1) The Deal: When the dealer got ’round to finalizing the package it cost more than I wanted it to. While I really wanted the LX trim package and certain other indispensibles (ie we had ‘em and didn’t wanna lose ‘em) I really didn’t want a nav package or back-seat video. OTOH I HAD to have my sunroof. Suzuki, purveyor in the past of two trim models, has more, but not the configuration I wanted… so the dealer ‘found’ one with a simpler CD/radio (still has premium speaker set); no nav/DVD; and no fancy rear-view that adjusts itself when headlights come up behind you, which I was totally distrustful of anyway. Bottom line, I got the car at the price point I wanted. Yay, Port City Nissan/Suzuki! This is not chameless plugging, these guys have been good to me for three vehicles and five years.

2) The Car: I’ve now put 2,000 miles on it, traveling through clear, rainy, and snowy/icy highways as well as through dirt back-roads in Maine during a thaw. It took a little getting used to the relative un-stiffness after the ‘02 and ‘05 models, which feel kinda like jeeps. But you know? I really like this car’s handling better. and I greatly respect that while the power is increased, the mileage is, too: In Winter when the heater (and 4WD) is on, I was getting 14.8 – 15.8 mpg shuttling kids to school, grocery shopping, etc. And that was with BOTH older cars, regular maintenance, etc. With the ‘07, I averaged 18.2 in the Winter, and the past two weeks it’s crept up to the 20’s.

I like what they did with the second and third row seats: Both are immobile forward/backward but they fold flat, and the middle row ‘tumbles’ once folded to access the third row. A huge plus is the front passenger seat folds forward flat as well, which has been VERY handy when I’ve had to carry a few large items around.

The environmental controls work very well. On cold mornings, the system does not start blowing air around until it ‘knows’ it can heat that air a bit. The auto fan sensor seems to rev higher or lower relative to the difference between cabin temperature and thermostat setting – as it should. GOOD JOB GETTING A SIMPLE THING DONE CORRECTLY.

One of my ‘gotta have’ items is the seat warmer. In the ‘02, I had a ‘high’ and ‘medium’ option, in the ‘05 this went to off/on. Both stayed on until you turned them off. The ‘07 has high/medium AND auto-shutoff. Nice.

Stash spaces are better, on the transmission column and in the glovey which can actually fit some stuff now. The rear stash is larger also, now with spaces to accomodate the third-row headrests (I’m told this is common in other SUVs now) No first-aid kit this time, but we always put a larger one in anyway (kids, you know?)

Yes, there are things that were just plain stupid done to this model:

- side-view windows don’t heat any more (if they do, the control is hidden)

- The window controls in the gearshift. A GOOD thing they did here though is the window lock no longer disables the non-pilot windows in the front. I never could understand in the older lines why I had to unlock the windows so -I- could raise or lower them.

- The roof rack equipment (rails, etc) are all incompatible with older models. This is petty but they got a pretty penny for those items and I was sad to have to purchase new ones. actually I haven’t yet.

- Rear window wiper controls …. are right below the RIGHT HAND window controls on the console. This means, you have to reach AROUND the shifter to access them. Why they took them off the steering column is a mystery. But they oughta put them (and the window controls) back where they once was.

- The pilot’s seat is now power-driven, with a groovy little up-down-forward-back servo on the left side of the seat. Too bad you have to OPEN THE DOOR to get at it. Petty? OK, but my wife is a lot smaller than me, and switching drivers in the rain is tiresome.

- The slope of the rear windscreen is a DIRT MAGNET. Need a spoiler here, or just better design. This one’s worse than the older models, possibly due to it being a lift-back instead of a gate.

Several people have asked if I would go back to the ‘05 if I could. I think not. The wife likes the ride better, as do the kids who no longer get carsick in the third row. My adult friends are comfortable, sitting in either the middle or third row – that was not true in the older models! I didn’t care about the plastique interior parts before, and don’t now. They’re easiy cleaned and have held up reasonably in the past so I have no concerns about that changing.

Oh, and Jonny? Next review put half the energy invested dissing the car in this review into actually DRIVING the thing and …USING it. This review could have ended up telling us a lot more about the car and less about how you thought it sucked.

Of course, you could just get married and then have your opinion given to you, like some other of us! Just kidding.

The engine does indeed have plenty of torque in almost all ranges and responds well.

The feel of this rig is much larger, almost like a cargo delivery van – which, configured without seats, it could be. I have to use it later this week to transfer the passenger window for a vintage Volvo back to a restoration shop, across town. That’s a good mission for this van.

A large driver for me is the AWD which starts out FWD (front, not four) since I want my wife to use the car more. She’s of the Windstar clan and getting her into my other XL7s’ drivers seats has been a bit of a chore. And I want someone else to drive home after I’ve spent the day skiing with our two girls, darn it.

When I say an offer I couldn’t refuse, I mean it. Some folks are feeling pressure to get the new product out there. There’s also a sizeable market for pre-owned that has a very nice profit margin for them, thanks to the ability to transfer warrantees.

I’ll write back after I spend a few months in the new ride. Thanks all for your input!

As has been stated by another poster, this is the GM “high value” 3.6 V6, but built in-house by Suzuki. This engine (not the Suzuki built version) will be installed in the XL-7 platform mates, Saturn Vue, Chevy Equinox SS, Pontiac Torrent GXP.

Nice line…thanks for the laughs Jonny.

I’m stunned. I can think of some ugly cars, but the WRX is not one of them. It’s not exactly the car you’d expect a senior person to drive, but it’s a clean, simple design wrapped around an impressive power plant. Too fast for my liking, though. I’d be afraid I might drive it rhough the garage wall if I’m not paying attention.

this review literally made me laugh out loud.

not only funny, but also well-written. thank you for making my morning coffee.

I waited until I was 41 to get married…well worth it. Had all my toys by then….

Of course, constantly being referred to as my kid’s grandfather at her school functions hurts occasionally…..

It could offer the eco-smugness of a hybrid, without all the engineering expense.

fake wood like the crud found in the Sebring and the XL7 is another.

I have never, ever, ever said that my 2006 WRX is handsome.

I believe in fact I referred to it as “ucking fugly.”

A question from a father of three who avoids road trips like the plague.

Marvelous!

>>>ash78 While I admit a secret admiration for minivans for their road-trippability, I don’t see any need to seriously compromise your ride when you have children. My conclusion is that most people just don’t care about driving to begin with. There are plenty of great rides out there for families, provided you don’t mind bending over to load the child seat. Or just hold the kid in your lap. (I’m not advocating endangering children, since you would still work the clutch and throttle yourself. No heel-toe for junior until he’s out of Pull-Ups.)

When I was 13, my sister was 3, and my brother was almost 16, we spent two months driving around Europe in a Peugeot 404 wagon, a car which was maybe the same size as a Forester (do a google image search), albeit with a bit more room in the way-back, which was stuffed high. No, it wasn’t as luxurious as a minivan might have been, but I do’nt remember anyone complaining .

It is coming in the form of an SX4 fitted with a turbo.

http://tinyurl.com/ybc7ba

Not has harsh as the appearance of Sebring-quality fake aluminum!

Should Suzuki pay Indonesian children with a chisels and sandpaper to make 40 thousand of them a year for something that would just warp and crack anyway?

Fake wood… I hope so.

Small sedans and wagons work fine for taking kids to school or grandma’s. Plus you can actually get decent fuel economy and enjoy driving.