Car enthusiasts chortled when Saab announced that, to fill a gap in its product lineup for a smaller car in the 2005 and 2006 model years, it would modify a Subaru Impreza into a Saab 9-2X. How could a Subaru be a Saab? Some wags promptly dubbed the vehicle a “Saabaru.” Saab later raided the corporate GM parts bin to produce the Chevrolet TrailBlazer-based 9-7X or “TrollBlazer”.And now we come to another hybridized vehicle—“hybrid” as in “gene pool,” not as in “gasoline/electric engine.” Take the basic GM SUV platform used in the Chevrolet Equinox and Pontiac Torrent. Reconfigure a bit to incorporate Suzuki styling cues, and voilà—meet the Suzukrolet, for want of a better term. Now, if you insist, it’s really the new 2007 Suzuki XL7, which this year lives up to its “XL” moniker, being longer, wider, heavier, more powerful, and pricier than the 2006 model.
But one thing is sleeker than the model it replaces: With all of the stretching and beefing up that’s going on, the marketing department decided to shave a little weight off by lopping off the hyphen in the name, so that now it is known as just the XL7, instead of the XL-7. We’d better alert the chromium suppliers to the auto industry that Suzuki will be purchasing less chrome for the badges this year!
The new pricing—starting at $23,534 for a five-passenger XL7 with two-wheel drive, up to $24,884 for a seven-passenger, two-wheel drive version—means that the XL7 gives up its spot as the least expensive seven-passenger SUV sold in the U.S.; that honor has shifted to the Hyundai Santa Fe.
Although the XL7 is based on the same GM platform used in the Equinox and Torrent (and is built at the same Canadian GM plant), it is larger than its siblings; it’s 8.4 inches longer and two inches taller, and sports a third row of seats, something the Equinox and Torrent don’t have. When turning, you’ll be aware of the bigger dimensions; the turning circle tops out at 41.8 feet, making it bigger than some of its competitors.
A more-powerful engine making 252 horsepower adds to the Suzuki superlatives (performance is quite good, with easy passing at freeway speeds). However, the superlatives don’t extend to gas mileage—17 mpg city and 23 highway is all you’re going to get, which puts it in the middle of the SUV pack. Part of this may be due not only to the larger engine, but to the sheer weight of the vehicle; if you drive the top-of-the-line seven-passenger four-wheel-drive XL7, you’ll be moving 4,040 pounds of steel around.
The ride feels smooth and quiet, probably because the body is built using monocoque construction, like a car, rather than the earlier truck-based XL7s. Even though it has a car-like body, there’s still a generous ground clearance of 7.9 inches, which means the XL7 can ride above any pavement disturbances below. Testers did notice some wind noise at high speeds, however, but you may be enjoying the heated leather seats and seven-speaker audio system more than listening for extraneous noises.
Our take? A good run-of-the mill SUV, with all the usual luxury appointments. This may be the one to look at if you value a higher-powered engine than some of its competitors have.
Additional articles:
Suzuki: Underdog or under the radar?
Suzuki Flix, BaseCamp Are Versatile at Detroit Auto Show
Via Daily Press
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