VX in April 2010 issue of Car and Driver
Not a very nice piece but still making the news. On page 30 they have a small article about "Concepts we wish were never built" It mentions the Pontiac Aztek and shows the Solstice Coupe and the Vehicross. About the concept vx "Upon its 1993 debut at the Tokyo auto show, we said it looked "fish-faced." That was enough for Isuzu - the Vehicross was put into production". Then about the real thing they say "Isuzu learns that no one wants a three-door suv that lloks like an escapee from the set of Battlestar Galactica. In three years fewer than 5000 are sold in the states. Bang, Bang, your'e dead."
My response to the Editor's at Car and Driver
In your April 2010 issue on page 30 you have a small article entitled "Concepts we wish were never built". I couldn't help but completely disagree with you on the Isuzu Vehicross. This Performance Utility Vehicle was one of the most unique rally inspired vehicles ever produced. It was the first production vehicle with remote reservoir shocks, there were no options it was fully loaded from the factory. It had interior pieces modeled after carbon fiber in 1997 before this was popular, it had leather Recaro racing seats straight out of a Porsche from the factory. It was largely hand built, and the positions to work on the Vehicross were highly sought after at Isuzu. Isuzu used a special casting process that limited the production of the Vehicross to around 4,000 units, it was never intended to be a large seller but an attention getter and a mobile advertising to get people to notice it and the big Isuzu across the back of it and visit a local showroom. It performs on the road like a sports car, yet can handle terrain better than most Jeeps. If you have never driven one you should, then you would appreciate how far ahead of its time it was. Still today when people see a Vehicross they ask when it is coming out as if it still could be a concept car. The designers of the Vehicross went on to design the Nissan Murano and Infiniti F35. Your short summary of the Vehicross does not give a clear picture of the impact of this short lived production model, nor does it correctly inform readers of Isuzu's intent on producing it. For a more clear picture please watch these videos (which I had nothing to do with):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScgRtGjJ8JM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiHKy...eature=channel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wt-Zv...eature=channel
Or you can view some of the photos of my own personal Vehicross for more reference.
For the best information about a Vehicross however, you would have to take one for a test drive. Go through a slalom course surprising most sports cars. Then go and run circles around all the current SUV's on the road today, next go dominate a rally event, and for good measure take it rock crawling and help tow a Jeep safely back to Barbie's garage, and when you are done testing the braking system and see that it still dominates almost all SUV/PUV's on the market today go fill it up at the gas station and notice that it gets almost as many stares as a Ferrari. Then come back and write an article on the world's first and finest Performance Utility Vehicle, that was so far ahead of its time it has still yet to get the praise it deserves. For more info on this uniquely rare and amazingly fun vehicle go to: www.vehicross.info and see how current owners are appreciating and enjoying their own pieces of automobile history. Oh and yeah I totally agree with you on the Pontiac Aztek that thing was hideous and built on a piece of junk frame, it has no where to go but the car graveyard.
