Test Drive Isuzu Vehicross 1998 - 2001 SUV

Out of competition

At first glance, Vehicross is similar to the device specifically created for filming the next series of MAD MAX film. But there is nothing fantastic in this daring verge of a vehicle - except for the fact that ISUZU company released, in his developments, as a rule, is very calm and conservative. Vehicross is a completely real car with outstanding off-road opportunities, and at the same time able to decently express themselves on the high-speed track. By combining these parameters of competitors, he has few. And on the brightness of the image - there is no.

 
Vehicross is a symbiosis of a full-fledged off-road chassis that corresponds to the international classification of T1, and fascinating its body forms - so unusual that it is difficult to believe that this is a serial car, and not a sample of automotive stylistics of the future.

 
The concept of Vehicross for the first time appeared before the public at the Tokyo Motor Show in the fall of 1993. Uncharged Isuzu Avangondity of the Machine's appearance can be explained by the fact that he created his English designer Simon Coke. The merit of the Japanese company is that she listened to the enthusiastic reviews of visitors and, without having wishing the revolutionary appearance of Vehicross, decided to launch him into production - practically unchanged. At the end of 1994, Takeshi IOO, President Isuzu Motors Ltd., gave the appropriate orders, and the work was boiling. The first serial machines were on sale in Japan in the spring of 1997.

 
Such an avant-garde on the real conveyor will not put (especially - five years ago), but on the sale of several thousand cars per year it was quite possible to count on. With this amount, the technology of manufacturing metal bodybases on ceramic equipment, which is much cheaper and less labor-intensive in manufacturing than steel stamps was developed. A significant disadvantage of this technology is the briefness of the equipment, it determined the volume of car output: up to three thousand per year. Already one thing forces vehicross to the category of exclusive machines, such a cute hearts of some of our fellow citizens. Yes, and the price ... In the US, the cost of the model in a decent configuration is approaching $ 30,000, we will also grow almost twice. Nevertheless, the first vehicross copies in Moscow have already appeared.

 
From the car it is difficult to take a look. Dynamic body dynamics with polished front racks of the roof and narrow side windows are characteristic of the sports coupe (in fact, Vehicross is such a coupe - an up-to-end off-road accent). Machine name (read as Vi Cross, Cross Means to switch, Occasion) should indicate that ease with which it moves from asphalt on off-road and back.

 
On the hood of a complex shape there is a black antambolite insert - fashionable in the recent past feature of sports (especially rally) cars. Powerful plastic panels (painted polypropylene), encircling the entire lower part of the car and forming it nose and feed, are not decorative molding lining. The panels form the lower part of the body, the metal (galvanized steel) ends with centimeters in five below the top edge of the plastic. A good solution: in the case of small injections obtained on off-road or on parking, plastic elements are easy to replace without editing the body. Metal pipes are hidden in front and rear under plastic bumpers, when a collision has hitting themselves.
 

The rear door has a tide in which the spare wheel hid. You can get it, just opening the door and removing its inner cladding (for this there are four swivel handles). Thus, the problem of the safety of the spareswie is solved and the integrity of the design of the car is not violated (there are no stack under the bottom, so as not to worsen the off-road capabilities of Vehicross). Rubber on the spare wheel is almost standard (slightly smaller in width, otherwise it would not fit into the door). Disc - molded alloy, and this is not a guinea, but the fight by weight.

 
Under the hood, the V-shaped six-liter six-liter was installed - this motor is equipped with cars intended for the American market. The same is also used on Isuzu Trooper, which stayed in the previous issue of our magazine. Recall that this engine develops the power of 215 hp (5400 rpm.) And 310 nm of torque (over 3000 rpm.). An additional damper is installed in the intake manifold, which opens, facilitating the breath of the engine as soon as the turnover is digested for the mark 3600.
 

We did not accidentally mention Trooper. The fact is that Vehicross is built on the chassis of its short version and, therefore, is typical for the SUV framework. This can be seen by looking under the bottom. The powerful spa frame carries the engine in a block with a transmission, anterior torsion pendant on the transverse levers and a rigid rear beam on two unusually long longitudinal lower rods and one short top (the length of the longitudinal pull suggests the thoughts of the suspension). The front stabilizer of transverse stability has a diameter of more than 25 mm! The springs of the rear suspension - with a progressive characteristic, sports gas-filled shock absorbers are equipped with (so-called. Backpack) tanks that are well scattered heat. The company declares that such serial machines have not previously been applied. So put the arc, the navigator equipment, the fire extinguishing system and feel free to declare in class T1 to the nearest rally raid calendar.
 

Now it is necessary to decide how we will equip the salon when preparing an SUV to competitions. A wide door will easily take a driver's seat even when installing lateral stretching between the front and rear arcs. Despite the larger landing height and the lack of footballs, I easily turn out to be driving (while it is worth the head of my head). The bucket front seats are very comfortable - they are quite rigid and reliably fix the sitting. Manufactured by Recaro - a firm that does not need the ideas ...
 

Color range of salon - red and black, leather is widely used in the decoration. The seat is adjustable manually - in length and over the corner of the backrest, but this is quite enough. Properly arrange hands on the steering wheel helps the adjustable steering column. I did not like the almost complete interference between the head and the ceiling.

 
Torpedo is not such an advanced, as the appearance of the machine, it has quite earth roots leaving for the Isuzu Rodeo-Opel Frontera family. Probably, the machine developers have exhausted all dedicated funds.

 
When installing the front arcs, there may be problems with visibility, even in their absence, the front sector of the observation is noticeably narrowed - the racks interfere, and the side windows have to use the side windows.

 
You can forget about the rear visibility - it is possible to look back only in the side mirrors. Twist his head during rebuildings is almost useless - the Block-back review overlap wide rear racks. In the intra-alone mirror, nothing is visible at all - the lack of a rear janitor prevents the rear janitor hindered into the door. The case should help the rear view camera with a color liquid crystal monitor, but it was missing on our car, a plastic plug was blocked in her place in the back door.

 
To get to the back seat, it is required to have a trained, desirable youth figure and a sense of humor - the attention of others will be uninterestedly attracted by the acrobatic etud. At the same time, the second row was surprisingly cozy, although there is a little place for the legs, and there is not far from the ceiling, and there is no side support. If you have to put safety arcs, you will have to forget about the backseat, however, it would still take a gas tank ...
 

Vehicross pedals have only two gas and brake. Only a four-stage automatic transmission is used on the car, and the four-wheel drive provides the iSuzu corporate tribal - the Torque-On-Demand (TOD) transmission of the Borg-Warner Automotive, Inc. This transmission smoothly connects the front wheels at the request of the circumstances.
 

Works TOD as follows. Under normal conditions (under the wheels - smooth dry asphalt), the entire torque is transmitted back (this reduces operating costs and increases the transmission resource). The transmission control computer monitors the many parameters - frequencies of rotation of the rear and front wheels, the position of the throttle, the rotation angle, the operation of the brakes ... If the computer deems that the rear axle needs help, it can smoothly connect the front axle by means of a multidisk coupling Exactly so much torque as the deteriorating road conditions require (but not more than 50%).

 
Isuzu argues that from all the TOD systems available on the market - the fastest, time of its operation is only 20 ms. In addition, a huge number of scenarios of the possible development of events are laid in the memory of the TOD computer, so it is capable of not only to respond to what is happening (for example, wheel slip), but also to anticipate the coming - trying to prevent the occurrence of a dangerous situation.

 
If you move to a heavy off-road, where TOD becomes completely short, you will have to stop and include a lowered row in a handout with a lever on a tunnel next to the automatic transmission selector. At the same time, the torque will cease to swim between the axes and distribute equally between them. Such is the theory to be checked in practice.
 

The engine was launched, and we calmly rolled - the pounds of touching the machine completely took over. The engine speaks well on the gas pedal, and metamorphosis occurs - the car seems to be waking up. The noble growle of the motor, turning into a light whistle, and the car quickly gains speed. Transfer switches at about 3000 rpm. - Virtually unnoticed.
 

The asphalt is dry, overclocking is smooth. With increasing speed on a schematic image of a transmission located on a combination of devices, the squares denoted the degree of loading the torque of the front wheels. Consequently, TOD works, but subjectively it does not feel.
 

Let's try to accelerate more intensively. Turn on the PowerDrive mode with a torpedo button. Now the engine is twisted almost to 6000 revolutions, the car adds noticeably in the dynamics, the squares on the torpedo continue to fill ... and still have any subjective sensations.

 
But the suspension was shown - more tough than the usual SUVs. All road charms - here as here, right on ... seats. But the car blows confidently, and discomfort the inhabitants of the front bucket Recaro, you can say, do not feel. Rear - worse, passengers are actively jumped on Ughab. It is not only the stiffness of the suspension, but also a short car base - with a growing speed, he begins to gallop.

 
On the asphalt, the car is great - clearly and sharply - answers the steering steering, the handling of it is almost at the level of another sporting machine (you should not only forget about the high center of gravity). Steering is sharp, with good feedback, which is amazing for a car focused on the American market. The brakes are perfectly coped with their duties - we did not succeed on dry asphalt.

 
We are chosen on the ground. At first, no changes were observed - everything is on solid coating, but, dispersion, Vehicross has become easy enough to break into the skid. Its initial moment was well felt, and to stabilize the car, it was enough only to lose gas slightly, but to adjust the skid after its development at first it was not easy.

 
With increasing speed, it is also incomprehensible: the car behaved as anterior, then as a rear-wheel drive. And as that and the other - at the same time. Probably, the TOD system, which decided to play with the distribution of torque between wheels, threatened. From these games, it became a little in itself, but after several chopped circles, some confidence appeared that the car could be tamed, only for this you need a known time ...

 
And the time was just over. We stand on the side of the road, without the views of Vehicross, which in the stream of cars looks like an alien vehicle. A modest Japanese company managed to create a car that turned the ideas of many consumers about a sports SUV.

 

Sergey Ivanov

 
 
 

A source: Motor magazine