New challenges for reliable pickups

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2009 Ford F-150.

Brian Early

SPECIAL TO THE STAR

While the spectre of a return to $1.40-per-litre fuel and a general air of fiscal belt-tightening may put a dent in the number of people who buy pickups for personal use, the vehicles remain a staple of the commercial world – steed of the tradesman (or woman), the blue-collar worker's best friend.

Dented but not broken, the personal-use pickup market will exist for the foreseeable future, as there will still be those who want to haul bikes, boats, bricks or lumber, or simply tow a sizeable trailer.

Here are a few models to look for.

2009 Dodge Ram 1500

Of the two all-new pickups at this year's show, the Dodge Ram seems the most oriented toward personal use. Dodge's half-tonne "1500" models have switched from the ox-cart technology of leaf springs for suspending the rear axle to more car-like coil springs and multiple links, a move that reduces unsprung weight and friction to the benefit of ride quality, particularly unladen.

Critics and the competition might call coils weak, but look at the next freight train that passes and you'll notice coils suspending even the heaviest rail cars.

Last year's 210 hp, 3.7-litre V6 and 310-hp, 4.7-litre V8 continue, with the 5.7-litre Hemi V8 receiving variable valve timing and other tweaks to produce a robust 390 hp and 407 lb-ft. of torque. Aerodynamic improvements (yes, in a truck) and remapped cylinder deactivation contribute to claimed fuel economy gains.

Three bed lengths exist; 5-foot-7, 6-foot-4, and 8 foot, with availability depending on which cab you want. Dodge now offers a true Crew Cab half-tonne, in addition to regular and Quad Cab variants, and its box can be fitted with "RamBoxes" – waterproof bins that sacrifice bed width for convenient, lockable storage accessible from both sides of the box. The Ram's interior is less stark and plastic, which bodes well for future vehicles. In top Laramie trim, it's actually quite upscale.

2009 Ford F-150

There's a good reason Ford's had the best-selling pickup truck for years: if you can't find an F-150 to fit your needs among the umpteen variations available, you probably don't need a half-tonne truck.

Ford gives you greater freedom than Dodge to mix bed lengths (5-foot-6, 6-foot-6 inch, and 8 foot) and cab styles (regular, SuperCab and SuperCrew), while offering a similarly confusing number of trim levels.

A 248-hp, 2-valve per cylinder, 4.6- litre V8 is the base engine (the V6 is gone), with 292-hp, 3-valve per cylinder, 4.6-litre and 310-hp, 3-valve 5.4-litre versions available. All but the base engine are teamed with a new six-speed automatic transmission.

The F-150's frame and suspension have both been redesigned (though leaf springs remain at the rear), with SuperCrew cabs now having a flat rear floor, to the benefit of interior cargo capacity and legroom.

The restyled interior improves upon the outgoing F-150, but the 2004 truck took a greater leap over its predecessor in this area.

For most truck buyers, the box is what matters anyway, and Ford has some clever additions, namely a pair of available swing-down box side steps and a slide-out tailgate step and handle, which promise to make bed access much easier, especially given the height of the F-150's box sides.

2009 Hummer H3T

Hummer finally adds a true pickup truck to its civilian lineup – the super-stubby, virtually useless H2T doesn't really count – by adding a 5-foot box to the mid-size H3.

Engine choices are the same as those in the Chevy Colorado-based H3 SUV; a 239-hp, 3.7-litre inline five or the Alpha trim's 5.3-litre V8. Both are paired with a four-speed automatic, while the inline five can also be equipped with a five-speed manual transmission.

Other than a 566 mm longer wheelbase (and the worsening of the breakover angle and turning circle it creates), the H3T effectively shares the H3's virtues and vices: seating for five, style-compromised outward visibility, lacklustre on-road performance, and off-road capability that would make goats envious.

True to purpose, the H3T is the only pickup in its segment offering a locking front differential and 33-inch tires.

2009 Suzuki Equator

Unless you count a limited number of extended-length Samurais built in the '80s, the Equator is Suzuki Canada's first venture into selling pickup trucks.

It is not, it should be noted, Suzuki's first venture in making pickups, as it doesn't actually build the Equator – Nissan does, in its Smyrna, Tenn., facility.

The Equator is actually a gently reworked version of the Nissan Frontier, which is not a bad thing, given Nissan's years of experience in the pickup market and the above-average reliability rating Consumer Reports gives the Frontier.

Canadian Equators will come only as long-box (6 foot) Crew Cabs, available in just one well-equipped trim level, powered by Nissan's excellent 261-hp, 4.0-litre V6, coupled to a five-speed automatic and four-wheel drive.

All you have to pick is whether you want it in black, white or silver. That'll be $33,795, please.

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