American Suzuki Motor Corporation (ASMC) today debuted the all-new 2007 Suzuki XL7 midsize crossover SUV at the 2006 New York International Auto Show (NYIAS). With the introduction of the new front-wheel-drive/all-wheel-drive crossover SUV, Suzuki is moving forward to the next chapter in its ongoing SUV success story.
The 2007 XL7 is bigger, bolder and more powerful than the previous generation XL-7 and retains Suzuki’s strong styling cues, while offering available all-wheel drive and available seven-passenger seating. In creating the all-new XL7, Suzuki leveraged its SUV heritage and expertise to design an all-new vehicle for the midsize SUV crossover segment that provides style, room and adaptability for active, mobile lifestyles.
“The all-new XL7 was designed to blend SUV versatility and safety with increased driver and passenger comfort,” said Koji Yamada, chief engineer, XL7. “The XL7 not only offers the cargo and seating flexibility for all aspects of a consumer’s active lifestyle, but performance capabilities and safety features that give them the confidence of being in control.”
Performance and Powertrain
The all-new 2007 Suzuki XL7 evolves from a rear-wheel-drive, truck chassis SUV into a crossover SUV based on the sophisticated GM Theta platform with full-length underbody rails for added strength. The XL7 is now a front-wheel-drive vehicle that features four-wheel independent suspension and available all-wheel drive. The standard powertrain for the Suzuki XL7 is a GM-designed, Suzuki-built 3.6-liter, V6 DOHC engine rated at an estimated 250 hp with 243 lb-ft of torque.
The XL7’s 3.6-liter, High Feature (HF) engine with variable valve timing will be built under license by Suzuki in Japan using Suzuki engine-building technology at the Sagara engine plant.
The XL7 engine was developed as a joint effort between Suzuki and GM engineering and features unique Engine Control Unit (ECU) calibration. The use of the existing platform architecture accelerated the completion of the vehicle, which has been in development for three years.
The 3.6-liter, six-cylinder, DOHC engine is matched to a five-speed automatic transmission that features a manual-shifting (manumatic) mode. Although the new engine is nearly one liter larger than the 2.7-liter engine used in the previous XL-7, the new, larger XL7 was designed to deliver fuel economy equal to or better than its predecessor. EPA fuel economy estimates are 18 mpg/city and 24 mpg/highway for front-wheel-drive variants and 17 mpg/city and 23 mpg/highway for all-wheel drive. Towing capacity is rated at 3,500 pounds.
