Isuzu Alterra test drive report

[mbt]

had the chance to test drive (briefly, so take this for what it is -- a very short drive) the Alterra around the world trade center in manila yesterday....

and.......

well............

let's just say that I'd still take a Fortuner over it hehe.

Like the Fortuner (if I remember right), the steering is reasonably precise but is thick and slow and heavy and has as much feedback as your left foot after it has gone to sleep (although the wheel is more behaved than the Fortuner's, which tended to kick back over bumps and surface undulations), and like the Fortuner again, the suspension feels soft and squishy in quick transitions, kind of like the Chevy Lumina in a lifeboat-ish sort of way, but the manual shifter is unwieldy and resists shifting -- you don't slot into third gear in the Alterra, you HOPE that the shifter has found third gear -- and the brake pedal is sloppy and feels like a bean bag. Or a puffy marshmallow. You don't so much as modulate deceleration with your right foot on the middle pedal as step on the brake, see if you're slowing down, and then apply more or less pressure primarily through guesswork. Hehe. Good thing the clutch and throttle are more agreeable.

On the bright side, the engine feels great. At speed (even at 120 kph), noise levels from the engine room are remarkably hushed, and is a far cry from the raucous din that I remember in the Crosswind. Straight-line acceleration and top-gear acceleration don't feel too lively (which is okay, this hardly being the province of diesel SUVs), but you'll get the feeling of a long, inexorable push even from the basement of the tachometer (which is at it should be, this being the province of diesel SUVs). You can shift at 1,200 rpm all day if you like. You can be in fourth gear at 20 kph if you like. Try that in a CR-V!

That said, the Fortuner's 3.0-liter diesel does all those things too and is more powerful.

As for ride quality, there's lots of body motion and a feeling of slight bounciness and bobbing at high speed, but not bad overall. Not too different from the Fortuner's, and certainly not as rough as a sardine-can CR-V. However, body rigidity seems a low point: even slight surface irregularities send palpable showckwaves crashing through the pillars. Clearly worse than the Fortuner in this respect... but to be clear, mainstream body-on-frame SUVs usually suffer from this malady to some degree. It'll feel cheap if you're used to monocoques, however.

Best to stick with an automatic transmission if you want an Alterra and will be driving yourself.

Er, then again, best to stick with a Fortuner if you'll be driving -- and buying, as the Fortuner remains a far greater value -- yourself. Or even if not, as the Alterra is effectively a four-seater... simply not ideal as a long-range tourer for the family.

And again then again, best to stick with a Mitsu Grandis minivan or a car-based compact SUV if you don't need a full-frame and live-axled truck and can do with gasoline power.

[Djerms]

I think that the shifting is the same with the manuals of the trooper. Or maybe this is just a mark of an Isuzu. The manual shifter of my trooper has always been annoying specially when shifting from first to second to third gear. You're right Marvin, you hope that it finds the right slot. Mas masarap pa rin ang shifting ng mitsus.

[carlocaraddict]

oh well, even if you floor the clutch, there is still difficulty in shifting. I like the engine sound when it is on idle (so quiet). Oh! that ironing board in the middle of the second row seat!!! hahahahahaha! marvin told me to try it out and i couldnt withstand the stiffness of that middle seat.

The aircon is a plus IMO.

Claiming that the third row seat is spacious? dream on!!!


Fortuner pa rin!!!

[RedHorse]

after reviewing my sig!

bwa ha ha ha mas pangit ang altera!!!!