Until last night, I had never heard of the Suzuki Equator–or even seen one.
I mean, it's just a badge-engineered Nissan Frontier, but I have a thing for less-than-common badge-engineered vehicles like the Saabaru.
Just figured I'd share my latest discovery with the class.
Wait till you learn about the Mitsubishi badged dodge dakota or the Isuzu badged s10
There's a great documentary to be made on badge engineering. Suzuki and Isuzu in particular either shared or borrowed most of their lineups in the '80s, '90s and '00s with numerous other manufacturers. And even the vehicles that weren't shared with other brand had different names and trim in each of the countries they were sold in.
It's because they only sold about 5800 of them across 4 model years. I was looking at them when they were nearly new because they were cheaper used than a Frontier. But they are rare. For reference, the Kizashi outsold the Equator 4:1 and how often do you see those driving around?
I think the Kizashi and Equator were solid offerings at the time, but it was too little too late. I always thought the Kizashi was a decent looking car.
I love obscure badge engineering, especially when it catches Consumer Reports with their pants down.
I just saw one of the weird badge-engineered trucklets the other day - an Isuzu Ascender.
Fueled by Caffeine said:
Wait till you learn about the [...] Isuzu badged s10
Isuzu also sold a rebaged Colorado called the I Series. I've seen one of those, too.
Tyler H said:I think the Kizashi and Equator were solid offerings at the time, but it was too little too late. I always thought the Kizashi was a decent looking car.
100% agreed.
I'll admit that I got a little too excited the last time I saw a Kizashi in the wild.
I love the Kizahi's looks. Every time I see one, I lust. It's a weird thing. You'd think I saw a lambo or something. Glad to hear I'm not the only one.
I had never heard of the Equator until this thread. And I'm always looking at cars. It's kind of a cool/weird name for a truck. Thanks for the education!
I've seen not one but two Kizashis on the road in the last year. Blew my mind both times.
I'd have liked to find a nice Equator as a brand-appropriate support vehicle for my MC fleet, but didn't have the patience.
Fueled by Caffeine said:Wait till you learn about the Mitsubishi badged dodge dakota or the Isuzu badged s10
Did somebody say Raider?
(I know nobody said Vibe, but it's badgineered too — and I've had this stupid joke rattling around in my brain for a while.)
I like the acura version of the honda version of the isuzu trooper.
I really REALLY want this but it never was offered here. The last two years got Merc engines.
Re badged Nissan Navara. Or also known as the Frontier or the NP300.
The X350d had 400ft lbs at 1600 rpm
There's also the Dongfeng Rich, a Chinese variant of the Frontier. Some of these were sold as Peugeot rebrands:
Used to compete against one of those in offroad rally, it was a sporty version that looked pretty cool.
I would very much like* to own a Kia Elan someday
(*I probably wouldn't like it after the first time something broke, but it would be fun for a few weeks I bet)
Since we're sharing some of our favorite badge-engineered vehicles, the first-gen Honda Crossroad is one of my all-time favorites.
Yes, it is a rebadged Land Rover.
Colin Wood said:Since we're sharing some of our favorite badge-engineered vehicles, the first-gen Honda Crossroad is one of my all-time favorites.
Yes, it is a rebadged Land Rover.
Only V8 Honda as well, I believe.
And today's rebadge rabbit hole has produced the knowledge that four GT40s were rebadged as Mercurys
We need to get Pete Brock on this for CMS.
In reply to JG Pasterjak :
I never knew that. Interesting history.
The Isuzu oasis is a good one. https://www.autotrader.com/archive/isuzu-oasis-rebadged-honda-odyssey-time-forgot-257622
Honda and rover did some goofy badge engineering launching the sterling brand in the us.....
Duke said:Isuzu also sold a rebaged Colorado called the I Series. I've seen one of those, too.
Technically the Colorado was a rebadged Isuzu
It was jointly designed by GM and Isuzu, but sold as an Isuzu two years before being sold as a GM product
Tyler H said:It's because they only sold about 5800 of them across 4 model years. I was looking at them when they were nearly new because they were cheaper used than a Frontier. But they are rare. For reference, the Kizashi outsold the Equator 4:1 and how often do you see those driving around?
I think the Kizashi and Equator were solid offerings at the time, but it was too little too late. I always thought the Kizashi was a decent looking car.
That was the end of Suzuki in North America, IMO. They were trying to be something they were not, and it was a massive failure. They were very good at building small cars. They should have stuck with that, and they might still be here.
I drove Suzukis for 20 years, and would still be driving one if they kept doing what they were doing before that nonsense.
JG Pasterjak said:There's a great documentary to be made on badge engineering. Suzuki and Isuzu in particular either shared or borrowed most of their lineups in the '80s, '90s and '00s with numerous other manufacturers. And even the vehicles that weren't shared with other brand had different names and trim in each of the countries they were sold in.
Didn't Hyundai start out with the Excel that was little more than a re-skinned previous generation Mitsubishi Mirage?
There's irony in there somewhere...
In reply to Ian F (Forum Supporter) :
All the early Hyundai stuff was based on other manufacturers vehicles, mostly Mitsubishi. Before the Excel, the Pony was a 4dr version of the Plymouth Arrow/Mitsubishi Celeste/Lancer. Hyundai built it, but almost everything was interchangeable.
I like that the top off road trim for the equator was the RMZ-4 to have an extemely tenuous tie in to the dirt bike line.
The Raider is also amusing, in that originally the Raider the Dodge bade engineered version of the Mitsu Montero 1g, and then they flipped the script.
While we're talking favorite badge jobs, I always like the Hyundai Galloper, which was built until 2004 on the tooling from a Gen 1 Montero/Pajero. It got even curiouser looking when they updated the front end for ostenisbly "modern" styling, but didn't have the budget for the rest of the body structure. So you had a smooth 90s front (relatively) with a boxy as lego set from the A pillar back.
One of my pipe dream builds is an Isuzu....whatever the berkeley they were called version of the last gen v8 blazer (you know, the one that spawned the TBSS). IF I read my googles correctly, they could be found with a small LS in them, which means makin' a goon level Isuzu TBSS would be theoretically possible, and that would be absolute comedy. Though, Surfshibby being RIGHT DOWN THE ROAD and being the local ameri-barra guru makes the idea of a 4200 ITBSS a great plan too.
ETA- Isuzu Ascender. THAT'S the forgotten weirdo I'm after.
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