1989 Isuzu I Mark RS (Reaction) Motorweek Retro

#acwj #motorweekretro
This week's Motorweek Retro Reaction is the 1989 Isuzu I-Mark Rs.... who doesn't love a crappy small Japanese car from the 80s?
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[@stoneylonesome4062]

For those who don’t know - the vehicle in this video is ultimately the second generation Isuzu Gemini (I-Mark), which is ultimately the chassis used by the 2nd generation Isuzu Piazza (Impulse). The 2nd gen Gemini is basically a FWD version of the 1st gen Gemini, which was basically an Opel Kadet/Chevrolet Chevette, but assembled properly, hence why the 1st gen Piazza (Impulse) was RWD.

[@UncleJoeLITE]

RB Gemini in Australia. We had one, a pre facelift. Different engine, a sohc 1.5.

[@mrgurulittle7000]

Yeah, I absolutely miss Isuzu. I think they were kind of overlooked because they didn’t really have a strong niche like the other small players did. Like Subaru had AWD, Suzuki had cheap fun, and Mazda had rotary, but Isuzu had good stuff with nothing as their core niche theme. Miss them badly though. And the 80s I Mark/Gemini was one of the best generations in my opinion.

[@richardbrown1553]

I think that was part of the problem with Isuzu, they were always thought of as a heavy vehicle manufacturer buses and trucks. When they got into building cars, they went after the lower end car market. And in 1989 a $9000 hot hatch was cheap. The 83-89 Impulse was them going up-scale. The interiors were very nice, very comparable to the other cars in that more expensive price point, and it flopped. I was one of the weird ones that at age 20 in 1986 ran out and purchased an Isuzu Impulse Turbo and my first new car. And today at age 58, have found another one and it has become my memory lane driver for nice days. Great video reviews, always look forward to what you post!!

[@stoneylonesome4062]

I own both generations of Piazza RS Turbo (both of which have Lotus/Irmscher suspension and the latter generation has passive 4WS and AWD). I have a second generation Isuzu Gemini RS Turbo Lotus/Irsmcher. Many people at shows don’t recognize what it is and are shocked to know that Isuzu made grand tourers/sports cars, let alone cars at all.

[@andrewweltlich9065]

I've never heard of this model before, but I like it! I would totally drive one if given the opportunity.

[@sk-sg1dd]

I agree with your final thoughts of Isuzu, and hope one day I stumble upon one that's just been sitting in a garage for 20 years collection dust.

[@mrgurulittle7000]

Hell no way. My dad just ran into a former Isuzu dealer mechanic TODAY in the place we took our lawn mower to get fixed, and it was like 15yrs since they met. He knew my dad (because we used to drive an Isuzu Wizard and we bought it and serviced it from the Isuzu dealership) and my dad started chatting with him about how he loved and misses the Isuzu Wizard. My dad then started talking about the Isuzu I Mark sedan that he said was his family’s first Japanese car. And here you are uploading an Isuzu I Mark video the evening my dad was telling me all about this. Very cool.

[@AllCarswithJon]

Weird! And cool! And I had to look up what an Isuzu Wizard was... :)

[@MyGuyJustinH]

​@AllCarswithJon I had to look up what a Isuzu Wizard was, too.

[@mrgurulittle7000]

@@AllCarswithJonSorry, I wasn’t being considerate. The Wizard was the Rodeo that they sold in Japan. 😅

[@mrgurulittle7000]

@@MyGuyJustinHYeah, sorry guys, the Wizard was a Rodeo. Forgot they sold under a different name in the US.

[@Hobotraveler82]

Cool little car. Really like the style of the two door. 😊

[@nlpnt]

During the VRA era Isuzu had the majority of their quota committed to GM so in much of the US the badge-engineered Chevy Spectrum was much more widely available. The base model was available in a much wider array of colors inside and out. One oddity is there was no 5-door (hatchback or wagon) *anywhere in the world* , that 3-door hatch and 4-door sedan are it. It's apparently well-enough remembered in Japan that Hasegawa tooled up a brand-new 1/24 scale model kit of the sedan about 4 years ago.

[@donaldwilson2620]

Fun Fact: a turbocharged version of that Isuzu 1.6L 16V DOHC engine was used in the 1990-92 Lotus Elan roadster(known internally as the M100).

[@johnnymason2460]

It was also used in the I-Mark RS Turbo and later in the 1991 Impulse RS Turbo.

[@weegeemike]

I've never had any first hand experience with Isuzu passenger cars/SUVs/light trucks but their commercial above diesel trucks are the best in the category. My dad was a battery distributor for over 40 years and for the last 30, he relied on Isuzu NQR diesel cabovers as his biggest, highest weight-rated trucks and they never disappointed. Very capable. Very reliable. Impossible to overload. They were dead reliable to 400k mi of heavy heavy hauling and the last truck we had before he sold the business (2011 NQR diesel) had some issues but it was always DEF or emissions related, the rest of the truck was as sturdy and reliable and handled abuse better than almost any vehicle I've seen.

[@nlpnt]

Their relationship with GM continues, you can get an N-series tilt cab with a GM LS V8 and they're also sold through Chevy (but oddly not GMC) dealers.

[@tonychasey7990]

Their commercial trucks are flat out garage.

[@stoneylonesome4062]

Classic Isuzu MFI Turbo-Diesels (60’s-90’s) were quite good, albeit somewhat underpowered. But they were reliable and durable so they were highly tunable. I’d say in that era, they were third to MFI Peugeot Diesels who were second to Mercedes who was undeniably best, at least for car applications. Their Trucks/SUVs then were good, at least ones that were Isuzu designs and assembled in Japan. Modern Isuzu trucks are digitalized GM designs and are hampered by Electronic fuel injection and Emissions technology.

[@UncleJoeLITE]

This looks a LOT like our (4dr) 1985 Holden\Isuzu Gemini RB 1.5l. I liked the silver, square rigged styling & the interior was silver velour with decent plastics. Problem was it felt like Isuzu stuck a small truck motor & m\t gearbox into it. As civilised to drive as my 1980 Escort lol. But it all looked bloody great imho. Cheers Jon. _Isuzu are still doing ok here._

[@RandallRingwald-bw4cr]

My wife had a 1988 Chevy Spectrum back in the day. It had the 1.5 Isuzu four cylinder engine. A rebadged I-Mark in retrospect. It was fairly reliable and easy to service.

[@johnnymason2460]

My mother used to have a 1987 Chevrolet Spectrum. One of my aunts had one as well.

[@stoneylonesome4062]

Love the Gemini RS Turbo (I-Mark), especially with the Lotus/Irmscher-FF tuning. Especially love it’s hotter brother, the Piazza Lotus RS Turbo, with its 4WS and AWD system. The engines could be boosted to oblivion, and were very reliable. Manual gearbox was perfectly reliable. Even the turbo-Diesels were like the Poor Man’s Mercedes 240D, great for running on Waste veggie oil. Thankfully I own all three, a Gemini RS-Turbo, and Both generations of the Piazza RS Turbo

[@mumwifeteacher]

This car is badass. This much with no turbo and great price. I love Isuzu there cars were weird and great. I am the owner of a 94 trooper s (5 speed!) and love it. I would totally go for one of these cars if a I had a chance.

[@runoflife87]

Well, it was in interesting car to choose for retro reviews. The only one Isuzu car I know for sure is the Aska (both 1st and 2nd generation) - decent sedan for its time. I do remember seeing JDM Gemini (I-Mark) in a car museum three years ago - pretty bland looking car. Irmscher spec is pretty valuable car though. The problem with I-Mark in the US was internal competition with "Pontiac LeMans by Daewoo" and J-cars. GM managers "outfooled" themselves.

[@michaelv3340]

Speaking of Isuzu, I keep missing the Amigo. I liked the '96 model and I keep looking for one in decent shape as an alternative to a Wrangler or Bronco. It's always good to me to have more competitors in the market.

[@brianbierenga7009]

When I was in HS I wanted. A Geo Storm in the worst way 😂

[@warrenny]

Good video Jon. I remember the Isuzu I Mark and I remember it was okay. But it's certainly lacked the panache from a more mature brand. The name, the styling, the interior were gimmicky. Passable and even a good value, but for the target market it just wasn't enough. If I were interested in an old hot hatch, I'd be looking at a GTI. Or at least an OMNI GLH.

[@JK-dp3lp]

I had an 85 spectrum, pretty sure the dash was the same

[@Winters_Folly]

My dad had one of their little SUVs. Ugly, but it was good in the snow and zippy around the twisty mountain roads we have.

[@royperry2859]

When i bought my Geo Metro i would have considered the Isuzu I Mark sold at a local Ford dealer.

[@MyHumanWreckage]

I was looking at this car to buy back in the day (I think 1990 model). The car looked great until I sat in the interior. It had to be the cheapest interior I ever saw. I remember the rough cut plastics and generally bad assembly quality. I wasn’t sold on the “Handling by Lotus” tag. I ended up buying a Hyundai Excel SE and saved myself about $4000.

[@brenspin]

How was your experience with the Hyundai's reliability and how long did you own it?

[@MyHumanWreckage]

@@brenspin I owned it from September, 1991 to May, 1998 and it gave me no problems. When I traded it in, it only had about 85k KMs. All original. No parts had to be replaced besides the battery.

[@Scottj2011]

I think the I Mark came out around '85

[@johnnymason2460]

It's a shame that this engine wasn't available with an automatic. It would have been something that I would have wanted. The previous Turbo model was pretty good as well but it was also a manual only car. Buy the way, this car was more powerful than the first generation Acura Integra. And cheaper.

[@greenfire919]

Chevrolet Spectrum was the same car.

[@timothykeith1367]

A modified Chevette?

[@stoneylonesome4062]

No - not this one. The car in this video is a 2nd gen Isuzu Gemini (I-Mark), which is front wheel drive. The Chevette was RWD. The First generation Isuzu Gemini (called the I-Mark in USA) was basically a Chevette (albeit with much much better build quality control), and both the Chevette and 1st gen Gemini/I-Mark were based on the 4th gen Opel Kadett (called the “C”).

[@johnbcardin]

How was this related to the geo storm?

[@brenspin]

I believe this gen I-Mark evolved into Isuzu Impulse (2 door coupe) and Isuzu Stylus (4 door sedan -- I bought a used '91 Stylus which may have had the same engine as the I-Mark in this video). I think I'm correct in saying that the Geo Storm was basically a rebadge of this newer generation of Isuzu Impulse.

[@brenspin]

@@stoneylonesome4062 Wrong. This video is about an American market car. Maybe your statement applies to a different Geo Storm and Toyota model elsewhere in the world. The Geo Storm in America was the same as the Isuzu Impulse. Do an internet search. I just Googled 'Geo Storm Isuzu Impulse' and I am correct.

[@warrenny]

It's correct that the Storm was an Isuzu. GEO used at three different companies, Toyota Suzuki and Isuzu, for various models.

[@stoneylonesome4062]

@@brenspin My bad - I was confusing that with the Prizm

[@tonychasey7990]

We have Isuzu commercial trucks where I work. And, let me tell you.... they are absolute garbage.... brand new, right off the lot, they are miserable. Ride like shit. Doors rattle, noisy interior.. and their diesel engines are lucky to see 200k. I would NEVER buy an Isuzu built product. Which is also why I'd never own a chevy duramax. I can't tell you how many 1000s of miles I've logged in an Isuzu. But, I can tell you that they are terrible. And, the only reason my company buys them is because they are cheap.... in every aspect of the term.

[@AllCarswithJon]

Wow.... thanks for the feedback from someone who drives them commercially. From the outside looking in, my opinion (formed since the 80s) has always been they're a really good truck manufacturer. Surprised to hear otherwise!

[@stoneylonesome4062]

Modern Isuzu diesels aren’t as good because they are hampered by modern digitalized emissions technology. However, Classic Isuzu Turbo Diesels (70’s-90’s) were a absolutely wonderful. Even in unibody cars, they were a close third behind Peugeot and the undisputed Diesel king, Mercedes. Like Peugeot, Isuzu diesels started to go downhill when they started using EFI. Another thing to consider is that many of the modern Isuzu trucks are GM designs.

[@tkskagen]

Looks like an ugly Dodge Shadow to me...