Yes, Isuzu is still in the pickup truck business, selling their version of the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon compact pickup (which they helped design). Isuzu’s version is a likeable truck, but the model range is limited. Is the Isuzu i-series the truck for you? Read on. Base price (Isuzu i290 S) $17,674, price as tested $19,462, EPA fuel economy 17 mpg city/24 mpg highway (automatic).

First Glance at the Isuzu i-Series Truck
The Isuzu i-series is often perceived — not quite correctly — as a warmed-over General Motors product. While the i-series is more-or-less identical to the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon, the fact is that Isuzu did have a hand in the truck’s development. The deal was that Chevy and GMC would have first shot at selling the truck in North America while Isuzu would sell a slightly different diesel-powered version called the D-MAX in the Asia-Pacific region, which they have done with great success.

Isuzu started selling the i280 and i350 in the US in 2006, though sales were a fraction of those of the Colorado and Canyon. Part of the problem was lack of choice. The i-series came in just two versions: The four-cylinder manual-transmission extended-cab 4×2 i280 and the five-cylinder automatic crew-cab 4×4 i350. Chevy and GMC continued to sell their versions of the truck with a wide variety of cabs/bed/engine/transmission/driveline combinations.

For 2007 things have improved slightly. The four-cylinder Isuzu now offers an automatic transmission, while the five-cylinder model comes in both extended and crew cabs as well as with a 4×2 driveline (though the 4×4 is only available as a crew cab). It’s an improvement, though Chevy and GMC continue to offer a much broader range. Both trucks also get larger engines and new names: i290 and i370, reflecting their 2.9 and 3.7 liter engines.