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2003 Isuzu Ascender: A Trail Blazer? No, a Follower
By MICHELLE KREBS
TESTED: Isuzu Ascender
HOW MUCH? $28,274 base for 2004. $32,312 as tested: '03 model with rear drive, 4.2-liter in-line 6 and LS trim.
WHAT MAKES IT RUN? Rear- or four-wheel drive; 4.2-liter in-line 6 (275 horsepower) or 5.3-liter V-8 (290 horsepower); four-speed automatic.
SAFETY: Four air bags (2 front, 2 side); 3-point seatbelts for all 7 passengers; antilock brakes; four-wheel drive or traction control with rear-wheel drive.
HOW THIRSTY? E.P.A. ratings range from 14/18 (city/highway) with V-8 and four-wheel drive to 15/20 with 6 cylinders and 2-wheel drive.
WHAT ELSE COULD YOU GET? '04 Chevrolet TrailBlazer EXT ($30,445), '03 Dodge Durango SXT ($29,720); '04 Ford Explorer XLT ($30,340).
The Isuzu Ascender raises some questions: Do Americans need yet another variation on the Chevrolet TrailBlazer? Does Isuzu, with this vehicle and its others, bring anything distinctive to the party? And does the Japanese company, of which General Motors owns 12 percent, have a long-term future in the American market?
But this S.U.V. provides few answers. Aside from a new grille and different badges, it is little different from the expanding family of midsize G.M. utilities, which will soon include versions from Buick and Saab (in addition to short and long versions from Chevrolet and GMC, the open-roofed GMC Envoy XUV and the defunct Olds Bravada). This is a platform that works overtime.
The Ascender performs exactly like the long-wheelbase TrailBlazer EXT, which is to say its handling leaves much to be desired. The driver is aware of all 207.6 inches of its length; on sweeping curves, it feels as if the Ascender is wagging its tail. The softly tuned suspension reverberates over bumps. And in the heavier seven-passenger Ascender, the in-line 6 lacks the zip that it has in five-passenger G.M. versions. The V-8 is a better choice.
The third-row seat is roomy enough for adults and not difficult to enter, though restoring it to its upright position is a fussy procedure.
Differences between the Isuzu and G.M. models are mostly on paper. The Ascender is $1,700 to $3,000 less than its Chevy and GMC counterparts. Isuzu intends to maintain a similar price advantage when it starts selling a five-passenger Ascender next spring.
The lower price, along with reductions on 2003 Isuzu Axioms and Rodeos, was intended to forestall costly sales incentives, but it didn't succeed. The Ascender now comes with $1,000 to $3,000 cash incentives to dealers - these may be passed on to customers - and interest-free financing for up to 60 months. The 2003 models of the G.M. utilities offer $3,000 rebates or discount financing.
Further, the Ascender is covered by a 3-year or 50,000-mile base warranty and a 7-year or 75,000-mile powertrain warranty, along with 7 years of roadside assistance. Chevy and GMC offer three years or 36,000 miles across the board. The downside is that while Chevy has thousands of dealers, Isuzu has just 475, a number that will drop to 300 or fewer as the company downsizes.
American Isuzu is shrinking its operations to become profitable on sales of fewer than 40,000 vehicles a year. (Its sales peaked in 1999 at 103,937, according to Automotive News.) Its Japanese parent has been losing money.
With G.M. support, Isuzu seems likely to stay in the United States for the short term, and longer if its shrink-to-fit strategy works. Meantime, the Ascender's lower price and longer warranty may give it a spot on the shopping lists of people looking for S.U.V.'s with three rows of seats - assuming there are still Isuzu dealers in their neighborhoods.
posted by 208.20.16...
, Tue, 9 Sep 2003 09:57:00
, Tue, 9 Sep 2003 06:09:08
, Tue, 9 Sep 2003 05:16:37, Tue, 9 Sep 2003 05:07:43
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