And although Isuzu has the handicap of only being able to offer diesel-powered vehicles, with no passenger cars at all, the company has done admirably well with its versatile Crosswind AUV. Depending on the variant, it could either be your basic transport vehicle or pseudo-SUV with all the bells and whistles. But no one could deny that the Crosswind was being stretched too thin already, having to be Isuzu’s jack-of-all-trades against increasingly sophisticated and niche-specific competitors. So, the Alterra is a welcome addition to the Isuzu lineup and, based on what it stores in its distinctly masculine body, it should give Toyota, Mitsubishi, and Ford serious competition in this relatively new SUV category.
With a body derivative of the popular D-MAX pickup truck, the Alterra has a confident stance with just enough bulges, curves, and accent lines to convey strength and robustness. As God made all SUVs of this size to be, it will look even better with mud liberally encrusted over its flanks, if only for that macho "outdoors" image. Smooth integration of the side stepboards and roof rails into the body indicate that such features were really taken into consideration during the initial conceptualization of the body — not just as add-ons.
Under the hood, the Alterra has something much more refined than the Crosswind’s reliable-but-noisy, light pressure turbodiesel. Like what Toyota is offering in the Innova-Hilux-Fortuner trio, the Alterra has a common-rail direct-injection diesel. A third generation design, the diesel of the Alterra is a 3.0-liter, 16-valve, double overhead camshaft unit producing 146PS of power; a claimed 20 percent improvement over a non-common rail unit.
Designated "4JJ-1 I-TEQ", the common rail technology it employs is rated at no less than 180 megapascals (MPa) of pressure to its electronically controlled injection nozzles. Common rail pressure is the main key to better diesel performance since higher pressure naturally results in more efficient fuel production. Compared to Isuzu’s first locally available common-rail introduced in the Trooper in 1998, pressure in that SUV was 135 MPa — sufficient to break wood with water as the medium. In the Alterra, the 4JJ-1 I-TEQ is strong enough to cleanly cut through glass.
The huge amount of pressure thus guarantees well-timed, proportionate, and accurate delivery of fuel at any speed, thus enabling the engine to gain a 15 percent improvement in fuel efficiency whether cruising on the highway or stuck in traffic. Maximum torque is also impressive at 30 kg-m, available from between 1,400 and 3,400 rpm for a gratifying plateau of stump-pulling grunt. A Swirl Control Valve Actuator also improves the swirling motion of the fuel-air mix during high and low engine speeds for better combustion. Despite these impressive figures, the Alterra meets stringent Euro-3 standards for exhaust emissions.
In a further attempt to rid itself of the knock that Isuzus are noisy, the Alterra’s engine is also much more quiet and refined. The multi-injection system minimizes the jerking motion brought about by the rotation of the crankshaft, while the backlash eliminator keeps the gears in constant contact with one another instead of banging and grinding over bumps and missed shifts. A secondary balancer lessens the shock and noise created by the engine’s sequenced alternating combustion, and the damper flywheel features a shock-absorbing mechanism to further lessen noise and vibration. Finally, exhaust silencer plates redirect the noise produced by the combustion.
Like the D-MAX, the Alterra uses a robust ladder-on-frame chassis. Not as nimble as a unibody SUV, but still a tried-and-tested design for any SUV with serious hauling or off-roading in its future. "Flex Ride", Isuzu’s term for softer, kinder truck suspensions, is employed in the Alterra. Independent, double wishbones with torsion bars and gas-sealed, twin-tube multi-piston shock absorbers are used in front. At the rear is where you’ll find "Flex Ride" leaf springs compared to the more sophisticated coil springs of the Toyota Fortuner and Mitsubishi Montero Sport.
Judging how Flex Ride has made 2005 models of the Crosswind and D-MAX (both with leaf springs) more comfortable though, the Alterra should provide ride comfort that’s competitive with its coil spring-equipped rivals. Perhaps realizing that four-wheel drive hardware is hardly ever used, the technology is not available in any Alterra variant, which starts at P1.389M and climbs to 1.489M for an automatic in "Omega Pearl White" paint.
In the tradition of any SUV worth its family wagon potential, the passenger cabin is as versatile and comfortable as possible. Three-row seating can be arranged 48 different ways. The front seats can be reclined 180 degrees, while the 2nd row seats can be adjusted individually to allow access to the 3rd row. The middle seat of the 2nd row can be folded as a utility tray or to provide a walkthrough space to the 3rd row. Front, middle, and rear air-conditioning vents are integrated into the headliner, and there are five cabin lights on three sections with separate control switches.
Splurge for the "5.1 Surround Entertainment System" (starting at P1.409M for a manual transmission) and you’ll get no less than 11 speakers with tweeters strategically installed in the vehicle interior, plus a subwoofer, an amplifier, and a DVD head unit with a 5.1 channel digital decoder that can play DVD, VCD, CD, MP3, WMA, and CD-R for that mobile theatre experience. For safety and security, it’s equipped with dual front airbags, ABS with electronic brake force distribution and gravity sensors, keyless entry with anti-theft, child-proof locks, and back-up sensors. With its brawny looks, state-of-the-art engines, and competitive spec, count on this newest SUV to be a major factor in the battle for market share.