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Car Clips: Sept. 4, 2000
Chevy SSR is cruisin’ at GM Click image for larger view. With the runaway success of Chrysler’s... Read More
Car Clips: Sept. 4, 2000
Chevy SSR is cruisin’ at GM Click image for larger view. With the runaway success of Chrysler’s... Read More
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Isuzu’s next sport-utility vehicle, the Axiom, may be the first self-evident truth of the auto industry in the new year. For almost a decade the company has relied solely on SUVs, and has received accolades for ruggedness and durability. But in the wake of Isuzu’s eroding sales and the boom in compact “crossover” sport-utes, the company’s need to make its own crossover vehicle is, well, axiomatic.
The Axiom, they say, is tailored toward the “urban driving experience,” and the idea behind the softer ute is to expand the line and get more people into Isuzus.
Isuzu has long history of staking out uncharted ground. They were among the first with wagonlike SUVs with the then-affordable Trooper; the exotic looking VehiCross broadened the definition of the SUV; and the Amigo raised the small ute to a higher level of popularity, if not refinement.
With their new offering, Isuzu even went to the public over the Internet with a contest to come up with the new name, awarding the winner one of the first models off the line. (Like Isuzu, you may have grown tired of all the Wild West hagiography evident in so many sport-ute names.) According to dictionaries, an Axiom is a self evident or universally recognized truth.
Isuzu hopes the name holds true for this tough-looking crossover vehicle. They have noted that while the market is strong for trucks, buyers are getting disenchanted with their (the trucks, not the buyers’) clumsy habits. What buyers seem to want are the features of luxury sedans teamed to the versatility and image of a SUV. The Axiom meets them in the middle, with an emphasis on luxury and a necessary nod to off-road performance.
Certainly, the Axiom looks the part of a tough but not brutish companion. Strong wheel arches break up the smooth sides and give some shoulders to the Axiom. The body is shifted to the rear on chassis, giving good off-road entry angles and a swept back styling. That look is complemented by a higher beltline and higher windowsills than those found on other SUVs.
