Background

Ouray advertises itself as the "Jeep capital of the world," with jeep tours and jeeps available for rent. The county maintains the roads by clearing snow and keeping the roads passable to almost all SUV's. Whether you wish to enjoy the scenery, wildflowers, explore the ghost towns or find a difficult side road to challenge your serious 4x4, you will find it here.

How The Amigo Performed

Here are my observations:

1. The engine is strong, idles up steep grades and never misses a beat.
2. There is NOT enough ground clearance. I hit rocks several times that would be passed over by other stock SUV's. On a positive note, the Amigo skid plates really work, and vital pieces are tucked up well.
3. The Amigo turns sharp, almost as good as a Scout - this is very important when encountering switchbacks.
4. The fold-down top storage system needs work. In order to fold-down the top you must unzip and remove the side and back windows. A nice bag is provided for storage of the windows and it fits great in the back cargo area. However, the windows take up the entire floor space and you are unable to put anything heavy on top of the bag. The solution? I built a shelf the exact size of the cargo area that the bag and sunroof glass will slip under. The shelf is painted to match the interior and carpeted on top to match.

Summary

The author poses on a smooth section of Black Bear Pass.

Also check out Steve's Amigo website at: http://www.bucshockey.org/about/sbendy/amigo.html

Please mail the Isuzu ORC Staff if you have any questions or comments about this page.

Isuzu Amigo on the Alpine Loop @ Off-Road.com