Isuzu loves to play up the fact that they are a truck company and nothing but a truck company. In a country where trucks now outsell cars (and where the Isuzu Impulse is a distant memory), that's certainly not a bad thing. But after spending some time in Isuzu's new Amigo (reintroduced in '98 after a three-year absence) we were reminded of why truck sales are currently keeping pace with car sales, and why the Amigo needs an identity adjustment before it can fully cash-in on America's truck trend.
First of all, you must remember that truck sales have been climbing just as traditional truck characteristics have been fading. In other words, as trucks have become more car-like, more individuals have been willing to buy them in lieu of cars. This is how vehicles like Honda's CR-V and Toyota's RAV4 have struck gold. It is also why the very "truckish" Amigo may score only copper or tin, at least in America.
Some might argue that the Amigo competes more appropriately with the Chevy Blazer two-door, Ford Explorer Sport or Jeep Wrangler. When considering these vehicles, the Isuzu does manage to undercut Chevy and Ford in terms of price while also offering more peak horsepower, but it falls short of these vehicles in terms of both peak torque and on-road ride quality. And the Jeep, which closely matches the Amigo in terms of truck-like on-road manners, costs less, offers more peak torque, and has a 50-year history of getting Americans where they want to go under less-than-ideal conditions. So whether up against two-door sport utes or the latest crop of mini-utes, Isuzu's Amigo faces some stiff (as well as softly-sprung) competition.
On paper, all of the ingredients seem to be in order. An optional V6 engine producing 205 horsepower is just the sort of powerplant American lead foots should love, right? Theoretically yes, but Americans (yours truly included) also like silky-smooth power delivery and have little patience for raucous, unrefined engines that sound and feel like Joan Rivers on speed. The Amigo impressed us with its 7.5-second zero-to-60 time, but we found ourselves not wanting to use all 205 of those horses for fear of breaking something, be it a drivetrain component or our eardrums.
The same situation held true for the Amigo's four-speed automatic, which provided responsive downshifts and solid upshifts, but seemed to hold each gear too long on full-throttle runs, exasperating the obnoxious engine problem. Obviously, if you are a true truck person, neither of these characteristics will be an issue. Holding a given gear for longer than necessary during off-road driving is exactly what you want a four-wheel-drive vehicle to do. And high levels of noise and vibration at redline likely won't be noticed by drivers taking their Amigos over the Rubicon Trail.
Suspension-wise, the Amigo also displayed its corporate nature with a harsh suspension and slow steering. For on-road handling maneuvers, the stiff ride actually worked in the Amigo's favor, keeping the mini-ute stable and upright through tight bends. But the slow steering negated any chance of fun when traveling the twisties, with our drivers' arms flailing wildly to keep the Amigo between the lines. We know that slow steering can be a blessing when traversing rough terrain because it allows the driver to carefully and methodically pick his way over rocks and bumps while giving him a strong feel for where his front tires are pointed. Once again, the Amigo's utility nature and preference for the road less traveled became apparent.
If it's the need to go outside the lines that has you looking at mini-utes, the Amigo's strong points can't be denied. A stiff suspension, slow steering and 214 foot-pounds of torque are just what the safari leader ordered. There's also plenty of ground clearance, and the optional fender flares, in thick black plastic, might even prevent a few paint gouges on tight trails with encroaching branches. Our test model's four-wheel drive engaged easily with the push a button, but contributed to additional drivetrain noise that, during on-road driving, got old quickly.
Inside the Amigo you'll find functional, if somewhat stiff, heating and air conditioning controls. The A/C definitely gets cold and the radio sounded excellent, with only a slight muddiness in the low frequencies at higher volumes. Storage space allows for a baby carriage to fit behind the rear seats without folding them down (something a Wrangler would never allow), but the center console and glove compartment storage areas are on the small end of the spectrum. Overall, the Amigo scores well for interior materials with one exception: the dashpad, which feels too plasticky.
Seating arrangements are adequate, assuming that you have only yourself and one other person to bring along. Entry to and egress from the rear seats reminded us of something out of a military basic-training regimen, complete with muscle strains and body contortions. You could try to put a baby seat back there, but why subject yourself to the aggravation? If you somehow manage to get yourself into the rear seat area, expect a lack of support from the short seat bottom (this is true of the front seats as well) and no place to put your feet if the front seat is all the way back (which it will be for most average-sized adults).
Our final complaint about the Amigo's interior relates to its dual sunroofs. Here's a feature that could have given the Amigo bragging rights over all its competitors. A separate sunroof for rear-seat passengers seems like a great idea (and the least they deserve for sitting back there), but both sunroofs come with clip-on/clip-off plastic shades that were cumbersome to use and difficult to store. Additionally, once the plastic shades were removed, the sunroofs didn't slide open or pop out but instead, flipped up about two inches. It was simply too much work for a total of four inches of open-air driving. Isuzu should have saved the money on the second sunroof and applied it to making the front sunroof fully functional (i.e., retract into the roof and slide open) or keep both sunroofs, but dark tint them and allow them to pop out completely.
While the Amigo's interior has its problems, the vehicle's exterior is just about perfect. Ours was painted a burnt orange that contrasted with the black plastic fender flares, thick B-pillar and chunky bumpers to give it a giant Tonka-toy look. The wheels were also cool looking, with thick spokes and a brushed metal finish. Appearance-wise, the Amigo blows the CR-V, RAV4, Explorer Sport and Blazer away. There's nothing cute about it, which suits us just fine.
As our time with the Amigo came to a close, it became apparent that Isuzu meant for this to be a serious utility vehicle first and a cute mini-ute second. Whether or not that is a recipe for sales success, at least here in America, remains to be seen. The majority of mini-ute buyers tend to value the appearance of ruggedness while still expecting to be cradled in car-like comfort. Honda's CR-V, for instance, is basically a tall Civic, which is exactly why it is selling so well. At the same time, Jeep offers a true utility vehicle with similar performance and a more respected history for less money.
Attractive styling and high peak horsepower set the Amigo apart from its competition. Whether or not that's enough to generate sales remains to be seen.
First of all, you must remember that truck sales have been climbing just as traditional truck characteristics have been fading. In other words, as trucks have become more car-like, more individuals have been willing to buy them in lieu of cars. This is how vehicles like Honda's CR-V and Toyota's RAV4 have struck gold. It is also why the very "truckish" Amigo may score only copper or tin, at least in America.
Some might argue that the Amigo competes more appropriately with the Chevy Blazer two-door, Ford Explorer Sport or Jeep Wrangler. When considering these vehicles, the Isuzu does manage to undercut Chevy and Ford in terms of price while also offering more peak horsepower, but it falls short of these vehicles in terms of both peak torque and on-road ride quality. And the Jeep, which closely matches the Amigo in terms of truck-like on-road manners, costs less, offers more peak torque, and has a 50-year history of getting Americans where they want to go under less-than-ideal conditions. So whether up against two-door sport utes or the latest crop of mini-utes, Isuzu's Amigo faces some stiff (as well as softly-sprung) competition.
On paper, all of the ingredients seem to be in order. An optional V6 engine producing 205 horsepower is just the sort of powerplant American lead foots should love, right? Theoretically yes, but Americans (yours truly included) also like silky-smooth power delivery and have little patience for raucous, unrefined engines that sound and feel like Joan Rivers on speed. The Amigo impressed us with its 7.5-second zero-to-60 time, but we found ourselves not wanting to use all 205 of those horses for fear of breaking something, be it a drivetrain component or our eardrums.
The same situation held true for the Amigo's four-speed automatic, which provided responsive downshifts and solid upshifts, but seemed to hold each gear too long on full-throttle runs, exasperating the obnoxious engine problem. Obviously, if you are a true truck person, neither of these characteristics will be an issue. Holding a given gear for longer than necessary during off-road driving is exactly what you want a four-wheel-drive vehicle to do. And high levels of noise and vibration at redline likely won't be noticed by drivers taking their Amigos over the Rubicon Trail.
Suspension-wise, the Amigo also displayed its corporate nature with a harsh suspension and slow steering. For on-road handling maneuvers, the stiff ride actually worked in the Amigo's favor, keeping the mini-ute stable and upright through tight bends. But the slow steering negated any chance of fun when traveling the twisties, with our drivers' arms flailing wildly to keep the Amigo between the lines. We know that slow steering can be a blessing when traversing rough terrain because it allows the driver to carefully and methodically pick his way over rocks and bumps while giving him a strong feel for where his front tires are pointed. Once again, the Amigo's utility nature and preference for the road less traveled became apparent.
If it's the need to go outside the lines that has you looking at mini-utes, the Amigo's strong points can't be denied. A stiff suspension, slow steering and 214 foot-pounds of torque are just what the safari leader ordered. There's also plenty of ground clearance, and the optional fender flares, in thick black plastic, might even prevent a few paint gouges on tight trails with encroaching branches. Our test model's four-wheel drive engaged easily with the push a button, but contributed to additional drivetrain noise that, during on-road driving, got old quickly.
Inside the Amigo you'll find functional, if somewhat stiff, heating and air conditioning controls. The A/C definitely gets cold and the radio sounded excellent, with only a slight muddiness in the low frequencies at higher volumes. Storage space allows for a baby carriage to fit behind the rear seats without folding them down (something a Wrangler would never allow), but the center console and glove compartment storage areas are on the small end of the spectrum. Overall, the Amigo scores well for interior materials with one exception: the dashpad, which feels too plasticky.
Seating arrangements are adequate, assuming that you have only yourself and one other person to bring along. Entry to and egress from the rear seats reminded us of something out of a military basic-training regimen, complete with muscle strains and body contortions. You could try to put a baby seat back there, but why subject yourself to the aggravation? If you somehow manage to get yourself into the rear seat area, expect a lack of support from the short seat bottom (this is true of the front seats as well) and no place to put your feet if the front seat is all the way back (which it will be for most average-sized adults).
Our final complaint about the Amigo's interior relates to its dual sunroofs. Here's a feature that could have given the Amigo bragging rights over all its competitors. A separate sunroof for rear-seat passengers seems like a great idea (and the least they deserve for sitting back there), but both sunroofs come with clip-on/clip-off plastic shades that were cumbersome to use and difficult to store. Additionally, once the plastic shades were removed, the sunroofs didn't slide open or pop out but instead, flipped up about two inches. It was simply too much work for a total of four inches of open-air driving. Isuzu should have saved the money on the second sunroof and applied it to making the front sunroof fully functional (i.e., retract into the roof and slide open) or keep both sunroofs, but dark tint them and allow them to pop out completely.
While the Amigo's interior has its problems, the vehicle's exterior is just about perfect. Ours was painted a burnt orange that contrasted with the black plastic fender flares, thick B-pillar and chunky bumpers to give it a giant Tonka-toy look. The wheels were also cool looking, with thick spokes and a brushed metal finish. Appearance-wise, the Amigo blows the CR-V, RAV4, Explorer Sport and Blazer away. There's nothing cute about it, which suits us just fine.
As our time with the Amigo came to a close, it became apparent that Isuzu meant for this to be a serious utility vehicle first and a cute mini-ute second. Whether or not that is a recipe for sales success, at least here in America, remains to be seen. The majority of mini-ute buyers tend to value the appearance of ruggedness while still expecting to be cradled in car-like comfort. Honda's CR-V, for instance, is basically a tall Civic, which is exactly why it is selling so well. At the same time, Jeep offers a true utility vehicle with similar performance and a more respected history for less money.
Attractive styling and high peak horsepower set the Amigo apart from its competition. Whether or not that's enough to generate sales remains to be seen.
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