Shootout: Kia Forte vs. Suzuki Kizashi
Written by Jeff Zurschmeide   
Sunday, 08 November 2009
In the middle of the worst economy for automakers since the 30s, the leading bantamweight manufacturers, Kia and Suzuki, have each brought out a new sport compact sedan. Kia launched the Forté sedan earlier this summer, while Suzuki waited till the fall to unveil its new Kizashi. Both cars have been reviewed individually in this space already, so this article is a chance to compare the two cars head to head.

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This past week, I had the chance to get back into the Forté for a second time, and to keep it for a whole week. I was reminded of the many things I enjoyed about the Forté from last summer, and during the time I had the car Kia announced that the Forté Koup will be going racing in Grand-Am’s KONI Challenge next year.

So, to refresh your memory, the Kia Forté is a C-platform, four-door, front wheel drive sedan, comparable to the Honda Civic, Mazda3, Toyota Corolla, Nissan Altima, Subaru Impreza, and Suzuki Kizashi.

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Kia Forte Sedan

The Forté comes with your choice of a 2.0-liter DOHC engine making 156 horsepower and 144 pound-feet of torque, or a 2.4-liter DOHC that makes 173 horsepower and 168 pound-feet of torque. You can have your choice of a 5 or 6-speed manual transmission, or a 5-speed automatic. The most basic Forté starts at $13,695, the EX rolls in at $15,795, and even the luxury hot-rod edition SX comes in at $17,195.

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Suzuki Kizashi Sedan

The Suzuki Kizashi is also a compact four-door, front wheel drive (or All Wheel Drive) sedan. The new Kizashi is powered by a normally aspirated 2.4-liter four cylinder, making 185 horsepower and 170 pound-feet of torque, and you have your choice of 6-speed manual or Continuously Variable transmission. All Wheel Drive is an extra available option with the CVT. The Kizashi with a manual transmission starts at $18,999 and prices range all the way to about $25,500 for the SLS version with CVT and AWD.

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Kia Forte Sedan

If you looked strictly at price, the Kizashi picks up at the top of the Forté range – you’ll pay more for a basic Kizashi than for a tricked-out Forté. But you’ll also get more - the Kizashi is a more luxurious car, with more power. The basic Kizashi delivers a six-speed manual transmission, convenient pocket-key with push-button start, zone climate control, a very nice audio system, traction and stability control, and power everything. From there, the Kizashi adds luxury features, CVT, and AWD.

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Kizashi Interior

Driving the two cars, the Kizashi will win on handling and power, but the Suzuki does not trounce the Forté by any means.  Both deliver a solid, fun, sport compact driving experience. Both are confident, sure-footed, and eager for curves. The comparatively low-power but peppy 4-cylinder engines make full-throttle corner exits fun. The cars are also comparable in fuel economy – delivering middle-20s in combination real-world driving.

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Kia Forte Interior

So what’s the bottom line on these two new sport compacts? If price is no object, I think the Kizashi wins on handling, power, luxury features and styling. Perhaps a more fair comparison could be made with Kia’s Forté Koup, which is the sportier sibling to the Forté sedan. But price is always an object, especially this year, and the Forté delivers an awful lot of features and performance at a more economical price point than the Suzuki. I think each of these cars will find an enthusiastic group of buyers. The real bottom line on the Kizashi and the Forté is that Honda, Mazda, Nissan, and even Toyota had better look in their rear-view mirrors, because two new competitors are coming up fast on their tails.
Last Updated ( Sunday, 08 November 2009 )