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a 'Decent' SUV Copley News Service American Suzuki thinks its timing is right for the launch of the Grand Vitara XL-7 sport-utility vehicle.
The XL-7 is 19 inches longer and has a 12.6-inch longer wheelbase. The added length went into adding a third row of seats that folds neatly into the floor when not needed. Parked next to a Grand Vitara, you can see the XL-7 is the same height and width and shares much of the body panels at the front and back. As a seven-passenger sport-utility, the XL-7 - meaning Extra Large and the automaker's seventh SUV to be sold in the U.S. - is the flagship of the line. A lot is riding on its success, spokesman Cam Smith Arnold said at a recent gathering in which auto writers were able to sample the XL-7 and Suzuki's boat engines, motorcycles and off-road vehicles. "Many people are thinking that the SUV concept is still great but getting out of hand," Smith Arnold said. "Can we stop the madness?" Suzuki doesn't really want to stop the madness, it just wants to get a bigger piece of it, but in a socially and environmentally responsible way. Its line of clever TV ads goes after the Ford Excursion and will do much to establish a different image and class for the XL-7. The XL-7 has clean and contemporary styling, which is an asset among image-conscious SUV owners, but it is the fuel economy and passenger capacity that will attract more buyers to its new truck, Smith Arnold says.
The XL-7 is sold in two- or four-wheel drive models with a standard 5-speed manual transmission or four-speed automatic. Prices start at $20,299, including a $500 destination charge, and top out at $24,999 for the 4WD Touring model. A more expensive Limited model will be available later in the year. Wisely resisting the temptation to offer a 4-cylinder model, the standard and only engine is a 170 horsepower 2.7 liter V-6 engine. It is a derivative of the Grand Vitara's 2.5 liter V-6 and is a sophisticated design of all-aluminum block and head, double overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder and a maintenance-free timing chain. Acceleration is modest but not sluggish. Two-wheel-drive trucks with the 5-speed manual transmission are rated 18 mpg around town and 20 on the highway. Four-wheel-drive models - manual or automatic shift - and those with the optional four-speed automatic are rated 17/20. There is a 3,000-pound tow rating for owners to pull their Suzuki motorcycle or ATV. And for RVers, the XL-7's electronic odometer does not accumulate added mileage when being towed. Under its steel exterior, the XL-7 is pure truck with a boxed ladder frame and solid rear axle. That's a good foundation for a tough, sport-intensive ute, but the XL-7 is being positioned as a vehicle "for the active American lifestyle." While the ladder frame makes a stiff, solid platform, the suspension is also stiff and can make for a bumpy and bouncy ride on rough road. I noticed engine vibration coming through the gas pedal, but the engine isn't loud or whiny. Equipping the XL-7 with wide 16-inch tires adds a hefty footprint for secure stopping force and stability, but the XL-7 needs that kind of support. Its stout curb weight of 3,582 pounds (or 3,703 with 4WD), combined with the extra length and narrow body, can make for choppy evasive maneuvers at highway speed, and there's more body roll than on the Ford Escape. It did not feel prone to rollover, but it wasn't especially sporty, either. The manual gearbox is stiff but uncomplicated to find gears. Fifth gear is fairly long-legged, which helps fuel mileage, but I frequently drove in fourth gear to keep the engine in its peak power range, about 3500 to 4000 rpm.
Interior roominess is snug, as it is in the Grand Vitara. Elbows touch between front seat occupants and three in the second seat would be truly cozy, even for youngsters. Surprisingly, there is head and leg room for two 6-footers in the far back. Getting into the far back is helped by second-row seats that slide on tracks in the floor. Someday those tracks will be filled with dirt and fast-food crumbs, but until then it's a clever idea for back-seat access. It would have been a better idea if the second-row seats could be adjusted incrementally fore and aft. That would allow a notch or two for extra leg room at the third seat. The interior is accommodating with an array of storage nooks, cup holders, under-seat bins (front) and a shelf under the cargo floor. The second- and third-row split seatbacks fold, but cannot be removed, which might not be a big loss to most users; the cargo index ranges from 6.6 cubic feet behind the third row to 73 with both rows folded. Suzuki built the XL-7 for the North American market, but the swing-out back door is hinged on the right side; a typical design of vehicles for right-hand-drive countries. That may not become an issue for most American users until the vehicle is parked along the street and they are close to the flow of traffic when loading or unloading packages from the back. A lift gate with lift-up back glass is a better idea, but in this case the full-size spare is stored on the back door, not under the cargo floor. Suzuki would seem to be in a special position in the United States. It builds state-of-the-art motorcycles, ATVs and boat motors, but its cars and trucks seem to be at the back of the line for development. The XL-7 is a decent enough SUV, but it's not the kind of lure that will bring hordes of buyers to dealers.
Safety equipment -- Safety is important to buyers in this family class of truck, but Suzuki could give no company statistics on its crash-test results. No side air bags are offered, but the truck's steel frame and side impact beams give adequate protection to meet all federal regulations, a spokesman says. There is high-strength steel in the A, B and C pillars - at the windshield, side doors and rear corner. However, the slim 6.6 cubic feet of crush space behind the third-row seat doesn't leave much room between the rear bumper and third seat. Other safety features include reduced-force front air bags, reinforced side-impact beams and height-adjustable seat belts in the first and second rows. Standard equipment -- Air conditioning with air filter, power windows-locks-mirrors, keyless remote locking, cruise control, tilt steering wheel, halogen headlights, rear wiper-washer, tinted glass and first-aid kit in cargo area.
Prices include $500 destination charge.
PLUSES -- Styling and standard features. MINUSES -- Tight seating for seven passengers; body roll in cornering; same dish as everybody else, just with a slightly different adaptation of the recipe. News Index | Features Index |
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AutoWord Copyright© 2001 Copley News Service |
Its largest SUV so far, this seven-passenger, four-door truck is sort of a "Grander" Vitara, a stretched version of its popular but small SUV.
Suzuki is facing stiff competition from the Honda CR-V, Hyundai Santa Fe, Toyota RAV4, Ford Escape and the Mazda Tribute -- but not one of them has seven seats. The XL-7 is 18 inches longer than the Honda CR-V and 10 inches longer than the Escape.