Test Drive: 2003 Suzuki XL-7 JLX

For 2003, the XL-7 receives an improved interior design, and a better warranty – as do all 2003 Suzukis. The previous 3 year/80,000 kilometre warranty has been replaced by a 3 year/60,000 kilometre warranty on the whole vehicle and a five year/100,000 kilometre warranty on the powertrain. That makes Suzuki’s warranty comparable with warranties from Honda, Toyota and Nissan.

The JLX 5-seater ($29,795) adds a four-speed automatic transmission, a 6-disc in-dash CD changer, cruise control, heated mirrors, and alloy wheels.

The XL-7 is quite a bit longer than a Suzuki Grand Vitara. The body is 485 mm (19.1 inches) longer and its wheelbase is 320 mm (12.6 inches) longer. That extra length significantly improves the XL-7’s passenger’s legroom and cargo room.

With its long 110 inch wheelbase, a tall roof, and a relatively low step-in height, the XL-7 has big door openings, particularly the rear doors. Even tall adults should have no problem sliding into the front or rear seats of the XL-7. Interior legroom and headroom for front and rear passengers is very generous, but the rear seat is a bit narrow for three average adults.

The front seats are tall, like dining chairs, and the seating position is elevated with a good view through the large windshield and big side windows. The rear window is extra large, but the right rear head restraint and the rear-mounted spare tire partly obscure vision to the right rear. Still, I didn’t find it dangerous. The rear window includes an intermittent rear wiper and washer which are very useful in clearing accumulated condensation, dirt, slush, ice, or snow.

Behind the wheel, the driver faces a freshly redesigned instrument panel with a more expensive look and controls placed closer to the driver. The metal trimmed, overlapping gauges are backlit, even during the daytime, and are easy to read. I liked the thick-rimmed, tiltable three-spoke steering wheel which includes controls for the radio and cruise control which move when the steering wheel is turned.

The protruding centre stack is easy to reach without leaning forwards, and includes a high-mounted radio and CD player, and a new three dial arrangement for the heater and air conditioner. To keep the controls simple, the dials rotate on the outside and include pushbuttons in the centre of the dials.

The dashboard’s clean look continues in the lower console where there is a padded door panel for a storage compartment, and a flip-up lid for the two cupholders.

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Just behind that is an attractive gear lever trimmed in wood, chrome and plastic, surrounded by a chromed border. The shift lever has an on/off overdrive button on the handle, and just to the left of the shift lever is a button for the ‘Power’ mode. A power point/lighter on the right is included for charging cell phones, etc.

A separate gear lever for engaging four-wheel-drive is located behind, and out of the way of the automatic transmission lever.

Between the front seats is an armrest that will slide forwards to rest your right arm. Underneath it is a small storage bin for CD’s – and by flipping the armrest over backwards, it can be used as a cupholder by rear passengers.

The XL-7’s rear door opens sideways from the driver’s side towards the curb. It’s easy to open and close, but it blocks your way to the sidewalk when parked on the street. The cargo opening is large (42 inches wide, 35 inches tall) and the loading height is low (28 inches). A black plastic shield protects the body-coloured rear bumper from scratches when loading. The cargo floor is 39 inches to the back of the second row seats, and with the rear seatbacks folded down, the cargo floor is a generous six feet in length.

Unusual in an SUV, both split rear seats have forward/backward adjustment, which allows one or both of them to be pushed right up against the front seats when you want to carry longer loads. For even longer loads, the 60/40 split folding rear seatbacks fold flat, however they’re not flush with the cargo floor. The cargo area includes four tie down loops, a covered storage bin on the right side, and a removeable privacy cover.

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Its 2.7 litre quad cam 24 valve V6 offers 183 hp @ 6,000 rpm and 180 lb.-ft. @ 4,000 rpm, certainly not class-leading – the Ford Escape and Jeep Liberty both offer 200 horsepower plus with their V6 engines – but off the line acceleration is peppy, and for normal around town and highway use, the engine has adequate – and smooth – power.

Independent acceleration tests by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (www.ajac.ca) show the XL-7 going from 0 to 100 km/h in 10.5 seconds, a reasonable time for a compact SUV. However, its 80 to 120 km/h passing time of 9.9 seconds is one or two seconds slower than most of its competitors, indicating that its mid-range performance is weaker, particularly with a load on board. With 183 horsepower, 180 lb-ft of torque, and a curb weight of 1690 kg (3,726 lb.), the XL-7 feels strained going up hills with five people and their luggage in the back. I wouldn’t describe it as underpowered, just not powerful.

Suzuki says the XL-7 will tow up to 1,360 kg (3,000 lbs), but I would expect its performance under these conditions to be anemic.

Cruising down the freeway, the engine does 2900 rpm at 100 km/h and 3500 rpm at 120 km/h in fourth gear, and it feels very smooth and quiet.

Fuel consumption, particularly on the highway, is rather thirsty. Urban results are 13.8 litres per 100 km (20 mpg) and highway are 10.9 litres per 100 km (26 mpg).

The XL-7’s four-speed automatic transmission provides quick, smooth shifts, and I found that the engine’s performance could be ‘improved’ by pressing the transmission’s ‘Power’ mode button. It causes shifts to happen sooner when accelerating, and generally makes the XL-7 feel more lively.

Though it’s taller than a car, the XL-7 doesn’t feel tippy when cornering at speed, and handling is very stable. The body is very tight, and the suspension absorbs bumps very well. The highway ride is excellent, and despite its tall ‘greenhouse’, wind noise isn’t excessive. Its standard Bridgestone Dueller HT P235/60R-16 tires on 6-spoke alloy wheels provide good traction in dry and wet conditions, and aren’t noisy on the freeway.

The power assisted rack and pinion steering feels tight and responsive, but not heavy, but its turning diameter of 12 metres (39.4 ft.) is not tight. The brakes (front disc/rear drum with ABS) offer a firm pedal feel and average braking distances. AJAC recorded a stopping distance of 44 metres (145 feet) from 100 km/h to 0 in braking tests – more than a Jeep Liberty and less than a Saturn VUE.

The XL-7 includes a part-time 4WD system which engages the front and rear wheels in a 50/50 split. It can be engaged at speeds up to about 80 km/h, but unlike AWD, it should only be used on slippery or loose surfaces. I’ve driven the XL-7 off-road, and offers excellent traction and hill-climbing abilities. A low range gear is available for really steep hills. Its only drawback is a fairly long wheelbase which limits it abilities over sudden steep humps.