Comments: 1-15, 16-24
Right front axle seal started leaking at 12,000 miles which was repaired under warranty without complaints.
I have owned many vehicles in my 27 years of driving. My Trooper is by far the best.
I routinely get 18+ mpg on the highway.
The 4 wheel ventilated disc brakes are phenomenal. A far cry from the spongy "press and pray" feeling I got from the brakes on my 97 Yukon.
The ride is smoother than many cars.
The front seats are full power, solidly built and exquisitely comfortable.
The front seat headrest's are actually tall enough to rest your head on and give some support if you get rear ended.
The fit, finish, quality and engineering far exceeds many, many other vehicles regardless of price or make.
The climate control works flawlessly even pulling a grade in 113 degree weather climbing out of Death Valley.
The engine is silky smooth and pulls strong all the way to redline.
It's like a goat off road. It will take you almost anywhere you want to go.
Visibility is fantastic from any seat.
The sunroof is so huge that front and back passengers can enjoy the view.
Back seat legroom is ample for me and I'm over 6ft tall.
The cargo compartment rivals many full size SUV's.
The stereo with the 6 disc in-dash CD player in fantastic although it could benefit from better speakers.
I have yet to find anything regardless of make or price that suites and impresses me as much as my Trooper. It is well built, dependable, gets good gas mileage for a 4500lb truck. It has ample room without being too big. Is not overloaded with "gadgets".
Totally agree - 95% of the newer vehicles on the roads these days just don't hold a candle to Isuzu quality and reliability.
I bought my 2001 trooper a few months after my husband acquired a new 2001 ford explorer. Now in 2004 my husband is looking for a new vehicle so we will have as he puts it "two vehicles that will last for the next five years".
We both have confidence in the mechanical soundness and rugged capability of the trooper. It has more space and visibilty than any other SUV I've been in.
Off roading for me consists of crossing a muddy "V" median between the interstates due to wrecks. While everyone was mired to their hubcaps we cruised through. The ground clearance is great. Wind noise is a little more than the explorer and watch out driving behind big trucks, wind sheer will move you all over the road.
For my money the trooper is an excellent value and will become the true 'utility' vehicle for the family just like those 20 yr. old troopers you see at the home stores.
I have own a 1995 Trooper SE. My wife and I were looking for long lasting vehicles. I got a Ford Mustang 5.0 and I got her an Isuzu Trooper. The Ford Mustang has plenty of parts and a 302 engine. As for the Trooper, it is my first time I purchase JAPAN. I find this "Truck" strong, well built. And, although being criticized for being "Boxy" I have lots of respect for the Trooper. I look forward Isuzu will again put out a Trooper-like vehicle in the future. I read Isuzu is coming back in 2006 with something Trooper-like. I think GM union with Isuzu wasn't a good idea for Isuzu. And, Consumer's Report so-damaging video. I don't see the Ascender as a true Isuzu vehicle. Also, I have used it off-road, and is lots of fun and dependability. My next used-car might be yet another last production, 2002 Isuzu Trooper. With that, I count of years of dependability and service. My 5-year old and my Golden Retriever also enjoy the roominess of this fine "Trooper".
This is an update on my original review of my 2001 Trooper Limited.
I'm now just a few hundred miles short of 100,000. This thing only gets better with time! The only problem I've had is that the CD changer quit working. I'm really not that surprised since I beat it up pretty good going up and back to Alaska on the Alaska Highway.
I just recorded an average of 19.54 mpg over a 700 mile road trip that included some secondary roads through a few little towns. I couldn't believe it and double checked my numbers. This truck runs better, sounds better and looks better than many vehicles that are just a few months old. Let alone nearly 4 years. It honestly runs and drives drives like it's new!
This vehicle is still very underrated and ignored. I really hope Isuzu stays with the US market. This is my second Trooper. My 96 was exactly the same way. I just can't get over what a great vehicle this thing is. If somebody makes anything better I haven't seen it.
I also own a 2001 Trooper Limited. It is a wonderful and comfortable truck. The seats are very comfortable and give a feeling of security. I'm a 300lb man so for me it performs well in that department.
The luxury with leather, premium sound, electric windows and seats makes you feel you aren't in a truck at all.
After a 300mi trip last december it was quite comfortable. I sure wish Isuzu still made them.
I bought my Trooper a little more than two years ago and I've had nothing, but good times with it. I took it to Colorado and had to go down a lot of unpaved roads and my Trooper took it like a champ. I was so surprised how great the gas mileage was on the highway. My parents went with us and they have a Suzuki Grand Vitara and they needed to stop for gas a lot more than we did. Granted, my tank may hold more than theirs! This is a great SUV. I wanted a Trooper for years before I finally got one. The only complaint I have with mine was that it didn't come with a built-in CD player. That's OK... i have an iPod! This may be picky also, but I wish the cupholders were a little bigger. I don't know if I'm alone in that, but I could stand for them to be a little bigger!
I so wish Isuzu still made Troopers! I love my 2001 so much and would love to have another one when this one conks out. I'm at almost 80K miles and still haven't had to replace the brakes!
I am a proud owner of a 1994 Isuzu Trooper with manual transmission. My Trooper just hit 246,000 on the original engine no less! It has needed one new transmission during it's lifetime. That has been the only major expense. It is getting to the point however, where sadly I must give it a "retirement". It will definitely be replaced with another Trooper. I am looking for a 2001 or 2002, and am having a devil of a time finding ones with manual transmissions. I may settle for an automatic. One thing is for sure, I am insisting on a used Trooper over any other brand new car, because of my outstanding experience with my 1994 Trooper. My husband is highly amused with my Trooper love affair, but he also loves it as well. I sure wish they would make them again.
I am still driving my first Trooper that I purchased used with 170K miles. It is a 1992 LS and I'm now at 207K miles. The only repairs outside normal maintenance were a trans computer which I found used on Ebay and a power steering hose. It has the lifter tick which get worse in hot weather, but Mobil 1 has kept in in check fairly well. I am looking to move up to a newer one, but the posts on the 98-00 3.5L oil consumption are disconcerting. If anyone knows if there was an engineering change in the engine for 01-02 please let me know. I would like to upgrade, but I'm not sure I want the 3.5L after my great experience with the 3.2L DOHC.
I have a 2001 Trooper S (I believe). This is a very fun vehicle to drive and powerful to boot. It's not a 300ZX, but I can beat many cars off the line and hold my own on the freeway.
I especially like the way the doors open by swinging out. With everything folded down (there are a couple of configurations) I can haul a lot.
Only problem thus far is the Speedo and Odo stopped working last night. I suspect that is my fault based on "uh" the way I drive. Other than that, great vehicle.
I am just now replacing the brakes on my 2001 trooper after 133,000 miles! This has to be a record. No problems with the vehicle at all except the changer. This has been a great truck!
I was wondering if any one has had a problem with going through a quart of oil every two weeks?
I have a 2001 Isuzu Trooper Anniversary Edition, and it runs like a dream. It feels like you are floating on clouds, and its off-road capability is twice as good as my 2002 GMC Yukon. It's also a lot smoother!
I read that Isuzu is bringing back a Trooper-like vehicle again in 2006 in a comment above? Well I hope its just a Trooper 7-seater with gps locater and entertainment package LOL. I love this vehicle!
I bought my 2001 Trooper on July 26th 2006 at auction. I bought it for the sole purpose of selling it and making a few bucks. The first time I drove it I realized that I'd better sell it quickly before I became too attached. That's when I made my worst mistake, I let my wife drive it. She loves it and leaves her 2005 C class Mercedes in the garage. We have put over 5,000 miles on it in a little over 5 weeks. We took it to Ruidoso New Mexico over the Labor Day weekend. I had the transmission fluid changed before we left. It had around 104,00 miles on it at the time. My mechanic said that the transmission was like brand new. There were no filing on the magnet. I love the way it feels on the road. It is also very quite and smooth riding. I thought the smooth ride was due to weak springs. Three weeks ago I had to pick up 1,000 pounds of paper in Fort Worth and bring it back to Waco. I couldn't tell the paper was back there and the truck only settled down a little over an inch. It does burn about a quart of oil every 4,000 miles. From reading some of the other letters I'm assuming that is normal. That is the only negative that I have to report. It is one solid well built vehicle.
I just bought a used 2001 Trooper. My wife and I are quite impressed with it. I've heard a few comments about the Trooper using lots of oil. From what I've heard, this is mainly due to the ERG valve (for emissions) needing cleaning. There are some forums on troopers that explain this procedure. I did it in roughly 20 minutes (I'm a novice at this stuff). Give it a try. So far, we love the way the Trooper is working out.