CTC Review: 2007 Suzuki XL7 JLX AWD

[CD_Editor]

Picture Gallery:  2007 Suzuki XL7 JLX AWD


Day 1:

Click Image to Enlarge

As some of you may know, I participate in some "driver's skills competitions" some weekends.  This weekend I headed out to the Motorsports Club of Ottawa's slush 'n slide event, which is held at the Ottodrome just outside Stittsville.  And as luck would have it, I drove a Suzuki, although not an XL7, but a Swift from 1998.More ...

[Loudpedal]

The interior looks nice, but those headlights...they hurt my eyes just looking at them. 

I'm interested in the review, but dollar for dollar, I think my local GMC dealer would be getting my business.   

[G1]

I think the headlights look great and original, but the back end is pretty bland. I don't know if too many people would be willing to drop 40g on a Suzuki-branded vehicle. They need to bring over the amazing Swift, that will definitely sell in Canada.

[ms]

I agree with G1, if there are any Suzuki officials viewing this blog please bring the European influenced Swift to North America!  or at least Canada!

[Blueprint]

When that thing came out, I tought it was a good idea to stretch the Equinox platform to accomodate 3 rows.  But then, GM comes out with the terrific Lambda platform, underpinning the Outlook, Acadia and Enclave.  Makes one wonder if Suzuki was kept in the dark when the XL7 deal was inked.

Now, One wonders where the XL7 fits in the GM universe.  The Lambdas are less expensive (depending on trim), roomier, have the same 3.6 V-6, better looks and way more room.  What's clear to me is that the XL7 is the lame duck of GM's CUV range and probably won't live a long cycle.  Resale will be terrible on this thing.  It's not a bad vehicle as it is, but next to the Lambda triplets, it's a no-sale.

[airbalancer]

When that thing came out, I tought it was a good idea to stretch the Equinox platform to accomodate 3 rows.  But then, GM comes out with the terrific Lambda platform, underpinning the Outlook, Acadia and Enclave.  Makes one wonder if Suzuki was kept in the dark when the XL7 deal was inked.

Now, One wonders where the XL7 fits in the GM universe.  The Lambdas are less expensive (depending on trim), roomier, have the same 3.6 V-6, better looks and way more room.  What's clear to me is that the XL7 is the lame duck of GM's CUV range and probably won't live a long cycle.  Resale will be terrible on this thing.  It's not a bad vehicle as it is, but next to the Lambda triplets, it's a no-sale.

But is a smaller CUV , the Lambda are very large
I look a Lambda, I think it will probably larger then what my needs are so a XL7 may be the right size for me

[jww]

I recently kicked tyres on the XL-7 when we were cross-shopping the SX-4 agains the Accent. I was blandly impressed only. Interior was far to GM for my tastes, and exterior - well, let's face it the headlights, front grill and rear-end aren't necessarily inspirational are they?

[sirAQUAMAN64]

This vehicle comes across as a bland mix-match. The concept - a stretched compact SUV - makes sense to me but new SUVs like the Santa Fe are offering 3rd rows now too, and while this model looks a little more balanced than the previous XL-7, it isn't very distinctive beyond the funky headlamp treatment and side window line. The dark plastic doesn't do it any favours either. The interior is fine, but again, elements are missing you can't put your finger on.

Base model or loaded with larger discount would be the way to go IMO.

[Blueprint]

The only thing "compact" about the Equinox is its pricing.  In size, it trumps all the other compacts (we shopped it against the MPV in 2004).  The Lambdas are indeed bigger than the XL7, but IIRC, the Outlook starts at 31995$.  While we're on value : the fwd Pilot is in the 36k$ range.  I have nothing against compacts SUVs (we loved our CR-V), but pricing is getting sillier with the new generations.

The Lambdas have the same engine but a 6-speed tranny, so there's probably not much fuel econ penalty.

Having recently seen the XL7 and the Outlook at the Montreal Auto Show, the materials in the Saturn looks so much better.

I still see value in the Equinox / Torrent, but not the XL7.  The newer Grand Vitaras good looks jump at you even more when an XL7 is near.  It's not that the XL7 is bad, it's just that it doesn't have anything really standing out for it, be it features or pricing.  Not even a solid dealer body.  Suzuki franchises come and go at alarming rates, it seems.

[Bullet Blue]

Our real estate agent apparently just picked up the new XL7, so I'll be able to give an up close and personal impression myself, as soon as time allows. I'll reserve judgement until then.

[Scaerio]

  with Blueprint

The new GV looks so good, and the SX4 is a neat looking vehicle.  Too bad they facked this up royally...

They should have stayed closer to the Concept X style.  Would have been more of a Murano/CX-7 competitor...

[AVToller]

Ken, you've GOT to be kidding. The front end on that thing is ... words fail me, at least words that can be used in polite company. 

[IMcK]

Whether a vehicle has sufficient headroom is dependant on your Sitting Height (the distance from the sitting surface to the top of your head) and not on your Stature.  Hence, like myself, you can be 6ft tall but never experience any headroom problems in vehicles because you're Sitting Height is only average or less than average.  Similarly, you might not be particularly tall when standiing (i.e. Stature) but, if your Sitting Height value is relatively large (e.g. you've got a long torso) you can still experience headroom problems with some vehicles.

[tortoise]

Looks like a decent vehicle.  But I don't understand what they were thinking when the designed those lights.  It's as though they were caught in some sort of an "investment trap" and felt they had to stick to a singular design idea, even though the rest of vehicle had been normalized.
 
Here's a quick photo edit, it's crude but you get the ideal.  This looks so much better in my opinion.

http://img368.imageshack.us/my.php?image=07suzukixl7231129ml7.jpg

EDIT: I can't get the photo to come up.  Just click the link.

[wing]

But now it doesn't have signal lights... well it does.  But would you believe the bottom part is signal as well.

[tortoise]

How hard is it to incorporate turn signals in "my" design?

[quadzilla]

Here's a quick photo edit, it's crude but you get the ideal.  This looks so much better in my opinion.

http://img368.imageshack.us/my.php?image=07suzukixl7231129ml7.jpg

All I saw was something about college women. 

[eax]

Ah pricing...Value for the $ is certainly where the XL7 shines, especially compared to most of it's competition.  Sante Fe shares a similar pricing strategy, dollar for dollar they are bang on.  When you get into the nitty gritty they have each have features that would appeal to different buyers. But comparisons with the the Lambda platform?  Does anyone even bother checking pricing before piping in lol? A fully loaded XL7 is 38 with a NAV system. With only AWD, leather and a roof it's 36...price out any comparable model in terms of features (V6, leather, roof, XM, AWD) and they will be thousands more.  An Outlook? It starts at 34k for a FWD base, that'll be 47k with leather, roof and AWD...oh you want NAV?  $52,000!!  As for the Equinox, a comparably equipped AWD with leather and a roof would be about 35500.  The pricing on the XL7 is where it needs to be, directly in line with the Korean's, thousands less than a comparable Japanese product, and less than comparable domestics before programs.  The XL7 will bring new customers to the showroom but the SX4 and the upcoming Swift will drive more.  Yes there are cost savings to sharing platforms with GM but it hurts both Suzuki's image and sales in Canada more than it helps. Suzuki is growing rapidly in the US with GMDAT cars and product like the XL7.  This is the fastest way to grow the brand in the US in a short period of time.  Once they have a sufficent, profitable dealer network, they will move away from GMDAT and bring in Japanese/Global Suzuki product designed with the US in mind.  
Globally, the 100,000 sales in the US is 4%, yes FOUR PERCENT of Suzuki's global automotive production...The XL7 was designed for the US and will sell in droves there, hopefully helping the company reach 200,000 sales by 2009. Since the company wants to be at 3 million units produced by that time, the US will still only represent 6% of global production.  Suzuki is a company driven by profit, not by sales numbers.  It has been profitable for 55 years straight...they will sacrifice unit sales in a segment for profit in another. Canada would benefit from an onslaught of the small, fantastic cars Suzuki produces overseas.  The Japanese Swift, WagonR would be a hit here, especially the diesel versions, but as a business case this does not make sense.  The cost of certify these cars for Canadian market doesn't make it worthwhile.  Suzuki will grow in line with the US and sales will be roughly 10% of what the US does.  The company won't be leaving the market and will always be a niche player appealing to a specific demographic.  Don't be surprised if Suzuki is selling 40,000 cars in Canada by 2013-2014, they have a robust product pipeline.  

[Zombie]

I learnt to drive on my mothers Swift, so I do have a place in my heart for the Suzuki badge.
Even though it had a really cheap interior and was a bit slow, the car took a licking and kept on ticking (I loved to rev the engine and ride the clutch). She eventually had to put it down at just over 200K.
This model seams a bit average and I'm guessing that is how it will sell.

[Scaerio]

Ken, you've GOT to be kidding. The front end on that thing is ... words fail me, at least words that can be used in polite company. 

I think it looks better than the real XL-7 and I said stayed closer to the style - not copy it.  Yes the front-end of the concept isn't pretty, but I think it could be transformed into something more attractive than the XL-7, plus the overall shape of the concept is closer to the more acclaimed crossovers on the market (CX-7 and Murano).