Safety got some recent upgrades, most notably a child-sensing deactivator for the front airbag, roof-rail airbags in case of rollovers, and if you're subscribed to OnStar, its new Advanced Automatic Crash Notification should give extra security. And of course, you've got all that mass on your side.
Many (but not all) of the Isuzu Ascender's traits are due to its truck heritage, so it would be remiss not to discuss its capabilities, regardless of how few customers will ever use them. First, there's the universal SUV pretension of off-roading. The Ascender's 4-wheel-drive system is a hard-core system, offering automatic 4-wheel-drive, high range, and the essential-for-credibility low range. The Ascender's sturdy live axle means no worrying about breaking anything back there, and eight inches of ground clearance is plenty. The Ascender can go where none of those sissy Ford Freestyles or Chrysler Pacificas dare tread, if that means anything to you.
As for everything else, here are the numbers: payload ranges from 1,378 to 1,446 pounds. (Possibly counterintuitively, capacity rises as you go from V8 to V6 and/or from 2WD to 4WD). Towing goes from a low of 4,800 pounds to a high of 6,600, where it rises as you go from V6 to V8 and/or from 4WD to 2WD; the V8's optional 3.73 rear axle ratio also gives a 500-to-700-pound boost. Lastly, Gross Vehicle Weight Rating is 6,200 (2WD) or 6,400 (4WD). No front-drive weakling minivan comes close, and no car has any business even dreaming of such numbers.
Capable? Sure. Competitive? Let's see. Chevy Tahoe payload: 1,525 to 1,608. Half-ton Chevy Suburban payload: 1,726 to 1,732. Loser: Ascender. Chevy Tahoe towing: 5,700 to 7,500. Suburban towing: 7,200 to 8,400 (with the 5.3 V8, the smallest of its three engines). Loser: Ascender. Tahoe GWVR: 6,500 to 6,800. Suburban GWVR: 7,000 to 7,200. Loser: Ascender. Strike three. Why even bother comparing outside of the GM family? Both the Tahoe and Suburban cost more, but only by a couple thousand, which at least makes the Suburban (if not both) the better value. All three can be had for under $40,000 - a price point our test model just barely ducked under.
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