There Is No Slowdown for Truck Manufacturers as Performance Improvements Accelerate Into the Fast LaneHigh Gear

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The Titan has lots of builder friendly options, such as a lockable exterior-sidewall storage compartment, double-hinged 168-degree-opening rear doors, a factory bed tie-down system, spray-on bed liner, a 37-gallon fuel tank (long-wheel-base models), and 12-volt exterior bed-mounted power outlet. The Titan also gets a refreshed front-end look for '08, along with interior refinements like new seats for more big-guy comfort and a redesigned instrument panel and console.

There's not much new to report for Nissan's midsize, the Frontier, for 2008, other than the base engine is now the V6 introduced last year—a 4.0-liter V6 (the same engine used in Nissan's 350Z) that puts out 261 hp and 281 pound-feet of torque. A 2.5-liter, inline four-cylinder (available only in 4x2 models) provides 152 hp and 171 pound-feet of torque. The V6 boosts payloads to 1,552 pounds and tow capacity to 6,500 pounds.

Honda
The Honda Ridgeline midsize SUV/pickup has a 4-by-5-foot pickup bed, can haul a 1,100-pound payload, and offers 5,000-pound towing capacity, but it drives so much like an SUV that you forget you're in a truck.

In the three years since its introduction, the Ridgeline has proved it can work and play. And it has some unique features, including an on-demand four-wheel-drive system that automatically kicks in when needed, a tailgate that swings out or drops down, and a lockable, waterproof, 8.5-cubic-foot storage compartment below the bed floor.

The only power option is a transverse-mounted, 3.5-liter V6 that provides 247 hp and 252 pound-feet of torque.

Rounding Out the Pack
Several manufacturers fill out their vehicle lines by offering pickups built in cooperation with the major truck makers, and often in the same factories. Among them are Mitsubishi (with Dodge and Chrysler), Mazda (with Ford), and Isuzu (with General Motors).

The differences between closely related vehicles typically extend no deeper than body styling. Here's what's available in 2008:

Like its kissin' cousin the Dodge Dakota, the Mitsubishi Raider can rightfully claim to be the only pickup—midsize import-brand pickup, that is—with a V8 under its hood. Along with the same 4.7-liter V8, it packs a 3.7-liter V6. Extended cabs have front-hinged rear doors, while Double Cab models have four full-size doors and six-passenger seating.

Mazda B-series pickups, built on the Ford Ranger platform, are compact, sporty trucks in two-door Regular Cab or four-door Cab Plus models. The B-4000 offers Ford's 4.0-liter V6, the B-3000 has the 3.0-liter V6, and the B-2300 has a 2.3-liter inline four-banger.

Longtime engineering partners Isuzu and General Motors work together to create Duramax diesel engines and small pickup trucks. The Isuzu pickups share the Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon structural platform and engines. Two Isuzu pickup models, the i-290 and i-370, are available for 2008. Upgrades in '07 boosted engine displacements to 2.9 liters and 3.7 liters. The four-cylinder i-290 comes only as an Extended Cab 4x2 model, while the five-cylinder i-370 is exclusive to the Crew Cab 4x4. -- BUILDING PRODUCTS