They range in price from the $16,305 Amigo 2WD soft top with the 2.2-liter engine and five-speed manual to the $20,745 Amigo 4WD Hard Top V6 automatic. Four-wheel drive adds roughly $2300 to the cost of an Amigo, while the V6 adds about $1,100 -- though additional features are included. Air conditioning is a $950 option, while an automatic adds about $780 to the total. Hard-top and soft-top versions are essentially the same cost.

The hard top lends a more rakish appearance to the Isuzu Amigo. It complements the already athletic appearance of the Amigo's lower body, where wheel wells are packed with 16-inch Bridgestone Dueler tires. And it looks especially good with the optional gray painted fascia and fender flares. Made of polypropylene, the hard top covers the rear half of the Amigo formerly occupied by the fold-down soft top. The new top comes only in black and is non-removable. Making the top removable would have added greatly to the cost of the hard-top Amigo and Isuzu officials said their research indicated most Jeep Wrangler owners never removed their hard tops. The hard top comes with a heated rear window.

The more resolute form of the polypropylene lid along with the new Palazzo Red paint seem to turn the Amigo from a duckling into a swan. The hard top neatly hides the huge rear roll hoop and support bars necessary for a vehicle without a full body. Adding to visual appeal are an integrated body-colored grille, small fog lamps and art deco tail lights. The large rear tailgate door with its relatively short window eliminates the square appearance of most sport-utilities. Its rakish appearance and form-filling tires add an appealing muscular demeanor to the Amigo, while a rear-mounted spare tire ensures it maintains its utilitarian look. Overall, the Amigo Hard Top is a stylish SUV.