SOTW: Isuzu Bighorn Lotus Edition

An off-roader with a silly name lurking in the bargain bin this week

Back in the 90s, Japanese auto makers thought that releasing special editions with exciting or strangely evocative words in their titles was a great way to build extra value into what might otherwise be quite dull vehicles.

Sometimes they would do a deal with a cooler (though not necessarily connected) brand for ‘rub-off’ rights. The ultimate of course was to have both these marketing tricks in the one name.

Feeling... ahem... horny?

This Isuzu Bighorn Lotus Edition is a fine example of the genre, conjuring up as it does the thrilling combination of F1 dynamics and sexual might. Obviously, your own jokes will be far superior to ours, so do feel free to send in as many of them as possible directly to Dan Trent c/o PistonHeads, ideally written in longhand on whatever scraps of paper you may find lying about in the house or bathroom and sent via a delivery method which requests a signature. Thanks.

‘Bighorn’ (fnarr) was the Japanese-market name given to the car that was sold in the UK as the Isuzu Trooper, making this a JDM grey import. Owners love Troopers – though not in that way, of course. They love the space, the strength, and in special editions like this, the spec. They use words like ‘indestructible’ a lot and praise their (relatively) low running costs, dependable starting and ability to notch up outlandish mileages. Unencumbered by the troublesome injector seals that blighted the third-gen model’s 3.0-litre 159hp common-rail lump, this second-gen (i.e. 1992-1998) specimen has the admirably rugged Fred Flintstone-spec 3.1. Timing is by belt, changeable every 60K miles. Blocked exhaust gas recirculation valves can scupper your MOT test, but other than that, older is definitely better if you’re into dogged reliability.

With 114hp, it's hardly virile, mind

The trade off is performance, or the lack of it. With two tonnes to haul and only 114hp to haul it, you’ll be lucky to see 60mph come up in under 16 seconds. But by gum, once you’re up there you’ll take some stopping. In fact, for more urgent stops you’re better off putting your faith in the bull bar and ladder chassis rather than the brakes. The rear calipers can seize up in the wet on leggier cars too.

There’s a kind of overdrive function on the automatic transmission which muffles motorway clatter to an acceptable level and which can take fuel consumption to the kind of 30mpg+ figures that are just a distant fantasy for Landie V8 owners. The jury’s out on the long-term reliability of the auto ‘box, though that’s more of a reflection on the heroically durable engine.

LWB Troopers like this one give a comfier ride than the shorties, albeit with some small disbenefit to extreme offroad nadgeration. Having said that, the welcome absence of macho wheelarch extensions boosts this model’s practicality on narrower or rutted tracks.

Sturdy, but not too stiff - that's the Bighorn way

The other pleasing omission from the Trooper spec is any suggestion of ‘country gentleman’ branding. As befits the name (the UK-market one, that is), these are no-nonsense cars that will see you through most small- to medium-sized wars. They are working vehicles and towing titans, with all that that entails in the suspension and transmission departments. Special edition imports like this one, however, are often purchased for different reasons and could very easily have dodged the yoke of heartless Farmer Giles.

Watch the hoses from the intercooler: any split there will quickly lead to cylinder head failure, which (at Shed price points) equals a write-off. In 2005 Isuzu tried to boost the uptake of its genuine parts by slashing prices by over 50 per cent, so regular maintenance shouldn’t be too ruinous. You should replace the oil fairly regularly, but 245/70 R16 tyres are fairly cheap. It goes without saying that any separately-chassised vehicle of this vintage needs a good old investigate with a bright torch and a big hammer.

The Lotus position. No, not that type of position...

Those who have moved to Troopers from 2.8 Shoguns seem pleased by the change, often remarking later on the relative fragility of their Mitsus. Vauxhall’s attempt to skim off some of that sweet Trooper cream with its identical-bar-the-badges ’94 Monterey fizzled out five years later with few takers. Just shows you the power and associations of a badge. With the benefit of hindsight Vauxhall should have followed Isuzu’s lead on creative titling, cobbling something up along the lines of the Japanese company’s real-life Giga 20 Light Dump or the Mysterious Utility Wizard. Shed retrospectively suggests the Vauxhall Luton Nippy Strength, or perhaps the Vauxhall Bright Young Glow Of Fragrant M1 Junction 10. Again, Dan welcomes all your written submissions by recorded delivery.

Despite the badge on that Momo steering wheel and the (cough) ‘Lotus handling pack’, you don’t need Shed to tell you that supple, feelsome handling and laser-sharp turn-in will most definitely not be the order of the day.

Here’s the ad, concluded most thoughtfully in this case with the number to call should you find yourself about to get friendly with a tree.

GREEN 4x4.3100 cc Diesel, Automatic. 1993 K Reg Isuzu Trooper 3.1 TURBO BIG HORN LOTUS 5dr, 5 Doors, Automatic, Estate, Diesel, 155,000 miles, Metallic Green. 7 SEATS SIDE STEPS BULL BAR TOW PACK REMOTE LOCKING RECENT TYRES ELECTRIC WINDOWS POWER STEERING C/D PLAYER. MOT JUNE 2013 TAX END OF APRIL VISA DEBIT CARDS 999

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Frimley111R

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