Suzuki Prices 2009 Equator Pickup, Grand Vitara SUV

Most people were shocked to hear Suzuki was entering the truck market when it first announced the Equator, but now a new four- or six-cylinder pickup might not sound like such a bad idea. For those who aren’t familiar, the Equator is based on the Nissan Frontier and is built at the same Tennessee plant.

The two are virtually identical under the skin, but unlike the Frontier the Equator comes with standard side curtain and seat-mounted airbags. It also starts at $240 less: $17,220 before destination. That low price doesn’t get you air conditioning or a radio, but the same goes for the base Frontier. The Nissan is currently sporting healthy incentives of $2,500 on some models. You can read PickupTrucks.com’s review of the Equator here.

The 2009 Grand Vitara got small changes to the exterior this year and new engines that boost fuel efficiency. The base model now features a four-cylinder engine that gets 19/26 mpg city/highway. The four-cylinder Toyota RAV4 gets 22/28 mpg and the Honda CR-V gets 20/27 mpg. The new V-6 gets more power and better fuel efficiency, moving to 18/24 mpg city/highway versus 17/22 mpg for the 2008. It also now has 45 more horsepower, at 230 hp.

The Grand Vitara starts at $1,000 less than it did in 2008, mainly because the base model now has a four-cylinder instead of a V-6. Full pricing for both models is below.