Road Tests: Long-Term Test

Our second trip to Phoenix went without a hitch, almost literally. At the U-Haul rental lot, we tried to hook a trailer to our Rodeo and discovered that the wiring harness didn’t work. At first we thought the ratty trailers at the lot were to blame, so we schlepped to another U-Haul office with newer trailers. None of those worked either. A test for current in the wiring harness indicated that there was no juice. We bought two tap-a-bulbs, which are secondary wiring harnesses that tap into the power that goes to the taillights. The trailer lights worked just fine with the tap-a-bulbs, and off we went to celebrate an Arizona Christmas that was definitely not white.

While we still haven’t had our dealer investigate the trailer harness problem, we’ve suffered no other electrical glitches now that the faulty passenger side vanity mirror that caused our original short has been repaired (the Santa Fe dealer guessed wrong on the source of the short). The Rodeo performed well during its second run to Phoenix. A surprise blizzard in the-middle-of-nowhere Utah forced our hardy travelers into a motel one night, but otherwise travel was blissfully uneventful.

Our drivers lauded the Rodeo’s engine, transmission, steering, and brakes. There is no question that the Rodeo is fun to drive. Seat comfort did take several more hits, and managing editor Whitmore lamented a lack of shoulder room and center console storage space. Our Rodeo also seems to have headlights that are either improperly designed or improperly aimed. Even truckers were brighting Whitmore as he sped south to the desert, despite the fact that the Rodeo was running with the low beams on and the fog lights off. Are any readers who own a Rodeo experiencing this as well?

Transporting two big dogs, Christmas gifts, a couple weeks of luggage, and a U-Haul trailer took a toll on fuel economy, but it proved that the Rodeo is also up to the task. Whitmore appreciated the large cargo hold and the floor-mounted cargo netting, but complained that the Rodeo had inadequate secondary control lighting and no seat warmers.

The Rodeo has been serviced twice since our last update. After Wardlaw’s harrowing ride home from Arizona, we ran the Rodeo over to Joe Tynan’s Isuzu in Aurora, Colorado. The oil change was free of charge because that’s how Joe does business: buy a vehicle from him and your first service is gratis. After towing a heavy trailer through the mountains of the southwest, Whitmore had the Rodeo serviced in Phoenix before returning to Denver. He tried to obtain an appointment at an Isuzu dealership to get an oil change with less than 48 hours to go until his departure time, but was not successful. The nice guys at Danny’s Family Carousel on Tatum Boulevard in Phoenix handled the job instead, charging us $44.88 for the fluid swap and a new air filter.

New issues have cropped up since our last visit to an Isuzu dealer. We’ve discovered that the Rodeo suffers from poor airflow management. The vents cannot be completely shut off, and constantly trickle a breeze. One driver has complained about the left A-pillar blocking her view when making a left-hand turn. Finally, the ABS light is haphazardly flickering on and off for no apparent reason. Once the Rodeo is shut off and restarted, the ABS light extinguishes itself.

One thing is certain: our test truck gets attention. We’ve installed a Performance Products dog gate, and while the view rearward has taken some getting used to, our vision is not obstructed and the truck imparts an even more rugged persona. One neighbor who used to work for General Motors commented on the Rodeo's good looks. We agree, but still question his judgement. It was Super Bowl Sunday in Denver, and this bonehead was sporting a Green Bay jacket.

Best Fuel Economy: 18.6 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 12 mpg
Maintenance Costs: $44.88
Problems: Trailering harness is dead. ABS light comes on.