Why did you choose the Suzuki Equator over the Nissan Frontier?

[trucklady]

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There has been a lot of debate regarding which of these two is actually the better truck. Some people prefer the Frontier because it the original model from which the Equator was designed from, yet some people still prefer the Equator even though it's slightly more expensive than the Frontier. What are your thoughts about this?

[savagevervet]

For me it was never a choice between Equator or Frontier. A friend of mine owns our local Suzuki dealership, and when I told him that I was looking to downsize out of a 2006 LR3 he suggested I check out the Equator. It wasn't until I started researching the truck (and others similar to it) that I learned of Equator's connection with the Frontier.

Nissan makes a good product, no doubts there. I owned a 1991 Pathfinder that I practically drove into the ground, but ultimately it was my rapport with the Suzuki dealer and the uniqueness of the Equator that sold me on it.

If Suzuki wanted to score a perfect "10" in my book, they'd offer the Equator with an optional TDi engine and a manual transmission. If they did that, they'd have a customer for life (or at least I'd be a customer until Tata Group got with the program and started selling Land Rover Defenders in the US again).

[Joe Callimachus]

I picked it 'cause I'm a slob. I like the fact that the interior of the Equator is made for outdoorsy people. Fabrics that you can wash off with a rag and lots of plastic that can be cleaned easily. Plus my wife said that it had a better ride. I could not tell the difference.

[savagevervet]

Has it been a good truck for you so far?

[Joe Callimachus]

So far so good. It gets about 17-18 mpg around town. Haven't taken it on a long trip so far but in two weeks I will go down to Cape Hatteras. We plan on taking a tour around Corolla. 14 miles of no roads. Just houses among the dunes. I'll post some pictures when I get back.

The three things about it that drive me craze are:

Mushy break pedal. Mentioned in all the reviews. Just takes some getting used to.

Temperature control is not very good. There is no gradation. It's either full cold or full hot. I will get the dealer to look at that on my first service. But I talked to someone who owns a Frontier and he says its the same there.

The plastic cover on the inside of the tailgate is not black all the way through.

Only painted on the surface, so of course its now a big white blotch where I slide my kayak in.

[savagevervet]

On balance, that sounds pretty good.

With 100+ degree daytime highs where I live from now through mid-September I'm not going to quibble about the whole cab being cold.

[SuperEQ]

The warranty was the main reason.
I had an 08 Frontier with over 30,000 miles on it. The dealership had been pestering me to trade. They wanted some good used trucks. I went and they had no long beds on the lot. He should the Equator. 2010 400 miles better warranty.
The only thing I don't like is not being able to reprogram it made a big difference on the 08. Avg City 19-20 and long trips 24-27. CAI, TBS and Hypertech programmer. It had nice throttle response as well.