courtesy www.truckblog.com
American Suzuki Motor Corp. today announced pricing for its all-new Equator pickup truck, 4-Wheel & Off-Road's "4X4 of the Year," and freshened Grand Vitara compact SUV. The Grand Vitara now offers a standard, all-new four-cylinder engine, providing drivers with better mileage, along with a new, significantly more powerful V6 delivering both better fuel economy and lower emissions than the V6 it replaces. Both the rugged Equator and right-sized Grand Vitara are scheduled to arrive in dealer showrooms this month.
"Suzuki offers a range of highly capable, value-packed vehicles that combine attractive exterior and interior styling with the performance and functionality requirements to meet some of the most demanding needs of American car buyers," said Mark Harano, executive vice president, American Suzuki Automotive Operations. "With the arrival of the all-new Equator pickup truck, a natural fit with Suzuki's off-road heritage and lifestyle-driven DNA, we're extremely excited about the forthcoming 2009 model year."
Suzuki Equator
Developed as a joint effort with Nissan North America, Inc., the 2009 Equator is available in both Extended Cab and Crew Cab body styles with rear-wheel-drive or four-wheel-drive (4WD). To accommodate loads ranging from ATVs to motorcycles, Suzuki offers Crew Cab variants in both Short Bed (5') and Long Bed (6') configurations and a maximum towing capacity of 6,500 pounds (V6 2WD Extended Cab). Equator also incorporates class-leading standard safety features into the truck, including roof-mounted curtain side-impact and rollover supplemental airbags and seat-mounted side-impact supplemental airbags, standard.
Built at Nissan's manufacturing facility in Smyrna, Tenn., the 2009 Equator offers a standard 2.5-liter DOHC inline four-cylinder engine with 152 horsepower and 171 lb.-ft. of torque or an available 4.0-liter, V6 DOHC engine producing an unsurpassed 261 horsepower with 281 lb.-ft. of torque.
The Equator comes equipped with either a five-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission or five-speed manual transmission (available only on four-cylinder models), and offers an available shift-on-the-fly 4WD system that features an electronically controlled two-speed transfer case. For enhanced off-road capability, the rugged Equator offers a comprehensive off-road system, including four-wheel active limited slip traction control, electronic locking rear differential, Vehicle Dynamic Control, Hill Descent Control and Hill Hold Control.
Equator Extended Cab models, which start as low as $17,995, are available with a four-cylinder engine and 2WD in Base, Comfort and Premium trim lines, with Base and Comfort receiving a five-speed manual transmission and Premium a five-speed automatic, plus additional amenities. The Sport trim line adds the 4.0-liter V6 with five-speed automatic transmission and either 2WD or 4WD along with a number of additional features and amenities.
The Equator Crew Cab offers three trim lines, all powered by the V6 with five-speed automatic transmission. The Crew Cab Base model with 2WD starts at $23,985, while the Crew Cab Sport, which adds aluminum alloy wheels, cruise control and power windows and door locks, carries starting MSRPs of $25,150 for 2WD and $28,095 for 4WD models. All Crew Cab models also include a factory-applied spray-on bedliner for outstanding durability, along with a five-channel tie-down system to assist customers in securing a Suzuki motorcycle, Suzuki ATV, or any other load.
Suzuki also offers an RMZ-4 Off-Road version of the all-new Equator, which comes fully equipped with Dana 44 axles, electric rear locking differential, Bilstein high-performance shocks, skid plates, BFGoodrich Rugged Trail P265/75R16 tires, fog lamps, chrome mirrors and door handles, unique RMZ-4 seat material with red contrast stitching, chrome instrument cluster and vent trim and leather-wrapped steering wheel. The Equator Crew Cab RMZ-4 carries a starting MSRP of $29,325 and offers an optional moto-style bed extender.
An optional Sport Package for $2,050 on RMZ-4 models adds a factory-installed moonroof, Vehicle Dynamic Control, Hill Descent Control, Hill Hold Control, 380-watt Rockford-Fosgate® AM/FM/6CD/XM Satellite Radio with eight high-performance speakers and subwoofer, an auxiliary input jack and Bluetooth hands-free phone system.
