Long Term Update 5: 2009 Suzuki Equator

After recovering from a bout of vandalism, which netted two smashed rear windows and a two-week stay at the body shop, our long-term Equator got its second scheduled service, a $312.83 job at 15,000 miles that included an oil change, inspection, tire rotation, and replacement of the engine and cabin air filters. Jurnecka notes, “I like the size/power/ride combination of the Equator. It seems like all the truck 80 percent of Americans would ever need, and it comes in a package small enough that it’s not intimidating to drive or hard to maneuver. I may be in the minority, but I also like the way it looks—kind of reminds me of Toyota’s sporty-looking 4WD models of the ’80s when I was growing up. It looks like you could use it to haul a dirt bike out to the hills, then thrash the truck around for a while too.”