Used Isuzu Trooper 4x4 1998 - 2004 review

At any given age, the Trooper works out cheaper than the equivalent Land Rover Discovery.

In terms of other running costs, the Isuzu looks respectable, too. For example, the various models sit in groups 14 and 15 for insurance, which is almost identical to the Discovery and Shogun.

The V6 petrol engine in the Trooper is also much more fuel-efficient than the Discovery's V8, although the diesel's 26.9mpg does rather lag behind the 30.1mpg of diesel versions of the Discovery.

If there is a downside, it's that the short service intervals mean that routine servicing works out as rather expensive, particularly on the diesels.

However, on the other hand, unscheduled work should not be too dear. Warranty Direct tell us that Isuzu's labour rates and average repair costs are lower than average - and considerably lower than those for other 4x4-renowned companies such as Jeep, Mitsubishi and Land Rover.