Suzuki invites you to take a test drive in the brand new Kizashi. The Kizashi was ranked ahead of the 2010 Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, Ford Fusion, Mazda6 and Chevy Malibu in the USA Today $25,000 Family Sedan Shootout. The Kizashi also outperformed these sedans in another recent comparison test conducted by Popular Mechanics. If you don’t agree that the Kizashi is the safest, sportiest, and best overall mid-sized sedan you’ve ever driven, Suzuki will pay you $250 if you still buy a competitor’s car! That’s how confident Suzuki is that you’ll love the Kizashi! http://suzukiauto.com/specials/
The Kizashi scored 99 points above the industry average, beating 33 brands and 225 models to place first in AutoPAcific’s survey, winning the Vehicle Satisfaction Award, the highest satisfaction of any 2010 car.
http://www.autopacific.com/news-app/story.59/title.autopacific-announces-2010-vehicle-satisfaction-awards/menu.no/sec./home.
I returned the Kizashi on Saturday and ended up averaging 25.4 mpg during my week of driving. I miss this car allready. the Kizashi was such a great ride and it was the perfect size – not too big not too small . I really want a black one with a six speed manual.
Drove to Butler, Pa. and averaged 26.7 mpg in the Kizashi. I had the sunroof open with the seat heaters on which made for a really enjoyable ride. I also used the USB port to listen to my tunes - very convenient looking forward to running errands in the morning.
Suzuki’s Kizashi: A sporty midsizer
Kashi cereal boasts “seven grains on a mission.” The new Kizashi sedan from Suzuki may not be as high-fiber, but it is certainly on a mission.
As a matter of fact, this pleasant new family car has had a large corporate task loaded on its midsized shoulders: to return the Japanese automaker’s sales to something resembling respectability.
Suzuki’s chronic sales problem is painfully evident when you compare its February 2010 U.S. sales with those of February 2009. Suzuki was among only three manufacturers to lose sales February over February – and its 61 percent drop was easily the worst. (Mitsubishi was down 10 percent, Toyota, 9.)
So the company is hoping this new sedan will engender sales consistent with its Japanese name, which means “something great is coming.”
Well, the Kizashi may not be great, but it is pretty good. It qualifies as the most satisfying Suzuki I’ve driven. The test car, the sporty GTS model, proved pleasant both aesthetically and dynamically, and offered a nice serving of features, technology and driving fun for the money.
The Kizashi is the first Suzuki midsize sedan built by Suzuki. Its predecessor, the Verona, was a re-badged Daewoo. As it turns out, Suzuki’s idea of a midsizer is a bit on the smallish side. At 183 inches long, it’s roughly a half-foot shorter than a typical midsize sedan and a half-foot longer than your usual compact. Think of it as somewhere between Toyota’s midsize Camry and compact Corolla.
While its length may be a bit less than the midsize average, it certainly affords a reasonable amount of cabin space. The tester provided adequate head and leg room for a 6-2 driver in both the front and rear seats, despite the space-depleting moonroof.
The Kizashi price spectrum ranges from $18,999 for the base S model with front-drive and a six-speed manual gearbox, to $26,749 for the top-of-the-line SLS model with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) and all-wheel-drive (AWD). In between are the mid-priced SE (starting at $21,499) and the performance-minded GTS ($22,499).
All the models are available with AWD, something not often found in popularly priced family cars. And all can be had with either the manual or automatic gearboxes except for the AWD models and the SE, which are only equipped with the CVT.
While the styling of the Kizashi GTS I drove wasn’t exactly cutting edge, it was handsome and well proportioned. The appearance (and handling) of the GTS I drove also benefited from the substitution of larger 18-inch wheels and tires.
More cosmetic good news was available inside the Kizashi tester, where Suzuki made a case for Dom Pérignon living on a Bud budget. No one caught cutting corners in here. The upholstery and trim were of good quality, the workmanship was on the money, and standard premium features abounded.
The interior’s attractiveness was complemented by comfort and a nice driving environment. The 10-way power seat and telescoping wheel put you in a comfortable driving posture. Visibility is fine. The placement of the instruments and controls makes them readily accessible.
Driving pleasure is enhanced by a sporty independent suspension that affords cornering competence and a firm yet comfortable ride.
The tester’s drivetrain certainly added to the fun. The Kizashi is powered by a 2.4-liter four that develops 185 horsepower when in league with the smooth-shifting six-speed manual, as was the case in the GTS test car. That tandem gets the Kizashi from 0 to 60 in a quite presentable 7.5 seconds.
In addition to providing brisk acceleration, this engine is uncommonly quiet for a four-banger. Unlike so many of its brethren, it doesn’t get harsh and buzzy when flogged in public.
The GTS has a suitcase full of safety gear, ranging from eight air bags to stability and traction control. It also garners good government safety ratings, including top, five-star ratings for front and side crashworthiness and four stars for rollover protection.
The Kizashi’s warranty includes a three-year/36,000-mile bumper to bumper guarantee and an exceptional seven years or 100,000 miles on the power train.
Good
2010 Suzuki Kizashi GTS
Base price: $22,499 (includes shipping).
As tested: $22,879.
Standard equipment: 2.4-liter engine, six-speed manual gearbox, and an extensive litany of premium features ranging from 18-inch alloy wheels to a sunroof and a 10-speaker, 425-watt sound system.
Options: Premium paint and floor mats, body accents.
Fuel economy: 20 m.p.g. city, 29 highway.
Handling: Crisp.
Engine performance: Above average.
Styling: Handsome/generic.
Warranty: Three years/36,000 miles bumper to bumper.
The Ben Key: Four Bens, excellent; Three Bens, good; Two Bens, fair; One Ben, poor.
http://www.philly.com/philly/classifieds/cars/90858484.html
The Kizashi is a great ride and really soaks up potholes. The driving position is spot on – I was able to adjust the seat and steering wheel to my perfect setting. Also, the mirrors are larger than my car and offer great rear visibility.
I averaged 25.6 mpg in mixed highway/city driving and I am really looking forward to driving up to Zelienople on Wednesday.
Morning commute was the same as yesterday. In the afternoon, though, I headed up to the glacial till of Lawrence County in search of the critically endangered Spreading Globeflower, whose last significant population in Western Pennsylvania is found at the Plain Grove Fen Natural Area, owned by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. It is an awful place – no trails, lots of slop, even more thorns – bring your rubber boots and Bactine.
To get there, I jumped off I-79 and followed Rt. 528 North, a road that offers about as much fun as you can have this side of a racetrack. The Kizashi was great – the AWD system keeps the car tracking like a champ, and the manumatic allows almost unlimited flexibility. It never thinks it is smarter than the driver, allows the motor to rev right up to redline, and gives the driver full latitude to downshift at will. Overall, the Kizaski proved to be a great back road companion.
The flowers were not blooming yet, so once I pulled myself free of the knee-deep muck I came home via I-79. The cruise control was very smooth and consistent, and the firm seats and comfortable driving position made the miles pass effortlessly. Once again, the sound system was a joy, making my 80 to 90-year old Blues music sound great.
Today was mostly my generic 30 mile round trip suburb-to-suburb commute. In stop-and-go traffic, the Kizashi felt fine – commuting is definitely better surrounded by leather and a premium sound system. In full automatic mode, the transmission is pretty quick to get to its fuel-sipping ratios (and with $4 gas just one oil pipeline attack away, this is a good thing), so the paddle shifters are really growing on me – the 3rd and 4th ratios are great for around-town driving: they offer plenty of immediate power to get around people and really make the car feel responsive.
For my drive home, I was joined by my two-year-old daughter. Getting her car seat into the Kizashi was a breeze. Since the latch system hooks are on the seats instead of in them, there was no hunting. The plastic covers on the seat anchors are fully detachable, though, which means that they might get lost. The snugness of the front certainly extends to the back – my daughter’s feet were often poking through between the two front buckets.
We took one of my favorite back roads home through Sewickley Heights (Mario Lemieux’s neighborhood). The Kizashi was great through the twists and turns – its suspension achieves a great compromise: it is firm and flat, but nowhere near punishing. You feel every bump, but none really erupts through the car. Steering feel is great, too. It was a fun drive.
I should note that, typical for Western Pennsylvania in the Springtime, the day started out at about 30° and ended at about 75°. In the morning, the seat heaters and defrost system worked quickly to take the edge off, and in the afternoon the automatic climate control system got the interior cooled off very quickly. My daughter greatly appreciated the rear vents, which gave her just the right amount of cool air.
I picked up the Kizashi today at Courtesy, and got the usual treatment – lots of handshakes, some gabbing with Jim and Katie Shorkey, cookies, etc. We bought a Kia Rondo from them last year and the whole process was great. All car dealerships should be like this.
My first impressions of the car were as follows:
1. The Kizashi has a lot of bells and whistles. This is obviously a fully-loaded, every-option-checked model. Many things (keyless ignition, moonroof, automatic climate control) I personally wouldn’t buy on my own, but I’m not going to argue with their inclusion when they’re free (the luddite in me would be willing to pay for a real key, though…). Other things (seat warmers, leather seats, AWD) might make the cut if this was my money. There are lots of buttons – some more intuitive than others – but their size and layout made them easy to use. Ergonomics are a strong suit.
2. The Kizashi is solid. Really, darn near Germanic – the doors close with a solid thunk, the seats are nice and firm, storage bins open with the proper amount of resistance, and the plastic bits around the cabin are largely soft to the touch and are painted a nice flat black. Very nice. Even the steering is on the nicely weighted (not quite “heavy”) side. In an era where even the Germans are actively cost-cutting, Suzuki really put e few extra dollars into this, and it really shows. They’re certainly no longer taking orders from GM accountants at the Daewoo factory…..
3. The Kizashi is not that big. The interior feels snug (the moonroof gobbles up a lot of headroom), but with about 50 different adjustments on the driver’s seat (shaped like a seat – very nice), I was able to get comfortable pretty quickly. Overall, it feels closer in size to my ’04 Corolla than it does to some of its newly-supersized (Honda Accord and Mazda 6) competition.
I live on the other side of Pittsburgh, so my first drive was a 40 mile Turnpike shot from Irwin to the Cranberry interchange, then some time on I-79. The Kizashi is a great highway cruiser – the continuously variable transmission gives you instant power (more on that in a second), the ride is firm but not harsh, and it handles quite well. The side mirrors are HUGE, which more than makes up for the relatively small rear window in terms of visibility. Every car should have mirrors like those – they are just fantastic. One other feature that I really like is the one-touch turn signals. One little push gives you three blinks – perfect for lane-changes. A little wind and tire noise invade the cabin (the latter is really audible at slow speeds), but overall the car is quiet, composed, and usually traveling about 10 mph faster than it seems.
The CVT is certainly different – it feels a little weird at first, but it doesn’t take long to get used to. At 70 mph, the Kizashi is happy to purr along at highway speeds about 1800 rpm, which leaves me really looking forward to seeing what the gas mileage is like. My only complaints are with the manumatic function – “gear changes” feel really fake (it’s a little too obvious that you’re not really selecting anything), and the gear selector really should push away from the driver instead of towards him. I like to rest a hand on the shifter, and that managed to flop it into manual mode more than once. It would also be nice to be able to select “2nd gear” at a stop when things are slippy outside.
The Suzuki Kizashi… hot enough for a man to drive and look cool and sexy enough for a lady to drive and get noticed.
This is one cute, cute, cute car with alot of pick up and GO!
I would compare it to something like the Subaru Legacy or the Honda Civic, a small mid-size car. Definately NOT a “pregnant roller skate”.
I’m a 48yo woman, old enough to look for safety and young enough to appreciate good looks. This car has both. There are front and side air bags and great sensors for parking. It is aerodynamic and really hugs the curves and turns. The low profile tires (or whatever they are called) give you the feeling of constant control and managability with stability. It acellerates nicely and smoothly. I love all the versatility with 2-wheel to all wheel drive and the ability to down shift on the steering colomn. As far as the smoothness of the ride over some rugged roads, I think it is pretty smooth. And before you know it you are at 90mph. Careful, don’t buy it in red. The look, to me, is sporty with the dual chrome accented exhaust and the great grille. The model I got to test drive had leather seats–with bun warmers–thank you very much. Loved that! Sun roof was great. Loaded with gadgets and cup holders all around. I believe I counted six. Huge glove box. Nice consol with double compartment. Car charger and USB port. Oh, and another fave was the auto “up”; not just auto “down” on the windows. But I didn’t check to see if they would stop going up if you had your fingers or head in the way as the window was going up,,,,it could happen especialy with a young child or one of my elderly parents. I almost forgot, the push button start is way cool; as well as the keyless entry and lock. You can’t lock your key-fob in the car; good thinking. It had many other features but these I liked the best. I thought the stereo was average. The radio and cruise controls on the steering column were placed well. The speedometer and tachometer are placed in good view with the steering wheel. I really liked this car. I am used to driving a Jeep Gr Cher, and I’m not a tiny woman, but I was very comfortable in this car. Didn’t drive it in the snow. I don’t think I would like to be someone in the back seat on a long trip to the beach. Great leg room in the front, not so much in the back. All in all a great ride. My 21yo daughter about cried when she saw it and then really cried when I had to take it back.
I’m someone who is going to look at a car and think “how cute would I look in that!” I know little about engines and such. I’m all in it for looks and comfort. I would love to pull this little gem up into my driveway every day.
I had great fun driving this car. Thank you. Now , go out and get yourself one.
