1986 Isuzu Trooper & Impulse Updates | Retro Review
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- čas přidán 28. 07. 2021
- Isuzu was getting hot in the mid 80's and improvements were a constant. Enjoy our thoughts regarding their '86 efforts.
Show 517 | Originally Recorded 3-11-1986
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"Since many potential buyers will never learn to shift for themselves". That's even more true today!
Always wanted an Impulse (growing up in the 80s). Loved the headlights, coupe styling, dash buttons, and of course, handling by Lotus. 🏁
A four door where the back seat is optional? Mad lads they had at Isuzu.
When Dodge came out with the Caravan there was a cargo/work version. The second row seat was optional. No third was available.
It was to avoid additional tarrifs
I've always wanted a car that can raise it's eyebrows at people.
My 87 trooper was my favorite truck I've ever owned. I bought it in 1997 with 95,000 miles and drove it till 2018 with well over 200,000 miles. The 2.7 l 4 cylinder engine never gave me a bit of trouble I changed plugs and wires at least three times and one timing belt. The only reason I got rid of the truck is it finally rested almost completely in half and had such bad frame damage one of the motor mounts rested in half in the shop wouldn't replace it. He said the truck was dangerous to have on the road because of how bad the rust was. The God damn thing still fired up and drove to the junkyard. The thing had fuel injection and four-wheel disc brakes in 1987.
Those “Joe Isuzu” commercials back then had the Impulse outrunning a speeding bullet. 0-60 in 9.0 seconds!
Sad to say, anything under 10 seconds was considered fast in the mid 80s.
Same speed as a 86 or brz
Speeding bullets were slower back in the 80s.
@@roocrew86 Nice joke 😂
@@aamirqz 😂😂
This SUV wore so many different badges. Isuzu, Honda, Acura, Holden, Opel, and Chevrolet.
Daihatsu.
No matter what badge is on it, it was kind of crap.
@@herbiehusker1889 Thats just flat out not true. The Isuzu designed trooper is an unbreakable beast of a trail runner. If you want to go overlanding or offroading, this thing will keep up with those Jeeps no problem for half the price.
Even the Opel badge? The later generation from the 90s was sold as an Opel Monterey, but the the first one...i don´t think so. Even in germany they were sold as Isuzu Troopers.
@@fanatic26 A friend drove one in the late 80s and he hated it. Unfortunately i never asked him what was wrong with it.
I love trooper there are thousands of them here in Ecuador and run like a champ
The digital gauge cluster in the Isuzu Impulse looks cool!!
Imagine finding parts to fix that..
I agree.
In Puerto Rico those troopers were popular back in the day and still today many first gen and second gen troopers many of them are still running on the road!
Would be fun to get one back into the us for festivals like radwood
6:55 “another Oriental gimmic” 😂🤣😂 I remember Joe Isuzu selling the Impulse back then.
I used to watch this show every Saturday afternoon once the cartoons went off…
That’s right!
Thats why many of us are still around here, we love the nostalgia of the show and ofcourse the cars.
I wanted to see the Tropper go thru the cones and see the big body roll
It would probably end up on one of the side doors lol
@@dr.samsung_8855 Not any more than other suv's from that time.
Man, I miss Isuzu...
Drove an 86 Trooper in college. Interior was very spacious with loads of cargo room. My only issue was when it was occasionally mistaken for a Samurai.
It's a little bigger then the sammy but I can understand someone that doesn't have the eye for cars are isn't big Into cars would make that mistake .I gotta buddy tht every time he sees those Mitsubishi diamante or the Mitsubishi DX maybe not 100% sure..but the front ends look like the older Lincoln ls from 02 or so..hes always "look at the ls". And its always the goofy lookin mitsu
@@jdubskiwright2380 some kid once called my 1990 Supra a Testarossa lol
@@SUPRAMIKE18 wow what a noob
Impulse is still an attractive car today. Would love to restore one!
Thank you for posting another review of the Isuzu Trooper!
The impulse was extra good looking. John called it gorgeous. He was right. Truly a competent car back then at a fair price.
That's a nice looking Chevette!
brutal lol
I drive my 86 Trooper all over the place and love it. They did come out with an automatic later on, but I'd rather have a manual any time.
Keep slamming that back door! It will latch eventually..
Back when balance shafts were optional and engine tolerances were "loose"! That 2.3L sounded like it wanted to throw a rod near its low redline!
Love both of these. Nearly got a used non-turbo Impulse in high school, test drove it and loved it but couldn't afford it. :)
Man those where cool looking trucks! They're becoming hard to find now! And one in great condition will cost you big money 💰
My husband’s vehicle when we first met. He thought he was so cool when driving that thing. Lol
The Trooper was so homely!
And we can thank Consumer Reports for basically killing it and the entire Isuzu brand in the US market.
I had a 1987 trooper that I bought as my first truck in high school in 1998 I drove it till 2018. I loved that truck it never let me down was dead nuts reliable and could go anywhere my buddies Jeep Wrangler could go. It broke a motor mount in 2018 and when I took it to the repair shop they wouldn't fix it because they said the frame was rusted so bad that it was too dangerous to keep on the road and the motor mount had literally rusted off of the frame. The old girl still started right up like the trooper she was and I drove to the junkyard. I literally weeped when I junked that truck I felt like I was putting my dog down. Mine was a four-door trooper II for the 5-speed transmission. Had the 2.7 l 4 cylinder the only thing I ever had to do repair wise and all the years I owned it was one timing belt one clutch and plugs and wires a couple times I put well over 200,000 miles on that truck it wasn't fancy but it would start every time truly deserve the name trooper. Me and my friends they all had Jeeps and we'd go trail ride and that trooper would go anywhere them Jeeps would go despite having a longer wheelbase and I never put a lift or anything on it just some nice aggressive tires. it was a rust that finally killed it. It just had one little spot of rust and the wheel well when I bought it when I sold it you could read a newspaper on the other side lol. But the more that rusted off of it the lighter it got the better it went and it was one rust hole right in the quarter glass window frame and that 55 mph it would make a really high pitched whistle sound.
Oriental gimmicks, seats out of a delivery van… I miss this kind of blunt honesty in car reviews.
They would be cancelled. Our world does not value honesty or anything that resembles criticism unless it’s directed towards white peoples.
@Sohc_Vtec - That’s exactly what mine is lol. A ‘98 LS sedan with a manual. It’s been a good car! Almost time for a new one, though.
@@austinfrazier7325 I do salute you for taking a racially insensitive comment and trying to normalize it. You even try to be the victim bringing it around to an anti white thing. Calling an phrase like "oriental gimmick" honest criticism just makes you look incredibly ignorant. I heard the statement and chuckled to myself thinking it didnt age well, you immediately went for race baiting. Good stuff.
@@drivedb7 With the 4.0L V8? That sounds like an amazing car. Does it still runwell?
@@imnotusingmyrealname4566 - Haha not the engine, the trim level. (RS, LS, GS, GS-R, Type-R)
Why can’t we get a cheap true 4x4 like that now!!!
Because they were shit
Because trucks/SUVs are big business and big profit. If Isuzu still offered the Trooper/Sport, the big one would be in the 50s (maybe 60s) and the sport in the mid-30s/low 40s. Jeeps should be 10k less than they are, but they are a lifestyle (vehicle) and ppl don't seem to mind paying the higher price...
Stuff like this still exists, There's the Suzuki Jimny, the problem is that they aren't sold in the US anymore. Hopefully the Ford Maverick will sell well and cause other small stuff to start being imported as competition again. I really don't understand how many people can afford all these big SUVs anyway.
@@mattwolf7698 I just saw a recent Doug Demuro video where he's talking about the latest Suzuki Jimny. You can't get it in the States but it's actually for sale in Mexico in limited numbers. It would be nice to have a cheap 4x4 like that for sale in the States though.
@@donaldwilson2620 jimny is a everything the jeep renegade should be
3:15 John: BUT YOU STILL CAN'T GET AN AUTOMATIC! LOL
John, this thing would be ridiculously slow with an automatic transmission. Sometimes it's just as well that a vehicle makes the driver work a bit extra, maybe it will keep folks who buy based on looks going to a competitor with the power that can motivate a vehicle that's not as aerodynamic as a house and that weighs almost as much as a house.
The only thing missing is "Joe Isuzu".
At 7:00 a Chevy Chevette Scooter in the background. Same platform as the Impulse Turbo!
It took another year or so to get the product mix right on the Trooper, in '86 you could have the LS package OR four doors, people who wanted the LS trim almost all wanted four doors TOO.
I can't imagine a 4 door SUV without a backseat. I can't imagine them selling very many.
id agree but the one they showed was a 2-door
😖🤣
probably a cargo or fleet spec. i can also imagine it being useful for farmers
Those were some crude 0 to 60 numbers back then
My neighbors back in the day (family of 5) were tragically killed in '87 when their Trooper2 ran head-on into a Semi on the 5 heading south to Disney Land. We were all heartbroken for months! I remember one of their relatives telling my Mother their bodies were practically unidentifiable.
How sad 😞
Cool story dude. Not!
Debbie Downer at her finest
That Impulse is so cool.
Wooder cooled turbine bearings! Wow! Those are rare!
If I could go back in time, I would have bought an Impulse, although turbos back then were pretty iffy maintenance-wise.
Please do the 1982 I-Mark. It was my first car.
I always liked the Impulse, even is base form they were nice looking cars. To bad Isuzu didn't last here in the US. They made some good, solid vehicles.
So utilitarian and perfect size. Great fun. Hate the gigantic SUVs now. Bronco Sport looks cool. Has MW reviewed that yet ha.
These were popular here in Toronto. Pretty good awd system.
How light is an suv that 90 hp can chirp the tires?
No SUV should be 2 doors......what am I supposed to do, carry fridges each and everyday?
Nevertheless, I used to like both models, always wanted a double paint Trooper, friend almost bought an Impulse Turbo.
They were good cars.
At 7:00 in, you can see the Impulse in front of its close cousin, the Chevette. :D
in no way shape or form were those cars that close in design.
@@smiththers2 The Impulse was based on the rear-drive I-Mark, which was Isuzu's version of the Chevette. Doesn't make it a bad car, it just has really humble roots.
My friend had one these. BrillNT 4wd
The Impulse came from the "Ace of Spades" concept car from Giugiaro. It was shown as a BMW and an Audi before Isuzu put it on the T- Series Chevette platform and made it their own.
I seem to recall hearing that this was originally going to be their design for the MkII VW Scirocco, but when VW decided to do that design in-house, they "recycled" it into the Impulse. Whatever...they're both sexy AF and I wouldn't toss either a Scirocco or an Impulse out of my garage ;)
I have one in Kenya and I need spare parts. Any lead???
Actually the trooper was a family mid size luxury SUVs of those days only difference compared to today is their came with a 3 door option .
I need that impulse
My parents bought an '86 Trooper II Diesel. It had great reviews at the time and was pretty affordable. That Trooper was the biggest piece of junk. The transmission was replace twice in 30k miles. It was plagued with many other problems too. He still says it was the worst vehicle he ever bought! Is it weird I still want one?
Still waiting for the Trooper Three 💀
Isuzu Impulse is also called the Piazza in other countries
I literally just bought an 86 trooper a week ago
the trucks a shit bucket
I have a 86 and a 89. They are built tough and will take you anywhere. Very reliable if you take care of them.
Mike themike mine has been maintained properly for 3 years and it runs like a champ.
A blistering 0-60 in 15 seconds!!! Wow, times have changed...🤣🤣🤣
Watch out for that whiplash boys !!! 🤠
Yo compreuna en1986 y a sido el mejor vehículo que e tenido excelente me trae nostalgia
2:30 Wasn't that a given with a diesel?
Edit: Did he mean to say power perhaps?
A first draft of the script probably referred to HP. It may have been dropped during rewrites and mashed together with a comment about torque.
i had a non-turbo 1986 impulse... god that car was fun but even in the late 90s i couldnt find parts for it! now i cant even find a damn car.
Wish i had a impulse ._.
2:15 you can see it leaking oil from the fill cap already😂
lol In fairness they probably recently topped off the fluids right before testing but good eye lol
Love my trooper welded diffs manual hubs pisses people off!
Wow brand new and already a leaky oil fill cap.......seriously somebody couldn't have wiped that off before shooting the under hood shot?
3:47 -- TAKE 2! notice tracks from take 1
motoweek drivers are ass
JOHN DAVIS!! JOHN DAVIS!!! JOHN DAVIS!!! AAAHHHHHHHH!!!
Looks like a older version of the geo storm lol
Not surprising since the next gen Impulse shared the same platform/running gear as the Geo Storm.
Necesito diferencial de trooper 86 4x4 desde Honduras
9/41 es la relacion
👍👍👍👍🇱🇷🇱🇷🇱🇷
Uau que sensacional 👏👏👏
"Oriental Gimmick" Yikes. Try saying that today in a car review.
From what I understand, it’s okay-ish in that context; he was referring to an object as “oriental”, not a person-that’s what would rankle Asian people the most. Still, it’s a pretty antiquated term.
I'm sorry.....did i just hear $9000?????
6 valves per cyl.? Even todays stupid tiny engines,in SUVs dont have that many. What car ever had that many?? Audi had 5.....
And then Mitsubishi Pajero came and tore everyone up with superselect
"another Oriental gimmick that you eventually appreciate" -- bad writing then, unspeakable now.
Chevrolet would eventually copy that " Oriental Gimmick " for use in the Camaro Berlinetta (GM at one time owned Isuzu).
0 to 60 in 15 sec my go kart is faster than that 😅
my legs are faster
3rd
1st
Oriental gimmick?? Oh dear lol
nobody was safe lol
2nd
Adding trim levels to these old cars was idiotic.
I worked at a GM dealership which sold Isuzus back in the late 80s. We didn't sell many but I thought they were interesting vehicles.