models have a fascia-mounted button to select 'shift-on-the fly' allowing 4WD or 2WD to be engaged on the move at speeds up to 60 mph. For low ratio, the vehicle must be stationary but selection is equally simple.

Other convenience features include remote keyless entry, leather-wrapped tiltable steering wheel and four electric windows on the Denver plus a single-disc CD and radio for all models which also have power steering, and anti-blind-spot door mirrors. All Rodeos benefit from extensive cabin sound-proofing with insulation placed in critical areas to heighten refinement.Interior space is also generous with the rear seat backrest on the Double Cab slanted at a comfortable angle unlike many competitors which have a near vertical rake. Rear seat legroom is also ample.

Equally, the rear doors are much wider than with the previous TF Pickup and can be opened up to 68.5 degrees allowing easy entry and exit. Headroom grows from 970 mm to 1,004 mm for the new model with shoulder room up from 1,410 mm to 1,450 mm. In addition, the driver's seat now has 40 mm more adjustment with up to 200 mm of travel.

Outstanding Safety Initiatives

The new Rodeo's standard safety features are truly outstanding for a pickup and illustrate its importance worldwide where in many countries it will be chosen as a family car such as in the Far East or the Greek peninsular. American customers also demand high standards of passive safety. Standard features include a three-channel, four-sensor anti-lock braking system (ABS) with electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD). This latter feature is especially important on a pickup which has to cope with a wide variation between laden and unladen weight. The Rodeo's EBD compensates for the front and rear load differences during braking - before the ABS intervenes - preventing rear axle lock-up which can afflict some pickups. The front brakes also have twin piston callipers which enhances braking effort and evens out pad wear.

All Rodeos also have twin front airbags with side protection door beams for all doors. The front and rear of the body have special crush zones designed to provide maximum absorption during impacts while the centre section and chassis are specially reinforced.

Stronger, Stiffer Chassis And Galvanised Body Panels

The cab rides on a completely new separate chassis which is stiffer and more resistant to bending in the longitudinal zone by 60 per cent and 50 per cent stronger laterally. A special cross member at the rear of the chassis greatly increases torsional rigidity and spreads out the payload more evenly. Helping both safety, refinement and durability is a single-piece cabin side which is also galvanized for maximum corrosion-protection as are the cabin rear panel, inner and outer doors, bonnet, wings, wheel well housings, tub floor and sides plus the tailgate. And on the subject of longevity, even the fuel tank is rust-resistant, being made of polyethylene unlike the vulnerable steel tanks of many other models. Rodeos supplied by official importer, Isuzu (UK) Limited, also enjoy extra rustproofing. This involves a heavy-duty wax coating for the underbody and cavity-injection of crucial box-sections.

Three-Point Seat-Belts Plus ISOFIX Child Seat Mountings

The front seat-belts have impact load-limiting pretensioners and are height-adjustable as are the two outer rear seat-belts on the Double Cab.Every Rodeo occupant also benefits from a three-point seat belt  even for the centre passenger on the Double Cab.Even more unusual is the fitment of an ISOFIX child seat mounting on the front passenger seat of every model and also on the two outer rear seats of the Double Cab. This makes the new Rodeo ideally suited for use as a lifestyle  family vehicle.

Car-Like Security Features

Passenger car-like security features include an engine immobiliser for all models plus a warning reminder should the ignition key be left in the vehicle inadvertently. Meanwhile, the top-spec Denver also has an alarm and central door locking with a keyless entry facility featuring a rolling code for even greater security. This works by changing the code between the key and the vehicle every time the Rodeo is locked and unlocked - like shuffling a pack of cards.

Powerful, Frugal New 3.0 Litre Diesel Engine

Isuzu is a world leader in the design and manufacture of diesel engines with major engine factories as far apart as Poland and the USA. Indeed, General Motors selected Isuzu to be its 'centre of excellence' in all issues diesel. Isuzu supplies large engines for GM trucks and smaller passenger-car units for Opel/Vauxhall models and also Saab and Renault. So it is no surprise that the Rodeo's new 3.0 litre direct-injection Diesel Turbo is not only the largest available in the UK pick-up market but arguably the best. Producing a substantial 130.5 PS at 3,800 rpm and running on an 18.3:1 compression ratio, the unit has ample power to keep up with most road cars. And with either 206.5 lb.ft of torque in manual form or 216.8 lb.ft as an automatic - both at only 1,600 rpm - the Rodeo has the pulling power to haul heavy trailers and keep engine revs down for added refinement and fuel economy.

With a bore and stroke of 95.4 mm x 104.9 mm, this 2,999 cc four cylinder unit combines well-proven, low-stress overhead valve technology with an advanced high-pressure electronically-controlled fuel-injection pump matched to an intercooler and turbocharger. Designed for a long life and minimum maintenance - service intervals are a class-leading 12,000 miles - the new engine is not related to the common-rail 3.0 litre 16 valve DOHC unit fitted to the Trooper 4x4.

Top speed for the Rodeo Denver automatic is 99 mph with the lower-geared manual reaching 96 mph. Fuel economy is a comendable 25.7/34.9 and 30.7 mpg on the Urban/Extra Urban and Combined Cycles for the Denver manual and 24.4/32.5 and 28.8 mpg in automatic form.

Smaller Brother, Similar Qualities

Revised for the new Rodeo and closely related to the new 3.0 litre, the 2.5 litre diesel is also direct-injection with overhead valves, four cylinders and an 18.5:1 compression ratio.Like its larger brother, the Rodeo's 2.5 litre meets the strict new Euro4 emission standards and produces 100.6 PS at 3,800 rpm and a beefy 166.7 lb.ft of torque at 2,000 rpm. The bore and stroke are 93 x 92 mm for a capacity of 2,499 cc and the fuel-injection system is also by a high-pressure electronically-controlled pump matched to the intercooler and turbocharger. Again, service intervals are a class-leading 12,000 miles and fuel economy is a car-like 29.7/38.7 and 34.9 mpg on the Urban/Extra Urban and Combined cycles. Top speed for the Rodeo 4x2 Single or Double Cab is an identical 93 mph - more than sufficient for high-speed motorway use. Refinement gains a major boost thanks to extensive sound-deadening in critical areas.

Intelligent Transmissions Built To Deliver

Whether in rear-wheel drive (4x2) or four-wheel drive (4x4) formats, all Isuzu Rodeo pickups have easy-to-use manual or automatic transmissions, the manual, for example, being an especially slick-shifting five-speed. And on the new Rodeo Denver an optional four-speed automatic gearbox is available offering some sophisticated aids to relaxed yet responsive driving. For example, 'Grade Logic' intervenes during steep gradients giving the driver better control. When climbing, the gearbox reduces the tendency to 'hunt' from one gear to another, unlike ordinary automatics.

Equally, during descents, the 'box' will change down from fourth to third, providing improved engine braking and driver control ? especially useful when fully laden or when towing a trailer.The Rodeo Denver's automatic also features two modes: 'power' and '3rd start'. The former provides livelier acceleration by holding on to the gears for longer during upshifts while the latter allows the vehicle to move off in 3rd gear in slippery conditions, reducing the risk of wheelspin. Rodeo 4x4 models have a fascia-mounted button to select 'shift-on-the-fly' allowing 4WD or 2WD to be engaged on the move at speeds up to 60 mph. For low ratio the vehicle must be stationary but selection is equally simple.

Water Wading Snorkel

Isuzu has taken the Rodeo's all-terrain abilities very seriously - even for 4x2 models. For example, all Rodeos have a rear limited-slip differential for added traction in slippery conditions. And the rear axle even has a snorkel to enable the Rodeo to 'breathe' under water. All versions also have extensive under body protection such as skid plates in selected vulnerable areas.