2001 Suzuki XL-7 Touring 6 cylinder. 2.7L from North America

Summary:

Reliable Sturdy Car

Faults:

Check Engine Light at 51,000 Computer Reset nothing found, but it indicated faulty PVC.

Rear Passenger seat belt badly worn needs replaced.

OEM Tires wear way too fast. Replaced with Kumho now runs great.

General Comments:

As long as you keep up the maintenance every 3000 miles the engine won't let you down. I have 81,000 miles on mine and I have had the timing belt and AC belt replaced. All else is still going strong.

I like the XL-7 and I would buy another one.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 16th November, 2005

2001 Suzuki XL-7 Limited from North America

Summary:

Reliable, Cheap, and Fun To Drive

Faults:

Rear HVAC doesn't work.

General Comments:

I admit that when my mom first bought this car, I was extremely skeptical about it. I mean, I thought Suzuki was known only for manufacturing motorcycles and boat engines. Thus, I was a tad upset when my mom brought home this toyish looking car made by a boat-engine company (ah, my ignorance at the time). I thought the car would immediately fall apart, but my God, I was wrong. We have had the car for about four years now and it has performed perfectly. We have had absolutely no mechanical failures and it performs well in the hills where we live. Gas mileage is not bad as well for the car. The car is also a blast to drive.

However, there are a few minor things that bug me. First off, we paid $24,000 and we have no leather seats. This is probably a dealer issue though.

Secondly, driving at around 65-70 mph is a scary experience. The car is easily able to achieve those speeds, but it is not at all comfortable at them. The steering wheel shakes ridiculously as does the cabin as well. There are also lots of rattles that occur. At any speed below 60mph, the cabin is fine and there really aren't any noticeable rattles.

Thirdly, the transmission needs a gear 3 instead of just "2 and L." This would make going downhill much easier on the brakes.

Fourthly, the car's body is quite thin. Thus, anything being played on the radio at a medium volume can be heard outside. Also, this contributes to the overall shaking of the cabin at 65mph (the legal speed limit).

Lastly, the radio speakers are of a poor quality. However, this might be because the sound is drowned out by the cabin rattles at around 65mph.

However, these are minor things. The car is reliable and can do the off-roading in the Sierras. You won't regret buying this car at all.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 31st October, 2005

27th Jul 2007, 16:29

Re: shaking at speed; this isn't the vehicle, per se. You either have tire issue (unequal inflation or wear, or balance problem) OR (and the shops will argue with you on this) too much toe-in on the alignment. Too much "toe-in" will give you exactly what you describe at around 65 MPH. Eliminate any possibility of tire problems and then go for an alignment. Nod, be polite, but be firm: make them check the "toe-in" and get a computer readout (most reputable shops using good equipment can now provide this) for verification.

Re: cost; I never buy new anymore; all current vehicles lose 40-50% of their list price value just driving off the lot now so it makes no sense. BTW, no one buying a new SUV for $24K would expect to get leather seats; that would just be a pleasant surprise.

Re: transmission; L & 2?? Our 2001 XL-7 is automatic and 4WD. Are you sure you're shifting the right lever? LoL. Just kidding. But seriously, I haven't seen an automatic that didn't have L-2-3+OD in more than a decade. If you are only getting two speeds forward you better run off to the dealer PDQ 'cause something ain't right down below!

27th Jul 2007, 16:35

Re: Rear HVAC; I believe the air conditioning compressor has two separate sections. If the rear HVAC isn't throwing cold air anymore (assuming the interior fans are running like they should), one section of the compressor (or the tubing to and from it) may have failed. Not good. The compressor is extremely expensive (about $1200 from Suzuki) and even if it just a tubing failure, it is a sure bet that compressor damage has occurred. And running it with one section in failure mode isn't doing it any favors either. Sorry. We're also going through that "heart attack" now. My wife substitute taught all summer and her whole paycheck just got ate by a frozen A/C compressor ($1600 installed). Good luck.