While this may be a surprise to some, it is not all that uncommon for automotive brands to work together to build trucks and other vehicles. In today’s market, Kia and Hyundai build an EV together and even Toyota has borrowed from BMW to build the new Supra. In the past, Nissan once teamed up with Suzuki to build a mid-size pickup. While Nissan still sells the Frontier, this truck once went by another name on the market, the Suzuki Equator.

Is the Suzuki Equator the same as the Nissan Frontier?

When it was sold, the Equator was essentially a rebadged Nissan Frontier. It had a starting cost of around $18,000 which made it cheaper than the more prestigious Frontier. It offered much of what the Frontier did, including four-wheel drive and an available V6 engine. 

This pickup truck was sold back when Suzuki still had a stake in the American market. And, because that is no longer the case, you can’t buy a new Equator in the states. Undoubtedly, the partnership between Suzuki and Nissan happened because Suzuki did not want to take on the cost of building its own truck.

Now, the Equator was not as popular as the Frontier, but it did offer a more affordable alternative. But, Suzuki just did not sell a crazy number of this mid-size pickup. And that fact is reflected by most folks probably not knowing what the Suzuki Equator is. 

Does Suzuki still make cars?

While you will not find a new Suzuki car for sale in the United States, the brand does still build a variety of models. One of these includes the Suzuki Jimny, which has become quite the popular 4×4 vehicle. Much like the old Equator did, the Jimny is fairly affordable and has legitimate capability. So it is unfortunate that the brand decided to leave the American market. 

According to AutoTrader, the Suzuki Equator first went on sale in 2008, and production lasted until 2012. Its available V6 engine made north of 250 horsepower but it could only come with an automatic transmission. The less powerful engine made 152 hp and could come outfitted with a five-speed manual transmission.

Should you buy a Suzuki Equator?

If you are interested in buying a used mid-size truck, but the Frontier is out of your price range, the Equator can be a solid option. But, as stated earlier, it is not the most common pickup. So tracking one down may not be as easy as finding a different truck. 

When it was sold new, the Suzuki Equator was only available in two distinct trim levels. The base Equator was essentially a work-spec truck, and the top trim was the Equator RMZ which offered more features. Because of that, do not expect the same choices that the Nissan Frontier delivered. 

If you do find a Suzuki Equator available near you, it can certainly be worthy of consideration. Especially if you want an affordable mid-size truck that has some quirky features.