Not-so-pleasing button locations and dashboard finish
Some liked the appearance of the dashboard, others hated it. One person even said the choice of interior colors was boring.
The front and rear seats were regarded as comfortable, but lack lateral support. With the 3rd row of seats in place, there's almost no more room for cargo. The desire for a larger rear window to aid visibility when backing up was also mentioned.
The biggest complaints concern the location of certain controls. The power window switches, which are found around the shift lever, irritated many. The rear wiper controls that we're used to finding around the steering wheel are also mounted on the centre console.
The remote keyfob was deprogrammed, because it could no longer unlock the doors after a while of inactivity. We returned to Suzuki to swap keyfobs, but the second one eventually had the same problem.
Fuel consumption was also a cause of concern. The global average of 14.2 L/100 km is nothing to write home about.
Conclusion
The first 5,000 km in our hands flew by quickly, and despite the highlighted negative points, the XL7 can be proud to have pleasingly surprised and impressed those who tried it out.
Among overall comments, we got mixed conclusions. One person said he wouldn't hesitate to recommend the XL7 to anyone, and that the vehicle deserves a greater level of recognition. On the other hand, another driver mentioned that the collaboration between GM and Suzuki would normally make a better product, and in this vehicle category, there isn't room for compromises.
Since then, the XL7 is pursuing its test tour. Stay tuned.
photo:Philippe Champoux
Some liked the appearance of the dashboard, others hated it. One person even said the choice of interior colors was boring.
 |
| Interior colors were not to everyone's taste. |
The front and rear seats were regarded as comfortable, but lack lateral support. With the 3rd row of seats in place, there's almost no more room for cargo. The desire for a larger rear window to aid visibility when backing up was also mentioned.
The biggest complaints concern the location of certain controls. The power window switches, which are found around the shift lever, irritated many. The rear wiper controls that we're used to finding around the steering wheel are also mounted on the centre console.
The remote keyfob was deprogrammed, because it could no longer unlock the doors after a while of inactivity. We returned to Suzuki to swap keyfobs, but the second one eventually had the same problem.
Fuel consumption was also a cause of concern. The global average of 14.2 L/100 km is nothing to write home about.
Conclusion
The first 5,000 km in our hands flew by quickly, and despite the highlighted negative points, the XL7 can be proud to have pleasingly surprised and impressed those who tried it out.
Among overall comments, we got mixed conclusions. One person said he wouldn't hesitate to recommend the XL7 to anyone, and that the vehicle deserves a greater level of recognition. On the other hand, another driver mentioned that the collaboration between GM and Suzuki would normally make a better product, and in this vehicle category, there isn't room for compromises.
Since then, the XL7 is pursuing its test tour. Stay tuned.
 |
| The XL7 offers a good value for the money. |
photo:Philippe Champoux
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