Every car is an argument about what matters, and the Suzuki Equator makes its case with 2.5L Nissan QR25DE I4 and 152 hp. Suzuki built from 2008 to 2010 — in the decade of stability control, dual-clutch gearboxes and the first serious hybrids.
The story
The Suzuki Equator is a mid-size pickup truck based on the Nissan Frontier, assembled by Nissan and sold under the Suzuki brand. It was released in the 2009 model year in the United States, it made its debut at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show. The Equator was offered as either a four-seat Extended Cab or a five-seat Crew Cab. In the Canadian market, the Equator is only offered in the Crew Cab configuration, in a single trim level. Power on base Extended Cab models comes from a 4-cylinder engine. A V6 is optional on Extended Cab models and standard with the Crew Cab. Both engines are supplied by Nissan.
The base 2.5 L QR25DE Inline-4 produces 152 hp (113 kW) at 5,200 rpm and 171 lb⋅ft (232 N⋅m) at 4,400 rpm, and is a rear-wheel-drive. It comes with either a five-speed manual transmission or a five-speed automatic. The 4.0 L VQ40DE V6 engine develops 261 hp (195 kW) at 5,600 rpm and 281 lb⋅ft (381 N⋅m) at 4,000 rpm. It comes standard with a five-speed automatic and is available with four-wheel-drive. The Equator won Peterson's 4Wheel & Off-Road'S 2009 4x4 of the Year, beating out the Dodge Ram 1500, Ford F150, Hummer H3, Kia Borrego, and Toyota Sequoia. Sales of the Suzuki Equator since 2009 have been 5,808 overall, and it rarely sold over 200 units per month. The Suzuki Equator was discontinued in 2010 for the Canadian market and 2012 for the United States market.
What is underneath
Under the skin sits 2.5L Nissan QR25DE I4; it is rated at 152 hp; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. Kerb weight is 1672 kg. Power-to-weight lands near 91 horsepower per tonne, which is brisk everyday performance. The gearbox is a 5-speed automatic / 5-speed manual. The wheelbase is 125.9 in / 139.9 in (crew cab/6' bed). These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Its place in the line
Where it sits in Suzuki's history is not in doubt: it was built at Smyrna, Tennessee, United States. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Dodge ZEO, the Tatra 810, the Infiniti QX50. Nearby in the Suzuki catalogue sit the Suzuki XL-7 and the Suzuki Landy.