When is a Suzuki not a Suzuki? When it’s a Nissan, of course. Say hello to the 2009 Suzuki Equator, Suzuki’s new compact truck, which is essentially a rebadged Nissan Frontier, a pickup that bowed in the 2005 model year.

In an effort to lure motorcycle and all terrain- vehicle owners into automotive showrooms, Suzuki deemed it a bright intent to add a truck to its lineup — not a bad thought, really, considering Suzuki’s cycle and ATV customers need to haul their toys to the asphalt and dirt playgrounds. And seeing that truck income aren’t exactly hot these days, Nissan had the capacity and means to supply Suzuki with plenty of Frontiers, er, Equators.

To a man, our judges appreciated the Equator’s towing prowess (up to 6300 pounds with the V-6), off-road abilities (”The RMZ is second in fun on the off-road, after the H3T.”

“On the dirt-loop run in the two-wheeler, this truck struck me as a better performer than I had expected.”), nicely trimmed, functional interiors (”Clean, simple interior features ‘tech’ textures like appliances use. Still, they were not fond of the four-cylinder’s demand of guts (”Had my foot on the floor for several miles just trying to catch the convoy against a headwind in the 2.5-liter.”), and demand of manual mode with the automatic (”I wish the five-speed auto had a manual mode, especially for off-road excursions.”).

This is not to say the Equator is not a capable and competent small truck. It is. With a range that includes extended- and crew-cab versions, short and long beds, four and six-cylinder engines, five-speed manual and automatic trannnies, and noteworthy abilities both on- and off-road, the Equator is a solid option for compact-truck buyers.

Case in point: the Crew Cab RMZ-4. With an electric rear locking differential, rugged Dana 44 axles, Bilstein high-performance dampers, skidplates, and BFGoodrich tires, this off-road-bent Equator is an outdoor enthusiast’s dream rig. On pavement? Not too shabby, either. The RMZ-4 romps from 0 to 60 in 7.8 seconds and through the quarter mile in 16.0 at 85.3 mph. Only V-8 versions of the Ram and F-150 were quicker. And if you can’t fit the recreational toys in the bed, throw them on a trailer; the RMZ-4 tows up to 6100 pounds.

The Equator will start at $17,995 for a 2WD, four-cylinder, two-door Extended Cab model with a manual transmission and a six-foot bed. For 4WD, you’ll also have to pick up the Sport trim level and place down $26,270. Crew Cab models start at $23,985 for a five-foot bed, 2WD, a V-6 and an automatic transmission. Four-door trucks only come with six-cylinder engine and automatic transmission combo. To get 4WD, you’ll have to step up to the Sport model with a six-foot bed and hand over $28,095. The RMZ-4 starts at $29,325 and tops out at $31,375.

Can the 2009 Suzuki Equator pull off the upset and score the 2009 Motor Trend Truck of the Year honors? Find out Tues., Dec. 16. at midnight EST.

Photography by Brian Vance, Julia LaPalme, and William Walker

This my eighth trip to the Specialty Equipment Manufacturer Association (SEMA) show. That may sound like a lot, but I assure you, it’s nothing compared to some industry diehards. A buddy of mine is on his 22nd SEMA — and he isn’t even 40 years old.  Walk around the show floor long enough and you might hear stories from old timers who remember the first time this ballyhooed event took place in 1967 under the grandstands of Dodger Stadium. Back then it was called the Speed & Custom Equipment show and drew a whopping 3000 attendees and 98 booths. Nowadays, SEMA draws thousands of exhibitors and an average of 125,000 show goers.

Eight years is enough time for me witness the rise of SEMA and its peak in 2005. Back then, the aftermarket scene was exploding; SEMA reported more than 2000 exhibitors — the most in the history of the event.  That year also saw 14 auto manufacturers; an impressive showing for what is essentially a four day trade show closed to the general public.

This year, I’d heard murmurs about how the current economic turmoil — particularly amongst the hard hit automakers — was going to send exhibitor and attendee participation plunging; perhaps as much as 30% lower than 2007. There were a couple of advanced signs too — perennial receptions and parties canceled with no explanation and rumors of deeply discounted hotel rooms still acquirable only days before the show. Then the Monday before the show arrived the news got worse; automakers like GM, Ford, Chrysler, and Toyota posted huge losses for the month of October. Would SEMA be an even bigger bust than rumored? I had to see for myself.

At first glance, this year’s show looks to be just as alive and kicking as pas SEMA shows. Any newbie would be completely overwhelmed, because even in a “down” year, SEMA looks psycho. The depth and breadth of the automotive aftermarket still manages to surprise and it looks — at least on day one — as crowded as ever; the Las Vegas Convention center filled with row after row of vendors and throngs of badge-wielding buyers. Their presence is living proof of how much we American gearheads love our toys.

Look closer and a few cracks start to show.  There is more empty space in the back of the South Hall then I’ve ever seen.  Word is, to fill space, many of the tuned up show cars that would have been relegated to outside show space in years past have been moved inside to keep things looking like an automotive orgy. Talk to the exhibitors and attendees and you’ll often get similar stories of reduced staff and shorter stays.  Thursday — buyer day — apparently will be the big barometer.  Tuesday and Wednesday are traditionally media whoo-ha days, so if the crowds are thin when it comes time to sign contracts, then the industry may well in deep trouble.  Tonight, I’ll ask the real experts for their take on this year’s show.  Las Vegas cabbies, bouncers, and bartenders often know more than any industry analysts, because when convention attending goes down in this town, they feel it in their pocketbooks.

Still, it is comforting to see SEMA still as crowded and busy as in years past.  It’s also a relief to see the pride and optimism of 600 horsepower muscle cars lined up cheek to jowl against sky-high, candy-painted monster trucks, especially when all the TV pundits can seem to do these days is spew doom and gloom prognostications about the end of the world as we know it.

Three highlights:

RK Sport Hyundai Genesis sedan

As our intrepid Nate Martinez reported in WOT, Hyundai showed a tuned version of its ground breaking rear drive Genesis luxury sedan.  The big news wasn’t 24-inch wheels or some blinged-out grille, but a stunning 460-horsepower supercharged V-8 with cylinder deactivation (CDA).  Hyundai claims this is the first time CDA has been mated to a blown production engine, which we’re not debating. We’re more impressed with the 8% improvement in fuel economy over the regular V-8 Hyundai Genesis. Hyundai won’t say if they’ll build it (it’s an expensive proposition), but with an estimated 18 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway and with that kind of power, they’d be crazy not to at least consider it.

Dodge Challenger SRT10

Enough with the Challenger, right?  Well this one is different.  It’s not merely a fixed up version of the SRT8 Challenger we know and love and drove all over Europe; SRT engineers ripped-out that Challenger’s puny 6.1-liter, 425-horsepower V-8 and dropped in the 8.4-liter all aluminum V-10 engine that powers the Dodge Viper. Output? How does 600 horsepower and 560 pound-feet of torque strike you? It’s pretty amazing stuff, especially with that V-10 breathing through a functional, carbon fiber shaker hood. How’d you like to see this Challenger run against a Shelby Mustang GT500KR? Perhaps something else? Send in your recommendations!

Subaru Forester XTI

Sure, we have soft spot for the Forester; after all we voted it our 2009 Motor Trend Sport/Utility of the Year.  But if there is anything missing from that cute ute, it’s the pure performance of its rally bred brother, the WRX STI.  Apparently the people at Subaru are on the same wavelength, because they showed off a high performance concept called the Forester XTI. While this Forester has the requisite fancy paint, upsized wheels (18 x 8 in. forged alloys) and performance bits including adjustable coilover suspension and big Brembo brakes, what we like is six-speed manual transmission and estimated 315 horses and 300 pound-feet of torque under hood. Even better, this Forester XTI is rumored to weigh only 60 pounds more than the WRX STI. It’s just the kind of vehicle we’d like to see added to the Forester lineup.  

More insight from the 2008 SEMA show tomorrow.

Filed under: Etc., Euro, BMW, Toys, Lifestyle

Much like its Porsche Design counterpart, there isn’t really anything BMW DesignWorks won’t try to make better, from an espresso machine to a custom interior for a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. So it was only a matter of time before they place pen to paper and created a yacht, this particular example being a 60-foot offshore performance sailboat for the Zeydon boatyard of Belgium.

Meant, as with any BMW, to be just almost everything to almost everyone, the yacht, christened “WYSIWYG,” is a regatta-oriented sailer as fast as it is luxurious. And no, your eyes don’t deceive you: it’s blue. Why? Because according to the heads of Zeydon, “it perfectly communicates the characteristics that determine our corporate identity: progressiveness, originality, courage, strict authenticity and infinite emotion.” And it’s got wooden racing stripes. Click the image at right for a high-res version and follow the jump for the press release.

[Source: BMW]

Continue reading Zeydon builds the BMW of yachts

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Filed under: Gadgets, Etc., Tech, Toys

Imagine riding along in your family’s car as a kid. Your hand is out the window and slicing through the air as you explore the concepts of drag and lift. As a child you might work that hand to rise and start around the objects on the horizon, dodging treetops and ducking below bridges in the distance. Some German students apparently had this experience, and now they’ve taken that basic premise and added more cowbell. The result is Carcade, a scrolling video game concept that uses a webcam and laptop to scan the view out your car window and use it as the interactive background for a spaceship adventure. It recognizes and uses the objects in the view out your window as obstacles, instantly incorporating them into the action. It even adjusts game play speed according to vehicle speed. It’s all pretty amazing work by the crew of Andreas Nicolas Fischer, Martin Kim Luge and Korbinian Polk. Watch the Carcade demo after the jump and let us know if you wouldn’t have liked to waste away your family’s road trip playing this game.

Continue reading Carcade concept turns passenger’s view into video game

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Filed under: Gadgets, Etc., Toys

It’s always amazing to see the kind of products that people come up with for those who are concerned with their cars. The latest cool new toy for the muscle car fan is “Road Mice”, a wireless computer mouse that comes in a variety of models including the new Chevy Camaro, Ford Mustang, Dodge Charger and Chevrolet Corvette. The mice are both PC and Mac compatible and utilize the latest RF and optical technology with an 800 dpi resolution. Each one also features working headlights and a scroll button on the hood, which makes Road Mice a perfect way to scroll through the latest Autoblog headlines. Yep, that’s right, it’s all about us in the end.

[Source: FourDoorMedia.com via MustangBlog.com]

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Filed under: Etc., Tech, Audi, Toys

They say you get what you pay for. Unfortunately, even with the second release of the Audi A4 Driving Challenge for your iPhone or iPod Touch, the price attach is still evenhandedly representative of the calibre of the game. According to Audi, 370,000 people downloaded version 1.0, but we’d be curious to know how many of those copies were still on the devices 48 hours after the individual first tried it out. Our guess would be not many. Version 2.0 is certainly much improved. Audi has added new vehicles that can be unlocked, including the A4 3.2 and the mighty R8.

The graphics are also better, compared to the original. Unfortunately, like so many other games on other platforms, graphics and good features don’t necessarily equate to great gameplay. Compared to Crash Kart, the vehicles in this Audi game are hard to control, and the game simply isn’t much fun because the scale speeds are so slow. Since it’s free, go ahead and download the Audi A4 Driving Challenge and try it yourself. Thankfully, not all of the free apps on the iPhone and iPod Touch are of the same calibre of this one. Perhaps for v3.0, Audi should hire someone with more experience in driving game design.

[Source: Audi]

Continue reading Audi ships A4 Driving Challenge iPhone game v2.0

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Filed under: Etc., Toys, Lifestyle

Being healthy to complain that hauling your 34-foot Airstream around means leaving your full-dresser Harley at home for pass strikes us as an enviable problem to have. For those of you with a surfeit of high-end toys and a longing to hit the road, Airstream has you covered with its new PanAmerica model. Being a high-end product itself, the PanAmerica sports Airstream’s trademark aluminum construction and mid-century modern styling that ensures it’s perpetually in vogue. The best part of the trailer, however, is that it sports a garage in its aft compartment that can swallow a pair of motorcycles, some ATVs, or our current favorite, a red Radio Flyer wagon. The garage has an 11-foot depth and is comprehensively equipped with tie downs and wheel clamps so your scooter will stay place while you drag everything over mountain passes.

The dragging part will require a pretty beefy tow vehicle. You’ll want your pickup to have the largest acquirable engine to cope with the 11,500-pound gross weight rating. Once you’ve docked your rig at camp, it’s nothing but traditional Airstream class inside, meaning stainless appliances, indirect lighting, and snazzy cabinetry. It all looks like some kind of 1950’s Brasserie, and if we had 85 large to drop on a jet-age home away from home (and a truck brawny enough to pull it), we’d be blogging from various bucolic undisclosed locations on a regular basis.

[Source: squob.com]

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Filed under: Toys

You may remember a post we published a while back on the Kid Kustoms Roddler, an extremely expensive though equally cool baby stroller sporting a design inspired by classic hot rods. At a cost of between $2,000 to $3,500 though, it makes little sense to buy for babies who outgrow onesies like it’s their job. What’s the point in buying an expensive stroller if the kid will be too big for it in a year? Kid Kustoms thinks it may have a solution for when your baby goes mobile. The Trike Conversion Kit costs $500 and will convert your infant-toting stroller into a full-on tricycle complete with a sturdy yet lightweight frame, fender covers, and publication wheels. Other accessories include functioning brake lights, custom pedals, exhaust tips and more. Fret not if you missed your opportunity to get Jr. a Roddler when he was a tot, as Kid Kustoms will also sell you the tricycle outright for $1,200. There are certainly many ways to spoil your children, and this would be one of our favorite… if we had the money.

[Source: Kid Kustoms]

Continue reading Kid Kustoms offers Trike Conversion Kit for Roddler

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