ALL-NEW SUZUKI XL7 MAKES WORLD DEBUT
AT 2006 NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW
Larger, more powerful Suzuki flagship SUV
blends perfect mix of performance, comfort and safety
NEW YORK (April 13, 2006) – 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.”
2007 Suzuki XL7 World Debut at 2006 NYIAS
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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.
Advanced Chassis Design
The sophisticated chassis delivers nimble, car-like ride and comfort whether driving on the highway, city streets or rural roads. The XL7’s responsive road manners communicate a sense of confidence and control in virtually every driving scenario, while still providing refined Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH) performance at or near the top of the midsize SUV category.
The XL7 features four-wheel independent suspension with MacPherson struts in the front and a multilink design in the rear. The independent rear suspension is fitted with hydraulic shock absorbers in the five-passenger configuration and Nivomat self-leveling rear shock absorbers when configured for the available seven-passenger design.
2007 Suzuki XL7 World Debut at 2006 NYIAS
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The small details add up to provide a car-like ride. The MacPherson strut-type front suspension is designed with long wheel travel, and the design of the struts compensates for coil spring side loads. The bottom of the coil spring is anchored more outboard in the spring perch to relieve the bending load on the strut caused when it was located further outboard to improve stability.
The multilink rear suspension design features a trailing arm plus three additional locating links to allow a low, wide load floor and maximum rear passenger space. The rear-trailing arm is a vertical design that provides flexibility in the twisting direction so the wheel can maintain camber as it moves vertically. The three locating links are designed to manage lateral loads and control the dynamic toe-in of the rear wheel.
The 3.6-liter, V6 DOHC engine is mounted in a double-isolated engine cradle system; the engine mounts to the cradle at four points and the cradle mounts to the rails at four points, providing double isolation from the body. The cradle system features two side load-bearing mounts and front and rear torque reaction mounts. There also is a friction snubber mounted on the passenger side of the engine to help control engine movement sometimes experienced during shifting.
All-Wheel Drive
The available all-wheel-drive system uses an active, electronically controlled rear differential module. The system responds immediately to all-wheel-drive requests and effectively eliminates lag times. A four-mount cradle secures the rear drive module, which is regulated by its own dedicated electronic controller. A new-design propeller shaft fitted with upgraded universal joints handles the added torque.
Hydraulic-Assist Rack-and-Pinion Steering
The fixed-rate rack-and-pinion steering is tuned for responsiveness and good on-center feel. Turning diameter is relatively tight, needing only 41.8 feet for a curb-to-curb turn and the steering wheel requires 2.7 turns for lock-to-lock operation. In addition, the steering column can be adjusted up and down (four degrees) to provide added driver comfort.
2007 Suzuki XL7 #1
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