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By
EWAN KENNEDY
21 November 2005
Holden's
4WD Jackaroo never did enjoy the success on the new-car market many feel
it deserved. Though it sold steadily enough for more than 20 years in
Australia, this Isuzu built model didn’t attract the sort of sales
that pushed vehicles like the LandCruiser and Pajero to the tops of
their market segments.
Those of you not really into cars may ask just who Isuzu is, after all
it’s not one of the names that’s regularly seen in the context of
cars. Yet this is one of the world’s biggest truck makers and is one
of General Motors' centres of excellence in diesel engines and medium to
large trucks. For quite a few years this Japanese marque also made some
4WDs. These were badged in Australia as Holdens.
The Jackaroo is a five to seven-seat station wagon. Two- and four-door
models have been sold, with the latter being by far the more popular.
Two-door Jackaroos were discontinued here in 1998 and aren't all that
well regarded today. Unusually, the early two-door models were
full-length vehicles, not the short-wheelbase units you might have
anticipated.
The original petrol engine was a four-cylinder carburettor unit of 1.9
litres, though it’s often called a 2.0-litre. It went up in capacity
to 2.3 litres in 1985, then 2.6 litres in 1988. From 1988 the engine
used multi-point fuel injection and is superior to the carburettor units
it superseded. A more modern 3.2-litre V6 powered all petrol Jackaroos
from 1992 and an even better 3.5-litre petrol was installed in February
1998.
Diesels originally had a capacity of 2.3 litres with a turbocharger
being fitted for greater torque in 1984. That turbo-diesel went up to
2.8 litres in 1988. The 1992 Jackaroo diesel engine was a 3.1-litre
unit, but stuck with a four-cylinder layout. In March 1998 an impressive
3.0-litre twin-cam diesel engine was fitted. This 3.0 is regarded by
most as the best of all the engines, petrol or diesel.
Four-speed manual gearboxes were used until 1985 when a five-speed was
introduced. Automatic transmissions had three ratios until 1988 and four
from then onwards. Automatics were mated to both petrol or diesel
engines, but not offered in all models.
The Jackaroo is competent off-road with plenty of ground clearance and
good underbody protection. It’s about as strong as the average vehicle
in this class and will cope with anything but extreme off-road driving
for long periods. At least from 1992 onwards; Jackaroo wasn't as tough
as it could have been in its earliest years. Though it was a step up
from the so-called soft roaders that dominate this market today, it
wasn’t a real rough ‘n’ tough performer.
For this, and a couple of other reasons, sales of Holden Jackaroos
didn't really get moving until the mid 1990s, so there are fewer older
units on the market than you might expect.
Holden Jackaroo is comparatively easy to drive although its size can be
a drawback in tight carparks. Try it out for size in a confined area if
that’s where you will be using it frequently.
The front seats are spacious and support reasonably well. The rearmost
seats in the seven-seaters are better suited to children than adults.
Even when the Jackaroo is set up to carry seven it still has a
reasonable sized boot, something that’s not always the norm in this
class of 4WD.
Jackaroo is simple to work on, having good underbonnet space and a
conventional layout. As always, leave the safety items to an expert.
Spare parts aren’t overly expensive, though not as cheap as those for
locally-built Holdens.
Insurance is normally towards the low to mid end of the scale, without a
huge range of prices between major companies.
These days Isuzu isn’t building 4WD wagons, instead concentrating on
pure trucks. Holden is currently without a 4WD for that reason but is
known to be looking seriously at offerings from GM Daewoo.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Engines that have been worked hard may need an overhaul at around
150,000 km. Others seem to have no problems at getting to 250,000
kilometres.
Automatic transmissions that don’t go into forward gear quickly from
Neutral or Reverse may be on their last legs and are expensive to
repair.
Gearboxes with a heavy action, or that crunch on fast downchanges, may
be due for a major overhaul. Also feel for a clutch that doesn’t take
up smoothly or is noisy in its action, particularly when it’s
disengaged.
The first series Jackaroos weren’t as solidly built as later models
and can suffer from body flexing and even cracking. Look for cracks in
the paint where the pillars meet the main body, also examine the
chassis/body mounting points.
Check for rust in the lower area of the body and the chassis rails. Look
for off-road damage to the bumper corners, the bash plates, the door
sills and the paintwork on the doors and guards.
Look over the interior for signs of dirt having been ground into
carpets. Check for damage and/or stains on the seat. In particular, make
sure the load area hasn’t been used to cart heavy gear with sharp
edges and corners.
CAR BUYING TIP
Insurance premiums can vary widely once you get away from mainstream
cars. So shop around carefully, but always read the fine print and make
sure you’re comparing apples with apples.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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