The Morning Call and Mcall.com's view

The Isuzu Impulse Turbo is yet another entry into the mid-price sports car segment of the market – a segment, by the way, that is fiercely competitive and loaded with all kinds of unusual and exciting machinery. And both domestic and foreign manufacturers want a piece of the action in this apparently lucrative market.

These are the cars running about $15,000, some a little below, some a little above. To buyers of standard-type cars this market may seem somewhat pricey, but to the sports car enthusiast, it really isn’t bad. I mean it beats a $100,000 Ferrari, a $60,000 Porsche, a $40,000 Jaguar or a $30,000 Corvette. I realize one shouldn’t always compare with extremes but it certainly is an easy way to make a point.

So here we have Isuzu, a Japanese manufacturer better known for making trucks, jumping right in among the well-known sports cars from established manufacturers with its entry. The burning question might be is the Impulse Turbo good enough for the competition? And the burning answer is, certainly. But, then, it should be.

If Isuzu isn’t exactly a household name to you, it is for good reason. It is not widely known – at least not yet. But, rather interestingly, Isuzu’s predecessor, Tokyo Ishikawajima Shipbuilding and Engineering Co. Ltd., became the first automotive manufacturer in Japan back in 1916. These days Isuzu is a major manufacturer of trucks and buses sold in 100 countries.

Isuzu trucks were introduced in the United States in 1971, but not directly. At that time Isuzu made a deal with General Motors to produce the Chevrolet LUV (light utility vehicle). Isuzu continued to build small trucks for Chevrolet right into the 1980s. It then began to sell cars and trucks in this country under its own name in 1981.

This, in some sort of roundabout way, brings us back to today’s test vehicle, the Impulse Turbo which was first introduced in the middle of the 1985-model year, and, perhaps not surprisingly, not really changed much since then. The test car, with its Italian styling by Giorgio Giugiaro, was an absolute treat to the eye. It was supplied by Knopf Automotive, 3401 Lehigh St., Allentown.

The Impulse is one of the handsomest of the smaller cars. Styling is clean, uncluttered and so skillfully blended together that at first you may not be able to take in, or appreciate, just how good it looks. But study it a little and you soon will begin to understand it. If you like a good design you certainly will like the Impulse.

Traditional sports car enthusiasts will be pleased to know that the Impulse really is traditional. The engine is up front, the transmission behind it and the differential in the rear. No front-wheel drive here. It doesn’t even have four-wheel independent suspension but rather a rigid axle in the rear. Are these handicaps? Certainly not. It just proves once again that there are more ways to accomplish the same t hing.

One item that the Impulse Turbo does share with most contemporary mid- price sports cars is its turbocharged four-cylinder engine, almost mandatory these days. Turbocharging has been around for a couple of years now and essentially it is a rather simple way to produce more power, yet retain some semblance of fuel mileage (also, but somewhat mundanely, it is a neat way to meet government emission standards). In essence, a turbocharger is an air pump working off exhaust gases that produce a larger fuel/air charge to the combustion chamber which in turn increases power. Very neat, very sweet.

The Impulse’s engine also features a somewhat new development in turbocharging, an air-to-air intercooler. This is also a simple device that cools the turbocharged air before it enters the engine, thus removing much of the heat generated by the turbocharging process. This, in turn reduces the temperature and density of the air and allows even a larger fuel/air cha ge to the combustion chamber, increasing power even beyond what the turbo is producing.

The bottom line on all of this is that the Impulse’s 2-liter/120 cubic- inch engine cranks out 140 horsepower at 5,400 rpm and 166 foot-pounds torque at 3,000 rpm. This is certainly more than sufficient power for a car weighing a shade over 2,900 pounds. In fact, wind up that engine, play the five-speed manual right and you will go from zero-to-60 in a fraction under 9 seconds. Not bad at all. There is some turbo lag but by keeping up rpm and dropping to lower gears in anticipation, a driver can almost eliminate it. And if you can restrain yourself somewhat, fuel mileage could be quite decent. The test car averaged 18 miles per gallon for city driving and 27 mpg over the highway. Premium unleaded is required.

Fortunately, the Impulse Turbo’s suspension was modified (from the non- turbo model) to handle the extra juice. This includes specially calibrated anti-sway bars and a new five-link rear suspension. Handling is very good. And although the ride is quite firm, it really isn’t bad for a sports car, especially one with a live rear axle.

The Impulse has a wheelbase of 96.1 inches, overall length of 172.6 inches, width of 65.2 inches and height of 51.4 inches. This isn’t very large but then you shouldn’t expect too much from a sports car. But like most sports cars, front seat room is excellent. Plenty of room to stretch-out those legs and even tall drivers will have good head room. Helping out here are the Turbo’s special sports seats featuring seven-way adjustment, including leg support and adjustable bolsters on the sides of the seat. The back seat is very comfortable, though leg room is almost nonexistent. It is great for short, non-complaining adults and/or small children. Since it is a hatchback, the back seat can be folded to provide more cargo area (12.6 cubic feet with seat in place, 29.4 cubic feet when folded).

Instruments and controls are, to put it mildly, a little different. The test car had the optional electronic instrument panel with sort of a busy look about it. Most of the controls were mounted on two pods under the steering wheel, not good or bad, just odd. All of this was just a little too much off- the-wall for my taste. But, who knows, you might love it.

Base price on the Impulse Turbo is $14,439 and it includes a long list of standard equipment such as air conditioning, power steering, power brakes, remote electric mirrors, power windows, power door locks and AM-FM ETR stereo cassette with power booster and graphic equalizer with four-speakers. Full price on the test car, including an inland freight charge of $249, came to $15,524. The only option was the leather package (includes the electronic instrument panel) at $780.