Suzuki's first truck -- Tundra or a Frontier?

After years of producing some pretty cool motorcycles, Suzuki seems to be getting its four-wheeled act together. The company also appears to be sincere in its flattery of the Toyota Tundra pickup truck, as the model pictured here is Suzuki’s first-ever attempt in this sector. It’s called the Equator, debuts at the Chicago auto show on February 6 and goes on sale toward the end of the year.

There is another mainstream Japanese connection. The Equator is based on the Nissan Frontier platform and will be built at Nissan’s manufacturing facility in Smyrna, Tennessee. Under the hood will be a choice of a four-cylinder engine or a V-6. No prices have been announced yet, but Suzuki has historically aimed at the budget end of the car market. The cheapest Frontier comes in at $21,000, so the Equator might equate to something south of that.

-- Colin Ryan

Comments

[A. Palmer]

Hopefully this is a true compact truck, not a midsize like the Frontier or Tundra. A lot of people are looking for something that's reasonably fuel-efficient (kudos for offering a four-cylinder) and easy to park, while still ofering truck practicality, which is hard nowadays with the obesity trend in vehicles.