Thoughts on Suzuki?

We have to replace both our cars- one as soon as possible, one sooner than later.

My dh is interested in a Suzuki XL-7, 2008 2 row model with a whopping 16k miles on it. According to the basic free carfax, its had one owner and then was listed as a dealer vehicle and sold at auction to the dealership who has it now.

I felt really good about the safety factored into this car, until i went to the informedforlife site. its rated unacceptable there, even though it was a perfect 5 stars for all NHTSA testing. Yet at the same point, there are only about 20 points separating the top 5% and the XL7 for 2003-2010.

I guess that stuff just overwhelms me. I'm a little lost when it comes to it all. I've had my current car for 10 years, and then bought what my daddy suggested LOL.

So should we forget about this car based on that information?


Just a little background-

We have 2 kiddos, hopefully a third by next year. We would like at least one to have a third row, preferably both but i guess we could manage. He is open minded i think as to what he wants to drive. his first choice would be a big ole thing like a Yukon, etc but i'm not comfortable driving those. I really seem to be leaning towards a Taurus X or something similar to that- a crossover/ wagon style, but the closer to a sedan in height and driving the better. We will be spending around $15-16K financing one and $10-12K on the other (dependent on the sale of current vehicle)


thanks!

I can't comment about the suitability of the XL-7 for family and kids.

As for safety, the results are decent. Sure, there are safer models overall, but the 2008-2009 XL-7 does well in the most important crash tests. For example, I don't see any 3-star or "Marginal" ratings in the frontal or side impact tests from either agency. The worst result is an "Acceptable" in the IIHS side impact test, which isn't bad of course, just not as good as "Good";-)

I wouldn't be too concerned about the "Marginal" rear crash rating from the IIHS. It's not an actual crash test. It's a subjective determination of how the vehicle seat and head restraints fit an average male dummy. This isn't important for kids in carseats that have integral head restraint, but you and your dh should make sure that you can get proper neck and back support in a comfortable seating position to avoid neck/back whiplash injuries.

We bought a 3 row 2007 XL 7 last year and have been very happy except for MPG which averages a dismal 15.5 :-/

We had a Suzuki Grand Vitara which isn't much smaller than the XL7 version. We have to sell it with #3 coming. Between a Radian and a Keyfit (now a Maestro and a Roundabout 50) we couldn't even fit a briefcase between the two seats. The back seat is terrible, no leg or bottom room. To have a RF seat I had to put it behind the passenger seat since my DH is 6Ft and needs his seat all the way back. With it behind my seat my knees were smashed at an odd angle with my stomach literally touching the dashboard.
Great car mechanical wise, safety wise (at least the twice we totaled it) But horrible size wise. No cargo room especially when we had to tether two FF back there.

I'm just seeing this post so don;t know if you still need the info.

I had a 1999 Vitara & I loved that sucker to pieces. I owned it for 9 years & was sad when it went away (personal reasons to why).

It's not the greatest for a 3 across but it is doable. It was our only vehicle when we had our girls. We put DS center in his FPSVD (Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe. Basically a Britax Marathon) & the girls were outboard in Baby Trend Flex Loc seats baseless. After that when we needed to do a 3 across we used 2 Radians & a Vivo.

So, if you're kiddos are littles Radians would be the best bet for a successful 3 across.