The Suzuki XL-7 (styled as XL7 for the second generation) is a

mid-size SUV A sport utility vehicle (SUV) is a car classification that combines elements of road-going passenger cars with features from off-road vehicles, such as raised ground clearance and four-wheel drive. There is no commonly agreed-upon definition ...

sold by

Suzuki is a Japanese multinational mobility manufacturer headquartered in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Shizuoka. It manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard motor, outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a va ...

from 1998 to 2009, over two generations. Slotted above the Grand Vitara in Suzuki's lineup, the XL-7 offered three-row seating. XL-7 stands for "Xtra Large 7-seater". __TOC__

First generation (XL-7; 1998)

The first-generation Grand Vitara XL-7 or just XL-7 was a Suzuki design, had a body-on-frame construction, and was essentially a stretched Grand Vitara. The North American version had a Suzuki-designed 2.5- or 2.7-liter

V6 engine A V6 engine is a six- cylinder piston engine where the cylinders and cylinder blocks share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration. The first V6 engines were designed and produced independently by Marmon Motor Car Company, ...

, on a

rear-wheel drive Rear-wheel drive (RWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which the engine drives the rear wheels only. Until the late 20th century, rear-wheel drive was the most common configuration for cars. Most rear-whee ...

-based platform with optional

four-wheel drive A four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, is a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case pr ...

. Beginning in 2003, European versions were also available with a 2.0-liter

Peugeot Peugeot (, , ) is a French automobile brand owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was established in 1810, making it the oldest car company in the world. On 20 November 1858, Émile Peugeot applie ...

turbodiesel engine producing . A unique trait in the US market in this segment was that the XL-7 was available with a five-speed manual transmission, in both five- and seven-seat variants. When introduced, the XL-7 was the least expensive SUV available with three-row seating in North America. It was awarded the ''

Consumers Digest Founded in 1959 and published by Consumers Digest Communications, LLC, ''Consumers Digest'' was an American magazine. It was based in Chicago. The last issue was published in February 2019. The magazine had no subscribers and did not test the p ...

'' "Best Buy" award. However, sales slowed as the vehicle aged relative to the competition. In Thailand, the Grand Vitara XL-7 was Imported by Siam International Corporation Co. Ltd. on 2002. In Indonesia, the Grand Escudo XL-7 was launched on July 19, 2003, at the 12th Gaikindo Auto Expo. File:2001-2003 Suzuki Grand Vitara XL-7 (JA) wagon (2010-02-24) 02.jpg, 1999–2000 Suzuki Grand Vitara XL-7 (JA; pre-facelift, Australia) File:2004.suzuki.grand.vitara.2point0td.arp.jpg, 2004 Suzuki Grand Vitara XL-7 (facelift, UK) File:Suzuki Grand Escudo L-Edition Rear 0269.JPG, Suzuki Grand Escudo L-Edition (facelift, Japan)

Second generation (XL7; 2006)

Introduced on November 22, 2006, Suzuki partnered with

General Motors General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...

to build the 2007 model year version, now called XL7 (without the hyphen). It used the same unibody platform and many of the same components as the

Chevrolet Equinox The Chevrolet Equinox is a crossover SUV introduced by Chevrolet in 2004 for the 2005 model year. It was intended to replace the North American Chevrolet Tracker and Chevrolet S-10 Blazer. The third-generation Equinox also replaced the fir ...

Pontiac Torrent The Pontiac Torrent is a mid-size crossover SUV produced by General Motors for the 2006 to 2009 model years. A replacement for the Pontiac Aztek, Aztek, it was a mildly restyled version of the first-generation Chevrolet Equinox. The Torrent shar ...

Saturn Vue The Saturn Vue is a compact SUV that was built and marketed by Saturn, and it was Saturn's best-selling model. It was the first vehicle to use the GM Theta platform when it was introduced in 2001 for the 2002 model year. The Vue was facelifte ...

and

Opel Antara The Opel Antara is a compact crossover SUV which was marketed by Opel from 2006 to 2015. Based on the GM Theta platform, Theta platform, the Antara closely shared its automobile platform, underpinnings and powertrains with the Chevrolet Captiva. ...

but incorporated third-row seating exclusive to the Suzuki. The second generation model used a version of the

GM High Feature engine The GM High Feature engine (also known as the HFV6, and including the 3600 LY7 and derivative LP1) is a family of modern DOHC V6 engines produced by General Motors. The series was introduced in 2004 with the Cadillac CTS and the Holden Commodore ...

– designated ''N36A'' by Suzuki – built in Japan and shipped to

CAMI Automotive CAMI Assembly (an initialism of its original name, Canadian Automotive Manufacturing Inc.) is an automotive assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada, owned and operated by General Motors Canada. The plant currently assembles the Chevrolet Br ...

Ingersoll, Ontario Ingersoll is a town in Oxford County on the Thames River in southwestern Ontario, Canada. The nearest cities are Woodstock to the east and London to the west. Ingersoll is situated north of and along Highway 401. Oxford County Road 119 (formerly ...

, Canada, where the XL7 was assembled alongside the Equinox and Torrent. Styling cues on the 2007 model include a chrome slotted grille and trapezoidal headlights. It no longer has the spare tire mounted on the rear door. From its introduction in 2007 until its discontinuation in 2009, the second-generation

XL7 was available in five trim levels: Base (2007-08 only), Special (2007 only), Premium (2008-2009 only), Luxury (2007-2009), and Limited (2007-2009). Depending upon the trim level selected, both two-row, five-passenger seating and XL7 specific three-row, seven-passenger seating were available (the related

and

did not offer third-row seating as an option). All XL7s came decently equipped, and depending upon the trim level selected, could be equipped with options such as a premium audio system with a subwoofer and an amplifier, faux wood interior trim, luxury leather-trimmed seating surfaces with power-adjustable and heated dual front bucket seats, remote start, a security system, chrome-clad aluminum-alloy wheels, a power sunroof, a

Bluetooth Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). In the most widely used mode, transmission power is li ...

hands-free phone system (2009 models only), a single-disc, CD/MP3 player audio system, a six-disc, in-dash CD/MP3 changer audio system, a touchscreen

GPS The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based hyperbolic navigation system owned by the United States Space Force and operated by Mission Delta 31. It is one of the global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) that provide geol ...

navigation system with

SiriusXM Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting corporation headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. The company was formed by the 2008 merge ...

Nav Traffic,

Satellite Radio Satellite radio is defined by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)'s ITU Radio Regulations (RR) as a '' broadcasting-satellite service''. The satellite's signals are broadcast nationwide, across a much wider geographical area than te ...

, and a rear backup camera system, among other options. Unlike the related

and

, the

(GM)

OnStar OnStar Corporation is a subsidiary of General Motors that provides subscription-based telecommunication, communications, in-vehicle security, emergency services, turn-by-turn navigation, and remote diagnostics systems throughout the United States, ...

in-vehicle

telematics Telematics is an interdisciplinary field encompassing telecommunications, vehicular technologies (road transport, road safety, etc.), electrical engineering (sensors, instrumentation, wireless communications, etc.), and computer science (multimedia ...

system was not available on the XL7. All second-generation XL7s were powered by the

(GM) High-Feature V6 producing and of torque. This was coded ''N36A'' by Suzuki. While 2007 and 2008 models used a five-speed

automatic transmission An automatic transmission (AT) or automatic gearbox is a multi-speed transmission (mechanics), transmission used in motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving conditions. The 1904 ...

, 2009 models received a new six-speed automatic transmission. Both

Front Wheel Drive Front-wheel drive (FWD) is a form of internal combustion engine, engine and transmission (mechanics), transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel-drive vehicles feature ...

(FWD) and

All Wheel Drive An all-wheel drive vehicle (AWD vehicle) is one with a powertrain capable of providing power to all its wheels, whether full-time or on-demand. Types The most common forms of all-wheel drive are: ;1x1 : All unicycles Reflects one axle with ...

(AWD) models of the XL7 were available. In May 2009, Suzuki halted production of the XL7 indefinitely due to low demand. Through May 10, 2009,

had only produced four XL7s for Suzuki after producing more than 12,000 units the previous year. While no direct replacement to the three-row XL7 was available (

offered the larger

Buick Enclave The Buick Enclave is a three-row full-size crossover SUV produced by General Motors since 2007. It was previewed at the North American International Auto Show#2006, 2006 North American International Auto Show, officially as a concept car, makin ...

Chevrolet Traverse The Chevrolet Traverse is a full-size crossover SUV with three-row seating built by General Motors produced since the 2009 model year. It is built on the same platform as the GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave, known as the GM Lambda platform, Lambda ...

, and

GMC Acadia The GMC Acadia is a crossover SUV manufactured by General Motors for its GMC division. The first-generation GMC Acadia shared the GM Lambda platform with the Saturn Outlook, the Chevrolet Traverse, and the Buick Enclave. The Acadia went on ...

midsize three-row crossover SUV's), the

and

GMC Terrain The GMC Terrain is a crossover SUV by American manufacturer General Motors under its GMC (automobile), GMC marque. Sharing its platform with the Chevrolet Equinox, the first-generation Terrain was built on GM's GM Theta platform, Theta platfor ...

were considered the successors to the two-row XL7. The 2009 XL7 would be the final vehicle built by

(GM) in partnership with Suzuki Motors.

Markets

The second generation XL7 was also sold in

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

, the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

, etc.

Sales

Other versions

The XL7 nameplate was revived in 2020 for a

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Music Albums * ''Cross Over'' (album), a 1987 album by Dan Peek, or the title song * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'', an album by Intrigue * ''Crossover'', an album by ...

-inspired derivative of the second-generation Ertiga

multi-purpose vehicle Minivan (sometimes called simply a van) is a car classification for vehicles designed to transport passengers in the rear seating row(s), with reconfigurable seats in two or three rows . The equivalent classification in Europe is MPV (multi-pu ...

(MPV). File:2020 Suzuki XL7 Zeta 1.5 NC22S (20210307) 01.jpg, Ertiga-based XL7

References

External links

{{Suzuki timeline (North America) 1985 to date XL-7 Cars introduced in 1998 2000s cars Mid-size sport utility vehicles Crossover sport utility vehicles Rear-wheel-drive vehicles Front-wheel-drive vehicles All-wheel-drive vehicles