Road Test: Isuzu Rodeo, Nissan Pathfinder, and Toyota 4Runner
| INNER SPACE |
| | Isuzu | Nissan | Toyota |
| | Rodeo LS | Pathfinder SE | 4Runner Ltd. |
| Headroom, f/r, in. | 38.6/38.0 | 38.1/37.5 | 39.2/38.7 |
| Shoulder room, f/r, in. | 55.5/55.5 | 56.6/56.4 | 53.9/53.9 |
| Hip room, f/r, in. | 51.8/52.0 | 54.1/51.5 | 49.8/51.4 |
| Legroom, f/r, in. | 41.2/34.5 | 41.7/31.8 | 43.1/34.9 |
| Cargo capacity, |
| rear seat up/down, cu ft | 35.0/74.9 | 38.0/85.0 | 44.6/79.7 |
| Rear knee room, in.* | 11.0/10.5 | 10.0/9.5 | 9.5/8.5 |
| Useable floor space, |
| seat up/down, sq ft | 11.4/18.6 | 10.0/16.3 | 11.7/17.8 |
| seat up/down, length, in. | 41.0/67.0 | 39.0/63.5 | 44.5/67.5 |
| Width between wheelwells, in. | 40.0 | 37.0 | 38.0 |
| Cargo area height, in. | 36.0 | 35.0 | 39.0 |
| Rear door | Tailgate | 1-piece lift | 1-piece lift |
| | | w/sep. glass | w/sep. glass |
| Spare tire | On rear | Under rear | Under rear |
| | carrier | floor | floor |
Answering The Call Of The Wild
While most SUV owners rarely subject their vehicles to anything more challenging than a gravel or snowy road, they feel secure knowing that they could go far beyond that if they wanted. To explore this side of our trio's performance envelopes, we headed southeast from Los Angeles to tackle the slick, icy roads of Mount Palomar and the eclectic desert terrain of the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.
Each of our testers was equipped with part-time four-wheel drive, two-speed transfer cases, automatic locking hubs, and shift-on-the-fly capabilities. While the Rodeo and Pathfinder retain conventional mechanical shifting between two- and four-wheel drive, the Toyota uses an electronic system, actuated by a button on the transfer shifter. We found this to be an especially quick and user-friendly approach.
It's in the rough that the Toyota's high stance-with 9.5 inches of ground clearance-pays off, providing an extra margin of safety when traversing rocky areas. As on the road, the 4Runner was notable for its softer ride quality, which soaked up small bumps and took the edge off sharp jolts. Plus, its potent V-6 never left us wanting for power.
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