Isuzuwww.isuzu.comThe heart of Isuzu is the Indiana-built Rodeo. Offered in versions ranging from a bare-bones 4x2 powered by a 130hp 2.2L four up to a super-luxury LSE 4x4 with the 205hp 3.2L DOHC 24-valve V-6. The four-bys have a two-speed transfer case and good off-roadability. Chop two doors and the roof off a Rodeo and the result is the Amigo. Available in hardtop and soft top, the short wheelbase Amigo can scramble through terrain other trucks can't even park in. The drivetrain choices are identical to the Rodeo's.
At the top of Isuzu's range is the Trooper (not pictured), which has some trim changes, and a 4x2 is available for the first time. All Troopers are powered by a 215hp 3.5L DOHC 24-valve V-6. You can now get a gold package from the factory, which is sure to impress everyone along the Rubicon. Based on a shortened Trooper chassis is the VehiCross, which is a strange brew of SUV ability and a wacky coupe body. Powered by the Trooper's 3.5L V-6, there are new colors for 2000, and 18-inch wheels replace the '99's 16-inchers.
Finally, the Hombre pickup, built by GM for Isuzu and virtually identical to the Chevy S-10, comes into 2000 with some jiggering of the trim levels, new colors, and the same revisions made to the S-10.
Jeepwww.jeepunpaved.comDon't screw with something that's working just fine. Entering its 17th year of production (its design predates not just the merger between Chrysler and Daimler-Benz, but Chrysler's acquisition of Jeep and Ronald Reagan's second presidential term), the base Cherokee SE gets a few itty-bitty visible changes. There are new, more powerful, extended-life headlamps, and new Sparkle Silver Icon 16-inch cast aluminum wheels are optional. Skip up to the Limited and the grille is now chromelike (again). Minor stuff. Not so minor are a new five-speed manual transmission to improve shift quality and a new cylinder head and exhaust manifold on the available 4.0L inline six (though it's still rated at 190hp). Two- and four-door Cherokees are still available in two- and four-wheel drive with beefy solid axles at both ends.
The beloved Wrangler gets the same changes to the optional 4.0L six and the five-speed manual transmission, but is otherwise almost unchanged for 2000. However, it can now be had with Solar Yellow, Patriot Blue clearcoat, or Silverstone Metallic paint. But who wants a lot of changes in the Wrangler anyhow? The base powerplant is still the 120hp 2.5L OHV four, but you really want the six. Trust us.
Atop the Jeep line is the amazing Grand Cherokee, which earned honors as our '99 4x4 of the Year (Feb. '99). With its extraordinary ability to mix on-road manners with off-road prowess intact, Jeep has changed a few details for 2000. On the outside there's some new badges, but inside the woodgrain has been changed, the seat leather is softer, the ventilation outlets have been redesigned, and the instruments now have lighted pointers. Also the sweet 235hp 4.7L SOHC V-8 is now available in a two-wheel-drive Grand. Base power continues to be the same 190hp 4.0L OHV inline six that's optional in the Cherokee and Wrangler, and the changes seen to the engine in those vehicles are seen in the Grand Cherokee as well. Available in either Laredo or luxurious Limited trim levels, the sweetest GCs are those that carry the optional Quadra-Drive four-wheel-drive system and the Quadra-Trac II two-range transfer case. That, combined with the GC's wonderful wholly nonindependent suspension, makes for both a great daily driver and a fantastic off-roader.