2007 Isuzu i-370 Crew Cab 4WD Review

THE AUTO PAGE
by
JOHN HEILIG

SPECIFICATIONS
Model:  Isuzu i-370 Crew Cab 4WD
Engine: 3.7-liter L5
Horsepower/Torque: 242 hp @ 5600 rpm/242 lb.-ft. @ 4600 rpm 
Transmission: 4-speed automatic
Wheelbase: 125.9 in.
Length x Width x Height: 207.1 x 68.6 x 64.9 in.
Tires: P265/75R15
Maximum payload: 1,516 lbs.
Economy: 16 mpg city/22 mpg highway/18.0 mpg test
Fuel capacity: 19.6 gal.
Price: $28,043 (includes $685 destination and handling charge)

The Bottom Line The only vehicles offered by Isuzu are the i-290 and i-370 pickups based on the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon. As such, they’re solid compact pickups with an “American” familiarity to them. Unfortunately, there is nothing to distinguish the i-370 from its badge-engineered relatives.

There was a time when Isuzu had a strong presence in the United States. Not only did they produce a line of SUVs, pickups and small sedans, they also built early versions of Honda’s sport utilities.

But Isuzu has almost disappeared from the American market. The only vehicles offered are rebadged versions of the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon compact pickup trucks. The advantage to this is that you can buy a Chevrolet even if you don’t want to buy one, but appreciate what the company offers.

Our tester is the Isuzu i-370 Crew Cab. It’s powered by a 3.7-liter inline five-cylinder engine developing 242 horsepower. That’s where the “370” comes from in the name. the i-290 uses a 2.9-liter I-4.

I felt the i-370 offered good size and practicality. I’m not a big fan of full-size pickups, since I don’t often need them and feel they’re often too big for the job at hand. Yes, I know some people love them and that’s okay. So a compact pickup, to me, is an ideal size. I can’t think of many things that a person would want to carry home from Home Depot that wouldn’t fit in the i-370. If you need more, have them deliver it.

The 3.7-liter I-5 offered excellent power. The 4-speed automatic has a column-mounted shifter, but still only offers two seats up front. I thought one of the reasons for putting the shifter on the column is the free up space in the center of the cabin. With the engine/transmission combination we chirped the tires on acceleration without trying and in dry weather. There’s not a lot of weight over the rear wheels of this rear-wheel drive truck, so it’s easy to chirp them.

Handling is decent – for a truck. The i-370 took some serious corners comfortable. Again, the shape of the vehicle helps with not too much weight up top and most of the weight lower down on the body.

Our tester had four-wheel drive, with 2 HI (which we used almost exclusively), 4 HI and 4 LO. The transfer case used a pushbutton shifter.

The cloth seats offered little side support but were still comfortable. They had manual adjustments, which was fine. Rear seat legroom is very good in the Crew Cab version. There’s a low center tunnel so three passengers could be accommodated back there. As a test of the legroom, I changed into my golf shoes in the back of the truck. There are fixed headrests on all four seats, which makes rearward vision difficult. The right rear headrest in particular creates a blind spot. Fold-down headrests would be better.

The bed has six hooks for tie-downs and a fold-down tailgate.

We had an excellent HVAC system that heated the truck quickly on cold mornings and cooled it quickly on warm afternoons.

The driver faces a basic instrument panel with four gauges and the transmission readout in between. I loved the radio. It had just t3wo knobs – one for volume and one for tuning and six save spots. There’s a single CD player in the dash. It’s all very basic, but it does everything. And, you can operate it wearing work gloves.

For those who drink and drive, there are water bottle holders in the doors and two cup holders in the center console. The console itself has large and small trays to increase utility. I liked the glove box as well.

While Isuzu has all but disappeared from the American market, the two trucks it does offer, both rebadged Chevrolet and GMC trucks, are good compact pickups that can get the job done.

© 2007 The Auto Page Syndicate