The Equator arrived for 2009 as Suzuki's first venture into the compact pickup market. The truck is built by Nissan and features mostly Frontier hardware, but Suzuki had plenty of input in its styling. The fully-loaded Equator isn't a luxurious model, but it does come in the RMZ-4 off-road package. The RMZ-4 features a moonroof, Dana 44 axles, electronic rear-locking differential, Bilstein shocks, skid plates, BFG Rugged Trail T/A tires, unique seat trim with red stitching and a leather-wrapped steering wheel.
The Equator is available as an extended cab only in two-wheel drive and as a crew cab in 4x2 or 4x4 configurations. The base engine is a 2.5-liter inline-four-cylinder engine. A 4.0-liter V-6 engine is available in the extended cab and standard in the crew cab. There's a choice of Base or Premium trims in the extended cab inline-four-cylinder models; the V-6 comes in a Sport trim. The crew cab is available in Base or Sport with two-wheel drive, and four-wheel-drive models are available in either Sport or the off-road RMZ-4. All extended cabs have a 6-foot-long cargo bed, while the crew cab comes with a 5- or 6-foot bed.
Starting the Engine
Before Starting the Engine
1) Make sure the parking brake is set fully.
2) Manual Transaxle ā Shift into āNā (Neutral)
and depress the clutch pedal all
the way to the floor.
Hold the clutch ...
If the Engine Overheats
The engine could overheat temporarily
under severe driving conditions. If the
engine coolant temperature gauge indicates
overheating during driving:
1) Turn off the air conditioner, if equipped.
...
Ride & Handling
If you've been shopping around and test-driving small crossovers, you're
probably already familiar with the firm ride many of them offer. There are only
a handful of models in the segment, like th ...