Isuzu Rodeo (2003–2011)

April 2003

New Isuzu Rodeo launched

Choice of single or double cab and 4x2 or 4x4 - the double cab is 4,900mm long by 1,720 wide by 1,800 high, single cab is slightly longer at 5,015mm. All double cabs have five three point seatbelts.

The 4x2 has a 2.5-litre diesel with 101PS while the 4x4 has 3.0-litre diesel with 131PS. Original braked towing weights were 2,000kg for 4x2 and 2,500kg for 4x4. Consumption is 34.9mpg for the 4x2 manual, 30.7mpg for the 4x4 manual and 28.8mpg for the 4x4 automatic. CO2 is 214g/km, 243g/km and 258g/km respectively.

Three year, 60k mile warranty. Prices from £11,357 + VAT for 4x2 single cab, through £15,602 + VAT for 4x4 double cab, £17,302 + VAT for Denver 4x4 double cab and £18,153 + VAT for Denver auto.

April 2004

Towing weight for 130PS 3.0-litre versions increased to 3000kg.

February 2006

Four-door double-cab Denver Max LE with almost £6,000 worth of accessories for just over £2,000 extra. Priced at £19,990 on the road (excluding VAT), adds a Prodrive Performance Pack, 18 inch Prodrive alloy wheels with 255/60 Pirelli Scorpion Zero tyres, two-tone leather seats and door inserts, a Prodrive Mesh grille, a tough load-liner and an XTC hard top.

Prodrive Performance Pack boosts the 3.0 litre turbo-diesel engine’s power from 131PS to 155PS at the same 3800rpm, while torque also increases so the 0-60mph acceleration time is reduced from 16.8 seconds to 12.4 seconds.

Also the Rodeo Denver Max SDT special edition was extended throughout 2006. These models feature SmartNav and all the subscription benefits of the new LE together with the Max styling kit. Priced at £15,990 (manual) and £16,990 (automatic) OTR + VAT, the latest Denver Max SDT represents a saving of £1,639 compared to the existing Denver Max.

09-08-2006: Prodrive Performance Pack for new 2.5 litre entry-level Rodeo Denver Max pickup available. Costing £760 including VAT and fitting, the PPP boosts power from 100PS at 3800rpm to 128PS – a 28 per cent increase. Torque rises by 33 per cent from 226Nm to 300Nm.

April 2007

Rodeo is facelifted with new engine

New 2.5 litre I-TEQ common rail diesel engine and extensive facelift both inside and out. The new engine delivers 136 PS at 3600 rpm and 294Nm torque at 1800 rpm. Braked towing limit now 3,000 kg – same as the previous 3.0-litre.

Three model, five-seat, four-door 4x4 range on sale during April from £13,990 (excluding VAT) and the new three-model range comprises Rodeo, Rodeo Denver Max and from May 2007 a Rodeo Denver Max LE with a 176PS engine courtesy of Prodrive (with switchable chip) plus a luxurious interior and lavish equipment.

Prices for the five-seat, four-door ’07 Isuzu Rodeo range (exclusively 4x4): 2.5 litre Rodeo (manual) – £13,990, 2.5 litre Rodeo Denver Max (manual) – £15,990 and 2.5 litre Rodeo Denver Max LE (manual) – £19,990 (all excluding VAT).

April 2007

Complies with digital tachograph legislation. The Rodeo one-tonne pickup is the only vehicle of its type to comply with new tachograph legislation. The new system uses an encrypted sender unit fitted to the gearbox which Isuzu has already designed to be tachograph-compatible. None of Isuzu’s one-tonne pickup rivals had this facility. Rodeo owners can contact tachograph supplier VDO Siemens – which has more than 1,000 agents throughout the country – for the unit. If required, dealers can arrange the fitment on behalf of the Rodeo customer.

March 2008

Awarded just one star in Euro NCAP crash test

According to Euro NCAP protection of the driver's head was rated as weak. Originally a two star rating, one star was struck through because dummy readings in the neck and chest indicated an unacceptably high risk of life-threatening injury. In comparison the Mitsubishi L200 received four stars.

June 2008

New 163PS 3.0-litre I-TEQ common rail diesel added to range of Rodeo Denver Max LE. Available with both manual and automatic gearboxes with a 109mph top speed and official 33.6mpg economy plus a 3,000 kg braked towing limit. Standard leather trim, air-conditioning, large alloy wheels, satellite navigation , shift-on-the-fly 4WD or 2WD and hard top. Prices start at £19,999 OTR (ex VAT) for Denver Max LE manual. Power is a substantial 163PS at only 3,600 rpm while torque is a massive 360Nm at 1,800 rpm in manual form.

November 2011

Diesel particulate filters start to be fitted to Rodeo.

November 2014

SuperPro announced a rear suspension upgrade for Isuzu Rodeo and D-Max Pick-up trucks.

The kit was developed in Australia to cope with harsh outback life and involves a combined bush, shackle & pivot pin kit to help extend the life and improve the performance of rear leaf springs fitted to all Isuzu Rodeo & D-Max Pick Ups manufactured from 2003 to the present day.