2005 Isuzu i-Series Crew Cab 2.8L 5MT FWD (177 HP)

Vehicle Overview

In 2005, Isuzu introduced the i-Series lineup as a successor to the Hombre lineup, and the pickup was a rebadged version of the Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon.

After the successful experience with the Hombre lineup, which was a rebadged Chevrolet S-10, GM and Isuzu launched a successor for it, the Isuzu i-Series. It was built in a choice of two cabin versions, named Extended Cab with two + two doors or Crew Cab with four full-size doors. However, General Motors didn’t expect the world financial crisis that started two years later, in 2007, to damage sales. Furthermore, while the bow-tie badged vehicle sold in significant numbers, Isuzu couldn’t reach as many customers. Due to slow sales of just about 1,500 units in four years, GM pulled the plug on the model. Interestingly, when the automaker stopped production, the first cars produced still had three years of warranty left.

GM knew how to create successful badge-engineered vehicles. However, when it developed the Isuzu version of the Chevrolet Colorado, it didn’t look too concerned to make an utterly new front fascia for the pickup. Instead, it installed the same horizontally-split headlights as those from the bow-tie-badged version of the car. The only significant difference between them was that Isuzu placed a large grille with two vertical slats connected by a horizontal one that sported the brand’s badge.

From its profile, there were almost no differences between the i-Series and the Colorado or the Sonoma. The angular-shaped wheel arches, with rounded corners, were identical. Since the vehicle targeted the lower-budget segment of light-utility vehicles on the North American market, the 2005 Isuzu i-Series Extended Cab showed unpainted black bumpers, door mirrors, and handles. The higher grades, on the other hand, were available with chromed upper sections of both bumpers. Unlike the Hombre, which was available as a single or cab-extended version, the i-Series was offered as an extended cab or with a four-door cabin. The only noticeable difference between the i-Series and its siblings was the i-Series label on the doors.

Inside, the utilitarian look of the cabin couldn’t be hidden. It featured a hard-plastic dashboard with a rounded instrument cluster. There, the automaker placed wider dials for the speedometer and tachometer that flanked the fuel-level gauge and the thermometer, which were placed on the upper side of the instrument panel, while an LED display was below them. The center stack housed the HVAC panel and the stereo. For the front passengers, the automaker installed a pair of seats, while in the rear, two jump seats provided limited legroom. Those were good enough for short trips around town in an emergency. Behind the cabin, the automaker placed a 72.8-inch long (1.85-m) bed with a 57.2-inch (1.45-m) width.

Under the hood, the automaker installed a choice of two GM-sourced engines for the 2005 Isuzu i-Series Extended Cab. The base model was motivated by a 2.8-liter inline-four powerhouse, while a 3.5-liter V6 powerplant powered the upper grade. Both versions sent their power to the rear wheels or in all corners via a five-speed manual transmission or a four-speed automatic gearbox and were available with a 4WD system. In 2007, the automaker improved the engine lineup, replacing the 2.8-liter unit with a 2.9-liter one and the 3.5-liter V6 powerhouse with a 3.7-liter.