Show us your Suzuki!

[writeforus]

Have a new 2009 Suzuki Equator pickup? We wanna know!

Show us your Suzuki! - My Off-Road Blog post - Off_Road Communty

[Yankee Tim]

Is this 2009 Suzuki Equator, the short wheel-based, solid axle, rag-topped, Jeep Rubicon-challenging, true four-wheel driven, compact sporty utility vehicle meant to replace that off-road icon, the Suzuki Samurai? You mean the 2009 Suzuki Equator, the very SUV that loyal Suzuki customers have been asking for well over 10 years but until now whose hopes had been kicked to the curb like an old pair of shoes by the manufacturer? If it is the SUV that I speak of, then I'll run right out and buy one, no, wait, two, yes two tomorrow, and I imagine thousands more will do the same.

But if it's just another crappy designed, grocery-getting, latent homo-sexual commuting, soccerMILFmobiling, full-time AWD crap can, or worse, some rebadged Daewoo or *yikes* a Nissan, you'll have to wait a while for those pics.

You reading this, ASMC?

Sorry for the hijack, writeforus.

[writeforus]

Nothing could ever replace the little 'Zukis - in your hearts or on the trail.

This is a pickup - which is so far from Suzuki's heritage, we just have to get our hands on one and say "what the heck?!"

Kinda like how everone in the past 10 years started making SUVs (Porsche, Cadillac, Hyundai), now everyone needs to get into the pickup market.

We aren't sure if we can't get our hands on one to test because they are so awesome they are flying off the lots, or if the shortage is because Suzuki was afraid they wouldn't sell and only makes them as they are ordered. Want to hear from a real-life owner.

[Yankee Tim]

The closest thing to finding out the performance would be to ask a Frontier owner, as the Eq8r is just one that was rebadged. Not that ASMC was chomping at the bit to make a pick-up (it was VERY unlike them), but it was part of a deal so Nissan could rebadge sub-compacts back home to meet fleet standards on their part. Suzuki Japan wins the most, as the will sell more units to Nissan than Nissian will sell to ASMC.

This appears to be a marriage of convenience, like AMC and Renault. Once one doesn't "need" the other (e.g. Nissan produces its own new sub-compacts), or the US large and mid-sized truck/SUV love affair ends (like its doing), so will the Equator.

Check with Steve at Calmini. They got a line of aftermarket stuff ready for the Equator. Maybe get some sneak peaks there?

[writeforus]

Great tip, thanks Yankee.

[ackerdackerly]

Yankee Tim expresses our comon feeling for the equator - perhaps in a more aggressive way than many here would.

Why buy just another pickup truck? Even with a $4000 off incentive and $1000 in Customer Loyalty Cash it's a basic $12,000 pickup truck.

We want something better! Something smaller! Something with function, not bling. Something that we can wheel!

I am going to seriously look at the Mahindra pick-up when they arrive in the fall (assuming they do...).

Slab sides. Diesel engine. 2400 pound payload. It's the closest a Suzuki 4x4 owner will ever get to what we really want - the Samurai variants the rest of the world enjoys.

My bet is that someone will fab a 2" lift kit for the Mahindra before the 2009-2010 winter is over.

[Gator]

i've heard that pricing for the new Mahindra truck will START at $20,000USD...

Way too expensive imho

[writeforus]

Okay, since there isn't anyone out there that wants to admit owning an Equator, why don't we fill up the new My.Off-Road "Readers Ride" section with Suzuki Geos and Samurais?

Log on at My Off-Road - Off_Road Community

Create your account and profile
Upload your best pix of you and your Zook. Include a few words about customization, mods. etc. Make sure you post the key word MYRIDE in the keyword/tag field. That will pick it up in the Trucks and 4x4 Section main Page, My Ride section.

Go for it!

[billybob]

Here's mine... 8 years old now & still running strong. 96 1600 16valve converted from OBDII to OBDI hard-wired in. Mazda brain custom wiring harness (thanks Whazoo) Thorley, alum rad, flex-a-lite electric fan, GM 120 amp alt, GRSII with low2, Mastercraft seats, full cage, air tank and CA smog approved!

[billybob]

CRAP... I blew it! I didn't even read the thread bfore i posted... just so excited bout posting the nuclear pickle

OOPS