With the Across, Suzuki recently has a fairly large SUV at home. The car is not a real Suzuki, however, because you don’t have to be an expert to see that it is a converted Toyota RAV4. In the 1990s, Suzuki introduced its own high-legged ‘giant’, the Grand Vitara XL-7. Interestingly, only the largest version of the Grand Vitara received a facelift.
The Across is of course not a direct successor to the XL-7. Not only because there is a lot of time between the two, but mainly because the Across is not a seven-seater. Yet the two are not even divergent when it comes to size: the Grand Vitara XL-7 is 4,700 mm long, the Across 4,635 mm.
The Grand Vitara XL-7 was an extended version of the ‘regular’ Grand Vitara, which in turn was already available in two length variants. Remarkably, both versions, both the five-door variant and the much shorter three-door version, were known as ‘Grand Vitara’. At least in Europe, Suzuki wanted to underline that the new, more rounded model was a bit bigger than its square predecessor.
Affordable
Compared to the regular five-door, the XL-7 not only got an excellent butt, but also a considerably larger wheelbase. As a pure off-road executioner, a shorter version seems more suitable, but the XL-7 turned out to be a relatively affordable and spacious family car in the time before the hefty CO2 fines. The model was even available with a thick V6, which had made it immediately unsaleable nowadays.
The Grand Vitara XL-7 disappeared from the market in 2006, a year later than the other Grand Vitara’s of its generation. To make this possible, only the largest version worldwide was provided with a new front. The combination of headlights and grille, conveniently locked in one frame, made it possible for Suzuki to create a different-looking car with a few minor adjustments. The headlights became narrower, but higher and from 2004 onwards extend all the way to the bumper. They make room for a larger grille, which from that year has been divided into cubes. A new front bumper and some changes to the interior made this model last for a few more years.
Incidentally, an XL7 appeared after the Grand Vitara XL-7, without ‘Vitara’. That SUV was developed in collaboration with General Motors and was never able to reach Europe through the official channels.