R O A D    T E S T

When you think about all the desirable qualities of an Asian Utility Vehicle—torquey and efficient engine, large load space, practically unbreakable—then Isuzu would seem to be holding all the cards.  After all, the company produces some of the most reliable trucks in Asia—so reliable that even after 30 years of service in Japan, these poor battered hulks are still running on Philippine streets. 

Also, they produce excellent utility vehicles and pickups like the Trooper and Fuego.  When they launched the Highlander to combat the Tamaraw FX, Toyota must have skipped a hearbeat.  After the competition has raised the game, Isuzu also unveiled its challenger: a sleek-looking AUV called the Crosswind. 

When Isuzu wanted to improve the image of their best-selling Highlander model, they wanted to re-introduce it with another name that was supposed to give it more poise and image, not to mention better respectability beyond the taxi fleet.  So guess what, they just had to name it Crosswind.  Crosswind—not such a bad sounding name if you’re talking inside a comic book convention.  It could be the name of a superhero, or better yet, a special weapon of some kind.  Unfortunately, the same word when applied to cars doesn’t sound appealing; especially when taking into account that a crosswind can cause instability, and that its synonym is the proverbial word, drag.

Surely this isn’t a case of a flawed marketing for Isuzu.  Well, the misnomer doesn’t even count as the Crosswind continues to sell even after its competitors from Toyota and Mitsubishi introduced more luxury variants.  In fact, in the cut-throat market of AUVs, Isuzu seems to have settled into a comfortable niche left unfilled by its bigger Japanese rivals. 

From the outside, the Crosswind XTO (top model variant) is the simplest of the AUVs.   In fact, it may yet win the AUV beauty contest by looking refreshingly honest.  The Crosswind capitalizes on the rugged Isuzu image in order to produce a sporty looking van.  The overall exterior design is very cohesive in theme and detailing unlike the hodge-podge luxury meets sportiness meets practicality design of its rivals.  The Crosswind stares at you through mutli-reflector headlights that angle upward at the sides, giving this AUV a predator-like appearance.  The combination of the standard front fog lights and the colored-keyed grille enhances the sporty look as well.  Unfortunately, for all Isuzu’s efforts, the Crosswind’s rear is just as generic as its competitors and could easily be mistaken for an older version of the Toyota Revo.

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