Power Wheels Magazine A Notch Above
Perish any thought if you’re thinking of the classic 1967 film “The Graduate” starring Dustin Hoffman. This review is not about a romance between an affluent middle-age woman (Mrs. Robinson/Ann Bancroft) and a young man (Benjamin Braddock/Hoffman) who’s in love with her daughter (Elaine Robinson/Katharine Ross). After all, this is an automotive website, not an online movie review.
This article is about how a 5-door 7-seat multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) “graduated” into becoming a sports utility vehicle (SUV) and how it “graduated” from a simple gasoline internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle into a complicated mild hybrid (MHEV) gas/electric family carrier. It was also timely that our friends at the Automobile Division of Suzuki Philippines (SPH) lent this Savanna Ivory Metallic 2024 Suzuki XL7 Hybrid at the time of our son Chevy Martin’s graduation from Senior High School.
Station Wagons, Pickup Trucks and SUVs
There was a time when family cars were station wagons, which were basically 4-door sedans with a roofline that extends to the rear of the car accessed by a fifth door. They were called “station wagons” because the suburban wives drove their husbands to the train station so the guys can catch a train to work in the big city. The wives then use the station wagon to bring the kids to school and to haul groceries and other household stuff.
When American car makers Chevrolet, Ford and Chrysler added a removable roof to their 4-wheel-drive (4WD) pickup truck models, the sport utility vehicle (SUV) was born. The moniker was then applied to any 3-door or 5-door station wagon built on a truck chassis, regardless whether it has 4WD or 2WD. Because of the large SUV market, most manufacturers, including sports car brands like Porsche, Maserati, Lamborghini and Ferrari offered their interpretation of an SUV, sometimes emphasizing the “sport” and ignoring the “utility” part of the moniker.
Minivans, Mom Mobiles and MPVs
Meanwhile, Chrysler. under Lee Iacocca in the 1980s, introduced a new front-wheel drive (FWD) boxy minivan that was fun to drive and was sized just right. The FWD layout allowed more room and a flatter floor to maximize the space inside the cabin. These “mom mobiles” eventually replaced the station wagons and were later labeled as “multi-purpose vehicles” or MPV. The demand for MPVs soared as families tend to travel together on both short and long trips.
It was in 2014 when we “discovered” the practicality of MPVs when we acquired a Suzuki Ertiga 1.4 GLXi A/T. We loved how our Ertiga was frugal on fuel, averaging almost 10 kilometers per liter even in heavy traffic, and how the seats can fold down to fit whatever we would like to transport in it. Our son Chevy Martin was 9 years old at the time and he loved how our family of four, his two grandmothers, and an occasional aunt/uncle/cousin could all fit into our brown Ertiga.
Enter the XL7
When SPH introduced the Suzuki XL7 in 2021 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, our family was excited at the prospect of getting back into an MPV after enjoying our 2016 Suzuki Ciaz 1.4 GLXi A/T 4-door sedan for the better part of 5 years. However, because of the financial difficulties caused by the global pandemic, we cannot afford to purchase a brand new XL7 to replace our reliable brown Ciaz. Besides, because of the social distancing norms at the time, it was not advisable to have 7 people inside an MPV.
Fast forward to 2024, and SPH invited us to a Media Drive to Batangas in the new Suzuki XL7 Hybrid. By fitting Suzuki’s proprietary Integrated Starter Generator (ISG) to the K15B gasoline engine and a 12-volt lithium-ion battery pack, Suzuki turned the XL7 into a mild-hybrid MPV, that promises improved fuel mileage and quick, nimble performance with assistance from the 1.77kW ISG. The hybrid version retained the XL7’s bold, dynamic styling, distinctive profile, and 16-inch wheels that the only way to distinguish it is through the small “Hybrid” emblem at the back.
Electronic Driver Assistance Features
The Hybrid version retains all the safety, practicality, appearance, comfort and convenience features of the XL7 including the dual airbags, automatic climate control system, and electric power steering. Suzuki improved the XL7’s desirability even further with these features:
Electronic Stability Program (ESP) helps control the XL7 during cornering and maintains traction when accelerating on loose or slippery road surfaces. ESP automatically regulates engine torque and selectively applies the brakes to maintain control.
Hill Hold Control (HHC) prevents the XL7 from rolling backwards when starting on an uphill incline. HHC holds the brakes for approximately 2 seconds, which is enough time for the driver’s foot to move from the brake pedal to the accelerator pedal.
Engine Auto Stop Start (EASS) system automatically stops the engine when the XL7 is waiting for the traffic lights to change to prevent unnecessary fuel consumption and minimize exhaust emission.
A Truly Multi-Purpose Vehicle
Aside from these electronic driver aid features, what we truly admire about the Suzuki Ertiga and XL7 is that they are truly multi-purpose vehicles. Keep all the seats up and you can transport 7 people in safety and comfort. Fold the third row seats and you can carry several bulky items. Fold the second and third row seats and even bulkier items can be taken from Point A to Point B. Fold the second row seats and keep the third row seats up, and you’ve got room for a couple of pets, like a pair of golden retrievers, and two people to handle the pets.
Fitting bulky items through the rear hatch is easy, thanks to the large opening. Getting into the XL7 Hybrid is also easy, thanks to the wide opening doors, and adjustable seats. Driving this mild-hybrid Suzuki is also easy, thanks to an ergonomic cockpit, large, easy-to-read instruments, and a 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system that can play Android Auto and Apple Carplay. Our only complaint is when the EPAS-assisted power steering becomes suddenly heavy when the EASS stops the engine just as we’re about to maneuver out of a traffic situation.
Driving Impressions
While the performance of the XL7 Hybrid seems to have improved with the assistance of the ISG, we did not expect it to surprise us like a turbocharger or supercharger at full boost would. Rather, the ISG gently assists the gas engine in becoming more economical, especially at highways speeds where lower revs are needed to maintain the pace. With today’s spiraling fuel prices and unstable economy, stretching the distance between fuel fill-ups is now more important that zero-to-100 km/h acceleration times.
We can only guess that the battery pack occupied some room that necessitated a smaller fuel tank compared to the 45-liter tank in the non-hybrid version. We cannot be sure because we didn’t consume enough fuel during our weeklong test drive to require a fill-up at our favorite gas station. However, we noticed that the fuel gauge went down a bit quicker during the week than the one in the regular XL7.
Would We Buy One?
Overall, the Suzuki XL7 Hybrid remains a viable choice when we finally decide to get a new family car to replace our aging 4-door sedan. With its mild hybrid technology, myriad new features including an alphabet soup of acronyms – VVT, ESP, HHC, EPAS, EASS, and the like, we can see ourselves having trouble-free trips and safe drives with our family, with our immediate relatives, and perhaps with some of our pets.
We would like to have a longer test drive to convince ourselves to pull the trigger and apply for an auto loan to get a Suzuki XL7 Hybrid but, of course, we have to abide by the schedule of SPH. After all, we’re not the only motoring media out there who wants to drive this mild hybrid MPV to see how well it performs in real world conditions. It works as well as it should – as long as it’s regarded as an MPV and not an SUV.
SPECIFICATIONS
Vehicle Type: Front-engine, FWD, 5-door MPV
Price: P1,252,000 (Monotone) / P1,262,000 (Two Tone)
Engine: K15B liquid-cooled inline 4-cylinder 16V VVT
Displacement: 1,462 cc
Electric motor output: 1.77kW (2.38 hp)
Maximum power: 77kW (104 hp) @ 6,000 rpm
Maximum torque: 138 Nm @ 4,400 rpm
Transmission: 4-speed automatic
Wheelbase: 2,450 mm
Length: 4,550 mm
Width: 1,775 mm
Height: 1,530 mm
Minimum ground clearance: 200 mm
Minimum turning radius: 5.2 meters
Front suspension: Independent, McPherson type
Rear suspension: Independent, Torsion beam
Front brakes: Ventilated discs
Rear Brakes: Drums, Leading and trailing
Steering system: Rack and pinion with electric assistance (EPAS)
Wheels: 16-inch alloys
Tires: 195/60R16
