I took the Kizashi on a 650-mile road trip from Los Angeles to Monterey and my initial impressions, those being that this is a refined and thoughtfully-equipped car, were cemented. (I snapped the picture while driving through wine country -- sorry the light is harsh but the photo-op was too good to resist).
Right off the bat, the Kizashi gives off a feeling of quality -- you grab a nicely padded (not hard plastic as in most rivals) handle to shut the door which closes with a solid "thunk". Underway, the shifter/clutch are light and easy to work and the 2.4-liter four is willing and smooth right up to redline. Though passing tractor-trailers on the ascending "Grapevine" section of the 5 required a sixth-to-fourth downshift and some patience, the power was otherwise more than adequate. Once I settled into cruise mode on the freeway, the Kizashi (the name reminds me of that cereal) was quiet, comfortable and composed. For the trip, I averaged 29.4 mpg which lends credence to the EPA highway figure of 29 mpg.
On the l-o-n-g freeway run I appreciated the aforementioned adjustable sun visors that kept Old Sol from burning my retinas and the well-shaped seats. Under thigh- and lumbar support in particular were solid, thanks to a generous seat cushion and the power lumbar support that kept my compressed L4 vertebra happy. Hooking up/using my iPod was easy, but as James noted it doesn't spell out the whole name of a given selection. A scrolling feature for this would be nice.
I'm not a big fan of the headlight and taillight styling, but if that's my biggest gripe after a couple of 325-mile days, then Suzuki is doing something right.
John DiPietro, Automotive Editor @ 4,834 miles
benson2175 says:
03:09 PM, 05/ 6/10
In a perfect world this solid, competent, ample sized car would sell really well. Instead people will just buy Cobalt crap boxes or boring Civics and Corollas.
tmanz says:
03:18 PM, 05/ 6/10
I think the percentage of people that have even heard of a "kizashi' is hardly out of the single digits.
anyone know how many Suzuki car dealers there are in the US? I can't say that I remember ever driving past one.
Making a good car is fine but people have to know about it and be able to get it near where they live (for access to warranty work).
mtaylor3 says:
04:03 PM, 05/ 6/10
Having just returned from my own 500 mile trip, I can second all these comments (except for the clutch and shifter...I have the CVT). The trip was a combination of interstate driving and twisty North Carolina mountain road driving, and the Kizashi excelled at both. It's a relaxed cruiser with great seats (no sore butt even after 3 hours without a stop), but it loves to play on the twisty stuff too. I know it's probably heresy on this board to say it, but the CVT in conjuction with the manual shift mode and paddle shifters works really well on hilly, curvy roads. At a stop for gas (I averaged 32mpg on this trip by the way), a biker approached me and said "nice car". When I told him it was a Suzuki, his jaw dropped, and then I happily showed him around the car. Only one thing I would change...the tuning button for the audio system should be on the driver's side. It's quite a reach to the knob, and it gets used alot since you have to use it for ipod control. After 3100 miles, this is the only fault I can find in the car!
roadburner says:
04:25 PM, 05/ 6/10
It sounds like Suzuki is finally getting its automotive act together. If I was in the market for a car in this segment I'd definitely give the Kizashi a very close look.
seanmcclure says:
04:37 PM, 05/ 6/10
Interesting.
aspman26 says:
08:39 PM, 05/ 6/10
Any fuel economy numbers for the trip?
ampeg500 says:
10:22 PM, 05/ 6/10
Benson2175, you obviously haven't driven the latest generation Civic. It's not what you'd call boring. It's futuristic, funky, and even a bit weird. None of those words will ever be used to describe the Corolla. Ever.
throwback says:
05:46 AM, 05/ 7/10
That car looks much more expensive than it is. I am surprised I don't see more on the road, I think I have seen about 3 total.
johnnyturbo says:
09:45 AM, 05/ 7/10
@ tmanz,
Good point, we've said that as well. Suzuki needs to get more aggressive in marketing this car. And perhaps they'll open up some more dealerships now that they're putting out solid product that should boost sales...once word gets out ; )
@ aspman,
Thanks for the reminder -- I averaged 29.4 mpg for the trip and put that into the blog.
wayno_san says:
10:41 AM, 05/ 7/10
It's probably not as much Suzuki's fault as it is the supplier of the radio headunit for the lack of scrolling on the song titles... the B(l)ose system in my Inifiniti does not scroll text unless you repeatedly press the display button.... Not to mention that it doesn't hold the bass settings - but I digress...
After my experience with the Bose audio systems in my last two cars I'm never buying another car with it. I'll have the dealer tear it out before I pay them a dime for it.
itskiet3 says:
09:15 AM, 05/11/10
It makes me smile every time I see the smaller car brands come out with better cars now. It gives me a wider variety of selection instead of being stuck with the mainstream.