I don't know how many times in traffic or at a stop light, I look in my rear view mirrors and see the folks behind me trying to get a better look at the name on the trunk lid of the strange looking car in front of them.
Often I can read their lips as they question what the name is, followed by a "whaaaaaa?" as the confused passengers look at each other. It's gotten to the point it's almost a Mystery Science Theater 3000 skit, complete with running commentary.
Honestly I can find it amusing while stuck in traffic, but I don't think it bodes well for Suzuki. A car too late, perhaps?
Scott Jacobs, Sr. Mgr, Photography @ 20,190 miles
Categories: 2010 Suzuki Kizashi GTS
Somewhere between El Chato and Tacos El Korita on my Friday night taco crawl, the odometer hit 20,000. I had been keeping track, hoping to capture the moment it rolled all those zeros up, but I had lost focus thinking of Carne Asada.
20k is pretty impressive. It's our goal to get a car to that mark in one year, and we accomplished our mission almost to the day of it's introduction. Seeing the in-house popularity of this sleeper, I don't think it'll be a problem to stack on several thousand more miles before it leaves our stable.
Scott Jacobs, Sr. Mgr, Photography @ 20,008 miles
Categories: 2010 Suzuki Kizashi GTS
This weekend our Suzuki Kizashi will likely crest 20,000 miles. I've been paying attention this past week and I haven't heard any squeaks or rattles. The car drives just like it did a year ago. The interior has held up, too, with no noticeable scratches or defects. The all-black color scheme is a bit somber, but it also hides dirt really well.
I also went back and checked for our service reports. The first 7,500-mile service included a TSB under warranty, and the dealer at the second 15,000-mile service stuck us with some unneeded items. But in terms of mechanicals, we've had zero problems with the car.
Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor @ 19,873 miles
Categories: 2010 Suzuki Kizashi GTS
Let's say you're looking to spend around $25,000 for a new family sedan. Would you buy a Suzuki Kizashi? It's an interesting question. You know we've been raving about this car, but critical acclaim hasn't suddenly helped the Kizashi leap to the top of the sales charts, either. So what would stop you from buying one? Limited dealer network? The funny name? Or would you just want something else?
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Categories: 2010 Suzuki Kizashi GTS
The Kizashi has been in our long-term fleet for almost a year now. And if you've been keeping up with the posts, you're no doubt aware that we've written a lot of positive commentary on this overlooked sedan. I was reminded of this last week when I took the key to our Kizashi. It had been more than six months since I had last driven it, but all the things that I liked about our car instantly came back, including the refined ride quality, upscale interior and attractive styling. It's just a really cool car.
I also realized it just feels right in terms of size for what I envision a sedan being for my family (wife, 3-year-old, baby on the way). The Kizashi's not big and bloated like a lot of new family sedans. Yet there's still enough room in the backseat for kids and most adults to be comfortable. Interestingly, the Kizashi is just a tad bigger than the typical small sedan. I ran a comparison on Edmunds versus the Civic and new Focus; you can see the compared specs here.
Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor @ 19,583 miles
Categories: 2010 Suzuki Kizashi GTS
Weeks go by between my stints in our long-term 2010 Suzuki Kizashi GTS, and every time I get back into this midsize sedan, I ask myself why don't I drive this car more often, because it's really quite good to drive.
But in spite of that, I just haven't grown attached to our Kizashi.
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Categories: 2010 Suzuki Kizashi GTS
I often find myself nit-picking details in our long-term 2010 Suzuki Kizashi's interior. The small, pixellated radio display is straight out of the 1990s, but it's coping with all the media options we have here in 2011. And it's really obvious that said radio unit is sourced from a different supplier than the gauge pack, whose digits and markings are of a completely different typeface -- and one that I find a little difficult to read in the Kizashi's white-on-black illumination. And the shifter, although slick through its gates, feels plasticky and a touch flimsy in my hand.
Yet, even with my excessively critical eye(s), I can't deny that just like being in the Kizashi. And it's not any one detail or feature that makes or breaks the experience.
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Categories: 2010 Suzuki Kizashi GTS
Kudos for Suzuki for using this covered compartment in front of the shifter for the iPod hookup. It's a cinch to plug in the iPod as you can see the port and access it without any awkward fumbling around such as when it's located in the glovebox or center console box. And unlike using one of the latter locations, you won't have to rearrange other things, such as the owner's manual(s) or umm, gloves in the glovebox or whatever you've stuffed into the console box.
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Categories: 2010 Suzuki Kizashi GTS
I'm a three-pedal guy. Yep, I prefer the additional involvement, work and skill that driving a true manual transmission car requires. For folks like me with 95 octane in their veins, it's just more fun keeping the engine on song on a deserted winding road and clicking off smooth, rev-matched downshifts all by using your own brain and limbs.
That said, dealing with the almost nightly, soul-crushing slog seen above is more than enough to challenge one's allegiance to a DIY tranny. Thankfully, the Kizashi is blessed with a light-effort, progressive clutch and a slick gearshift that make it ideal for urban warriors who still get a kick out of driving a stick.
John DiPietro, Automotive Editor @ 18, 895 miles
Categories: 2010 Suzuki Kizashi GTS
I know we've blathered on and on and on about all the features in our 2010 Suzuki Kizashi GTS, but here's another unexpected example of thoughtful design that most manufacturers don't bother with: When the front window is nearly closed, the motor slows down. Why is this a benefit? Sometimes I like to leave a little crack at the top on a hot day and this makes it easier than the typical full-speed-ahead rate of window closure.
I've only seen this on some high-end luxury cars, but, of course, I can't remember which one(s). Bentley? Mercedes-Benz? Lexus? Help me out here, please.
Chris Walton, Chief Road Test Editor @ 18,875 miles
Categories: 2010 Suzuki Kizashi GTS
Over the weekend, my daughter and I had a mission: learn to ride her bicycle "like a big girl" without training wheels. It's a big day in every child's life. I remember the day I learned as clearly as if it were yesterday.
There's a giant parking lot at the nearby courthouse where most of the neighborhood children make that leap from terror to triumph. And that's where we needed to go, but we needed to get her bicycle there--in the trunk of the Kizashi. Would it fit?
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Categories: 2010 Suzuki Kizashi GTS
Our 2010 Suzuki Kizashi returned from its 15K service last month, and we weren't pleased with the experience. Here's another reason. The scheduled maintenance included the usual oil change, tire rotation, and apparently reducing unsprung mass from the right front wheel. Notice anything missing?
This is unacceptable, to say the least. It's also a dramatic illustration for the reason we have a rigorous check list we follow prior to testing each and every vehicle that goes to the track. Of course, we check (and if necessary, snug to 90 lb-ft) all twenty, or in this case nineteen lug nuts.
Chris Walton, Chief Road Test Editor @ 18,801 miles
Categories: 2010 Suzuki Kizashi GTS
Suzuki recommends maintenance on the 2010 Kizashi GTS every 7,500 miles. When we rolled over 15,000 the other week it was time to schedule our second service. Quality Suzuki in Midway City took good care of us at the last interval, so we returned expecting the same treatment. We didn't get it.
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Categories: 2010 Suzuki Kizashi GTS
It must be a trend -- parental types being carted around in our Kizashi. My in-laws have been in town, and last night, we went out for Japanese food (at a restaurant whose neighbors are a medical marijuana clinic and the lovely coin-op laundry you see above).
The outing gave me a chance to see how the Kizashi suits passengers in their 70s with two very different physical profiles. My mother-in-law is a slight woman with mobility issues. With the usual help, she had little trouble getting in and out of the back seat. My father-in-law is a big boy -- as he'll be the first to admit. He overflowed the passenger seat a bit, groused about the dash nudging his knees and took a few pokes in the side as I shifted. Like I said, he's a big fella and I don't think this would be a great car for him. But it clearly intrigued him.
Before we got in, he peered at the car from our front door. "What is that again?"
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Categories: 2010 Suzuki Kizashi GTS
Daddy-o and I logged a few hundred miles on the Kizashi yesterday. As stated in my previous post, we decided to cruise up to Santa Barbara for a lil' road trip before watching the Super Bowl. It also gave me a chance to get another passenger's opinion on the Kizashi.
JDP Senior ("Joe" in this case) was duly impressed by the upscale interior, exclaiming "This is a Suzuki? It rides nearly as nice as Joe's Mercedes." (My brother has an '04 S500). The Kizashi's quiet ride and lack of powertrain vibration were also likely key factors in that opinion. But for both of us the seats were the most impressive aspect of the cabin. Ideally contoured and firm but not unyielding, they provided generous under-thigh support and kept our finicky backsides comfortably content throughout the four-plus hours we spent in 'em.
John DiPietro, Automotive Editor @ 18,505 miles
Categories: 2010 Suzuki Kizashi GTS
For nearly 20,000 miles under our oftentimes heavy feet, our Kizashi has been averaging 23.8 mpg. The EPA estimate for combined driving is 24 mpg, lending credibility to the agency's now more realistic mileage estimates. Yes, that's 3 mpg less than what a four-cylinder Accord with a manual transmission rates, but still not bad overall considering our Suzook spends plenty of time in notorious L.A. traffic.
My dad's in town visiting and escaping the blizzards back east, so tomorrow we're going to hit the road for a day trip up to Santa Barbara. Maybe we'll take a vineyard tour as my girlfriend and I did some time ago (as seen above). On tomorrow's relaxed cruise, I'm hoping to better the EPA's highway estimate of 29 mpg.
John DiPietro, Automotive Editor @ 18,304 miles
Categories: 2010 Suzuki Kizashi GTS
It's hard to find something bad to say about our Kizashi. I know some readers are skeptical of our Suzuki Lovefest, but the car is just good. Its four-cylinder winds out with a pleasant growl. Even when you push it, it doesn't really screech or buzz. The six-speed manual slices through its gates smoothly, and the clutch action is almost too light. I wouldn't mind more resistance, but certainly ain't complaining. Even the steering wheel and shift knob feel properly thick and purposeful.
The Kizashi's not trying to fool you with pretensions. It just has the right feel for a car with some surprisingly wide limits. I bet many of my colleagues would vote it the fleet's Most Underrated. But I did find this annoyance, none too minor, after being away from the car for awhile.
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Categories: 2010 Suzuki Kizashi GTS
It had been a while since I gassed up the Kizashi. so after glancing at the lower left dash area and then down alongside the driver's seat for the fuel door release, I remembered that there wasn't one. After earning our admiration for its fine road manners, smooth powertrain and nice cabin, had we found a place where a corner was cut? Is there no security for the fuel filler?
Nope, turns out the Kizashi has another Euro characteristic -- central locking that includes the fuel door -- something I remember Mercedes-Benz touting decades ago. It's essentially a system that automatically locks/unlocks the fuel door in lockstep with the doors. So when the doors are locked, so is the fuel door. When they (or just the driver's) are unlocked, likewise for that metal flap. To gas up, just push on the left side of the flap and it swings open (and yes, it has a built-in cap holder too.) Maybe this small convenience still doesn't match Ford's capless filler for the ultimate in low-effort refueling, but it does make it a little easier than most cars, which require you to first hit a button or pull a lever.
John DiPietro, Automotive Editor @ 18,039 miles
Categories: 2010 Suzuki Kizashi GTS
"What kinda car is that?"
"It's a Suzuki Kizashi"
"Suzuki? Like the motorcycles?"
"Yep"
"I figured it was one of those new Korean cars....looks good"
In one form or another this sort of banter happened three times in three days, and included references to the four-wheel-friendly Samurai, and the always expected "They make cars?".
The last Suzuki I was in was a video shoot for the 2008 SX4 Sedan, and this is a giant leap forward.
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Categories: 2010 Suzuki Kizashi GTS
Once upon a time there was this little sedan called the Volkswagen Jetta. Though this car lived in the humble midsize-sedan segment, it was known for offering a driving experience that was rich with refinement. Interior materials were impeccable and ride quality was smooth as a politician's smile. The Jetta came to be known as the car to choose for those seeking premium quality without the steeper price tag of a traditional luxury model.
For model-year 2011, the Jetta sedan changed. It got a top-to-bottom overhaul designed to broaden its appeal - it grew bigger and got a much lower price tag. Unfortunately, the Jetta sedan also saw a marked decline in quality. Its interior had always been the model's strong suit, but now the useful comfort and convenience features and outstanding materials quality were gone. The Jetta sedan had lost its specialness.
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Categories: 2010 Suzuki Kizashi GTS
