Isuzu supplied Honda with the Rodeo, which Honda, after changing a few pieces of trim, called the Passport. Consider the Isuzu Oasis as Honda's payback, since the Oasis was a rebadged version of the Honda Odyssey minivan. Company principals said that Oasis was the result of an ongoing study to evaluate the benefits of interaction between companies centering on expansion of marketing channels, increased sales, larger product lines and ready access to the latest hardware. At press time, the finer details of the Oasis were not complete. Although it contained all the basic Honda content, the trim level, pricing and availability were not nailed down. It's likely the two vehicles were so similar that their only distinguishing features was chrome badging.
Year-to-year changes[]
1996[]
Derived from the Accord platform, the Oasis inherited such favorable traits as rigid and lightweight unibody construction, power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering, standard antilock brakes, front double-wishbone suspension and an entirely new and compact rear double-wishbone suspension that allowed a wide, flat cargo floor. The Oasis interior offered flexible cargo loading, seating for six or seven, middle seats that would come out and a rear seat that folds into the floor. There were four hinged side doors rather than the usual van-style sliding door and a one-piece rear hatch.
Oasis was shorter, narrower and lower than almost all of the competition. As with Odyssey, it was considered more of a tall wagon than a full-fledged minivan. One soft point was the overtaxed 2.2-liter 4-cylinder, which was fine for the Accord but weak in the Oasis.
The Oasis later became a carryover model for 1997.
1998[]
The Oasis' engine was upgraded to now contain a 2.3-liter 4-cylinder with 150 horsepower.
1999[]
The LS was discontinued, leaving behind only the S model, which remained a carryover from 1998.
Retail prices[]
As of January 9, 1996:
- $23,495 (1996 Isuzu Oasis S)
- $25,990 (1996 Isuzu Oasis LS)
Gallery[]
