Craving a product that would meet the needs of its diehard powersports equipment customers, Suzuki of America has worked out a deal with Nissan giving it the ability to market a mid-size truck based on the bones of the competent Frontier pickup. As the Japanese automaker with the smallest footprint in America, Suzuki is gambling that the loyal buyers of its recreational products—already truck owners more often than not—will be happy to have the option of a Suzuki badge on their hauler to match the big boy toys in the bed.

Suzuki has performed a mild yet admirable restyle on the Equator, which is most evident around the area of the grille—a distinct improvement over the Frontier’s nose. The up-level RMZ-4 model we drove also offers up a smattering of unique appointments, including special red stitching, chromed door handles and side mirrors, and a revised instrument cluster.

The Equator will be offered up with both V-6 and four-cylinder power when it starts rolling into dealerships this December. Curiously, though company officials seemed happy to have the 152-horsepower 2.5-liter four in the model mix, Suzuki only offered up the 4.0-liter V-6 powered trucks for testing at the vehicle’s launch. The four-wheel-drive RMZ-4 seems to be at the very heart of what the company is trying to accomplish with the Equator, as the off-road packaged truck is quite capable of picking its way through the sort of “lifestyle” destinations the outdoorsy set aspire to frequent.

The RMZ-4 Equator offers outdoorsmen a proper low range, an electric rear locking differential, and hardy Dana 44 axles. So equipped, our tester showed little hesitancy while picking its way around or over boulder-strewn grades and multiple loose surfaces. We were able to engage both the hill-hold feature and the extremely capable hill descent system with no trouble on our torture test, needing only enough confidence in the machinery (and our guides) to leave the pedals alone on a very slick-looking hillside.

Slogging through rivers and cresting blind hillocks is good fun and all, but we were happy to find that Equator’s goodness doesn’t drop off much on the paved roads upon which its owners will likely drive most of the time. Though not a dynamic standout in any one area, the V-6 Equator’s 261 horsepower provided brisk acceleration without excessive audible protest, but the five-speed automatic transmission wasn’t particularly quick to respond to our demands while at speed. Steering response is commendable for a mid-size truck, quick to turn-in and surprisingly weighted for a potential tow vehicle, though the smallish wheel looks almost disconcertingly car-like for this application.

We do expect that the Equator will give the company’s rising group of SX4 shoppers and future Kizashi tire-kickers something solid to ponder on the Suzuki lot—especially if they’ve got a pair of matching dirt bikes to tote back in the garage.

Magazine Issue: Winding Road Issue 39