The 4-cylinder, made by Holden, an Australian subsidiary of General Motors, generates 129 horsepower versus 120 for the previous 2.6-liter, and it's a bunch smoother. It also nets pretty fair fuel economy for this class, earning an EPA-rated 21 mpg city, 24 mpg highway. This engine is offered only in the Rodeo S.
But the V6 is definitely the engine to have. Its output has been bumped from 190 horsepower and 188 pound-feet of torque to 205 horsepower and 214 pound-feet of torque--remarkable for a 3.2-liter engine. More power and reduced curb weight combine to make the new Rodeo one of the livelier performers in this class. It's available for both the S and LS models.
It's no paragon of fuel efficiency, particularly when it's paired with an automatic transmission, but the same can be said for almost any sport-utility vehicle you care to name: mpg and SUV are acronyms that don't blend very well.
In addition to suspension revisions, the Rodeo also has a new and much refined four-wheel drive system. Activating high-range four-wheel drive--at 60 mph or less--is now just a matter of punching a button on the dashboard. It's still an on-demand system, designed to be shifted into four-wheel drive when needed. And there's still a separate transfer case lever to shift into low-range four-wheel drive. Next Page