Isuzu Trooper – Evolution

August 16th, 2008 by Shenron

There are many times during normal traffic conditions and life that many people are either in need of or want to take advantage of the luxury of having a four wheel drive vehicle. There are also many times that people wish they had a vehicle that offers a little more cargo space than a standard car. It was the marrying of those two ideas that made the automobile industry begin producing sport utility vehicles. Production of sport utility vehicles, or SUVs, began long ago but exploded on the marketplace in the 1980s. One of the more popular sport utility vehicles since the popularity of these vehicles expanded was the Isuzu Trooper.

The Isuzu Trooper had a twenty-two year production run from 1981 through 2002. Worldwide it was marketed as not only the Isuzu Trooper but also the Isuzu Bighorn, the Honda Horizon, the Opel Monterey, the Chevrolet Trooper, the Holden Jackaroo, among other names. It is most famous though as what it was marketed as in the United States, the Isuzu Trooper. The Trooper started as an underpowered part-time four-wheel-drive cargo vehicle and gradually developed and grew into one of the more luxurious and well respected SUVs of the 1980s and 90s.

The initial generation of Isuzu Troopers were basic cargo and passenger vehicles equipped with an underpowered 4-cylinder engine. They were available with both manual locking hubs as well as automatic locking hubs too. The Isuzu Trooper engine issue wasn’t addressed until 1986 when a new 2.3 liter engine was introduced to the vehicle. Still not solving all of the power issues, this was a vast improvement and many attribute this upgrade to being the impetus of the Isuzu Trooper’s rise in popularity. Near the end of the 1980s, a four speed automatic transmission was introduced to the Trooper, followed shortly there after by an optional V-6 engine that was produced by General Motors. An interesting sidenote to the Isuzu Trooper during the 1980s is that like a few other foreign SUV producers of the era, to avoid a higher tariff on passenger vehicles, for a time Troopers were imported with no rear seats, the rear seats were then installed at Isuzu dealerships. In other areas of the world like Central America, first generation Isuzu Troopers were made to a smaller overall size and with removable roofs.

The second generation of Isuzu Trooper was a complete model redesign and was introduced to the marketplace in 1991. The trend had been for SUVs to get bigger and bigger in size, and the Trooper followed that trend. The engine specifications for these newer Troopers included a 3.2 liter engine that produced far greater horsepower than the first generation models. The 1996 Isuzu Trooper SE Limited model was the first Trooper to come with shift on the fly four-wheel-drive, meaning that the driver no longer had to stop the vehicle to either engage or disengage the four-wheel-drive option. In the late 1990s, Isuzu Troopers had the additional options of a 3.0 liter diesel engine in place, the model was available with both a four speed automatic transmission and a five speed manual transmission depending on the wants and desires of the buyer. A little known fact is that during the late 1990s, Honda distributed what was essentially an Isuzu Trooper under the brand and model name Acura SLX. The Trooper was discontinued for the 2003 model year and replaced by the noticeably smaller Axiom as well as the much larger Isuzu Ascender.

The Isuzu Trooper had what many see as a short lifespan in the automobile market. It started slow, gained acceptance later, and in the early 1990s was one of the most popular SUVs on the market. With what has been described as a “boxy” shape, the Trooper stuck out visually when viewed among many of the other sport utility vehicles of the time. The Trooper remains popular with fans of import SUVs and has been called one of the more durable large SUVs ever made. The Isuzu Trooper indeed played a large part in the rise in popularity of the sport utility vehicle.

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BMW X5 – 2008

August 11th, 2008 by Shenron

The sport utility vehicle burst into popularity in the 1980s, became the standard vehicle of most families in the 1990s, and became the new luxury vehicle during the first decade of the new millennium. One of the automobile manufacturers at the front of the luxury sport utility vehicle market is the same company that has forever been at the front of the luxury car market, BMW. The BMW X5 is a luxury sport utility vehicle that is popular with affluent people of all ages. Due to it’s size and seating capacity, it is usable for a large amount of purposes. With its luxury fine tuning and features, it is desired by a great number of people.

The 2008 BMW X5 is actually bigger than previous models. It is over six inches longer and two inches wider than last year’s BMW X5. The 2008 model is also available with optional third row seating which makes it that much easier to haul large groups in style. The 2008 BMW X5 comes with either a 3.0 liter V-6 engine or a 4.8 liter V-8 engine and a six speed automatic transmission is standard on the new model. The vehicle actually comes with what is called an Adaptive Transmission Control with nine different modes of driving to select from. Drivers can match the mode of driving to their style of driving for a ride that meets their desires and needs perfectly. The xDrive All-Wheel Drive System that comes with the new X5 provides for one of the smoothes rides in a four wheel drive vehicle than anyone can find.

The new 2008 BMW X5 also comes with a panoramic power moonroof complete with a wind deflector and a full featured navigation system. It also comes with an optional heads-up display option that allows vital information like navigation directions, vehicle speed, and more projected right onto the windshield. Another one of the new features on the 2008 X5 is the run-flat tires that it comes equipped with. These tires have a range of approximately one hundred and fifty miles after they have become compromised which is a safety measure that many people will appreciate should they find themselves in a flat tire situation and not be in a convenient location.

The 2008 BMW X5 continues the rich history of luxury that BMW has shown in not only all of its previous SUV models, but also in all of its other luxury vehicles too. Anyone who drives a BMW or wants to drive a BMW and finds themselves in need of a vehicle with more seating and cargo room would enjoy the BMW X5 immensely. It truly does offer all of the luxury that people come to expect from BMW, but in the form of a sport utility vehicle.

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Offroad Vehicles

August 5th, 2008 by Shenron

We mostly think that wherever we have to drive there will be clean, well lit, paved roads to drive on, however for many people offroad vehicles are perfect for outdoor recreation or a necessity for getting from point A to point B in rural areas. There are many types of offroad vehicles available. Here are just some of the most popular.

SUV (Sport Utility Vehicles)
The SUV is perhaps the most popular offroad vehicle; however most SUV owners will tell you that they have never took their vehicle off a paved road. While SUV’s are always romantically paired with mud and backroad trails, they aren’t generally the best vehicles to go offroad with. For one, their suspensions are made for flat, paved surfaces. Their tires and body height generally does not give enough clearance and the engine, transmission and other components such as lights are not protected from offroad elements found such as shrubbery, tree branches, ponds, rocks, etc.

Jeep
The Jeep is an offroad vehicle in a class by itself. While many individuals use Jeeps for paved roads, there are models that are generally built for offroad use. They include all the attributes that make them the perfect vehicle for daily driving offroad. Some of the features that make Jeep’s perfect offroad vehicles include the fact that their suspension is made for trails and dirt, they have four wheel drive, their high body height gives lots of clearance for rocks and brush. Their lights and other components are protected and they usually include a winch so that if they get caught in the mud, they can tie a cable to a tree and pull themselves out.

Dirtbikes
Dirtbikes are another popular offroad vehicle. They are perfect for the dirt, trails, mud, snow, etc. Dirtbikes are mainly for recreational use, however some do come with lights and signals for street use as well (called Enduros).

Quads
Quads are four wheel open vehicles which are more closely related to dirtbikes than a Jeep. They can range in size from a 50cc engine to large diesel engines that tow cargo. They are perfect for utility uses and are used by lots of park rangers and those that live out in rural areas.

Dune Buggies
Dune Buggies similar to Jeeps are mainly for recreational fun in the sand. They have wide paddle tires and a roll cage to protect the driver. They are usually lightweight and made for sand or desert driving. Their suspension is also specially made for offroad use.

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Diesel Trucks

August 5th, 2008 by Shenron

While most cars today are powered by gasoline engines, many light trucks and practically all heavy duty trucks are powered by diesel engines. It should be noted that both gasoline engines and diesel engines are similar in that they are both internal combustion engines, however for heavy towing and long hauls, diesel engines definitely have an advantage over their gasoline cousins which usually means that most trucks today are in the form of diesel.

How Diesel Engines Work
Gasoline engines provide power by first mixing air with gas and then this mixture is compressed by the component in your engine called the cylinders. After being compressed it is ignited using the engine’s spark plugs. However, diesel engines work slightly different. First, air is compressed then it is mixed with the fuel, it should be noted that when air is compressed the effect is that it heats up, ultimately causing the fuel also to ignite and combust.

The Four Stroke Diesel Cycle
Diesel engines are known for their four stroke cycles. The fours strokes that are part of the diesel cycle include:
The intake stroke- The valve opens to allow air in.
The compression stroke- The piston closes the valve compressing the air inside.
The combustion stroke- The piston reaches the top compressing the air tightly, it causes the mixture of fuel and air to combust and once again forcing the piston down and the air valve open.
The exhaust stroke- The final stroke is the exhaust stroke in which the piston is in the down position allowing the exhaust from the combust to escape.

Advantages of Diesel Trucks
Heavy duty trucks are usually found with only diesel engines. There are two main reasons why most heavy duty equipment including trucks opt for diesel engines. The first is that they generally use much less fuel. On average, a diesel truck can use about 30% to 50% less fuel than a gasoline engine. The second reason is that diesel engines are much more reliable. They generally don’t require as much maintenance as gasoline engines and last for a much longer period of time. Since diesel engines do not operate at such high temperatures, their engine blocks also generally tend to last longer.

Disadvantages of Diesel Trucks
There are a few downsides of diesel trucks. Primarily that that they are slightly noisier than gasoline engines, they don’t operate well in extreme cold and they may pollute more than traditional gasoline engines, however technology over the last few decades are not only making diesel engines in trucks more cleaner, but quieter and more efficient.

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