Today's crossover SUV buyers are a picky lot. And well they should be. There's a plethora of models from which to choose, all of which do pretty much the same thing – and a few that do more. For Suzuki and its new 2007 XL7, that's actually good news: this all-new seven-seat crossover does most things right, a few things wrong and, from a driving perspective, gives shoppers a strong and viable alternative.

Consider: the GM-sourced and Suzuki-assembled engine is the most powerful ever to get bolted into a Suzuki vehicle. At 252 horsepower and 243 lb.-ft of torque, it's plenty powerful enough, more powerful than the Honda Pilot, the 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe, or the more expensive 2006 Ford Explorer. It falls short of the Toyota RAV4 in terms of power, but offers more room inside. On the road, this translates into a peppy engine with a nice amount of power and zip, though the powertrain comes across as a bit noisy and unrefined. Off the line, pickup is acceptable, and passing at cruising speeds is handled nicely, but under hard acceleration the powertrain seems to thrash and whine a bit too much. Based on our experience, you'll get more power from the Suzuki XL7, but more polish from the Hyundai Santa Fe. It does, however, feature a towing capacity of 3,500 lbs., making the XL7 just as capable and versatile as most crossovers of its ilk when it comes to towing.

Ride quality, for the most part, is competitive too. With unibody construction and an independent suspension, the ride is comfortable, isolating passengers from most bumps, potholes and other road irregularities. However, there's too much body roll at times, and the XL7 shudders a bit too much when greeted with uneven pavement. Vibration inside the cabin is also noticeable, though for the most part it's a quiet ride. From stopping to starting and cruising, it feels light and maneuverable on the road. The brake pedal felt a little soft with some play, but performed admirably during casual red-light braking, though it felt as though you'd really have to stand on it during hard braking. Steering was also along those lines – capable but vague, and too floaty at higher speeds.

The cabin experience is good, not great, featuring a nice amount of legroom up front but a general lack of refinement in terms of plastics and construction. Case in point: Suzuki probably uses a magnet method to hold up the headliner in the XL7. We know this because it's easy to grab an edge, yank down and listen to it snap back up again. There were also plenty of exposed screws and loose plastic parts on our tester, so shoppers should pay careful attention to the details when they sit inside the cabin. It's the little things that may wind up being big things after around 50,000 miles, such as loose panels, irregular gaps, and non-flush fitting vents. This type of thing depends greatly on the actual production of the vehicle, so you should take careful note of the XL7 you're interested in buying.

Another thing to pay attention to is the level of comfort afforded third-row passengers. We found the second-row seating to offer quite a bit of leg and head room, though the seat bottoms felt as if they were tilted slightly upward, at an odd angle. The third row in the XL7, as with many of its kind, offers cramped quarters for regular-sized adults but seems perfectly suitable for children. Highlights in the back include rear air conditioning vents, an easy folding third-row seat, and sizable cargo room with the seats down into the floor. A relatively low liftover height is also a plus, though the liftgate itself takes a little too much effort to close properly.