It had been months since I've been in our 2010 Suzuki Kizashi, and when I got into it last night, I was struck by the shifter for the car's six-speed manual transmission. Medium-length throws. Nice, positive feel from gate to gate. (Credit to Kurt for the photo)
Small details, but they're fast becoming a lost art among cars in this price range. Automakers know they'll sell but a handful of manual-shift models, so many companies don't spend the extra time and money to polish the rough edges. Suzuki has taken the extra step here.
Mind you, it's not all perfect with the Kizashi's six-speed. I wish the clutch offered more feel when it's about to engage. This, in combination with a little more off-the-line torque, would smooth out launches when driving in town.
After the jump, I offer a quick and dirty video of another of my favorite Kizashi details: Auto-up power windows that slooww down just before they're all the way closed. Not sure if it's part of the pinch-protection measures or just to help with sealing, but it's cool and makes the car seem more refined.
Erin Riches, Senior Editor @ 8,442 miles
ptcdawg says:
12:05 PM, 07/28/10
Ahhhhhh...a real stick shift. That's more like it.
vvk says:
12:20 PM, 07/28/10
Very nice! Other positive little details aside, auto up windows are an unexpected premium feature not commonly found in this market segment.
7driver says:
12:22 PM, 07/28/10
As far as the nice shifter, do you think that's a side-effect of USA being a small percentage of the Kizashi's sales? Seems that the low uptake of manual transmissions is mainly a USA thing and they'd want to get the shifter right for the benefit of the rest of the world.
That's also my theory as to why there have been complaints regarding stick shift big-engined Nissans/Infinitis: big engines are mainly a USA thing and stick-shift is mainly a non-USA thing. Therefore, big engine stick shift Nissans represent a small percentage of the total worldwide population and thus they don't spend much time in development.
exnevadan says:
12:32 PM, 07/28/10
love the looks of that shifter - classic shape and pattern graphics/font. far nicer than the stick in my '07 G35.
the postive action and mechanical feel of the six speed gearbox in the G35 is great though, but not so fond of the clutch.
felonious says:
01:37 PM, 07/28/10
Are all four windows auto-up? If so, I'm jealous!
I can think of another reason for the slow-as-you-go method - it makes it easier to leave them cracked open a bit, yet they still close swiftly from full-open if needed.
ed124c says:
03:32 PM, 07/28/10
@ 7driver: Interesting comment. Those of us who appreciate having stick shift cars available to us, should reward those car makers that do a good job of it.
eldaino2 says:
03:56 PM, 07/28/10
my gti has all 4 windows that go up automatically. i love it. cool to see that the suzuk has it too!
mtaylor3 says:
03:58 PM, 07/28/10
Suzuki really sweated the details in the interior of the Kizashi, from great ergonomics to the quality of the materials and construction. Sure, there are a few things that could be improved upon in the next model year, but I think they've hit a home run here. Took a ride in a friend's 2010 Mazda6 yesterday (I had an 09), and was amazed at how much better the Kizashi was put together, how it looked classy and not trendy like the Mazda, and how much more comfortable the Kizashi is. Still thrilled with my Kizashi 5 months and 6K miles later!
dg0472 says:
05:11 PM, 07/28/10
Well, Suzuki is billing this as a budget A4 or TSX. That's a group that demands a manual be available. Not so much the rest of the mid-sized family sedan market. Suzuki knows it's a small market, but knows the rest of the car is geared to it, too.
albinodigits says:
05:15 PM, 07/28/10
This seems like such a great car, and one of the only reasons I'm interested in one is due to all the positive comments from the staff and readers. I wonder if an ECU reflash from Road Race Motorsports would help out the torque off the line. You should try it!
joemt says:
06:08 AM, 07/29/10
Too bad the six-speed manual transmission is not available in the AWD Kizashi.