Background and Identification
The Isuzu Trooper is a mid-size SUV (sport utility vehicle) produced by Isuzu, a Japanese automaker, between 1981 and 2002.
Troopers were produced across two generations—the first generation between 1981 and 1991, and the second from 1992 to 2002 with a mid-cycle refresh in 1998. Production of the Isuzu Trooper ended with this second generation in 2002. The Trooper was marketed as an on- and off-road vehicle.
The Trooper was sold in North America as both the Isuzu Trooper and Isuzu Trooper II, the latter gaining the "II" nameplate only for not including rear seats from the factory to reduct import taxes. Rear seats were added to Trooper Its by most selling dealers for extremely low prices, and most Trooper and Trooper II models of the same year identical.
The Trooper was badge-engineered for numerous manufacturers for numerous markets. The second generation Trooper was sold by Honda as the Acura SLX and Honda Horizon. In South America and Africa, GM sold it as the Chevrolet Trooper. In Columbia, the first generation Trooper was known as the Chevrolet Trooper and the second generation was called the Chevrolet Trooper 960. The Isuzu Trooper was branded as the Caribe 442 in Venezuela, and the Isuzu Trooper or Chevrolet Trooper in Asia. In Japan, it was sold originally as the Isuzu Rodeo Bighorn then just the Isuzu Bighorn, with Subaru also selling it has the Subaru Bighorn. In Australia, the first generation Trooper was sold under Holden as the Jackaroo, with the second generation called the Holden Monterey. It was also sold as a Vauxhall Monterey in the United Kingdom and a Opel Monterey in the rest of Europe and Ireland during the second generation. In New Zealand, the Troopers were sold under the Isuzu Trooper, Isuzu Bighorn, Holden Jackaroo, and Holden Monterey nameplates.
Although discontinued in 2002, the second generation Trooper was sold until the mid-2000s in markets such as the Philippines.