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| Our Crew Cab Equator drew a lot of looks and questions at this station in Del Rio, Texas. |
NICE ON/OFF-ROAD FEATURES
The Equator is nicely put together and shows both Nissan and Suzuki are very much on par with the fit and finish levels seen in Toyota's Tacoma. The Equator Crew Cab 4x4's ride is actually nicer all around than the Tacoma, especially models featuring the RMZ-4 off-road package, named after their RMZ-4 motocross bike.
If you are a true off-road adventurer, the RMZ-4 Equator will be your ride of choice. Not only does it come with an electronic-locking rear differential, it also has a sprayed in bed liner, angled bed extender to accommodate bikes, sliding bed rail and in-floor tie-downs, and moonroof.
Those items, along with nearly nine inches of running ground clearance and more than 10 under the RMZ-4's Dana 44 rear axle, BFGoodrich A/Ts, Bilstein shocks, fog lights and skid plates, gives one a very capable mid-size pickup for just about any off-pavement foray.
The interior is just as functional. The front buckets are comfortable with plenty of adjustment in seatback angles and slide. The rear split-bench seat in the Crew Cab flips up revealing small storage boxes underneath. Need more room for longer items, flip the front passenger seat flat.
By the way, the seat material in the RMZ-4 package is designed to resist the wear and tear of dirty clothing, while the eight-speaker Rockford-Fosgate sound system lets you boom the tunes loud and clear - even from your iPod.
Other cool features in the Crew Cab Sport and RMZ-4 models are Hill Descent Control (helps maintain downhill braking without you doing the work) an Hill Hold Control, which allows you to take your foot off the brake and hitting the gas without the Equator rolling backward.
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| The Equator interior focuses on function more than frills. Sound system is Rockford-Fosgate and offers multiple functions including MP3 and Bluetooth compatibility. RMZ-4 option package also includes special seat fabric designed to withstand the riggors of hard outdoor use such as water and dirt/mud stains. |
Suzuki offers the Equator in two cab configurations: Extended Cab and Crew Cab. The Extended Cab model can be ordered in the Base (manual 5-speed) and Premium (5-speed automatic) trim levels, both as 2WD with the 4-cylinder.
Move up to the Sport model and the V6 replaces the four-banger, the automatic is standard, and the choice is either 2WD or 4WD.
Crew Cab Equators open the door even further, so to speak. In addition to both long and short-bed versions Suzuki offers the Base model as a 2WD with the V6/automatic package. Sport models offer the 4WD package as well as the special RMZ-4 off-road package, which brings with it red stitching in the upholstery, chrome instrument cluster, and leather-wrapped steering wheel along with the other items mentioned earlier.
After spending a couple days jumping between Extended Cab and Crew Cab models, I4 and V6, 2WD and 4x4, my preference for off-road exploration, trailer towing, and all-around off road adventures is without a doubt the Crew Cab RMZ-4.
This model has the interior room, bed cargo features, and all around performance that appeals to those who pursue an active outdoor lifestyle with friends and family.
The question our new-found buddies here at the boat ramp are asking is about the price of Suzuki's new pickup. Pricing is still to come as the trucks go on sale in late November or early December. But we suspect Suzuki will keep the Equator competitive with the Frontier, meaning the bare-bones base model Equator Extended Cab 2WD would be around $22,000 and top out close to $30,000 for a loaded Crew Cab RMZ-4.
For more info check out: www.suzukiauto.com
