Isuzu Trooper

The Isuzu Trooper is a mid-size SUV manufactured and marketed by Isuzu between September 1981 and September 2002 over two generations, the first, produced between 1981 and 1991; and the second (UBS) produced between 1991 and 2002, the latter with a mid-cycle refresh in 1998. In its earliest iterations, the Trooper was based on the company's first generation Isuzu Faster/Chevrolet LUV pickup. Marketed in the Japanese domestic market, as the Isuzu Bighorn (Japanese: いすゞ・ビッグホーン, Hepburn: Isuzu Bigguhōn), Isuzu marketed it internationally primarily as the Trooper, and in other markets as the Acura SLX (USA), Chevrolet Trooper, Subaru Bighorn, SsangYong Korando Family, Honda Horizon, Opel Monterey, Vauxhall Monterey, Holden Jackaroo, and Holden Monterey. In the United States, for the first generation, which was initially solely offered with two doors, Isuzu was required to comply with the 25% U.S. Chicken Tax on two-door trucks. Prior to its formal introduction Paul Geiger, product-development manager at American Isuzu Motors, noted the Roman numeral "II" designated the truck version (with the rear seat as a mandatory $300 option) and "I" indicating the passenger version with a rear seat included along with certain other features. Isuzu thus marketed the first generation two-door as the Trooper II, and when introducing the four-door retained the Trooper II nameplate. Isuzu never formally marketed a Trooper I, and Car & Driver later inferred the company had changed their mind about the suffix before the SUV went on sale. Isuzu offered the Trooper initially with four-cylinder motor, four-speed manual transmission, and part-time four-wheel drive, subsequently adding amenities and luxuries, including optional air-conditioning, power windows, and a more powerful V6 engine. The second generation was available with two-wheel- or four-wheel drive. Competitors included the Toyota Hilux Surf, Mitsubishi Pajero, and Nissan Terrano.