Recaro seats, remote-reservoir shocks, full-time AWD with low-range, DOHC 24 valve V6, and the looks and handling that exceeded the truck-based competiton of that time... This is a truck I would not mind having.
I remember seeing one of these in person when they were brand new in 1999 and I thought it was the coolest looking vehicle on the road. It looked way futuristic.
have one in 'Dragon Mica Green.' Cool trivia... Isuzu made 5000, as they had always planned. They wanted to get them to market fast. So, rather than take the normal route of ordering steel presses for the body panels (long - 1.5 yr.? - lead time), they ordered CERAMIC presses/molds, which are much cheaper and a fraction of the lead time. These are only good for about 5000 fenders/doors/hoods/roofs etc. It was a concept vehicle or halo car from the start, and didn't stop at the 5000 number due to waning demand. It was just the original plan by Isuzu.
What are you talking about..? This started the trend of goofy looking, impractical BMW X6 craze. Now everything looks like this. Bulbous, soft, round and just plain weird. Why cant boxy be seen as “traditional” instead of “outdated.” Now we have the Ford EcoSport. I’d say this looks similar
Nah. The defining characteristic of modern CUVs is that they are simply tall hatchbacks with big wheels, while this is an actual body on frame SUV with off-road abilities. It's a three door "leisure" SUV, actually an extremely 90s concept. Back then a lot of manufacturers experimented with sporty compact SUVs (e.g. Nissan Trail Runner, Toyota RSC, Fiat Bravo Enduro), but only Isuzu had the guts to put one of these concept vehicles on the road. As a result, it is still fresh looking and unique.
I think this one failed as it cost $30k... it looks like it should cost $15k - and I like the looks, but this doesn't look like it's a $30k vehicle, which is like $45k today.
As much as I believe that suvs/cuvs are practically oversaturating the market, however, this vehicle was ahead of it's time. Too bad Isuzu ditched us when they had a chance to try again today...
The main ingredient missing from most SUVs nowadays is BODY ON FRAME! This had it, Ml 320 had it, Discovery had it. They sure as hell don't make em like they used to.
My favorite SUV of all time, but it was expensive for it's size. $28,000 in 1999 would be $43,000 in 2018, for a vehicle that's 163" long (about the size of a Kia Soul), and it weighed almost 4,000 lbs!
Can't really compare it to modern cars though since stuff like that didn't really even exist at the time. Still expensive but it's important to consider what it competed with (or lack thereof).
Still looks timeless styling compared to the today’s small SUVs. Wish Isuzu still made vehicles in the USA market. They still do in Asia and South Pacific I think.
I never understood Isuzu. I owned a '93 Isuzu pickup, and an '86 P'up in the past..great trucks. By '99, Isuzu had given up on a much successful pickup run (at the height of the small pickup craze), and went with rebadging the base model S10/Sonomas as Isuzu pickups, but for some reason, dedicated resources to come up with the VehiCROSS. Then they further went on with rebadging the Envoy as their own. Hell, I think they even traded their Rodeo with Honda in exchange for the early Odyssey. Quite a odd bunch of moves for a company that basically invented the small pickup (LUV) which Chevy sold as their own. Basically, from the mid 90's to the early 2000's, the VehiCROSS was the only original idea Isuzu came up with, as they whore'd everything else away. No wonder they had to pull out of the US market.
My wife and I saw one of these in Des Moines, IA right when they came out and it had a vanity license plate that read "MCCOOL". Since then we've always referred to them as a McCool
my cousin worked at the Isuzu dealer on Merle Hay Road when these came out. He said that customers liked the size and performance but hated the look. I guess they sold several of them to a dealer out of state.
I'm always amazed that this vehicle existed in the 90's, and isn't more reknowned for the design being completely anachronistic, capturing the look of cars, especially crossovers, three even four generations later, with a very streamlined silhouette, rounded edges, visible skid plate, smoothly integrated two toned bumpers, spoilers and fenders. Most concept cars barely ever get even the next gen right, and yet this existed back when cars where shaped like boxes with disjointed body parts with chintzy square or completely round lights
Wow, $29k for that? Damn, I thought it was gonna cost in the $16k range - no wonder it didn't sell, it just looks cheap. Cool, but cheap. Man is that priced way too high when it's meant to appeal to 20-somethings who were probably only making $29k a year at the time.
My brother test drove one in 2001 when he was shopping for a car, but it was too expensive ($35k) and he ended up with a Mazda Tribute for about $27k. Super cool vehicle. Way ahead of its time. A genuine classic, from Isuzu! (on second thought, come to think of it,another reason we didn't get the Vehicross is because we literally couldn't get into the back seats. It was impossible.)
A couple years ago I had a neighbor with one and he really liked it, but had the plastic trim painted satin black and reinstalled because it would fade to grey no matter how often he treated it to try to maintain the color. If you think it looks bad with the black trim it looks worse faded.
What if Isuzu bring this back? and turn it into a super SUV and be their halo model too to rival these: -Porsche Cayenne -Lamborghini Urus -Ferrari Purosangue -Mercedes-AMG GLE63 Coupe -BMW X6M -Audi RS-Q8
The Isuzu VehiCross is what RX-7 is to Mazda...... unique timeless fast and powerful hand-made in small numbers rare radical and will always have a place in to every modern day Isuzu lineup
@@alexyoungberg5232 Yeah, Trooper based, funny thing is that the reintroduced Amigo replaced it.... I guess the VehiCROSS' big price tag was a put off.
I have one in 'Dragon Mica Green.' Cool trivia... Isuzu made 5000, as they had always planned. They wanted to get them to market fast. So, rather than take the normal route of ordering steel presses for the body panels (long - 1.5 yr.? - lead time), they ordered CERAMIC presses/molds, which are much cheaper and a fraction of the lead time. These are only good for about 5000 fenders/doors/hoods/roofs etc. It was a concept vehicle or halo car from the start, and didn't stop at the 5000 number due to waning demand. It was just the original plan by Isuzu. Oh... I don't have the numbers in my head, but while the later FJ Cruiser had a pretty short wheelbase, the VX is a few inches shorter still.
Recaro seats, remote-reservoir shocks, full-time AWD with low-range, DOHC 24 valve V6, and the looks and handling that exceeded the truck-based competiton of that time... This is a truck I would not mind having.
All it needs is a 5 speed and it would be perfect
Wanna buy one?
@@isaakwelch3451I believe they sold one with a manual
saw one in 99 bought it and still have 23 years later.
God I miss Isuzu...
Same. They’re still around making pick up trucks and SUV’s in Europe and Asia
@@whatevernevermind5960 Yeah, I've been tempted to try and move to either Australia or NZ so I can get an Isuzu and Suzuki.
FantomLightning just buy and register one in Mexico, then bring it back
Original Saab too
Oh wait Saab in ur pfp?
I remember seeing one of these in person when they were brand new in 1999 and I thought it was the coolest looking vehicle on the road. It looked way futuristic.
Literally looks like a concept car that made it to productive without any refinement or changes. Very well executed. The outer design looks timeless.
have one in 'Dragon Mica Green.' Cool trivia... Isuzu made 5000, as they had always planned. They wanted to get them to market fast. So, rather than take the normal route of ordering steel presses for the body panels (long - 1.5 yr.? - lead time), they ordered CERAMIC presses/molds, which are much cheaper and a fraction of the lead time. These are only good for about 5000 fenders/doors/hoods/roofs etc. It was a concept vehicle or halo car from the start, and didn't stop at the 5000 number due to waning demand. It was just the original plan by Isuzu.
This car was ahead of its time now that the small SUV craze is going on.
And the styling seems fresh, wouldn't look out of place among today's cars
I agree, what an interesting car!
What are you talking about..? This started the trend of goofy looking, impractical BMW X6 craze.
Now everything looks like this. Bulbous, soft, round and just plain weird.
Why cant boxy be seen as “traditional” instead of “outdated.” Now we have the Ford EcoSport. I’d say this looks similar
Nah. The defining characteristic of modern CUVs is that they are simply tall hatchbacks with big wheels, while this is an actual body on frame SUV with off-road abilities. It's a three door "leisure" SUV, actually an extremely 90s concept.
Back then a lot of manufacturers experimented with sporty compact SUVs (e.g. Nissan Trail Runner, Toyota RSC, Fiat Bravo Enduro), but only Isuzu had the guts to put one of these concept vehicles on the road. As a result, it is still fresh looking and unique.
@@williamsinger4124 Yes it would. With all that black cladding at the bottom, it looks straight out the 90s. Would stick out like a sore thumb.
Thanks GM for yet another company you mismanaged and is no longer with us. Everything GM touched pre bailout turned to turds, smfh
SAAB *tear*
Not much has changed since the bailouts.
Isuzu is still around in other markets.
@@ryanyecny3409 they make commerical vehicles.
I think this one failed as it cost $30k... it looks like it should cost $15k - and I like the looks, but this doesn't look like it's a $30k vehicle, which is like $45k today.
John davis can say the word chunky any day in my book.
Yes. John is a great narrator for the road and comparison tests retro or new
Back when you called them "Sport Utes" xD
As much as I believe that suvs/cuvs are practically oversaturating the market, however, this vehicle was ahead of it's time. Too bad Isuzu ditched us when they had a chance to try again today...
i really wish we got all the options the Japanese version of the VehiCROSS got, backup cameras, GPS, touchscreens and various other items
And a 4 door model on both versions.
@@rileysmith9843 does it even exist?
@@Nolan-xc3yl it never made it into production
@@aidaaliten8817 it was only a concept I think
The main ingredient missing from most SUVs nowadays is BODY ON FRAME! This had it, Ml 320 had it, Discovery had it. They sure as hell don't make em like they used to.
Wow this car was 20 years ahead of the game
"Torex screws"
the Honda CRV essentially copied this design ever since 2007
When this first came out, I thought it would look great next to a Dodge Viper, since the grille had snake fangs!
It's good to hear Toni Braxton playing on the radio because that was my favorite R&B singer since I was 4 years old. 😍😍
My favorite SUV of all time, but it was expensive for it's size. $28,000 in 1999 would be $43,000 in 2018, for a vehicle that's 163" long (about the size of a Kia Soul), and it weighed almost 4,000 lbs!
Damn
Can't really compare it to modern cars though since stuff like that didn't really even exist at the time. Still expensive but it's important to consider what it competed with (or lack thereof).
DentherTV I mean it competed with an Xterra, CR-V, and Escape. All cheaper and two sold so well they are still around
The vehicross looks kinda cool, sorta modern mercedes style.
I've always loved these. Isuzu really entered another reality and came back with the design and build.
Very nice this Isuzu Veihcross
This thing had as much HP as a Mustang GT.
0:56 design looks like straight out at 2030's
So glad we have ours, since 2008 daily driven😍
3:19 if you listen very closely, you can hear someone in the recording studio sneeze.
Toni Braxton!!!
1:38 "industrial looking tore-ex screws" Torx. One word, one syllable, pronounced "torks"
Drove past one at a dealer today, every video I watch convinces me to give them a call tomorrow.
So ahead of it’s time along with its brother the Axium ( hope I spelled it correct)
A Pontiac Aztek and Isuzu Amigo love child.
Looks like this inspired the current Jeep Cherokee lol. Just kidding though
Still looks timeless styling compared to the today’s small SUVs. Wish Isuzu still made vehicles in the USA market. They still do in Asia and South Pacific I think.
Oh my god yes. I wanted one of these SO BAD from ages 10-12. lol
Hey. I saw the Isuzu VehiCROSS television commercial, and it was good!
i miss Joe Isuzu
Noseefood
Haha...I too remember him. Those commercials were cheesy but funny.
It was way too ahead of the game. Automatic transmission crossovers are the rage today.
This little thing is actually body-on-frame so definitely not a "crossover."
Bring back Isuzu! I love the VehiCross.
I never understood Isuzu. I owned a '93 Isuzu pickup, and an '86 P'up in the past..great trucks. By '99, Isuzu had given up on a much successful pickup run (at the height of the small pickup craze), and went with rebadging the base model S10/Sonomas as Isuzu pickups, but for some reason, dedicated resources to come up with the VehiCROSS. Then they further went on with rebadging the Envoy as their own. Hell, I think they even traded their Rodeo with Honda in exchange for the early Odyssey. Quite a odd bunch of moves for a company that basically invented the small pickup (LUV) which Chevy sold as their own. Basically, from the mid 90's to the early 2000's, the VehiCROSS was the only original idea Isuzu came up with, as they whore'd everything else away. No wonder they had to pull out of the US market.
Tor-ex screws? You mean TORX there, John?
This better than Any jeep wrangled that fiat makes. At least this doesn't fall apart due to poor quality control welding.
My wife and I saw one of these in Des Moines, IA right when they came out and it had a vanity license plate that read "MCCOOL". Since then we've always referred to them as a McCool
my cousin worked at the Isuzu dealer on Merle Hay Road when these came out. He said that customers liked the size and performance but hated the look. I guess they sold several of them to a dealer out of state.
In a sense it kind of reminds me of the new Cherokee’s!
I'm always amazed that this vehicle existed in the 90's, and isn't more reknowned for the design being completely anachronistic, capturing the look of cars, especially crossovers, three even four generations later, with a very streamlined silhouette, rounded edges, visible skid plate, smoothly integrated two toned bumpers, spoilers and fenders. Most concept cars barely ever get even the next gen right, and yet this existed back when cars where shaped like boxes with disjointed body parts with chintzy square or completely round lights
I wish they still made anything like this now.
If Isuzu made these with 4 doors, they might have had a success!
Not to mention, it wouldn't have looked so much like an angry roller-skate!
Maybe you are right but I can tell you it wouldn't be a classic .
This thing looks so rugged, buff & out of this world!
This was an awesome vehicle. Still looks great today.
I remember seeing this as a kid. Jez it got me excited. Very futuristic, sporty, aggressive styling for the time!
That was the problem; it only appealed to kids.
Looks like something from Monsters Inc.
I just picked up My 99 Ironman and I F'n love it! I got it for cheep!
How much you pick it up for ? Got my eyes on a 97 RHD and they are asking 9000$ CAD / 6700$ US
@@admalt9317 5g
This thing was literally 11 years ahead of its time I always loved these
Wow, $29k for that? Damn, I thought it was gonna cost in the $16k range - no wonder it didn't sell, it just looks cheap. Cool, but cheap. Man is that priced way too high when it's meant to appeal to 20-somethings who were probably only making $29k a year at the time.
Coolest SUV ever build.
I LOVE this car so much
Not sure if anyone else noticed the engine looks very much like an Audi V6. At least the intake manifold and valve covers do anyhow.
You have any N body reviews 1990 cutlass calais etc
My brother test drove one in 2001 when he was shopping for a car, but it was too expensive ($35k) and he ended up with a Mazda Tribute for about $27k. Super cool vehicle. Way ahead of its time. A genuine classic, from Isuzu! (on second thought, come to think of it,another reason we didn't get the Vehicross is because we literally couldn't get into the back seats. It was impossible.)
A couple years ago I had a neighbor with one and he really liked it, but had the plastic trim painted satin black and reinstalled because it would fade to grey no matter how often he treated it to try to maintain the color. If you think it looks bad with the black trim it looks worse faded.
A Rav4 on steroids and crack
What if Isuzu bring this back?
and turn it into a super SUV
and be their halo model too to rival these:
-Porsche Cayenne
-Lamborghini Urus
-Ferrari Purosangue
-Mercedes-AMG GLE63 Coupe
-BMW X6M
-Audi RS-Q8
There are still a couple of them running around here on the Big Island ! Love this car !
I remember playing test drive off road 3 and this vehicle was in it
I know it dude! That game was amazing back in the day
The Isuzu VehiCross is what RX-7 is to Mazda......
unique
timeless
fast and powerful
hand-made in small numbers
rare
radical
and will always have a place in to every modern day Isuzu lineup
"Cyberpunk body style " im impressed with his grasp of the vernacular.
4100 sold and Isuzu is gone from America....
I remember it on the streets brand-new you couldn't forget it. I like how contemporary it looks now.
from an outside appearance it paved the way for..........the Aztek
I actually like the way this looks
I found out about this car when Doug Demuro reviewed it
and now we know all about it's quirks and features.
That's because you're lazy, and only discover things if toy're are spoon fed to you by annoying self-absorbed youtubers.
a guy brought one of these to work: awesome interior!
1:38 I've never heard Torx pronounced that way. Sounded like Tourex
@1:27 Cyberpunk 2077 missed an opportunity here.
Where's that "4×4 Guide" of mine? Lol...I had it ever since 1999!
Isuzu VeihCross is diferent little SUV
If you ask me what my FAV Isuzu is (with or without Joe Isuzu and those silly TV ads), it’s this VehiCROSS.
I suppose you wouldn't have any retro reviews of any 80's Mitsubishi vehicles like the Tredia sedan would you???....
We sooooo need these back
But does it have ✨oil pressure gauges ✨
This would not look out of place today....This retro MotorWeek is just fantastic!!!! Thank you...
Aah, The car that gave me nightmares as a kid.
An Amigo in drag......
*trooper but yea
@@alexyoungberg5232 Yeah, Trooper based, funny thing is that the reintroduced Amigo replaced it.... I guess the VehiCROSS' big price tag was a put off.
Must only have been available in limited markets, by 2004 all Isuzu dealers in Houston, TX had disappeared. Never saw a Vehicross here.
It's a car that can also handle off-road duties. Slight compromises on both ends because obviously, but extremely well done.
I have one in 'Dragon Mica Green.' Cool trivia... Isuzu made 5000, as they had always planned. They wanted to get them to market fast. So, rather than take the normal route of ordering steel presses for the body panels (long - 1.5 yr.? - lead time), they ordered CERAMIC presses/molds, which are much cheaper and a fraction of the lead time. These are only good for about 5000 fenders/doors/hoods/roofs etc. It was a concept vehicle or halo car from the start, and didn't stop at the 5000 number due to waning demand. It was just the original plan by Isuzu.
Oh... I don't have the numbers in my head, but while the later FJ Cruiser had a pretty short wheelbase, the VX is a few inches shorter still.
Favorite trick I ever owned.
Every time I see one of those "wide body kits" on cars now 'n days I think of this.
That v6 is Legendary
Tor-X ? Lol
You mean torx?
This was 20 years ahead of its time.
My friend has a vehicross lmao
Still waiting for a Daihatsu Rocky review
Never had one in
My brother used to have one, it's small but really capable and the open top is great for sunny days
my dad own this machine
Rear wood drive....huh
Cross this junk off your list
Still want one.
The front looks like Hannibal lector from silence of the lambs
That engine is gorgeous. Looks like an Audi V8
👍👍👍👍👍👍👏👏👏🇱🇷🇱🇷🇱🇷
The Yesuzu
👍👍👍👍👍
Just got one and it was a bidding war, damn this car is too rare now
WHAT YEAR, HOW MANY MILES, COLOR, AND WHAT DID YOU PAY....CURIOUS, I'M LOOKING AT ONE NOW