A Concept Come to Life
Today, Isuzu is mainly known for making commercial trucks, but before 2009, it also built regular passenger cars. And before 1993, it even built sports cars. Heavy-duty trucks are where the company started in 1916, though, so it’s always used that set of skills to full effect.
With the cancellation of its sedan and sports car lines in 1993, Isuzu ushered in a new vehicle genre: the sports SUV.
Unveiled at that year’s Tokyo Motor Show, the Isuzu Vehi-CROSS blended rugged off-road capability with a sleek two-door body. Reception was so good that Isuzu put it into production in 1997, essentially unchanged from the concept.
Led by famed designer Shiro Nakamura, the streamlined styling contained cues to its hardiness, like black cladding over the wheel arches and strengthening ridges along the doors. At the same time, it had a rounded grille and hood and a sloping B-pillar that would look right at home on a coupe. There was a full-size spare on the back, but it was housed in an aerodynamic bulge on the rear door.
Ready for Off-Roading
Under the skin, the Vehi-CROSS was based on Isuzu’s rugged body-on-frame Trooper SUV. It shared much of the same mechanicals, including its 3.5-liter V-6 engine and most of the suspension.
The Vehi-CROSS also boasted several off-road technologies, such as a full-time torque-on-demand four-wheel-drive system for excellent traction on loose surfaces. The front double-wishbone and rear coil spring four-link suspension utilized Kayaba monotube shocks with remote reservoirs. These shock absorbers had been developed for Isuzu’s rally trucks, and while they might not seem that novel today, this was cutting-edge tech, pre-Y2K.
An SUV Ahead of Its Time
The example for sale is said to have been well-maintained by its three owners. Mileage is high at 170,400, showing a fitting amount of wear to the paint and interior for that mileage.
The seller says recent repairs have included an air-conditioning compressor, both CV axles, new shocks, and two wheel bearings, plus brake pads, rotors, and calipers, totaling $2,500. That’s a respectable amount of attention and makes the asking price of $9,500 seem more than fair.
The Vehi-CROSS was exceptionally well engineered for its purpose, but its niche function failed to find a large audience. Only 5,958 were built before production ended in 2001. A total of 1,805 of those were sold in Japan, with the US getting most of the remaining 4,153. That makes the Isuzu a scarce machine.
The Vehi-CROSS was ahead of its time—too far ahead. These days, even sports car manufacturers like Lotus and Ferrari are rushing to make performance SUVs. If Isuzu had stuck around for a few more decades, the Vehi-CROSS would have been seen as a trendsetter.
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