We had actually went to the car lot to look at the Hyundai Santa Fe. I had wanted a Chevy Trailblazer, but due to the price we knew there was no way we could afford one. We were looking to trade in my Sonata and the dealership offered a additional "bonus" for customer loyalty, for trading one Hyundai in for another. The price, however, on the Santa Fe was more than we could afford. The dealership also sold Isuzus, so the salesman asked us if we had thought about the Isuzu Ascender. I hadn't even heard of it, much less thought about it. My husband had heard of it but never thought much about it. As it turned out, it was a good option for us.

The Isuzu Ascender comes in a 5 passenger and a 7 passenger model. We went with the 5 passenger with 2 wheel drive. Even though we are originally from Indiana, and make a couple of trips a year home to visit, neither of us has had to use a 4 wheel drive, so we didn't want to spend the extra money on that option for something we probably would never use, even though they were available.

I believe we actually purchased the base model, meaning there are a lot of options that we could have gotten for more money. Well, maybe not the bottom model, but only one up. Ours came with the "Preferred Equipment Package", but most of the options are ones I don't think much about. The package includes:

Taken from the paperwork on the window:

~Content Anti-theft system
~Keyless Entry System
~Power OSRV Mirrors w/defrosters
~Privacy Glass
~Body Side Moldings
~Cruise Control
~Homelink
~Power Driver Seat
~Sunvisor w/Illum Vanity Mirror
~Overhead Console With Lamps
~Cargo Cover
~Floor Mats

All of this, after the discount, of course, was $1900. We saved a whopping $380. Most of it, honestly, isn't a big deal. Come on. Floor mats? Body side moldings? Are you kidding me? We wanted the cruise control, though, and the rest came in the "package". The privacy glass is actually a pain because the front windows are clear and there is just enough tinting on the back windows to make it hard to match, but not enough to keep the sun off of our sons during a trip. We've had to buy window shades for them to help block out the sun, that or close a blanket up in the power windows, which blocks their view completely.

Our Isuzu Ascender is a 2005 model and was purchased brand new. Since it was the beginning of 2006, they wanted to sell them as soon as possible, so we got a decent deal. It has a 4.2L engine, which is an inline-6. While it actually runs well, the gas mileage stinks! We are only getting about 13 MPG in town and roughly 17 MPG on the highway, not the 16/21 MPG advertised. To be fair, on the highway trips that we have made we did have a cargo carrier on top, which causes more drag, lowering the gas mileage some. I believe my husband said that our first trip home, without the carrier, we got 18 MPG on the highway. Not much of a difference, but over 800 miles each way it adds up.

My husband did add a K&N Cold Air Intake System to our Isuzu Ascender. We actually had to order the one for the 2005 Chevy Trailblazer because we couldn't find after-market parts for our Ascender. They are pretty much the same vehicle, just some body differences, so we've found that the parts, for the most part, interchange. We also ordered the luggage rack the same way. We could have ordered Ascender parts from the dealership, but they were at least twice as much as the parts we found online for the Trailblazer that were basically identical. The Intake System added the power we were hoping for, but it didn't do anything for our gas mileage, like we were hoping. When we hit the gas pedal, though, the Ascender shoots past cars moving slower than we want to go.

The steering and brakes respond very well. It has a pretty tight turning radius and we've made some u-turns that I didn't think we were going to make without having to put it in reverse and backing up. I've driven my dad's pick up trucks before and the Ascender handles more like a car than a truck. The steering is very responsive, turning with a slight turn of the wheel, and the brakes will set you on your nose if you aren't careful.

We have had to make a couple of trips to the repair shop, but the problems weren't overly serious. More annoying than anything else. One problem is the power mirrors. For some reason the control on the driver's door stopped working. The motor had gone bad. We took it in, and got a call later that day saying that they'd need to keep it an extra day because they had replaced the part with a new one but that one didn't work, either. They replaced it again and it has worked fine, knock on wood.

The other reason we took it in was the AM/FM Stereo with in dash CD player. For whatever reason the CD player wasn't seeing the disk was in upon start up. We'd have to eject the CD and put it back in again. Not a big deal, but in a new vehicle it was a pet peeve. They replaced the radio, but we have recently started having the same problem again. We're due for an oil change soon, which was a package our dealership included when we purchased our Ascender so I'll let them fix it then. No point in making a special trip since it isn't that big of a deal.

On long trips the Isuzu Ascender is actually pretty comfortable. Ours has dual zone climate control, which has been great since I tend to get warm easily in the car and my husband doesn't. There is also a vent with an on/off button in the back console to help cool down or warm up the back of the Ascender faster. Our sons appreciate that. The only thing that is kind of annoying is that the default when you start your vehicle is off, so you have to turn it on each time you start your vehicle. It's gotten to be routine to reach back and hit the button to turn on their vents and then reach to turn off the headlights. I can't stand the Auto Daytime Running Lamps, but at least we can turn them off.

While you are supposed to be able to fit three people in the back seat, it's kind of a tight squeeze. Granted we have two carseats back there, but there still isn't tons of room if you have anyone with above average size (like myself) stuffed back there. I have fit in between the carseats but I sure didn't have much room to move, especially by my feet. With the console right there I had to put one foot on each side of it, which cut into my sons' space. They enjoyed kicking me for it, so I guess that was a plus for them.

We have taken the car seats out and used the Isuzu Ascender to haul. The back seat splits 60/40 so you can still put one child in the back and haul some stuff if need be. We like the latch system for the car seats as they make it easier to install the carseats, as well as they're safer than when just belted in. The cargo cover got taken out since it gets in the way more than anything else. It mounts to the back of the seats and might be a good idea if we only carried stuff that was level with the back of the back seats, but we don't. With the baby gear (stroller and such), we need the extra space when we get groceries and stuff. It's now gathering dust in our garage.

We have had to change the tire already, which wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. We had only had our Isuzu Ascender for three months when we ran over a nail at the local military base. The spare is mounted under the rear end, but the jack handle slips into a hole in the back and you turn it to lower the spare. This might sound stupid, but I didn't know that. I assumed it was under the carpet in the back, like you might find in a car trunk. I'm glad my husband was with me or I'd probably flipped out thinking I had been jacked out of a spare tire. The scissor jack, which we don't like, was under the carpet, but that was it.

We have also towed with our Isuzu Ascender. My dad had an extra hitch, since ours didn't come with one, so at least we didn't have to buy one. I thought it was kind of stupid to have a 5300-lb towing capacity but not to have a hitch to tow with. Apparently the people at Isuzu didn't think to ask me what I thought before they decided on this. It's an inexpensive fix, but still slightly annoying. We didn't notice any power loss or gas mileage loss when we were towing a trailer, which was nice.

The warranty is pretty good on the Isuzu Ascender.

~3 year/50,000 mile limited warranty basic
~7 year/75,000 mile limited powertrain
~6 year/100,000 mile limited anti-corrosion
~7 year/75,000 mile roadside assistance

So far we haven't had to use the warranty. We still only have 14,000 miles on the Isuzu Ascender, even with several road trips under our belt. I think we're going to hit the yearly marks long before we hit the mileage ones.

We have, however, been hit twice. How people can miss a four door, arctic white SUV is beyond me! One was a hit and run in a parking lot and another was a sideswipe. Luckily, no one was hurt in either, but the repairs aren't cheap! Luckily they were on someone else's dime both times, but apparently replacement parts aren't any easier to find than aftermarket ones.

Some of the other specs on our 2005 Isuzu Ascender are as follows:

~4.2L 6-Cyl DOHC 275-HP Aluminum Engine
~4-Speed Automatic Transmission w/Overdrive
~Anti-Theft Immobilizer
~4-Wheel Ventilated Disc Anti-lock brakes
~Rack & Pinion Power Steering
~Stainless Steel Exhaust
~Coil Spring Front Suspension
~5-Link Coil Spring Rear Suspension
~Heavy Duty Battery w/Run Down Protection
~21.7 Gallon Fuel Tank
~Driver & Front Passenger Air Bags
~Fr. Passenger Airbag supression system
~Auto Daytime Running Lamps
~Fog Lamps
~Collapsible Steering Column
~Child Safe Rear Side Door Locks
~Latch System for ChildSeats
~Child Seat Top Tether Anchor Brackets
~FR Variable Intermittent Wiper/Washers
~RR Wiper/Washer & Defogger w/Auto shutoff
~Power windows & Power programmable door locks
~Tilt steering Column
~Center Console Storage w/FR-Rr cup holders
~Driver and passenger visor vanity mirrors
~dome and cargo area lamps
~Remote hood release
~2nd Seat power outlet in console
~Wood grain trim on front and rear doors
~5 spoke silver-painted 17" alloy wheels
~Chrome trim
~Full size spare on steel wheel
~Platform-Type trailer hitch

There are many other options available, including a Bose radio system, if you are willing to pay for it. My husband would have loved that, but it was one of the top models, including 4 wheel drive, and we just couldn't afford it.

While my 2005 Isuzu Ascender isn't fancy, it's a nice SUV. It rides, drives and handles great. There is some road noise, which can be annoying, but you don't notice it as much when you have the radio on. The seat belts kind of rub our necks a little bit, but they can be adjusted. Taller people might not have as much of a problem with this. It bothers me more than my husband, but he is about 8" taller than me.

While I would have loved to get the burgundy Chevy Trailblazer that I wanted, the Isuzu Ascender is basically the same SUV with a slightly different body style and a much cheaper price tag. While the gas mileage leaves much to be desired, I love my Ascender!


Amount Paid (US$): 28,000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2005
Model and Options: 5 passenger, V6, Automatic