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The Isuzu Vehicross deserves more love. Beneath its wacky styling, it’s a genuinely good off-roader with hardware that would still be considered impressive on a modern SUV. It was a sales flop back in the day, but that means it’s rare and perfect for anyone daring to be different. And as this build shows, there’s plenty of potential for modification.
Currently listed on Bring a Trailer, this 1999 model is about as good as a Vehicross build gets. Instead of the factory-installed 3.2-liter or 3.5-liter V6, it has a 4.0-liter V8 under the hood. The engine is a 1UZ-FE, which was originally used in the first-generation Lexus LS and GS, as well as various JDM Toyota models. The seller claims this is a JDM-spec engine, meaning it doesn’t have variable valve timing or exhaust gas recirculation. It also has an aftermarket intake manifold and ECU, among other modifications. Output isn’t listed, but the 1UZ made 250 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque in the original USDM Lexus LS 400.
The Lexus V8 is connected to the five-speed manual transmission from a Hummer H3 and an NR6 two-speed transfer case with a Behemoth Drivetrain manual-shift conversion kit. The differentials are still Isuzu items, but are equipped with air lockers and 4.77:1 gearing.
Bring a Trailer
Bring a Trailer
Bring a Trailer
Bring a Trailer
The Vehicross was built with dual-reservoir shock absorbers—pretty much unheard of as a factory option for a four-wheeled vehicle during its 1990s gestation. Those KYB units were rebuilt to soften the ride, according to the seller. They modulate the movement of 35-inch General Grabber X3 tires mounted to 15-inch wheels. Other off-road kit includes custom skid plates, an LED light bar, roof basket, rear bumper guard, reinforced front bumper (both with recovery points), rocker guards, and a winch. The sheetmetal is painted in non-factory blue, while the plastic cladding is covered with Line-X spray-on bed liner.
Currently located in Colorado (but with a South Dakota title), this could be a relatively affordable turn-key off-roader. Bidding was well below $10,000 at the time of publication, and the last V8-swapped Vehicross that crossed our path (no pun intended) had a $7,499 asking price. There may just not be much of a market for what is admittedly a quirky choice.
Bring a Trailer
Bring a Trailer
The Vehicross combined oh-so-1990s styling (designed in part by Shiro Nakamura, of Nissan GT-R R35 fame) with then-sophisticated tech like those dual-reservoir shocks and a computer-controlled four-wheel drive system. Isuzu intended it to be a rallying homologation special, which was totally on brand for a company that was also selling a Lotus-tuned compact and trying to build an F1 engine. How could you not love an automaker that was doing this stuff while also selling traditional body-on-frame SUVs like the Trooper and Rodeo?
But by the time the Vehicross made it to the U.S. in 1999, Isuzu’s body-on-frame SUV lineup was looking a bit antiquated alongside the first crossovers, and it wasn’t the winner Isuzu needed. A high price of around $30,000 (and yeah, probably the styling) doomed it. Less than 5,000 were sold before the Vehicross was pulled from showrooms in 2002. Isuzu continued in the U.S. for a few more years, but not long enough to see the resurgence of interest in body-on-frame vehicles that could have sustained it.
Stephen has always been passionate about cars, and managed to turn that passion into a career as a freelance automotive journalist. When he’s not handling weekend coverage for The Drive, you can find him looking for a new book to read.
