The engine in the Trooper is extremely smooth during idle. The automatic transmission isn t quite as refined. Shifting from park to drive takes concentration as the shifter tries to slip past drive into third gear. This is complicated by the fact that there is no indicators of what gear you are in near the dash. Once on the road, shifts are abrupt and sudden.
Visibility is excellent except from the rear.
The outboard mounted rear tire robs the Trooper of needed rear visibility. Behind the wheel of the Trooper you ll be reminded that the luxurious interior cannot hide the fact that you re driving a large four-wheel drive. The ride is bumpy and the rear suspension tends to wobble and drift on uneven pavement. Added to this is the strange movement of the front passenger seat. Even when driving on smooth roads it seemed to shake and vibrate.