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10 stouffvilk suntribune thursday july 1 2004 arrive alive please dont drink and drive this message brought to you as a community service of the economist suntribune take your teddy bear for an old fashioned train ride on sunday july 4 every child up to 8 years of age if accompanied by a teddy bear ride for free bring mom and dad as well for a ride through the beautiful oak ridges i trains leave uxbridge at 1100 am and 300 moraine join us for a fun day on mw trains leave stouffvillc at 100 pm sunday i markham mitsubishi 9054150080 4611 hwy 7 markham west of kennedy in unionville affordable xl7 still remains a mystery to many from page 9 notes the xl7 remains a mystery to most consumers the xl7 is the top of suzukis three suvs which also includes the vitara ahd the grand vitara power is a 27litre v6 producing 185 hp and 184 lbft of torque suzuki is first and foremost an engineering company and its engines in particular are noted for being as lusty as they are reliable transmission choices include a fivespeed manual or afivespeed automatic the auto matic is new for 2004 and only available on the xl7 suspension is pretty standard fare in the midsize 4x4 segment being coil springs over macpherson struts at the front and a fivelink setup at the rear with coil springs on a solid rear axle ventilated disc brakes are found at the front drums at the rear like their engines suzukis are also stoutly built the xl7 along with bmw lexus and mercedesbenz received the highest rating of an offset crash at 60 kmh from the insurance institute for highway safety being a suzuki the fourwheeldrive system has been worked on and refined over the past three decades to the point where it is bulletproof on the xl7 a dashboard mounted pushbutton selector for 2wd 4wd and 4lo selects the transfer case mode there are no more levers on the floor to tug at with a length of 4760 mm 1874 in and a wheelbase of 2800 mm 1102 in the xl7 is at the longer end of the midsize suv segment this allows the xl7 to be ordered in both five- and sevenseat versions the back row splitfold seats are bor derline functional as such but they can serve their pur pose literally in a pinch there are four xl7 trim levels there are actually four xl7 trim levels starting with the jx the jlx the jlx plus and the as tested here limited even with the base jl theres a lot of content such as amfmcd with six speakers and a subwoofer cruise air power locksmirrorswindows tilt steering and remote keyless entry the jlx dials in things like automatic cli mate control and tiltside glass sunroof while with the last two theres the third row seats and in the limited the seats are leather and are heated lastly the limited has rear seat air conditioning the interior is clean and contemporary but i found the wood trim or simulwood oddly out of place against the creamy beige leather seating controls for the heatingcooling consist of three big knobs that dont need a rocket scientist or a 400page manual to figure out how to make things work just twist the knob to the heat you want and the next knob to the automatic or manual for fan speed and whereever you want the airflow directed and then forget about it taking one of ontarios scenic highways up into cottage country the xl7 ambled among at 80 kmh virtual ly no road noise seeping into the cabin despite being shod with 16inch allseason tires passing was a matter- offact thing the v6 has plenty of reserve power to get out and around the endless line of boats on trailers the view from the drivers seat has the elevated posi tion now so very much in vogue but you have to set the mirrors carefully to get a handle on who or what is gain ing a case in point was a flock of preteen boys on atvs and dirt bikes slicing along on the shoulder of the highway and making left turns seemingly on a whim where were their parents had our kids been with us there was ample seating for them and all the stuff they now bring which has changed from strollers and folding cribs to golf bags and ubiqui tous portable cds i have to admit i enjoyed the fact the xl7 ran on regu lar gas as the brace of premium suvs ive driven lately have had a major impact on my bank balance with a price of 30995 31995 as tested with third row seats it was 40000 less than the premium suv id driv en the week previously and no doubt a contributing rea son why consumers digest magazine named it as a best buy for 2003 the xl7 had a lot of pluses that as the brochure said remain a mystery to many maybe its time suv buyers who want it all except the price of a luxury suv should check out the xl7