2010 Suzuki Kizashi: Feels Expensive

Maybe Subaru can learn something from Suzuki...

I was hot to buy a WRX until I sat in one: talk about low quality.

@wobbly_ears : nope.

I sat in the Kizashi and thought "Nice car" Then I looked up and saw the sophisticated looking map lights and thought "Wow"

Then I looked up and back and saw the Suzuki-esteem grade map light as it rattled ahead.

Skin deep.

@jasond52
You are right that the Impreza/ Forester interior is terrible and this Suzuki does have much better quality (I have sat in one). On the other hand Subaru interiors have improved (quality wise, not style wise) with the 2010 Legacy/ Outback. In my opinion the Tribeca has the best styled interior for Subaru and the best quality from the 2nd row up. The cargo area has some problems noise wise. Back to the Suzuki. It looks luxurious because it is simple and intuitive.

I do so like this car. I'd love to see one in person, but there are no dealers within 50 miles of me. That in itself would be a HUGE drawback in giving this car serious consideration...all it's obvious goodness aside!

Mike if the worst thing about the car is a map light in the back seat then I think it can get a pass. I mean this IS coming from a guy who owns a Dodge Challenger. Let me count the ways where the cost cutting is evident.

As an entire package Suzuki has done a fantastic job with the Kizashi. Dodge had several generations to improve the damn Sebring and look at it now. It's something I wouldn't even drive as a rental car.

Since Dodge does not make the Sebring you should not have to worry about it. And if it was the last rental car and you needed one, you would drive it.

Sorry, I meant Chrysler Sebring and the Dodge Avenger.

And no I wouldn't. I was offered a Chrysler Sebring in Las Vegas as a rental car a couple weeks ago and it was literally the only car that was available (because of that stupid Nascar race). I went to every rental company in the whole airport and only Hertz had a Sebring. I was like no way and just used public transport or walked for 3 days.

"Everything about the Suzuki Kizashi feels more deluxe and expensive than its modest price tag suggests."

Funny. It looks exactly like it's price tag suggest. That's not a bad thing, just appropriate.

@ jasond52

Same here. I really like then 2009 impreza sedan. However, when I sat in it i was really turned off. I'm coming from a mini too....

Not that this car is cheap... $19,500 - $28,800 for 4 cyl, no nav, makes it the same price as midsized sedans.
And this is a large compact, like a Jetta.

Its quality is equal to the price. It is a premium compact.

The center stack looks better in this picture than it did in the introduction.

I traded up to a Mazdaspeed3 from an STI. Talk about feeling expensive. My new $20,000 car feels like a $40,000 car and my old $40,000 car felt like a $20,000 car.

lol, and the STI made the WRX look like crap... i was so jealous of the nice interiors the newer WRX's got when i had mine, how funny is that?! suzuki makes nice cars, but luckily i can afford more car than that. they just need to step things up... they are quite capable of performance. (motorcycles, JWRC, WRC, Pike's Peak, etc.)

the Kizashi is nice, but it seems more like competition for a base Jetta... rather than competition for a GLI, which is where it should be.

Now if we could just get people out of their Toyotas and Hondas. Oh yeah, and more dealerships.

I've always felt that the interior of my '06 TSX was nicer than the price suggested.

@ fatspeed, I had a friend trade in his 06 Mitsubishi Evo for an 07 Mazda RX8. He misses the speed, but the RX8 interior feels like a million bucks to him after owning the Evo.

In order for Suzuki to be a viable US auto seller, they need something different from eveyone else. A significantly lower price would be a good start, but they don't have that. Exceptional performance might work, but they don't have that. The styling is nice, but not category changing. Phenomenal gas mileage could help, but they don't have that. A reputation for good quality could help, but they don't have that.

I just don't see any reason for this car to succeed. Good handling? Most people don't care.

BTW Warren,

I've seen pictures on different websites of the Kizashi interior at night. Does it look as good in real life at night as it does in the pictures?

Dare I say, the interior has an Audi like red glow to it. It seems like everything is lit up (including steering wheel controls) as it should be.

i really like this car. but the powertrain options prevent any running of the numbers... i could do a 4-cylinder, but it would have to be a manual. i won't do fwd, but i could do awd. but awd only comes with a cvt auto and i won't do an auto w/a 4-cylinder. maybe if they offer a v6 with 225+ hp (should be easy enough) and awd i might be able to live with an auto as i am sure they won't offer it with a manaul.

What's sad is Subaru interiors have gone DOWNHILL. They used to be awkward and cheap but reasonably solid. (Then for a brief period with the last-gen Legacy they seemed to be getting serious.) Now they're just awkward and cheap with assembly even mid-90's GM would be ashamed of. You can pop the chintzy wood trim right off the dashboard with your fingers. Pathetic.

I think the Dodge Challenger's interior is excellent, too. It looks cheap in the photos due to its austere design, but the soft touch polymers are of excellent quality, the assembly feels vault-like, and all of the switchgear works great, and the gauges are the best gauges on any car at any price. Even the air vents feel like they operate on ball bearings despite their unassuming appearance.

@ed124c,

That was exactly what I once thought about the Kizashi -- it was too small to be a good midsize sedan and too expensive to be a good compact one.

But I'm just wrapping up a weeklong loan, and it left me very impressed. It really does stand out for its driving dynamics and for its interior, both of which feel upscale of a Mazda3 or Jetta.

"...it was too small to be a good midsize sedan and too expensive to be a good compact one."

I think that this car fits quite neatly in both price and size between compact and what has now become the norm for "mid-size". I believe that the mid size class has grown too large. I have an '03 Mazda 6 and have always felt that this car was just right in so many ways. Just as the previous Accord and numerous others were before they became what are now, to me, big cars. But that's just me.

What Suzuki does need is a V6 option...something on the line of about 3.0L or so in size and 230 hp. A nice, tidy, light and efficient small V6 available as a stick and autostick would make this car really stand out!

A roughly 280hp Awd auto Kizashi is to be released at the NY auto show in two weeks.

"Now if we could just get people out of their Toyotas and Hondas."

Not happening. Just ask Mazda who has released numerous award winning vehicles recently and yet remains a niche player in the market. Suzuki is even worse off- they dont have the brand strength to compete. Toyota and Honda have it easy- they know many of their customers arent aware of the competition and wont bother to learn about them. This is why the Camry easily outsells the Mazda6 by 4-1 or maybe more every month.

Hope you guys put the new suzuki (and its competition) to the test and re-do your family car comparo. at a minimum, such a comparo should include the suzuki, hyundai, honda, mazda, ford, and toyota.

"i really like this car. but the powertrain options prevent any running of the numbers... i could do a 4-cylinder, but it would have to be a manual. i won't do fwd, but i could do awd. but awd only comes with a cvt auto and i won't do an auto w/a 4-cylinder. maybe if they offer a v6 with 225+ hp (should be easy enough) and awd i might be able to live with an auto as i am sure they won't offer it with a manaul."

I have to ask....how old are you and how may cars have you owned?

"I went to every rental company in the whole airport and only Hertz had a Sebring. I was like no way and just used public transport or walked for 3 days."

Give me a break.....that is the stupidest thing I have ever read. A guy at work has a 2009 Avenger R/T with V6 and it is actually very nice. 99% of people who bash the Avenger/Sebring have never even been in one....it is an easy target for American car haters/snobs. Yes a rental 4 banger is not an exciting ride but it is still a reliable and comfortable car that gets one from point A to point B. And if one cant stand to drive or be seen in one then that person has some serious issues.

zoomzoomn,

The Kizashi is definitely compact on the inside and midsize in price. A Mazda3 S lines up almost exactly in both ways. Suzuki says it fits between the two classes, but it's definitely a premium compact. An excellent one, but in no way midsize.

From the limited looks so far, this car has an impressively-styled interior. In some respects it looks like a better-made and more tasteful take on some of GM's recent interior designs. It's almost like GM is trying too hard to get people to stop calling their interiors crap, but this Suzuki seems to strike the right balance. The standard keyless access and starting is impressive as well in this price class.

Well done, Suzuki.

Well done Suzuki.

@Bodyblue---I've rented an Avenger before, it was awful. noisy, thrashy engine, crappy ride, etc. Thankfully I only had it for a day.

FYI- Not only was that the only car available that day in Las Vegas, the rental car company wanted about $100 bucks a day for that damn POS. I was not about to pay upwards of $300 (rental car tax in Vegas is $$$) for 3 days of driving. The combination of monorail and the Deuce (buses) worked out great and I spent less than $50 total dollars.