Jimbo reviews of Pickup Trucks

The Nissan Frontier has always got the good place in the midsize-truck segment. The Frontier was always a synonym of great off-road and on-road performance. Now Nissan continues its tradition and offers you truck that is a simple alternative to a full-size truck or a V-8. The frontier’s price is amazing - including manual locks and windows and 15-inch steel wheels with a five-speed manual transmission, the price on the window registered just is over $20,000. Remember that the drivetrain and general performance and quality are high as in every related Frontier.

The Nissan stands on ladder frame made from high tensile-strength steel. On the front, Frontier has got double-wishbone independent suspension. Its rear suspension is just a regular solid axle with leaf springs. Besides economic @ 2.5 liters engine Nissan got something more powerful - the same 4.0L DOHC V-6 with Continuously Variable Valve Timing Control and the 3.5L engine found in many Nissan cars. This engine screams with 261 hp and 281 lb-ft of torque, up 11 hp and 11 lb-ft. These engines are quite economic also- it burns about 17 mpg city/21 mpg highway, though it’s in the 2WD King Cab model. What about transmission, beyond five-speed manual you can get a six-speed manual option with Special Edition, the other two transmissions are automatics only.

Nissan Frontier 2009 is a simple car with standard confort inside the cab in. The cheapest version got plenty of plastic and plasctic. In more expensive versions Frontier is a bit better but still away from ideal. Generally Nissan’s comfort is the weakest side of this car. Hmmm… There’s one thing I like - the shape of the seats, they realy suitted me. The front bucket seats, though firm, were wide and really comfortable during long drives. The door armrests lacked sufficient padding, as did the window sills. The King Cab’s rear jump seats are really usable in many situations.

I’ve enjoyed the benefits of a precise steering wheel, it is a great feature in this pickup. The steering generally is well designed, Nissan used the years of experience creating 4×4 trucks. The 2009 Frontier’s powertrain is really highest grade, the truck’s driving character was only marginally better. An engine is very sensitive and combining with steering system is really heplful navigating parking lots and city streets. You can feel very safe riding at highway speeds with full load. The feeling is totally secure. The technology used here combines the low turn ratio on lower speeds with sureness of driving at high speeds, no matter you’re empty or loaded. Now let’s focus on the brakes - they are very responsive and amazingly effective. These well designed brakes can stop you in every situation - well-used discs remained free of any fade and vibration.

Price $18,000 - $32,000 (selected options $745 destination charge, $990 XE Preferred Package, $105 Floor Mats, $430 Under Rail Bedliner, $550 Side and Curtain Airbag Package)

For the 2009, Chevy engineers has prepared a complete character transplant for the Colorado. They put up the power and handling. 2009 Colorado become a pure sport truck, you’ll like it if you don’t really need full-size space. Generaly speaking the ZQ8 Colorado has torque of a full-size truck with a performance bite. One of the most compelling advantages is how well Chevrolet Colorado V-8 points and steers - really amazing! The suspension has got a front stabilizer bar added to the coil sprung independent suspension, which functions to keep the front wheels flat during the really hard cornering. Perhaps most noticeable is the way steering sensitivity has been revised. This system works perfectly. To feel this you have to do the test drive in your nearest dealer.

The brakes are front disc and rear drum. They have more stopping power because of twin-pistons discs and, at least to our estimation, it gives better pedal feel. There is no squish at the top of the pedal, so it has better braking control going into corners without grabbing.

The eight-cylinder motor is built using an aluminum block and heads, with two-valves per cylinder, and is rated to produce 300 horsepower at 5,200 rpm and 320 pounds-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm. Redline comes at 6,000 rpm. Transferring the Colorado engine’s torque to the ground is a Hydra-Matic 4L60 electronically controlled four-speed automatic.

The 2009 Chevrolet Colorado prices starts from $23,330, with the 2.9-liter four-cylinder engine, which also includes a quite extensive list of safety equipment and interior features. To purchase the ZQ8 Sport package and 3LT you have to add $3,935 to the price, but included the 5.3-liter V-8 engine, 18-inch wheels, all-season tires and a number of other amenities. Leather seats, heated, with power adjusters added another $1,495, and a power sunroof goes for $695, finally the rear locker and destination charge, the sticker price moved up to $30,475. I think this car is worth that price.

It’s not a secret that Suzuki is a small brand in the U.S. car-market. It is well known for its small, economy cars. But everybody knows Suzuki for its motorcycles, quads and motorboats. Suzuki wants to cover the missing brick inthe suzuki family. If customer has already any Suzuki ATV or Motorbike and he is fully satisfied with it, so why he has to change the brands to tansport their vahicles? Suzuki Equator is that kind of car - its main purpose is to travel with additional gear on the back. Based on the Nissan Frontier, the new truck is intended to help current Suzuki owners of motorcycles, ATV and motorboats to transport their toys to wherever they need to go. So Suzuki has teamed up with Nissan to offer a pickup that can haul and tow its recreational products. Suzuki launched its Equator pickup truck at the Chicago Auto Show in 2008. Take a look at the one of the verions presented during Chcago Show 2008, it’s motorboat edition:

Now I want to write about Suzuki Equator Specification. Later We’ll back to Chicago 2008. As I wrote before Equator is based on the Nissan Frontier’s base. I have to tell you something, there are few differences between the Equator and Frontier. Both of them are manufactured side by side in Nissan’s plant in Smyrna, Tennessee. Nissan and Suzuki got two engines to chose - 2.5-liter four or 4.0-liter V-6. Two transmissions - five-speed manual or automatic transmissions. The rest is also similar - two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive with VDC, HDC, and Hill Start Assist; short or long bed; and extended cab or crew cab. All of the dimensions are nearly identical, but the Suzuki is about an inch longer overall. The Equator provides the same towing and payload capacity as the Frontier, you can lug up to 6500 pounds of adventure gear.

Equator’s interior is quite roomy but not fantastically fitted. With base trim, the panel is made of molded matte-black plastic. Front buckets are nice and comfy for long travels. The cab’s rear seat is wide enough to carry three adults. The back compartment can be configured three ways: normal seating, cushion up to clear floor space, or backrest and cushion down to provide an elevated storage area. - just like in the Nissan Frontier. Rear seats are splited and a fold-flat front passenger seat is available as an option.

The 2009 Suzuki Equator shines mainly due to its cargo storage versatility and the performance from its sauspension. Steering is based on an rack-and-pinion setup that is sensitive foer engine speed. That can lent itself to carving corners, and the suspension allowed the Equator to take hisself a fitable setting. Brakes consist of discs on all four wheels, and the front set got the twin pistons on. They’re easy to control at the top of the pedal, with a consistent force in stopping power as you pushing through the pedal.

On Chicago auto show 2007 Suzuki introduced three house-built custom versions of Equator midsize pickup. This year, the company has repeated that feat with three more tweaked trucks. This time Suzuki has teamed with three most popular offroad magazines to create 3 amazing custom versions of 2009 Suzuki Equator. Take a look what mr.Michael Levine from PickupTrucks.com has to say about those 3 spectacular Chicago 2008 versions:

On chicago Car Show 2008 Suzuki wanted to show something new to its customers. The person who knows everything about the new Suzuki srategy is Gene Brown from Suzuki motors. Kelley Blue Book was spoken to him at Chicago Car Show 2008. Look at the 5 minute Interview with Suzuki spokesman.