Living With It – Suzuki XL6 1.5 GLX [Final Report]

The Ertiga-based Suzuki XL6 offers an interesting and purposeful approach to compact family transport. After spending a comprehensive period of time with the CAR team, Kyle Kock shares what makes it such an attractive offering.

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Time spent: Six of six months
Distance covered: 7 578 km
Average fuel consumption: 6.84 L/100 km
We like: Affordable pricing, reasonable fuel economy when driven considerately
We don’t like: No rear parcel shelf, instability in crosswinds, lack of auto-locking doors.

Nearly all the MPVs that have come through CAR’s test fleet have featured seating configurations that can accommodate six or seven passengers, excluding the driver. But we were pleasantly surprised when the XL6 arrived for testing in time for the December 2023 issue. As the name suggests, there’s room for six here and as it turned out to be, we could complete a comprehensive six month test period.

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My family took to the long-term XL6 immediately, with two boisterous boys sitting on two separate seats, or one of them occasionally taking to the third row. There was enough space to prevent any sibling territorial squabbles, so journeys were almost always peaceful. And thanks to the large doors and windows, there was always plenty of opportunities “I spy” games played on longer drives.

There were few black marks against the XL6’s name during its six-month stint as a family mover, but the lack of auto-locking doors – especially given the fact that the door handles are within easy reach of the young ones once perched on their booster seats – was a disappointment. Most of the time I had to be reminded about locking the doors in the interest of safety. Another bugbear is that there is no parcel shelf to cover the 416-litre boot when the third row of seats are folded. This limitation had members of the CAR team favouring options with a more secure traditional boot or concealed parcel shelf that kept luggage and groceries out of sight.

The K15B engine shared across the Suzuki product portfolio in models like the Fronx, Jimny, and the Ertiga compact MPV upon which the XL6 is based, is also present here. Even though its outputs are adequate (77 kW and 138 N.m), there is the reality of a normally aspirated 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine contending with a 1 100 kg vehicle that was often loaded to the gunwales with passengers and their wares. To make the most of those outputs, Suzuki employed a short-ratio five-speed gearbox with a final drive of just 4.41 to 1 to keep the engine on the boil.

Around town, this combination didn’t result in especially great fuel consumption when keeping up with the general flow of traffic. My 30 km daily commute comprises some freeway driving, which kept the consumption in check, but otherwise a more realistic average is just above 7 L/100 km. The sweet spot is between 90 and 100 km/h, with the engine ticking over at around 2 500 r/min. That meant getting overtaken more often than I would have liked; not for a lack of oomph on the part of the XL6, but more because I was actively trying to keep fuel consumption as low as possible.

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With many shorter trips to the beach, local parks and the occasional mall visit under its belt, the XL6 was ready for the open road just ahead of our July 2024 issue SUV shootout. Picnic baskets packed in; my family headed in the direction of Ceres on a reconnaissance run of some of the shootout route.

It was on this trip that I realised the XL6 is most comfortable at well below the national limit. At 120 km/h the engine noise made me reach for a sixth gear that wasn’t there on more than one occasion, but that aside, the XL6’s flat sides and narrow width made it particularly susceptible to crosswinds. Even so, the trip was nonetheless enjoyable and comfortable enough, with my eldest opting to take a nap on the last row of seats – well out of reach of his nagging baby brother.

When the two newest members of the team joined the fray, the XL6’s fuel consumption took a bit of a knock as I suspect it wasn’t being driven as gingerly as was under my custodianship, and when I found myself behind its wheel again the consumption had shot up to 7.42 L/100 km.

As winter made its presence felt, I also started to appreciate the faux-leather seats, and substantial mats throughout the cabin as my two boys tended to be even wetter and stickier than usual. Nothing a light vacuum and quick wipe-down couldn’t sort out. For that reason alone, I would have justified the extra outlay from GL to GLX grade. But another useful feature as dark clouds loomed on the horizon was the automatic headlamps.

I packed the Suzuki with all sorts just before an annual trip to Gqeberha to get a good gauge of its load-lugging abilities. Everything from garden refuse, braai wood, plastic patio chairs and training equipment found its way to the back of the XL6. Fortunately, the plastics throughout the cabin are of the hard-wearing variety.

The XL6’s last task was a trip to the Eastern Cape to attend the annual ADCC iBhayi Challenge. Loaded with banners, bags and three passengers, the Suzuki handled the 1 600 km round trip effortlessly. My training buddies perched in the second row especially liked the reclinable individual rear seats with individual armrests and also thought the roof-mounted rear air vents were a nice touch as they could adjust them independently of my co-driver and I.

Although the auto-folding mirrors are especially helpful for tight parking spaces, thanks to the XL6’s relatively narrow width, the feature is almost moot and if I could have auto-locking doors instead, that’s a trade I would have gladly made. That, plus a parcel shelf and another gear ratio would have made my six months with the XL6 perfect. But at this price, it’s still very hard to ignore.

Find the full report in the September issue of CAR Magazine.

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