First Drive

Bruce Garland recently the power and strength of the Holden Jackaroo on the Mobil 1 Reliability Trial. Sharyn Vanderhorst travels down some of the same tracks in Central Australia to evaluate the Jackaroo's new line up.

The new look Jackaroo was released by Isuzu in 1992 and since then the value of the Yen and the introduction of two hot new competitors, the Land Rover Discovery and the Jeep Cherokee, has forced Isuzu to rethink it's marketing strategies. Now three years later they have emerged with a new line-up that should see Isuzu-GM more able to compete within the existing four wheel drive market.

THE JACKAROO LINE-UP
TThe Jackaroo is available in seven variants and then there is the Monterey, the luxury vehicle in the line-up. Gone are the 'XS' and 'LS' models we have become familiar with over the past three years. We now have the 'Jackaroo', which is the base model; the 'SR' automatic V6 short wheel base, and the 'SE' which is the mid range model, offering seven seats in the long wheel base. The SR replaces the XS model but includes many upgraded features including alloy wheels, two tone paint work and leather steering wheel.

The SE, available in the four door range in either manual or automatic now has seating for seven as standard and Isuzu are marketing this as their volume seller. With features such as alloy wheels, electric windows, cruise control, central locking and the new two tone paint work this model is targeted directly against the other seven seater in this size, the Pajero. With the current hot seller, Jeep, not offering seven seats, the Jackaroo has a distinct advantage over the cheaper American four wheel drive.

INSIDE AND OUTSIDE
All of the vehicles in the Jackaroo range have undergone major upgrades and these include the all new dash which sees the elimination of the odd wiper and light controls that sat awkwardly on the previous dash. The headlights and wiper controls are now located in the much more common position of ready-to-hand control stalks on the steering column. The steering wheel itself has been redesigned, and now with four spokes looks as though it's been redesigned to take an airbag, although this is not currently on offer in either the Jackaroos or Monterey. Controls such as the rear wiper, cruise control and rear window demister, which were previously difficult to see and use while driving, now use larger buttons that are more easily accessed. The heater and air conditioning controls have been relocated and now feature five air vents. Further changes to the dash include the relocation of the stereo controls, a new warning light module displaying the major warning light functions and new controls for the exterior mirror

THE POWERPLANTS
Mechanically speaking there have been no changes from the previous model; this isn't surprising as the vehicle has proven to be a powerful and reliable four wheel drive. The petrol engine is a 3.2 litre, SOHC 24 valve V6 that delivers an impressive 130kW of power at 5200rpm and 260Nm of torque at 3750rpm. The diesel variant is an in-line-four that outputs 84kW at 3600rpm and 260Nm at a mere 2000rpm. The transmissions available are the five speed manual and the four speed automatic. The auto has three modes, 'Power','Winter' and Normal and also features an electronically controlled lock-up for the torque converter. Suspension remains the same with independent double wishbone suspension with adjustable torsion bars and a stabiliser bar on the front and coils with a five link location system and stabiliser bars on the back. Gas shockers front and rear keep everything under control.

THE MONTEREY

The up-market Isuzu features the same mechanicals as the Jackaroo, offering the V6 just in automatic form. This model too benefits from the basic upgrades that have taken place throughout the Jackaroo range. The interior of the Monterey now features new wood grain accents on the doors and across the passenger side of the dash. In an effort to keep up with the competition the first two rows of seats have leather facings while the third row is covered in a matching vinyl. Both front seats are electrically controlled and can be heated for instant relief on cold mornings. Hard wearing loop pile carpet has been added for improved wear and durability and the comfort factor increases with the introduction of a six speaker stereo with CD player and ten disc stacker. To enjoy the great outdoors an oversized electric sunroof has also been included in the Monterey. With safety in mind the vehicle includes a Bosch designed three channel, four sensor anti lock braking system.

PRlCING

All of the Japanese vehicle manufacturers are under extreme pressure at present in regard to pricing and although Isuzu haven't increased their prices for Jackaroo since 1993, the new pricing shows only a minimal rise. The previous base model Jackaroo had a recommended price of $43,595 while the 1995 base model has all the additional features but a price increase of just $1,637 to $45,232.

Similarly the superseded XS model sold for $49,150, while the new SE with many more features, has only increased by $1,215 to $50,366 and that is now with seven seats as standard. The Monterey sees the biggest price increase of $6483, now selling at $73,667 compared to the previous price of $67,184. This luxury vehicle however is competing with the Exceed that sells for $74,864 and the Monterey has now gained such extras as ABS. Taking into consideration the one percent sales tax increase in July and the extras now available as standard on the new line-up, the pricing structure for the Jackaroo is a pleasant surprise.

You may question, as we did, the introductory level of Isuzu's four wheel drive, which is quite high at $42,053 for the manual V6 short wheel base. As we have reported before, Isuzu are looking to import the Frontera, one of Europe's favourite recreational vehicles. We should see this new vehicle in Australia before the end of the year and it will most likely be considered as their entry level four wheel drive to compete with the increasing Vitara and RAV4 market. We're tipping it will eventually see to the demise of the existing Jackaroo SWB.