Suzuki Announces Pricing For Award-Winning Equator Pickup, Grand Vitara Compact Suv
American Suzuki Motor Corp. (ASMC) 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 (including the $775 destination and handling charges), 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. Prices listed include the $775 destination and handling charges. 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 (includes $775 destination and handling charges) 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.
Suzuki Grand Vitara
The 2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara four-cylinder model is offered in four trim levels: Base, Premium, XSport and Luxury. The base model is a four-cylinder RWD trim, with a list of standard equipment that is far from basic and includes: air conditioning with automatic climate control and micron air filtration system, trip computer, power windows, mirrors and door locks, remote keyless entry, tilt steering wheel, automatic on/off headlamps, four-speaker AM/FM/CD/MP3/XM Satellite Radio®-capable audio system and 16-inch wheels. The Base model Grand Vitara carries a starting MSRP of just $19,249. All prices listed include the $750 destination and handling charges.
With a starting MSRP of $19,649, the Premium model (four-cylinder only) adds a leather-wrapped steering wheel with illuminated audio controls, cruise control, privacy glass, full-size spare tire cover, cargo cover, and, when equipped with the optional Single-Mode four-wheel drive, heated exterior mirrors.
The XSport, available with RWD or Four-Mode four-wheel drive, adds both functional and luxury features, including power tilt-and-slide sunroof, the SmartPass™ keyless entry and start system, six-disc CD changer, 16-inch aluminum alloy wheels, roof rack rails and fog lamps. With the available V6, XSport 4WD also gains Hill Descent Control and Hill Hold Control, 17-inch aluminum alloy wheels, eight-speaker audio system with subwoofer and center channel speaker and door-mounted courtesy lights. In addition, the XSport deletes the full-size spare tire cover and replaces the standard steel spare wheel with a handsome matching alloy that makes a strong off-road capability statement. Grand Vitara XSport models with 2WD start at $22,499.
The top-of-the-line Luxury, with starting MSRPs of $23,999 for 2WD and $25,649 for 4WD, builds on the XSport equipment and adds larger wheels and tires, leather seating surfaces, heated front seats, eight-speaker audio with subwoofer and center channel speaker black wood grain trim accents and full-size spare tire cover (with steel spare). With the V6, the Grand Vitara Luxury trim line also receives a HomeLink® wireless control system. In all Grand Vitara models, standard and optional audio systems are XM Satellite Radio®-capable, and an accessory iPod® interface is available.
