Holden tonight pulled the covers of its 1998 Jackaroo and Rodeo
range.
Here in WA, at least, the new models were launched in Perth's Observation City Hotel in
an `all-singing, all-dancing glitz revue' style, complete with scantily clad dancing
girls. (Hey, fellas, we're here to look at the vehicles - er, fellas?)
Pushing our eyeballs back in their sockets and remembering why we were really
there, we discovered that specific pricing details of Rodeo were not available. Nor were
any photos - the images seen here were scanned off brochures which were the only
information available. (No, dear, our new Jackaroo won't have that funny crease down the
side…)
However, Isuzu-GM's WA manager Paul Baird and national marketing manager John Cannon
got our undivided attention when they revealed the details of two new engines.
Quad-cam V6 for Rodeo
The general-duty workhorse of the Holden range, Rodeo can still be ordered with either
the 2.6 litre four or the 2.8 turbo-diesel. But it steps confidently up to the top of the
class with a 3.2 litre quad-cam V6 (described at the launch as a "re-engineered"
version of the engine previously seen in the Jackaroo 4WD wagon).
 Available on LX cab-chassis and 4x2 Crew Cab models, the V6 packs a claimed
140kW of power and a stump-lumping 265Nm of torque, to make Rodeo undeniably the 'leader
of the pack' in the one-tonner power race.
Compare that with the 88kW and 201Nm of the 2.6 litre four - even the turbodiesel's
74kW and 225Nm - and it becomes interesting to ponder just how many buyers will be able to
resist the V6 as it is being offered with a price disadvantage of just $300 ! (What was
that strange noise ? Oh, just the nervous shuffling of Navaras, Couriers, Hiluxes,
Tritons…)
Rodeo needed no major styling changes, having acquired its new-look body panels only
last year. And with its new V6 available at a price that indicates Isuzu-GM's beancounters
had put new batteries in their calculators, they might well be nervous.
We did get a sneak preview of the TV commercials that are about to batter your
sensibilities. Try humming the old tune of "Guantanamera" and substituting the
words; "One tonne Rodeo - I need a one tonne Rodeo. One tonne
Rodaaayooooo…" With a cast that includes dogs, bulls and sheep harmonising
along, it's clever stuff and will probably annoy the hell out of us all!
Jackaroo gets a slick look and 3.5 litres
It's been widely recognised for some time that the Holden Jackaroo was a good 4WD wagon
in need of an equally good plastic surgeon.
The torsion bar front suspension and 4-link rear end had already been well and truly
sorted out, and the 4WD transmission, whether in manual or automatic guise, could hold its
own against the best of them. And the 3.2 litre V6 was a sweet enough unit anyway.
But ohh, no - let's punch it out to 3.5 litres and get really serious.
158kW and 310Nm sounds serious in anyone's language. That gutsy package is standard
across all three petrol models, from the basic Jackaroo to the `bells and whistles'
Monterey, or there's the SE 3.0 litre turbodiesel - a twin-cam four cylinder that belts
out 118kW and 333Nm.
Covering all that is a body that is actually quite a slick bit of packaging. While it
looks to be based on the same basic shell, the metalwork forward of the A-pillars has been
subtly reworked to give Jackaroo a smooth new face.
Looking vaguely similar to a Jackaroo designed by someone else, its grille juts forward
more aggressively and the headlights have been given a sleeker appearance.
There's nothing earth-shattering about the silver polycarbonate side panels, but full
marks to the designers who sculpted their appealing combination of curves and flat planes
- the end result is a Jackaroo that looks as though it has finally caught up with the
nineties.
Some price details were available on Jackaroo; a basic LWB wagon with the 3.5 litre V6
gets the ball rolling at $39,990, a manual SE diesel is $43,490, and the range-topping
Monterey is $49,990.
Wednesday Feb 11th - driving them !
Today's drive programme began in the luxurious surrounds of
The Vines Golf Resort, the small fleet of shiny-bright Rodeos and Jackaroos heading off
along picturesque country roads at a reasonably sedate pace.
First impressions are lasting ones, and there was widespread
agreement among the fleet buyers present that seating in both models seems to have
undergone some marked improvement.
The seats don't really look any different, but the foam used in them
may be of a different density than before, as they offer much better support without being
overly firm. Ride, particularly in the case of Jackaroo, also feels better - more stable
in corners but suitably cushioned.
But the single biggest impression comes from under the hoods -
driving a Jackaroo SE wagon, laden with five full-sized adults and more than its share of
TV camera gear, I was quite astonished by its response when facing an inordinately steep
climb. A decent prod on the throttle and it kicked down through the auto box with
eagerness, then laid all five of us back in our seats and proceeded to reach decidely
illegal speeds with almost unseemly haste.
Reaching our ultimate destination - a 4WD training circuit nestled
in the wilds of the Chittering Valley - everyone took in the instructions of the trainers
present, then proceeded to seek obstacles capable of stopping the new Holdens in their
tracks.
Suffice to say that no-one succeeded. The sheer grunt of both
engines - Rodeo's 3.2 litre and Jackaroo's 3.5 - made light work of the steepest climbs,
though the solitary 4WD Rodeo dual cab spent a fair bit of time testing just how lightly
everyone could press the loud pedal. Wheelspin by the bucketful, thanks to a light rear
end.
Some of the steeper descents in Low-Low were a bit of a handful in
the auto Jackaroos, the big V6 having simply insufficient engine-braking to make
that much difference, but all vehicles still retained a good degree of controllability
even when the brakes had to be gently squeezed.
It was all a bit of a lightning whirl of bush, rocks, gullies, more
rocks - whoops, watch that big sod ahead of the right wheel - due to the tight schedule of
The Motor Show's camera crew, but sufficient to send us away believing that Isuzu-GM and
Holden just may have come up with the good stuff this time.
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