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A Whole New Ball Game: 2010 Suzuki Kizashi |
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Written by Jeff Zurschmeide
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Tuesday, 20 October 2009 |
Suzuki has taken a bold step to change its image in America with this month's launch of the long-awaited Kizashi sport sedan.
The new Kizashi is powered by a normally aspirated 2.4-liter four cylinder, making 185 horsepower and 170 pound-feet of torque. In some vigorous real world testing, the car averaged 26 MPG while screaming around mountain roads.
The Kizashi is a driver's car - the available horsepower won't throw you back in your seat, but in the hands of an expert, this car can fly through the twisties with the best of them.
You have your choice of a 6-speed manual transmission or a Continuously Variable two-pedal box. In the top trim level, the CVT is offered with optional AWD, but sadly there's no AWD option for the manual transmission car! Rather than consider this a deficiency, we're just hoping that next year Suzuki will treat us to a Turbo AWD version of this car. 2010-Kizashi-Portland-PIR-T
Yet we have to say that this car was nothing short of amazing on the windy mountain passes of the Pacific Northwest, and we ended our day with hot laps at Portland International Raceway. See below for an in-car look at the Kizashi at triple-digit speeds on the track.
As mentioned, the Kizashi doesn't offer the kind of engine power that will impress street racers - this is a momentum car that requires a more developed driver. Once you've got the Kizashi going fast, it will stay fast around any curve. The handling is neutral to a touch of understeer, the traction control is capable and unobtrusive, and the net result is that the more powerful turbocharged competitors may walk away from you at the start, but you'll take the lead and hold it through the curves.
Inside, you'll find state-of-the-art instrumentation, comfortable seats, and every modern convenience you expect in a sport sedan costing (in some cases) $10,000 more than the Kizashi's preliminary sticker price of $25,500. 2010-Suzuki-Kizashi-022
The interior luxury and exterior styling, NVH, and overall presentation of the Kizashi represent a giant leap for the veteran Japanese motorcycle and automobile company. You'd never know it from their American presence, but Suzuki owns a 50% market share of the humongous and growing auto market in India and elsewhere in Asia. With products like the excellent SX4 AWD crossover and now the Kizashi, it's clear that Suzuki has decided to bring its A-game to North America - and that's a benefit for all of us.
The bottom line on the Kizashi is this - if you're shopping sports sedans from Nissan, Acura, Honda, Mazda, or even Audi, you owe it to yourself to take a fresh look at Suzuki. Leave your past impressions and biases at home - the Kizashi is a whole new deal. |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 04 November 2009 )
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