Suzuki’s 2001 Grand Vitara XL-7 The future of SUV’s?
By Michael Binstock
Acorn Automotive Editor

A few months ago some of my colleagues in the automotive press were forecasting the end of our love affair with the SUV. My feeling has always been that although the passion might be waning, the vehicles are just evolving.

This year we have seen a trend to smaller, more fuel-efficient SUV’s that have more in common with the good old station wagon than the off-road truck the first vehicles were based on. There is still a market for the SUV behemoth, but in the real world and with real world pocketbooks, $60 is just a little on the high size every time I fill the gas tank.

For many years, Suzuki has had a reputation for producing small but innovative vehicles. Better known in the motorcycle and marine worlds, Suzuki found their niche as a pioneer in the small SUV market. With the introduction of the 2001 Grand Vitara XL-7 this is Suzuki’s largest and most versatile vehicle ever.

The XL-7 offers seven passenger seating, a more than adequate V6 motor, style and affordability. It also comes with a real world four-wheel-drive system that lets the driver go where most of the other SUV offerings will not go. While not designed for rock crawling, the XL7 felt both safe and comfortable in a serious off-road environment.

The split reat seat highlights the versitality of the Suzuki Grand Vitara XL-7 SUV.

While Suzuki SUV’s have been linked with General Motors, sharing other Vitara models with Chevrolet, the XL7 is exclusively Suzuki. Building off the success of the Grand Vitara, Suzuki designed the XL-7 with a 12.6-inch longer wheelbase, and a 19-inch longer overall length, making it the largest SUV that Suzuki has ever produced. Under the hood, power comes from an upgraded, all-aluminum 2.7-liter DOHC V-6 engine that is available with a manual or automatic transmissions and either two or four-wheel drive.

While some SUV owners have been lured to a sports utility vehicle by clever automotive marketing, Suzuki has take the pulse of their market and have tailored the XL7 to the prime requirements. Utility, convenience and style are prime motivators for many SUV buyers and the XL-7 provides these attributes in abundance. Even base models come with a third-row-split seat that folds to boost the cargo and passenger-carrying options. You have to pay extra in many luxury SUV’s for this option and a soon to be released 2002 SUV doesn’t even have a split third row seat. For shuttling kids, their friends and all the essential gear around town the ability to customize the seating arrangements is essential. Additionally, most females, who make up the majority of drivers and owners don’t wish to remove seats and leave them behind in the garage. The XL-7, while compact is 18 inches longer than the Toyota RAV4, 10 inches longer than the Ford Escape or Mazda Tribute and six inches longer than the Honda CRV.

To ensure that all the XL-7’s extra interior space is easily accessible, the rear doors are extra wide, about eight inches wider at the base and 12 inches wider at the top, compared to other SUV’s in the class. The XL-7’s second row seating features simple back and forward adjustment, and shares the split-folding capability of the third row to provide maximum versatility for loading passengers and cargo. The industry standard sheet of plywood fits, as does an eight-foot ladder! With both the second and third row seats folded down there is a cavernous 73 cubic feet of cargo space. An additional 100 lbs. of cargo can be carried on the XL-7’s standard roof rails. Suzuki has also taken care of the bits and pieces that are ever present in the car with storage below the cargo deck and in under-seat storage bins. The full-sized spare tire mounts outside the cargo area on the back door leaving even more space inside

As is usual when the media see a new vehicle for the first time, most of the vehicles provided for test had all the options fitted, but the XL-7 is available in a variety of trim levels. Standard equipment includes the V-6 engine, air conditioning with micron air filtration, power windows and door locks, power mirrors, keyless remote entry, cruise control, tilt steering wheel and an automatic lighting system. Other standard equipment includes multi-reflector halogen headlights, rear wiper/washer, privacy glass, adjustable armrests and a first aid kit in the rear cargo area that’s stocked with items to help with life’s little emergencies.

Moving up to the Plus model, the XL-7 gains rear air conditioning, 16-inch aluminum wheels and an AM/FM stereo system that includes an in-dash CD player. Upgrade to the Touring model, and the equipment list swells to include anti-lock brakes, power sunroof, AM/FM stereo with in-dash CD and cassette player, fog lamps and rear spoiler. The top-of-the-line Limited model, available in a few months, adds leather upholstery and step-side running boards. Oh Price! The base XL7 starts at under $20,000 and the fully loaded test vehicle I drove still had a price of under $26,000.

Suzuki’s engineers stress safety engineering in the manufacture of their vehicles. The body structure is reinforced with both front and rear crush zones engineered to work with the XL-7’s bumper system. The ladder frame chassis helps dissipate crash energy in severe impacts and to help maintain the integrity of the passenger compartment in a side-impact collision. The door pillars are constructed of the same high-tensile steel used in the ladder box frame. The XL-7 features a variety of safety technologies, including second-generation dual airbags, child seat tether anchors and rear-door child safety locks.

Suzuki has also included features that reduce noise and vibration. The XL-7’s V6 engine is isolated with special liquid-filled mounts that help eliminate vibration. Add calibrated suspension bushings and extensive sound attenuation technologies and the XL-7 delivers a suprisingly quite and smooth ride

At the very beginning of the design stage for the XL-7 Suzuki’s engineers felt that V-6 power was mandatory. In a price segment where four-cylinder engines are the norm, the XL-7’s 2.7-liter V6 is a winner, producing 170 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 178 pound-fee of torque at 4,000 rpm. To help maximize the engine’s output; the rear differential gearing has been lowered. The result is improved acceleration and towing capacity while still maintaining good fuel economy.

With so many SUV’s on the market, the Suzuki nameplate might not be the first choice or thought when deciding on a vehicle to buy. That would be a mistake. The XL-7 provides a stylish, efficient and luxurious package at a price that is tough to turn down. Everything that I require in a SUV is provided at a price that is almost half of the luxury SUV that I have been driving recently.

Deliveries of the Suzuki Grand Vitara XL-7 have just started and Kirby Suzuki in the Ventura Auto Mall are now receiving the first deliveries of this exceptional value SUV.