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"   A Suzuki pickup seems natural, especially since the company sells so many motorcycles and dirt bikes. And just about everyone that owns a dirt bike needs a pickup, right? Well Suzuki hopes those folks will have a look at its new 2009 Equator, the company&amp;#039;s first entry into the midsize pickup truck segment. Developed in a joint effort with Nissan, and based on Nissan&amp;#039;s Frontier pickup chassis, the Equator will be available in both extended cab and crew cab body styles in rear-wheel and four-wheel-drive.   The Equator features a number of unique Suzuki elements, including hood, front fenders, grille, bumpers, front fascia and tailgate. Both cabs offer a bed that includes a factory-applied, spray-on bedliner and an extensive tie-down system with adjustable tracks, providing cargo hauling flexibility through the use of five special &amp;quot;C&amp;quot; cross-section rails. Removable utility cleats slide into the channels, providing a wide range of attachment points for securing cargo.   Suzuki also will be offering specialized bed accessories that make loading, securing and transporting a motorcycle or ATV easier than in many competitive trucks. You&amp;#039;ll see bed dividers, sliding cargo trays and modular storage units. Crew Cab models also will offer an available roof rack.   Under the hood, there&amp;#039;s a choice of a 2.5-liter DOHC inline four with 152 hp and 171 lb.-ft. of torque, or an optional 4.0-liter, V6 DOHC engine producing 261 hp with 281 lb.-ft. of torque. The engine comes matched to either a five-speed, electronically controlled automatic transmission (both I4 and V6), five-speed manual transmission (I4 only) or six-speed manual transmission (V6 only). Four-wheel-drive models will use a shift-on-the-fly, four-wheel-drive system with an electronically controlled, part-time two-speed transfer case. And the Equator will offer a comprehensive off-road traction system, including four-wheel limited slip, electronic locking rear differential, vehicle dynamic control (VDC), hill descent control and hill start assist.   The truck uses a fully boxed frame with a double-wishbone front suspension and a solid axle rear with leaf springs. And like the Nissan Frontier, those springs are long-travel. Maximum towing capacity is 6500 pounds. EPA fuel economy estimates are still preliminary.   Equator includes engine-speed-sensitive power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering, standard four-wheel disc brakes with ABS and electronic brake force distribution (EBD). Suzuki offers a variety of available wheel and tire packages, including 16-inch off-road style wheels with rugged 265/75R16 tires and 17-inch wheels with 265/65R17 tires.   Equator Crew Cab will offer available leather-appointed seats including a power-adjustable driver&amp;#039;s seat, heated seats mirrors and a factory-installed moonroof. Additional interior options include a Bluetooth hands-free phone system, Rockford Fosgate audio system with six-disc in-dash CD audio system, optional satellite radio and MP3 capability and aux-in jack. \u2014Jim McCraw "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/a2580/4248178/>