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22 - The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday January 10, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com Suzuki's flagship vehicle sails into the red-hot CUV segment By Jim Robinson OAKVILLE BEAVER SPECIAL Auto EVERYTHING Suzuki served notice that it had turned the corner from building cars as something of a sideline to its motorcycle/ATV business with the introduction last year of the 2006 Grand Vitara. Overnight, Grand Vitara became a serious alternative in the compact SUV segment. Consumers quickly realized this and Grand Vitara practically alone saw Suzuki Canada year-to-date sales climb by 30 per cent coupled with a J. D. Power 2005 Customer Retail Experience Study that helped Suzuki gain 31 index points and climb 10 rank positions. The spunky little 2007 SX-4 compact hatchback with available all-wheel-drive (AWD) for under $20,000 is now in dealer showrooms and, according to Suzuki, they already know they won't be able to satisfy demand based on initial reaction. Completing Suzuki's hat trick of new models is the 2007 XL7, seven-passenger crossover utility vehicle (CUV). With all options including AWD, leather and navigation system, and the most you can spend is $37,995 in a segment where comparably equipped competitors are selling at around the $50,000 mark. The XL7 is seen as the marque's flagship model and is the largest vehicle ever made by Suzuki. It is made strictly for North American consumption. The XL7 is built at Suzuki's Ingersoll, Ont., CAMI production facility that also builds the Chevrolet Equinox and Pontiac Torrent CUVs. The 2007 version of the XL7 is bigger in FOR MORE INFORMATION LOGON TO OR CALL The JLX also comes in two, distinct toptier trim packages that include the DVD Package with seven-inch drop-down monitor for the back seat or the Navi Package that has an in-dash satellite navigation system with voice command and voice recognition features. Prices for the front-wheel-drive versions are $30,995 for the JX and $33,995 for the JLX. In AWD, the JX starts at $32,995 and the JLX is $35,995. Add the DVD and the AWD JLK is $36,795 and $37,995 for the Navi. The XL7 really does seat seven with a usable (not laughable as in some competitors) foot well for the third row of seats. According to Suzuki there are no less than 175 cargo/seating configurations. Not only do the second and third row seats fold flat, so does the front passenger seat making it easy to stow a 10-foot ladder. DEMO FINANCING Because the good men and FOR 60 MONTHS women of Local 88 of the CAW in Ingersoll build the XL7, Suzuki made one available for my drive up the test event in the Parry Sound area for an extra number of days. It gave me a chance to go over the truck in more detail. The paint quality was terrific with no Stk. #0468 Stk. #0525 A/T, P/W, P/L, Air, CD, tilt, keyless entry A/T, P/W, P/L, orange peel that I could find. Doors, hoods, trim all fit without gaps or misalignments. The whole bi bi $ $ 99 thing felt tight and solid which is weekly weekly what people are looking for in a *Lancer ES Model-CL41-B CO1 MSRP $19, 098, $1000 Cash or Equivalent Down Payment. 2.8% financing for 60/84 month term. Offer inclused freight, PDI, admin. fees and CUV. taxes, end value of $6434.07. Special price $17,528 does not include freight, PDI, administration and taxes. License and insurance cost extra. Regular maintenance not included. *Outlander LS 2WD, CO45-B CO2 MSRP $26,258, Bi-Weekly payment is based on a Down Payment of $1000, 0% financing for 72 month term. Offer includes freight, PDI, admin. On the freeway, the XL7 sits and taxes. Special price of $23,000 does no include PDI, administration and taxes. License and insurance costs extra. Regular maintenance not included. higher than a sedan and gives a better overall view, as you would expect. With the mirrors properly placed, the blind spot, a major www.carloans-now.com drawback in these trucks, was 1-866-373-6320 every aspect. At 4,760 mm (187.4 in) it is 248 mm (9.8 in) longer; 56 mm (2.1 in) taller at 1,780 mm (70.1 in) and the wheelbase is 57 mm (2.2 in) longer at 2,800 mm (110.2 in). Power is way up for 2007 with a 3.6-litre, four cam V6, the same as used in the Cadillac CTS sports sedan, at 252 hp and 243 lb/ft of torque. There is one transmission, a five-speed automatic with manual shift mode. Fuel consumption rating for the front-wheel-drive (FWD) version is 12.9L/100 km city, 9.0L/100 km highway and 13.5L/100 km city, 9.5L/100 km highway for the all-wheel-drive. Suspension is industry standard with McPherson struts at the front, multi-link independent at the rear but, surprise, Nivomat self-leveling rear shocks are standard instead of optional. All four wheels get disc brakes with antilock brakes with electronic brake distribution as standard. But instead of being optional, Suzuki fits traction control, electronic stability program (ESP) and a tire pressure monitoring system as standard equipment on all XL7s. Also standard on every XL7 starting with the base JX model is climate control, cruise control, power windows/locks/doors, tilt steering wheel, four 12-volt power points, a driver information centre (outside temperature, fuel consumption, range, oil life, etc.) and a six-speaker audio system. Move up to the JLX and you get power sunroof, heated front seats (six-way power for the driver), leather seating, 17-inch alloy wheels, and leather wrapped steering wheel with audio controls. All-wheel-drive is optional on both models. 0% 2006 MITSUBISHI LANCER ES 2006 OUTLANDER LS 2WD $ 130 / 17,528 22,999 $ 168 / marginal. My XL7 JLX had the navigation package and was XM Satellite radio enabled. The dashboard-mounted monitor could actually do a split screen display with the moving map on the left and the readout for XM on the right. With 100 channels, it's hard not to find something, and for me, it was Soul Street and Watercolors smooth jazz. Set on cruise, I really enjoyed the ride up through the fall colors and the amazingly sparse traffic. But cruising on the highway is one thing; coping with the kind of winter conditions we get is another. Ergo I dropped in on my old friend, Scott Hayden, who operates the Blue Spruce Resort just south of Algonquin Park. He says he could not imagine living without AWD but price of some of the newer mid- and full-size SUVs is a turnoff. After hearing what the XL7 cost, he jumped in and took me down a few back roads he knows where a truck like the XL7 has to cut it on surfaces from loose gravel to dirt to scrub brush. Scott did not baby the XL7, and because he knew where he was going, he propelled this truck through the countryside like his hair was on fire. He was pretty impressed. There was some body lean, but not much. The big thing was the AWD didn't let the wheels lose grip while the ESP (which is transparent in operation) made sure we always went where the XL7 was pointed. Looking at the SL7 later, it occurred to me that the Suzuki company that could build this CUV was not the Suzuki I knew anymore. Instead of being a follower, Suzuki is now starting to lead and the XL7 is a perfect example. The bottom line is I have never really entertained the thought of personally owning a SUV/CUV before, but the XL7 has changed that.