VehiCROSS Origins

 

Text and Image from Isuzu Brochure

The VehiCROSS.

Incorporating the most potent Isuzu technologies to date, it's the first all-road high-performance sports vehicle. Like time travel without leaving the present.

Ask a bunch of SUV specialists to gaze into a crystal ball and this is what you get. Introduced late in the second millennium A.D., the Isuzu VehiCROSS is perhaps the most technically advanced SUV on the planet. (Earth, that is.) A quantum leap in cross-terrain engineering, VehiCROSS incorporates a breakthrough terrain-sensing traction system and an off-road racing-bred suspension to carve concrete, tarmac, dirt, gravel, sand and snow without prejudice. And that's before you even calculate for its cutting-edge propulsion system. The Isuzu VehiCROSS. No other SUV launches you faster into the future.

Rally-Bred Suspension.

Proven in the Paris-Dakar Rally, monotube shocks with heat-expansion chambers heighten precision and endurance for high-performance driving.

Aerospace-grade 6061-T8 extruded aluminum construction, monotube design, with external heat-expansion chambers. You might be thinking NASA, but this is pure Isuzu. Nearly impossible to overheat, they cool faster and damp more efficiently than ordinary shocks. While you won't find them on any other production SUV, they're standard with VehiCROSS' double-wishbone front, 4-link rear suspension. So as long as you maintain on-earth orbit, VehiCROSS can attack most any surface you encounter.

Originally developed for off-road motorcycle racing, the first Isuzu SUV to employ external reservoir shocks was a Paris-Dakar Rally vehicle. (It won.) Today this technology is part of every VehiCROSS, and still winning. (VehiCROSS conquered its class in the 1999 Australian Safari Rally.) 

Positively Revolutionary.

The technology? Groundbreaking. The design? Positively revolutionary. The same out-of-the-box thinking went into VehiCROSS' cutting-edge cockpit. Two-tone, custom leather Recaro® sport seats and matching leather-wrapped steering wheel make an unmistakable impression and hold you comfortably in place. Carbon-fiber-look trim accents the gauges and door panels. VehiCROSS' high-performance interior could make a sports car blush. And since breaking new ground is rarely a solo journey, there's room for up to three others inside. But choose wisely. People have a tendency to linger in (and around) VehiCROSS.

18" Aluminum-Alloy Wheels
    Special 18-inch wheels shod with all-season rubber team up with VehiCROSS' race-bred, front double-wishbone/rear 4-link suspension system. Translation? Unyielding stability and uncanny reflexes on pavement or off.
Torque-On-Demand® 4WD System
    To ensure high-performance capability on- and off-road, VehiCROSS includes standard-issue TORQUE-ON-DEMAND (TOD®). A dedicated computer monitors traction conditions and automatically distributes power to maintain maximum grip wherever, whenever.
Full-Time ABS
    Unlike some other SUVs, VehiCROSS (and all new Isuzu SUVs) is equipped with anti-lock brakes that work on all four wheels, all the time-even in 4WD. Meaning VehiCROSS gives you unparalleled control whether you're slowing for a construction crew or a herd of wild bull elks.
3.5-liter Powerplant
    VehiCROSS' DOHC 24-valve V6 employs variable induction, direct-attack valvetrain and coil-over-plug ignition (as do all Isuzu V6s). While you may not see all this technology at work, you'll definitely feel it in VehiCROSS' spine-compressing 215 horsepower. 

VehiCROSS interior shown in Red and Black leather.

DRIVETRAIN
4-wheel-drive system	TORQUE-ON-DEMAND® 4WD system
Automatic transmission	Electronically controlled 4-speed with overdrive, driver-selectable power mode, 3rd-gear winter start mode and adaptive shift pressure
Gear ratios (:1) automatic	1st: 2.86, 2nd: 1.62, 3rd: 1.00; 4th: 0.72, Rev.: 2.00
Axle ratios (:1) front/rear	4.30/4.30
Transfer case ratios high/low (:1)	1.00/2.48

CHASSIS & SUSPENSION
Frame	Box-section ladder-type with 7 crossmembers
Front suspension	Independent double-wishbone, A-shaped lower arm, torsion bar springs with stabilizer bar and monotube shocks with external heat-expansion chambers
Rear suspension	4-link with coil springs, stabilizer bar and monotube shocks with external heat-expansion chambers
Brakes/ABS system	Power assisted 4-wheel Anti-lock Brake System with audible front-pad wear indicators
Front brake configuration	11.0" ventilated disc
Rear brake configuration	12.3" ventilated disc
Steering	Power-assisted recirculating-ball
Steering ratio (:1)	20.1
Turning radius: curb-to-curb/wall-to-wall	34.1 ft./35.4 ft.
Wheels	18" 5-spoke chrome-finished aluminum-alloy
Tires	P245/60R18 mud-and-show all-season

WEIGHTS & CAPACITIES
Curb weight	3955 lbs
Fuel tank	22.5 gallons

EPA ESTIMATED FUEL ECONOMY
City/highway mileage	15/19 mpg

INTERIOR DIMENSIONS
Headroom (front/rear)	38.2/35.4 in
Legroom (front/rear)	43.1/29.5 in
Shoulder room (front/rear)	52.0/51.6 in
Hip room (front/rear)	52.4/40.0 in
Cargo floor length (seat up/seat down)	14.4/46.2 in
Cargo volume (seat up/seat down)	13.9/50.4 cu ft

SAFETY
Occupant Protection	Driver and front passenger air bags; 3-point front adn rear seat belts with front adjustable belt anchors
Side Impact Protection	Side-guard door beams
Enhanced Traction	Limited-slip rear differential
Underbody Protection	Fuel tank and radiotor skid plates

EXTERIOR DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase	91.8 in.
Overall length (including spare tire)	162.6 in.
Overall width	70.5 in.
Overall height	66.9 in.
Track, front/rear	59.6/59.8 in
Ground clearance (minimum at differential)	8.4 in.
Angle of approach	34°
Angle of departure	30°
Frame-to-ground	9.9 in.

EXCLUSIVE FEATURES
Interior	Custom bicolor leather Recaro© sport seats
	Leather-wrapped 4-spoke steering wheel
	Carbon-fiber-look door inserts
	Carbon-weave-style gauges
	120-watt 6 speaker premium sound system
	In-dash 6-disk CD player
	Split folding/reclining rear set with headrests
Exterior	Anit-chip polypropylene body cladding
	Aircraft-type fuel filler
	16" 5-spoke polished alloy wheels (changed to 18" 5-spoke chrome alloy wheels for 2000)
	Integrated aero roof spoiler
	Spare tire integrated within cargo door
	Zinc-plated steel body panels
	Integrated aero roof spoiler
	Glare-reducing matte black hood insert

ADDITIONAL FEATURES
Convenience	Power windows with driver's one-touch express-down
	Power door locks
	Remote keyless entry with security system
	Tilt steering wheel
	Cruise control with tap-up/down and cancel

PERFORMANCE
ACCELERATION	0-30 @ 2.9 sec
	40 @ 4.4 sec
	50 @ 6.5 sec
	60 @ 8.8 sec
	70 @ 11.7 sec
	80 @ 16.3 sec
	90 @ 23.6 sec
	100 @ 38.5 sec

TEST RESULTS (from Car and Driver)
Street rolling start	5-60 mph - 8.6 sec
Top gear acceleration	30-50 mph 4.6 sec
	50-70 mph 5.9 sec
Standing quarter-mile	16.9 sec @ 81 mph
Top speed (governor-limited)	115 mph
BRAKING	60-0 mph, 108 ft.
	Fade - moderate
HANDLING	Roadholding, 300 ft. skidpad, 0.75g
	Understeer - minimal
	Turning radius: 34.1 ft
INTERIOR SOUND LEVEL	Idle: 47 decibels
	Full-throttle acceleration: 79 decibels
	70 mph cruising: 71 decibels
	70 mph coasting: 70 decibels
GR/RAT MPH/KRPM MAX SPEED/RPM	1/2.86 2.8L,6.9H 17/6200,43/6200
	2/1.62 4.9L,12.2H 30/6200, 75/6200
	3/1.00 7.9L,19.7H 49/6200,115/5850
	4/0.71 10.0L,27.2H 68/6200,115/4250

ENGINE
Configuration	3.5-liter V6
Block/cylinder head construction	Aluminum alloy/aluminum alloy
Valvetrain	24-valve dual overhead camshaft with direct-attack valvetrain
Fuel intake	Sequential multi-point fuel injection
Induction system	2-stage variable induction with computer-controlled valves
Ignition system	Direct ignition with coil-over-plug and 100,000-mile platinum-tipped spark plugs
Peak horsepower/torque SAE net	215 hp @ 5400 rpm/230 lb-ft @ 3000 rpm
Compression ratio	9:1:1

All Isuzu images and captions are copyright Isuzu Motors Corporation and used without permission. All other content, including images and editorial, is Copyright © 1997-2024 John Eaton and/or contributors unless otherwise stated. If there are any comments or objections, please contact John Eaton.