They didn't know exactly what to call it or precisely how to market it, but this vintage advertisement suggests Isuzu had at least one specific purpose in mind for the Trooper—escaping the equally confused local police.

In this Duke's of Hazzard-esque commercial from 1984, we see the Trooper flying through the air and evading capture by the law for the crime of driving a hard to define vehicle and whatever else a group of older church going women who know how to hoon would get in trouble for.

We can only wonder if the befuddled cops would have been so nice when they caught up to the Trooper if "Sport Utility Vehicle" was already a widely used term in 1984.