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The Suzuki XL7 is newly
revamped for 2007
 for
a completely new look both inside and out. The XL7 has a bold front
end, smooth side panels, and a sporty rear hatch. The new XL7 is
bolder and more powerful than the previous generation, having evolved from
the Concept-X which we saw at Detroit in 2005.
The
2007 XL7 features
a new unitized chassis with more car-like driving characteristics. The
chassis is an elongated version of the Chevrolet Equinox's underbody,
however Suzuki offers the buyer a choice of two or three rows of seats.
The wheelbase has grown by 2.2 inches to 112.4 inches. The vehicle is
also longer by 9.8 inches at an overall length of 197.2 inches.
 This
provides much improved interior space and comfort.
Our test
car is
the XL7 Limited model which has 7-passenger seating and
almost all optional items. The base model starts off at a mere $22,900, while
adding options brings our upgraded model to about $28,000. When you go out and
actually buy this vehicle, the final price will likely be close to or below
invoice price, therefore we highly suggest buying the loaded Limited version
for its added luxury.
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 The
Suzuki XL7 features a 3.6 liter V6 with electronic fuel injection and dual
overhead cams. It produces 252 horsepower at 6400 rpm and 243 lb.-ft.
of torque at 3200 rpm. With all this horsepower, zero to sixty times
are a very respectable 7.7 seconds and the quarter mile is 16 seconds at 90 mph.
We found the engine to be responsive and smooth. Highway acceleration
was good with enough power on tap for quick and effortless passing.
Although the engine is noticeably loud when really pushed, we could barely
hear it in everyday around-town driving. Braking is good with a
stopping distance of 133 feet
from 60 mph.
The
5-speed transmission was smooth and responsive to changing road conditions.
A manual shift mode is also included for those who want to shift on their
own.
 Electronic
stability program is standard along with antilock brakes, traction control
and electronic brakeforce distribution. Tire pressure
monitoring with a display showing each tire's pressure is also
standard. We are impressed by all the safety features that Suzuki has
included in the XLS. These items are a must have on any new car yet we
seldom see it in vehicles priced under $30K. Suzuki is really stepping
up and providing the consumer with a complete package that is well designed
and features all the newest technology, all at an affordable price.
Without reading the nameplate, its easy to confuse this with a much higher
priced luxury vehicle from Acura or Lexus.
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The XL7 features a Nivomat load leveling rear suspension which cuts down on
body sway and keeps the vehicle at a constant level. However, even with this suspension system we found
body sway to be a bit too high. We feel that Suzuki could have given
the XL7 a firmer suspension that would inevitably give the driver better
control at higher speeds. However, it looks like they sacrificed
performance for comfort. Storage is plentiful in back
with a total of 14 cubic feet of room even with a third row. When
the third row is folded you have 50 cubic feet of space. Fold the
second row and you get 95 cubic feet of space. Additionally, the first
row passenger seat folds down flat as well for even more room. There
are three bins under rear trunk floor for extra storage.
The automatic
climate control system works well and features separate temperature, fan, and direction controls
for both front and rear seat passengers.  Even in the automatic
setting, front and rear seat passengers can keep their own temperature
settings. In back you have four air vents built into the roof for cooling all
the way to the third row. A trip computer gives you all the
information you need from average mph to distance traveled. The stereo system offers XM satellite radio and up to six screens
for favorite radio stations with
each screen holding six preset stations. A single disc CD and a separate single disc DVD slot lets you
watch movies in the rear seat TV screen. Two wireless headphones and a remote control
are included for a complete rear seat entertainment system.
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Leather seating surfaces are a welcome feature on the XL7 giving us a more
luxurious and upscale feeling. We did not like
the fact that only the lower seat cushion of the driver's seat was powered.
Two fully powered front seats should be available in this vehicle when it
has everything else. We
also found it hard to get your arm down to move the lever for adjusting the
seat back while sitting inside the car with the doors closed due to a rather
large and stiff armrest on the door. If you are going to have more
than one driver behind the wheel, we suggest you try adjusting the seats before
buying.
Seating comfort is adequate on long trips. Even after a 5-hour drive,
we didn't have any sore spots or back aches. Features
such as
heated dual stage front seats and a automatically dimming rearview mirror
with compass are great to have. Wood grain trim in light color looked very
nice. We suggest you buy colors with a beige interior color for a better
feeling inside. We also liked the remote starting feature which worked well
but would not remember our interior climate control settings or remember to
turn on the seat heaters. Automatic headlamps are standard but we
would have liked to see a HID system offered. The XL7 also features with fog lamps for
better visibility in foul weather. For buyers looking for more night
time visibility and a HID effect, we suggest Solaris Headamp Bulbs for a
true xenon look, see Autosupermart.com for more information.
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 Surprisingly,
there is a lot going on inside the XL7 for your money. Nobody else will give you so
many features for a price this low. The XL7 is large and roomy
with high quality interior parts. Dash mounted buttons turn smoothly
and feel good. Even the window switches are located around the gear
shift knob, just like in the much more expensive BMW X3.
There are nifty spots for storing your accessories like the one located just
above the rear view mirror. We used this to store our EZpass and it worked just fine without holding up to the the front
windshield. The flat folding front passenger seat is a thoughtful item which allows to you put long items
into the vehicle. Anyone who has ever bought wood from Home Depot for
a do-it-yourself project would appreciate this feature.
There are a few things which would like to see improved. The
instrument cluster needs brighter lighting and missing is a indicator near
the shift lever showing what gear you are selecting. Brighter lighting
in the center console would help when sunlight is pointing directly at the
stereo system. Also, stronger feeling doors and interior door pulls
would add to a higher end feeling in daily driving.
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 Our test car has a retail price of
$27,949. Everything is included for this price. This makes the XL7 a great
buy. The window sticker shows 18 miles per gallon in the city and 24 on the
highway. Our test car average 19 miles per gallon in city and highway
driving. About 45% of the parts on the XL7 come from the US or Canada.
Japan provides 35% of the parts. The Suzuki XL7 is assembled in Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada with the engine and transmission coming from
Japan. The XL7 is backed by America's #1 Warranty: 100,000-mile/
seven-year, fully transferable, zero-deductible powertrain limited warranty.
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