After equipping the Ertiga and Grand Vitara with its Suzuki Hybrid Smart Vehicle (SHVS) mild hybrid system in Indonesia, Suzuki is now rolling out the Suzuki XL7 Hybrid with the same powertrain. By the way, the XL7 can be considered as an Ertiga with SUV styling, competing in Indonesia’s Low SUV segment with the just-facelifted Daihatsu Terios, Honda BR-V and Mitsubishi Xpander, among others.

Suzuki has augmented the K15B 1.5 litre naturally aspirated VVT engine with the SHVS system, which consists of the integrated starter generator (ISG) and a lithium-ion battery under the front passenger seat. The mild hybrid SHVS is not dissimilar to the ‘EMS’ BSG system used in the Proton X90.

The powertrain puts out 105 PS and 138 Nm of torque at 4,400 rpm, and can be paired with a five-speed manual gearbox or a four-speed automatic transmission – unlike Toyota and Honda with their CVTs, Suzuki is still clinging on to the torque converter box. By the way, there’s a special eight-year or 160,000 km warranty for the SHVS battery, which is two years more than the warranty for the Ertiga Hybrid.

New-to-model features include auto start-stop, cruise control, automatic headlamps with ‘guide me lights’, auto retractable mirrors and an ‘e-mirror touchscreen’, which is a digital rear view mirror. The manual version gets a shift light indicator. For eco driving, not redlining.

The electrified XL7 looks pretty much similar to the regular seven-seater, but its two variants get 16-inch black wheels (195/60 tyres), a full black grille (no chrome wings sprouting out from the S logo), hybrid emblems, a chrome garnish at the back and a short pole antenna. Inside, the hybrid gets new colour themes and dark wood trim.

Safety wise, ESP is added to the regular XL7’s two airbags and ABS/EBD, while the e-mirror is reserved for the top Alpha. What sets the Alpha apart from the outside is its two-tone paint job with black roof and pillars. The new Savanna Ivory hue is also exclusive to the range topper.

Prices for the XL7 Hybrid start from Rp 283.9 juta (RM87,643) for the Beta MT and Rp 294.9 juta (RM91,029) for the Beta AT. The Alpha goes for Rp 293.9 juta (RM90,710) for the manual and Rp 304.9 juta (RM94,105) for the automatic. It’s not something we get in Malaysia, but what do you think of the Suzuki XL7 as a budget three-row family car?