For the second model year in a row, Suzuki has made virtually no changes to the Equator, its offering in the midsize pickup truck segment. All 2012 trims now come equipped with vehicle dynamic control, and three new exterior color options are now available. With seven trim options, along with multiple cab and truck bed sizes, Suzuki apparently feels well-suited to compete against the likes of the Nissan Frontier and Toyota Tacoma.

The trims available for the 2012 Suzuki Equator are the Base Extended Cab, with or without Comfort Package, the Premium Extended Cab, the RMZ-4 Crew Cab 4WD, the Sport Crew Cab, the Sport Crew Cab 4WD and the Sport Extended Cab 4WD. The Base Extended Cab, Premium Extended Cab and Sport Crew Cab trims are rear-wheel drive (RWD) and come standard with a 152-hp, 2.5-liter, 16-valve, DOHC, digital fuel injection 4-cylinder engine with variable valve timing that is rated at 171 lb-ft of torque. The 4WD trims are equipped with a 4.0-liter, 24-valve, DOHC digital fuel injection V6 engine with variable valve timing that achieves 261 hp and 281 lb-ft of torque. The Base Extended Cab trims come with a 5-speed manual transmission, while the remaining trims come equipped with a 5-speed automatic. All run on regular gasoline, with the Base Extended and Sport Crew Cab trims estimated to get 19 mpg city/23 highway, the Premium Extended Cab to get 17/22 and the 4WD trims to get 15/20.

All 2012 Suzuki Equator trims come factory-equipped with folding exterior mirrors, power-assisted steering, a manual-tilt urethane-wrapped steering wheel, cloth seating surfaces, front bucket seats with center console storage, front flat-fold passenger seats with backboard, rear 60/40 split seats, rear under-seat storage with a lid-removable box, rear doors, windows and back privacy glass, variable intermittent wipers, a zero-maintenance self-adjusting timing chain and 15-inch steel wheels with General Grabber AW tires.

Upgrading to the Comfort Package adds air conditioning to standard equipment. Selecting the Premium Extended Cab trim adds power windows with driver-side auto down, power door locks with remote keyless entry, cruise control with steering-wheel-mounted controls, premium cloth seats, a sliding rear window with lock and 16-inch aluminum alloy wheels with BF Goodrich Long Trail tires as standard equipment. All Sport trims come standard additionally with limited-slip traction control (either 2-wheel or 4-wheel) and 17-inch aluminum alloy wheels with BF Goodrich Long Trail tires.

Numerous safety features are found on all 2012 Suzuki Equator trims. These include a dual-stage driver and front passenger airbag supplemental restraint system, roof-mounted curtain side-impact and rollover supplemental airbags for outboard occupant head protection, front seat-mounted side-impact supplemental airbags, active front seat headrests, a tire pressure monitoring system, 4-wheel ventilated antilock disc brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution and vehicle dynamic control.