Where are they?

You know, I've seen one of these once. It was yellow, and it was at a dealership. That was about a year ago, and I haven't ever seen one on the street. Why? Do people just not like them? I don't think the look is bad. Kinda cool, I think.

http://media5.motorcities.com/99JA8041811182F.jpg
http://www.carsfast.net/images/vi-vehicross.JPG

I've seen them around. They are definitely not selling! My opinion, it's looks is what is affecting it. I went to the dealership once and test drove it. The guy was telling me how he could give me a real sweet deal if I took it. He was so desperate, it was sad. He even told me that they were really below expectations. People just don't seem to be attracted to the design. Plus it's underpowered. I'm not too fond of them but they are pretty utalitarian.

They have something like 215 horsepower, don't they? That's not too bad.

Yeah, but, It's kinda hard to explain. If you test drove it, you'd understand what I'm talking about. They kinda move sluggish, you know? Don't get me wrong though, they are powerful and can tow a bunch. I just think that it's looks have played a major role in their not selling well here. I've seen one in black and will say that, that is the only color it looks real good in.

i saw a silver one on the highway before.... it looked pretty coo

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Horsepower: 215 hp @ 5400 rpm
Torque: 230 ft-lbs. @ 3000 rpm

Considering that the vehicle weighs 3955 lbs (from manufacturer specs), 230 ft-lbs or torque and 215 hp @ 5400 RPM is not going to move this vehicle very quickly.

I do like the styling though. I wish they would just body color those moldings.

A Ford Escape or Mazda Tribute would probably feel faster. Despite having power at

Horsepower: 200 hp @ 6000 rpm
Torque: 200 ft-lbs. @ 4750 rpm

The Mazda Tribute weighs in at 3455 lbs (manufacturer specs) . That's 500 lbs of weight savings! For some reason, Ford's Escape weighs in at 3457 lbs.

i was lookin through somewhere to see how much a used one costs and i couldn't find any on sale
how much do they cost?

I think the design is a really good try from Isuzu. Really, it looks like a sport off-roader. It's certainly better than any Land/Range Rover or X5's.

And I don't think it's got 215 hp. It's more like 250 hp. That's what I got told from a friend of mine who just got one and is pleased about his investment.

It sure is a pity it isn't selling well. The design is radical. It's not at all ugly. And I believe the main reason it isn't selling well is because of a lack of advertising and publicity. Isuzu doesn't have large number of dealerships in the States you know. Even in Japan, Isuzu only has 1 dealership chain whereas Toyota has around 5 different ones.

I think i'd much rather have a land rover or range rover, and keep our X5

but that still doesn't look bad

Originally posted by Banzai
I think the design is a really good try from Isuzu. Really, it looks like a sport off-roader. It's certainly better than any Land/Range Rover or X5's.

And I don't think it's got 215 hp. It's more like 250 hp. That's what I got told from a friend of mine who just got one and is pleased about his investment.

It sure is a pity it isn't selling well. The design is radical. It's not at all ugly. And I believe the main reason it isn't selling well is because of a lack of advertising and publicity. Isuzu doesn't have large number of dealerships in the States you know. Even in Japan, Isuzu only has 1 dealership chain whereas Toyota has around 5 different ones.

I don´t think that the number of Isuzu dealerships has anything to do with their sales, because the Rodeo sells like hot bread for example. The main reason I think it´s because is some what small and has only 3 doors and I think a bit high price tag, so people usually would not buy an expensive 3 door SUV! The Rav4 3 door sells ok cause it´s less expensive. #2: Advertising isn´t bad, I used to see many advertisings in issues of US magazines (specially car magazines). #3: The design of the dashboard is old (tooken from the 1994 Rodeo!) and that´s a turn off.
And yes, even tough I have never seen one on the road and don´t expect too (actually I saw one on sale at a place where they sell exotic and specials cars) I think it looks cool in gray and black, maybe it would look nice in white too.

I have been looking at these for awhile, and I like them. And its not that slow for a suv, and very easily moded. I know there are a few people that put superchargers on them, and are running 7psi.
Thats enough to put out some power :)
Also they come stock with a 24 valve DOHC v6, and a special drive train that minimizes horsepower loss.
With the S/C and a good exhaust you can get one of these in the 350hp range pretty quick!
One of the main reasons these dont sell is the fact not to many people are going to buy a SUV thats got insurance like a sportscar. And there is hardly any room in it.
Its just made for stylish, sporty, 4x4 people. Its got the best of both worlds for a 4x4 and a sports car. :greenchai :badass:

I think these are far better than a Freelander 3dr, I reckon they should make a softback model

I just registered on this forum to reply to this post. I have a '99 VehiCROSS and love it! The VX (as the owners like to call it) is definitely not for most, and there are many reasons why Isuzu hasn't (and won't) sell many.

First off, and most importantly, Isuzu only produces around 5000 per year, and only imports half of thoe for the US market... meaning about 2500 per year, or like 200 per month. That, my friends, is about the same numbers as a Ferrari!!

Secondly, Isuzu is hand crafted and uses ceramic dies to stamp the body panels in the manufacturing process. This process is very accurate and cheaper than cast iron dies, but the cermaic only lasts a few years. As of 2001, I believe Isuzu will not produce the VX anymore, making it a very limited production SUV.

The VX also has 8.5" of ground clearance stock, pulls .85g's, and has unique aluminum shocks (front and rear) with a seperate oil reservoir. The VX has a sport suspension to match a sportscar and has the offraord ability to definitely hang with the Jeeps on the trails. It will also whip arse in baja racing!

Plus, the VX is a true body-on-frame truck... not a cute-ute unit-body car like the Rav4 or CRV. That is most of the reason behind the almost 2 ton weight. It is the real deal.

As for mods... there really aren't many. Many owners congregate at a VX owners forum and have had to have many mods custom made since many companies don't want to make aftermarket products for a SUV numbering no more than 15,000 world-wide. I have a supercharger kit coming in for mine any time now from a TRD (Toyota Racing Development) company in California... hence what I said before. Not many companies want to take the time to make something for a small amount of vehicles.

Oh, and the VX isn't even rate for towing. Many people have bolted a tow hitch to the frame to do some light towing, but the VX isn't rated for a specific amount, and wasn't made to tow in the first place. It's supposed to be a fun SUV. You are supposed to USE it!

Here is a link to my page on SoundDomain (http://www.sounddomain.com/id/dallas4u). It only has a couple pics of the exterior, but also a few of my stereo and amp install.

Much like Jeep TJ's, the Isuzu VX is really short. Technically it has the power and torque to tow alot but, if it did tow upwords of 3000 lbs, the handling would be pathetic and it would be pushed around by the trailer, this is the same reason why a TJ 4.0 has a really low towing cap.

Well let me provide some Vehicross ( VX) info. It was intoduced in 1993 as a concept car. Something to get the younger drivers attention & get them into the Isuzu showrooms, hence the so called Ironman edition. Isuzu intended to produce them in the US market for 3 years 1999-2001 so there are no longer produced. They were not intended for towing but some have been modified & reports are they handle well. Yes it is a short wheelbase vehicle which makes for great approach & departure angles without underbody damage. The VX has the 215 HP V6 24 valve engine & a 4.3 gear ratio. It is also is equiped with Torque on demand (TOD). that is in addition to standard low 4X4 when in high the sensors direct the torque to the necessary wheels. It has the 8 1/2 inch ground clearance & IFS.
There are no VXs running 7 PSI boost as that would void the warranty. Actually, as of today I am the only VX owner with a SC & its a Eton M62 at 5PSI running approx 260 HP. My installation was the Kit proof.
There is no car that I ever driven quite like it. It handles like a Sports car on road & is extremely capable off road. I ran it at Moab last year and had a blast & am returning this month for the Isuzu fest.
The Vehicle is a Truck based on a Trooper Frame & is one tough son of a gun. The Polybased lower cladding is screwed on and can just be replaced withou going to your local body shop for repair & paint.
Come swith 18 inch Chrome alloy wheels-6CD Ricaro leather seats air etc the only option is a roof rack & some decals. Run to your closest dealer & make the deal of a lifetime, forget the salesman you'll love the car and get more oohs& ahhs then you can imagine

Bob:flipa:

I am looking at a 2001 Vechicross now, the dealer really wants to sell it to me, it only has 1700 miles on it, he wants 20k. My problem is that there isnt a trailer hitch available for it.

Originally posted by dallas4u
[B]First off, and most importantly, Isuzu only produces around 5000 per year, and only imports half of thoe for the US market... meaning about 2500 per year, or like 200 per month. That, my friends, is about the same numbers as a Ferrari!!

The production run was 5000 total! Most of them went to the US.

try searching through the yahoo group, think you'll find some info and pix about it.

I think the problem was they were too damn expensive; I recall stickers around $30,000. Hard to get that for a two-door SUV. The swoopy body didn't leave much room inside for cargo or toys; it's kind of an off-road sports car, and we already have dune buggies just as fast and a lot cheaper.

I think this car looks great. I would buy one if I could find one for a low price. But since so few were produced, the price remains high.

But no one in asian ?

The production run was 5000 total! Most of them went to the US.

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