The Isuzu VehiCROSS came to America as a 1999 model, and this very-limited production sport-utility vehicle was essentially a concept car. The VehiCROSS was shown at the New York International Auto Show in April 1997, and was being studied for a U.S. release. It was already on sale in Japan, where it had a sticker price of about $24,000, and expected sales of about 3,000 units a year. It is based on the Isuzu Trooper platform and built at the Fujisawa plant. The VehiCROSS is powered by a new 210-horsepower 3.2-liter dual overhead cam, direct injection V6 that produces 205 foot-pounds of torque. Other features include a torque-on-demand system that automatically distributes power between the front and rear wheels depending on conditions, a color rear-view video camera with a 5-inch monitor mounted on the instrument panel that can also be linked to a global navigation system, aluminum shock absorbers with increased damping efficiency and separate tanks for the oil and gas inside the shock, a 17-inch spare tire integrated into the design of the rear tailgate, a Momo steering wheel, Recaro seats, power windows, air conditioning, heated mirrors, and dual airbags.
