2009 Suzuki Equator

Why has small-but-growing Japanese automaker Suzuki brought a new midsize pickup truck to market just as U.S. truck sales were tanking due to high gas prices? Come to think of it, why has Suzuki, known better to most Americans for its motorcycles, ATVs and boat motors than for its cars, brought a new pickup to market at all?


“There is a powerful connection between our motorcycle audience and the truck market,” says Suzuki Marketing and Public Relations VP Gene Brown at the Equator’s 2008 Chicago Auto Show introduction. “We have tens of thousands of Suzuki customers hauling our products in trucks every day. In fact, research shows that on average, our motorcycle and marine owners are nearly 50 percent more likely to have a pickup in their household fleet, and our ATV owners are nearly twice as likely to have a pickup in their garage. We are adding an entrée to the menu of vehicles that they can get from Suzuki to support their lifestyles.”


So, if “active lifestyle” owners of Suzuki adult toys are going to haul them in or behind a pickup, it might as well be a Suzuki. Makes sense, but designing and engineering a new vehicle consumes three to five years and enormous resources, and is incredibly expensive. That’s why Suzuki decided to market a mildly modified version of Nissan’s Frontier midsize truck as its own. Even if its sales are modest, that’s a win-win arrangement for both companies.


Suzuki says this new Equator, developed as a joint effort with Nissan North America—and named “4X4 of the Year” by 4-Wheel — Off-Road magazine—offers a well-rounded blend of style, utility, comfort and off-road capability, and we can’t disagree. It’s available for 2009 in Extended and Crew Cab, short- and long-bed and rear- or four-wheel-drive (4WD) variations.

Rugged Style

A set of unique Suzuki styling elements—including the hood, front fenders, grille, bumpers, front fascia and tailgate—differentiate Equators from their Nissan Frontier cousins. Extended Cab and Crew Cab models offer an available “high-utility” bed with a spray-on bedliner and a cleverly useful tie-down system with adjustable tracks. Of course, the wide range of available accessories includes specialized bed components for securing and transporting a motorcycle or ATV a relatively simple task.


The somewhat Spartan interior tries hard to strike a balance between truck function and car comfort. Extended Cabs and Crew Cabs have a fold-flat front passenger seat and flip-up rear seats with removable storage boxes underneath. Among the handy convenience features are a dual glove box with lock, a center console box with a 12-volt power outlet, additional power points and cupholders and storage for one-liter bottles in the front doors. The available Premium, Sport and RMZ-4 packages include cruise control, power mirrors, locks and windows and remote keyless entry, while a Sport package adds eight-speaker-plus-subwoofer Rockford-Fosgate audio with steering wheel controls, a six-CD changer, XM Satellite Radio, an auxiliary input jack, wireless Bluetooth and, on the Crew Cab RMZ-4, even a factory moonroof.

Powertrain and Chassis

Standard engine is a 2.5-liter DOHC four good for 152 hp and 171 lb.-ft. of torque, while an optional 4.0-liter DOHC aluminum block V-6 ups the ante to a more robust 261 hp and 281 lb.-ft. Transmission choices are a five-speed manual (standard with the four-cylinder only) or a five-speed electronically controlled automatic, with or without available shift-on-the-fly 4WD with an electronically controlled part-time two-speed transfer case. Available for serious off-road duty is a comprehensive system with four-wheel active limited-slip traction control, an electronic locking rear differential, Vehicle Dynamic Control, Hill Descent and Hill Hold Control.