If you’re a weekend warrior, the Suzuki Equator makes a great comrade-in-arms. The Equator is a rebadged Frontier. Only cosmetic differences, a slight price difference and Suzuki’s longer warranty differentiate the two. Being a Frontier in different clothing doesn't hurt the Equator any, as the Frontier is a well-liked compact truck. In general, reviewers recommend the Equator over the Frontier, mainly because the two trucks cost about the same, but the Equator has a much longer warranty.
The Equator is a compact pickup truck.
The new 2009 Suzuki Equator is a mid-size pickup truck aimed squarely at active outdoor sports enthusiasts. The Equator is Suzuki's version of the newly redesigned 2009 Nissan Frontier. Equator is visually differentiated from the Frontier by its unique front styling.
The Equator is one of the few mid-size pickups available in Crew Cab/long-bed configuration. Inside, the Equator is easy to operate. The 2009 Suzuki Equator is available in a wide variety of configurations. These include short-beds or long-beds, in 2WD or 4WD, with Crew Cab or Extended Cab. Two engines are available. We found the Equator cruises nicely with the V6 engine, and it's reasonably quiet in most situations. It steers well, stops well, and ride quality is comfortable by empty pickup standards.
Off-road, the Equator RMZ-4 manages rugged terrain via low-range gears, a locking rear differential, BF Goodrich tires, generous ground clearance, and three skid plates.
Most pickups are driven empty most of the time. The new midsize Suzuki Equator is exactly that kind of truck, designed to be easier to own, easier to drive, and easier to live with than the average full-size pickup. Suzuki Equator Extended Cab ($17,220) comes standard with cloth upholstery, urethane steering wheel, and fixed headrests, and P235/75R15 General Grabber tires mounted on 15x7 styled steel wheels. All Equators are equipped with the same interior storage packages, including overhead lamp, dual glove box, front door pockets with bottle holder, rear door pocket, and center console storage box with lid. Premium grade adds air conditioning, tilt steering, cruise control, power windows, power door locks, remote keyless entry, and P265/70R16 BFG tires on 16x7 steel wheels.
The Crew Cab ($23,210) base model comes standard with air conditioning, premium cloth seats, 60/40 folding rear seats, manual tilt steering column, AM/FM/CD player with front tweeters, enhanced storage pocket systems, and a front map lamp. A 4WD model is available.
The Sport trim package comes standard with the V6 and five-speed automatic, traction control, 3.133:1 final drive ratio, P265/65R17 tires on 17-inch alloy wheels, and a cargo-tie down system. The Sport is available in Crew Cab 2WD ($24,375) and 4WD ($27,320) versions. Options include long bed, and rear bumper hitch ball.
RMZ-4 ($28,550) is the top-of-the-line Equator, and comes with features aimed to improve performance for the off-road user. These include Bilstein shocks, three skid plates, BFG Rugged Trail P265/75R16 tires on 16-inch alloy wheels and a rear locking differential. Interior standard equipment includes unique RMZ-4 seat material with red stitching, chrome instrument cluster and vent trim, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. When ordered with the Sport package $2,050), RMZ Equators also get a power tilt-and-slide sunroof as standard equipment, and Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) with Hill Hold Control (HHC) and Hill Descent Control (HDC), and audio controls mounted on the steering wheel. The audio system gains an additional subwoofer, XM satellite capability, and Bluetooth hands-free system. All RMZ-4 models come with 3.357 axle ratios.
The honeycomb mesh Suzuki grille is the most visible part of the Equator's identity, as it contains a large Suzuki emblem. Sport and RMZ-4 packages are also distinguishable by wheel size. The RMZ-4 Equators have 16-inch wheels, and higher-profile P265/75 BFG Rugged Trail tires.
Interior
Inside the Suzuki Equator, the feeling is of practicality. The front seats accommodate two.
The audio controls are highest in the center stack. Legroom for rear-seat Crew Cab passengers is generous, even behind front row occupants over six feet. The four-wheel-drive system is actuated by a dial with three positions: 2WD, 4WD and 4-Lo.
Driving Impression
We had the opportunity to drive the new Equator on country roads and highways around San Antonio, Texas. We found the Equator easy to shift and drive with the five-speed automatic and V6 engine. The engine develops maximum horsepower at 5600 rpm, and maximum torque at 4000 rpm. It steered well, braked well, and the seats still felt good after a fair amount of driving.
The Equator needed only moderate throttle to pull a 3800-pound Ranger bass boat from the water and up the ramp, although four-wheel drive was needed to pull away on the wet surface. The Equator had no trouble with the load, cruising wide-open interstates for a 480-mile round trip at speeds up to 70 mph. The Equator offers, in simplest terms, value in a pickup truck.
The resulting Suzuki Equator returns for the 2011 model year with no changes, but with the Frontier's goodness still intact. Four-cylinder trucks also lack stability control, even as an option.
The Equator is offered in several different trims, including base, Comfort, Premium, Sport, RMZ-4, and RMZ-4 Sport. The RMZ-4 Sport is the standout of the line, including the bed extender, a moonroof, a Rockford-Fosgate sound system, Bluetooth, plus Hill Descent Control and Hill Hold Control.