By: Two for the Road USA
For a long time now the Suzuki brand has been about utilitarian vehicles. Vehicles that met needs and didn’t cost a lot; and while sporting some interesting names like Grand Vitara and Equator, they were basically pretty vanilla. Enter the Kizashi, and yes I know you thought “gesundheit’ I must have had ten people say it to me, but not withstanding the rather peculiar name, the Suzuki Kizashi is one nifty little pocket rocket. As I understand it, Kizashi translated means “something great is coming” and while I’m not quite ready to hang the “great” label on the Kizashi, it is in fact much better than just good.
The Suzuki Kizashi starts pricing starts at under $20,000 for the base model and $24,699 for the Sport SLS version we tested, which stickered at $25,304. With extras that included destination charges, Premium Floor Mats, Premium Metallic paint and XM Satellite Radio. Some niceties that come standard on the Kizashi include Smartpass keyless Entry and pushbutton start Electronic Stability Control, Traction Control ABS and eight airbags to name a few. Some of the Sports SLS Package adds include; Leather Appointed Interior, Power Sunroof, heated/power front seats, Rear Parking Sensors and Auto Headlamps and Rear View Mirror. The Sports Package includes Sport Aero Body Kit, Light Weight Sport Wheels, Sport Tuned Suspension and the Sport Design Steering Wheel. Which I believe epitomizes the phrase “a lot of bang for your buck.”
The Kizashi athletic styling looks good from all angles and inside you’ll find a pretty nice looking and functional interior. The level of refinement inside Kizashi's cabin surprised me as our test car was equipped with sharp black leather, dual-zone climate control, and 10-way power-adjustable heated front seats; it even had iPod and USB audio controls. The 10-speaker, 425 watt Rockford Fosgate sound system and integrated Bluetooth with audio streaming could be controlled from the steering wheel.
After driving the Kizashi Sport SLS I quickly realized that Suzuki certainly took the car to a higher level than the base model. It has a firmer ride and feels very secure on twisties or zipping through a cloverleaf on or off a freeway ramp. With 185 Horsepower it won’t rip you head of by any stretch of the imagination but mated to a 6-speed manual transmission, the Kizashi Sport is a whole lot of fun to drive. As with almost all cars that add the Sports moniker to a car, the stiffer suspension does transmit more road imperfections back to the driver but not to the extent it’s troubling although I have to admit, it could wear on you after a while on longer treks.
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Bottom line, I think all the players in this segment need to pay close attention to Suzuki’s Kizashi. It offers a lot for a little and actually has a bit of a personality. So if you’ve been thinking about something different, while the name alone may intrigue you, I can assure you, Kizashi is a whole lot more than just a name; it is indeed something good.
The Kizashi come with EPA ratings from 20-31 mpg and 36 month 36,000 base warranty and an 84 month 100,000 mile powertrain warranty.
2 comments:
I understand your point about a new Suzuki car. I hope this will also be benefited to others.
Thanks for your nice posting.
2009 Suzuki SX4 is also a good ride, I think. As I had the chance to test drive it. The Indianapolis used cars company offered good price, which stunned me. One of my friends actually told me that Suzuki cars very much affordable compared to other brands. We set up an appointment with the used car dealer (Indianapolis) for the warranty agreements and other necessary settlements. I'll check out this Kizashi model after this. Thanks for this review, guys.
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