The reviews are in for Suzuki's new small truck offering, the Suzuki Equator.  For all intents and purposes the Equator is a carbon copy of the Frontier, with a few small offerings that make it a Suzuki.  Furthermore the Suzuki Equator holds it's own in terms of ruggedness and dependability with the Ford Ranger and Dodge Dakota, so why choose the Equator?

Options may be what sets the Equator apart from the rest of the small truck pack.  For example, most tests are performed on the top of the line Equator RMZ-4, which comes packing 261 horsepower paired with a 5 speed automatic.  Obviously this type of setup will over power the more common 4 cylinder Ranger or weak v6 Dakota.  Hell, this RMZ-4 option setup offers towing for up to 6,000 lbs.

Once you start removing all the bells and whistles and start looking at a more modestly equipped Equator then the playing field becomes more even.  Most industry experts like the Equator, but be careful with the options because the price tag can easily sore to over $30,000, which seems like a lot for this old soul for a small size pickup.

Suzuki Equator

So Ford posts a $2.3 billion dollar profit today for the 2nd quarter of 2009 and already the official industry experts are chiming in.  I already have  a view point on why Ford managed to get in the black for the second quarter and it has nothing to do with vehicle offerings.  That's right, I don't think hybrids and fuel economy had anything to do with the recent numbers published by Ford.

In my opinion Ford manged to turn $2.3 billion in profit because they received the support of the American consumer.  The regular Joe blows saw that this corporation was not taking a hand out and decided to show their support through their wallets.  The American consumer, when faced with countless options on car lots, decided to choose a Ford vehicle over GM, Chrysler, or Toyota.  It's a sign that the majority of Americans don't support the bail out plans in Washington.

Another driving force in sales will be whether or not the vehicle you buy now will be supported 5 or more years from now.  If you have a major component go out on your car after the warranty has expired, will parts be radically expensive, or supported by the manufacturer.  Vehicles that are discontinued generally see higher replacement parts in generic and OEM form, why put yourself in that kind of a position.

I thoroughly realize that $2.3 billion in profits is a far cry from where a company this size needs to be, especially to keep the stock holders happy.  However, in this economic environment every ray of sunshine helps to swallow the negative news around every corner.  It's a move in the right direction and I hope Ford can prove themselves again next quarter and the American people continue to voice their opinions with their wallets.

Nothing says summer more than a bunch of sweaty congregating people looking at hot show cars.  This is especially true if you are in California, where there are a number of car enthusiast groups that put on shows all summer.  California car shows know how to do it right, they start in February and don't finish the season until late December, culminating with the International Auto Show in San Francisco.

Any car enthusiast will be able to find something that peaks their interest, especially in Northern California.  For example, just in July there are a handful of car shows to attend, like the Classic Car Show in Sonora, CA.  For the tuner crowd there is the epic Hot Import Nights in Pleasanton, CA on July 18th.

Planning on attending a car show but don't have a show car to display?  No problem, there are deals to be found in places like Redding, CA.

"Whether you are looking for a trailer queen or a daily driver, they're available," says Dwayne Goerges of Redding Used Cars.  And thanks to NorCalCars.com, the search can be simple and efficient.  Already I've found a Ford Mustang I'm willing to drive 2,300 miles for.  Carless or not, we'll see you in Cali to sweat together at the car shows.

Muscle obviously doesn't have to refer to cars alone, there are 2 trucks that can proudly and honestly wear the muscle moniker.  The Ford F150 Lightning and the Dodge Ram SRT10.  Both of these hairy chested man machines are packed with power, speed, and enough torque to rip up the pavement.  But what would happen if they lined up next to each other on the 1/4 mile or on your local highways?  Like any race, it depends on the driver, but lets look closer at the matchup of muscle trucks.

Lightning

The 2004 Ford Lightning is packing some serious heat, not as much in displacement, but with forced injection.  The later model Lightnings were equipped with a 5.4L Super Charged engine.  This testosterone fueled motor produced about 380 horsepower and over 450 ft lb of torque.  Plenty to push the modestly sized lightning down the road.  There were just under 3,800 produced and 2004 was the last year they were produced by team SVT.

SRT-10

Dodge wins the displacement and cubic inch game with an 8.3L V10 engine.  Honestly, my hands are sweating  typing about such a hairy motor, which produced over 500 horsepower and 525 ft lb of torque.  Whenever you hit the gas you had better be holding onto something.  The Dodge RAM SRT-10 was last produced in 2006, but there have been rumors of a resurface in recent months.  Looking at production numbers, in the 3 year production of the SRT-10 there were only a total of 9,000 made.  It's a rare muscle truck, but one worthy of the name, and a serious contender for the Lightning.

See the two race in the video below.  While the SRT-10 wasn't quite ready for the first launch, the second attempt was much more valiant, but the Lightning pulled away at the end.

In this video you can see the Lightning clearly stomps a mud hole in the ass of the SRT-10.

Although these are just a few examples, I'm gonna have to give the F150 the checkered flag. The RAM is just too bulky of a beast, even with it's massive engine to compete with the nimble Ford Lightning. Keep in mind this is just an opinion piece and I'm sure there are those out there that can drive better than the videos above. But keep in mind the suspension and weights of the two muscle trucks when considering a showdown. Dodge RAM SRT-10 owners beware.

Lightning VS SRT-10

Will Audi be releasing a 4 door A7 coupe in 2010?  Audi has hinted that a production 4 door sport coupe has been in process, at least since the Detroit Auto Show where a potential A7 was being displayed.  In my opinion it's taking a pretty big gamble on the market, the same gamble Porsche is with their Panamera.  Of course, we all know the condition Porsche currently is in.

If Audi does decide to bring the 4 door A7 to market in 2010, it will be 1 of 3 super fast grocery getters.  Not a whole lot you can't do with a super charged v6 of super charged v8 engine, but would you really want to be doing that in an ugly 4 door confused vehicle?

Mitsubishi announced that it would be releasing it's iMiEV Electric car and is hoping to get some chargers throughout Japan.  Specifically Mitsubishi is trying to get EV chargers in parking lots and any public spaces where these cars may frequent.  Electric cars have a limited range, so parking lots would be a good place for people on longer trips to stop by and charge up before heading home.

Furthermore it would show the cars success if more chargers were placed throughout the country.  If everywhere you looked there was a charge station for an EV vehicle, wouldn't you want one?  As it stands now, the only place people will be charging the Mitsubishi iMiEV will be in their own garages and driveways while they sleep.

Hyundai Assurance Gas Lock

In this economy all manufacturers are struggling to sell new cars and all are trying some new angles to bring the customers in.  Recently we've seen such deals where a manufacturer will buy your car back if you lose your job or even another will make your payments for you if you lose your job.  The latest gimmick is from Hyundai and it might make you choose them over the other players in the field for your next new car purchase.

Hyundai has announced the Hyundai Assurance Gas Lock which will fix your gas price at just $1.49 per gallon for 12 months.  This assurance program is being offered to all new Hyundai buyers or the option of taking $1000 cash.  Estimates put the number of new Hyundai buyers at 1/3 that take the cash over the gas card.  But why?

Because most Hyundai vehicles get such good gas mileage it will be very difficult to save more than $1000 in gas savings.  Industry analysts believe gas will remain below $3.00 per gallon for the next year.  This means your savings per fill up will be less and less and most estimates put the figure around $580 in a year.  Well, the $1000 sounds a lot better than $580, which is average if you are driving around 12,000 miles per year.

Whichever incentive you choose it's still thinking outside the box and if prices hit $5 per gallon you know you'll be covered.

The latest news from the German auto manufacturer is that Porsche denied the merger option set forth by VW.  According to insiders, VW offered to purchase 49% of Porsche.  Details are sketchy, but according to  a Porsche spokesman the deal apparently didn't make sense for Porsche.  Obviously this is having an impact on both stock prices in a troubling economy.

Further disappointment for Porsche comes when Germany denied a request for a multi-billion euro loan.  This loan was the help alleviate financial pains felt by Porsche, for trying to purchase VW.  Yes, purchase VW, apparently these companies can't make up their mind who wants to own whom.

"Porsche will now hold talks about alternative financing possibilities," it said in a statement.

"Porsche has always made clear that what we are talking about here is a loan for its operations that will not burden the German taxpayer," it said.

Sounds like a power struggle that neither parties need to take part in right now.  Also, echoing the sounds of the Big 3 domestic manufacturers and we all know the loans didn't help GM.  Up until just recently the head of Porsche seemed to have it right, "luxury and assistance do not fit well together."  So why start now?

Oh how I love when new spy photos show up, adorning the new model are always some beautiful camouflage.  The latest spy pics are of the 2011 Kia Sportage SUV, thanks to LefLaneNews.com.

Not a lot is known about the 2011 Kia Sportage, but experts believe that some restyling in the form of coupe-like styling.  Again, so hard to tell with that ugly ass camo and the fact that manufacturers love changing things up right until release.  I don't think the 2011 Kia Sportage need a lot of attention right now and certainly won't get anyone's heart pumping, but new models need their glory.

2011 Kia Sportage Pics