Faults:

Absolutely nothing has gone wrong with the car.

Changed oil, filter, spark plugs and tires once, and that was all.

General Comments:

This has been the most dependable, fun car to drive. I live in Hawaii and would drive it to the beaches, up into the mountains and just zipping around all the curvy roads, and it was there for you 100%.

I really couldn't find one fault except that mine wasn't 4x4. I just sold it for that reason, and am about to buy the same car, except with 4x4.

The inside was comfortable, and my passengers in the back seat said it was fine also.

It can hold a lot of stuff, and I used to always fill it with camping gear and sleep in it in the forest with a futon in it.

One more thing; the sideways rear door is AWESOME, since a lot of doors that lift up have shocks that go bad, and you won't have to worry about a door slamming you in the head.

Faults:

At about 23,000 miles, the fuel gauge broke.

About 30,000 miles, the A/C died.

Stock tires leave a little to be desired, they wore out early, but replacements do great.

The A/C and fuel gauge were under warranty and were fixed free of charge.

General Comments:

I couldn't love this vehicle any more!! It is zippy and powerful, even under full load, going up long hills. Even the slopes of Pennsylvania and Vermont were no challenge when fully loaded - even on steep grade it's still easy to accelerate in 4th gear.

We have taken countless road trips, some pretty hard off-road, through "mud season" in northern NH, and anything else I could think you would put a vehicle through - and it has been flawless. Sadly, someone rear-ended me hard, taking out the whole back door / glass / pillars, which has totaled the SUV. I am desperately looking for another, but for some reason everyone seems to be keeping theirs!! (wink).

I owned one of the first XL-7's to hit the road. I expected to have problems being the "first model year" and I have been delighted in how little trouble I've ever had. After the initial glitches, it's been all normal wear and tear items.

I would HIGHLY recommend this vehicle to anyone who wanted a nice size SUV with room to seat 7!

Faults:

Up until a few weeks ago, this has been a good little car. We took the car into the dealer because the A/C quit working. They replaced a fuse, and the in-cabin air filter and pronounced it healed. ($160.00)

A couple days later my wife reported that it was not cooling again, and the belt was squealing. Back to the dealer. This time they said the compressor had locked up and needed to be replaced. $1910.31 was the est.. I asked if this was for a new or rebuilt compressor and they replied that a rebuilt was not avail. because of a design change in the compressor. "A completely different compressor" was what the service manager said.

After contacting the company, Suzuki's DSM talked with the dealer service manager and rejected my request for some factory assistance. (I had been told by the factory rep. on the phone that the DSM's word was final)

General Comments:

OK --- so it's not a new car, but $2000.00 repair to the A/C at 48000 miles? I had considered fixing it (with the factory's help) but now I'm not sure.

We have another, older Suzuki Sidekick 4 door, and a Chevy Tracker (made by Suzuki), but at this point, it would be hard to convince me to buy anything else made by this company.