As sport-utility makers produce lower and sleeker designs, blurring the lines between rock crushers and station wagons, two models stand defiantly apart, secure in their righteous boxiness: the Isuzu Trooper and the Acura SLX.
No wonder these two resemble each other theyıre kissinı cousins, made by Isuzu for two distinct audiences. (They are made in Japan, by the way, not at the Isuzu-Subaru operation in Lafayette, Ind.)
While the Trooper is of mass-market appeal, the SLX is sent to do battle with such premium marques as Mercedes, Land Rover and Infiniti, representing as it does the four-wheelinı nod by the luxury division of Honda.
I tested an Acura SLX just like the one you can buy at the local Acura outlet. I can say that with some confidence because they only make em one way: loaded. No different series this year, no nickel-and-diming, except for one egregious exception: they nick you $84 for floor mats. Unless you get your SLX at less than invoice, it should be easy to shame the dealer into throwing those in.
You might be able to cut a pretty good deal on one of these, thanks to Consumers Union, which gave the SLX (and Trooper) an unacceptable rating last year and poisoned sales. Their beef was that it seemed excessively tippy in high-speed lane change maneuvers.
Well, duh. You mean a 4,600-pound vehicle, which stands a hair over six feet high, can roll if you treat it like a sports car? Is that what the placard on the visor of this and every other sport-ute means the one that points out to the terminally obtuse that sport-utes donıt handle like cars??
Well, Acura/Isuzu is making the claim that the machine has been extensively redesigned for the ı98 model year. True, but only in a cosmetic sense, for the most part. Vehicle dynamics are largely unchanged.
About which, not to worry. Iıll grant the CU premise that you probably could roll the sucker on a smooth road, something thatıs virtually impossible to do with a car, and even fairly difficult with a typical sport-ute. But youıd have to be really stupid and work at it (parents of teen-age boys, please note).
I pushed it progressively harder during my stewardship and did approach its limits, but they are sufficiently high not to be of practical concern. The massive 245/70/16 tires glued themselves to the pavement and started to whine well before they gave up. Acura might consider a smaller anti-roll bar in the front, to allow enough body lean to signal the driver that heıd better back off the throttle when G forces climb too high. But basically, stay away from slalom events and youıll be fine.
In general, the SLX reminded me of the Toyota Land Cruiser. Itıs solid, massive, and seems to bully its way through standing water or rough terrain. Bodily integrity is excellent even when I was flogging it over undulant stretches of macadam, neither rattles nor groaning could be heard, and it resolutely kept all four tires on the ground.
This baby should have a big V-8, such as the Land Cruiser finally acquired this year, but it makes do pretty well with an engine similar to those used in Acuraıs luxury sedans, a 3.5-liter, all-aluminum, 24-valve V-6.
It has been tuned to produce its torque max (230 foot-pounds) at 3,000, while max power (215 horses) comes at a lofty 5,400. A final axle ratio of 4.3:1 makes it responsive even in third gear, which is a 1:1 ratio, and top, which is a 0.723 overdrive ratio, worth about 27 mph per 1,000 turns.
Acura doesnıt brag about coefficient of drag, which the shape argues would be pretty bad. That, plus the two-tons-plus mass, accounts for the dismal 16 mpg I measured even with a lot of freeway running. EPA estimates are 15 mpg city, 19 highway. I suspect in real-world service, slogging around town, youıd be hard-pressed to attain the lower figure, while the overdrive might well make the highway number attainable.
At least this Percheron is content with regular gas. The 22.5-gallon fuel tank provides extended stages between fill-ups, even in worst-case scenarios.
The drivetrain has become quite sophisticated this year. Instead of the old part-time four-wheel-drive mechanism, thereıs now a pushbutton-simple all-wheel-drive setup. Normally, you run it as a rear-drive machine. If there is any reason to suspect lowered traction, push the button on the dash and varying amounts of power are transferred to the front axle, up to a 50-50 split. Thereıs a cute L.E.D. diagram amid the basic four instruments with three segments on the top half indicating how much torque is being sent forward. Even on rainy streets I couldnıt get more than two to light, but that was sufficient to foil my earnest attempts to create wheelspin. I donıt like how the floor-mounted shifter slides from Park down into third (I prefer an electrical overdrive lockout on the shift lever) and even less how it can slide up into neutral without hindrance when youıre upshifting manually.
On the plus side, thereıs a limited-slip differential in the rear, and the smooth-shifting transmission has power and winter settings to alter the shift algorithms.
Size and weight aside, the SLX could find its way in the woods, too, and not just because of the overhead compass, barometer and altimeter it has a lever-actuated low range and a respectable 8.3-inch ground clearance at the rear axle when fully loaded.
With this much weight, youıd be well advised not to tailgate, but the SLX, with its big ventilated discs fore and aft (11-inch diameter front, 12.3 rear) pulls up comfortably short even in full-on panic simulations from 70 mph.
The SLX can tow up to 5,000 pounds. Folks with trailers will appreciate the rear hatch, which opens to the left like a regular door, thus avoiding problems clearing a trailer hitch. I would prefer two rear doors, but the 34-inch opening proved not too terribly inconvenient and is likely to be less rattle-prone.
Aft of the rear seats is an expansive 43.7 cubic feet of storage space (equivalent to three typical sedan trunks). With the 60/40 rear seats folded down, you have 90 cubic feet.
The interior is attractive, with high-quality leather seating and discrete application of good-looking ³woodgrain² trim on doors and dash. Instruments and controls are well designed.
The 100-watt, six-speaker AM/FM/cassette/CD stereo had exceptional clarity and presence. The tuner was hampered slightly by the use of an in-glass rather than mast type antenna, but still gave acceptable sensitivity.
Bottom line on the invoice, with the mats and freight was $36,819.
You could spend more and not be so well served.
Alan Vonderhaar welcomes email at avonderhaar@enquirer.com and snail mail c/o The Cincinnati Enquirer, 312 Elm St., Cincinnati OH 45202.
