The Suzuki Kizashi: Exclusive and sporty at a budget price.
Metro Detroiters are known for noticing new metal. Because of the primary industry in this area, it seems that people notice when a new car is rolling along in the lane next to them.
But certain cars seem to attract more attention than others. The Suzuki Kizashi Sport is one of them. Even though this is the second model year for the car, you don’t see a lot of them in the Detroit area because of Suzuki’s low market penetration here. In a week of driving, several drivers craned to get a better look and one man in a parking lot asked about it.
So what we have here is a rare, finely styled budget sports sedan that makes onlookers do a double take. Yeah, that’s right, take your see-them-at-every-street-corner 3-Series BMWs and Audi A4s and stick ‘em. The Kizashi has sharp styling that you won’t see every day.
The Kizashi has cool details such as exhaust surrounds and the unusually shaped trunklid.
OK, so the Suzuki is all flash with no slash, right? Wrong. The Kizashi willingly attacks corners with a sharpness that belies its budget price. There’s not a ton of power here – just 185 horsepower driving the front wheels – but the car is still a blast to drive. In reality, in this new world of high gas prices, fun-to-drive, yet fuel-efficient cars will become more commonplace.
And in reality, sharp-handling, low-horsepower cars like the Kizashi can be more fun on regular roads than mega-power pavement shredders anyway. Ever try using all of the performance of even a garden-variety Corvette on regular roads?
It's not BMW's distinctive twin-kidney bean grille, but the Kizashi has a face you won't see every day.
But the Kizashi is always fun, whether you’re uncoiling a winding country road or even zipping around neighborhood corners. The engine revs smoothly. In fact, this engine is one of the smoothest on the market. Even the six-speed manual transmission operates smoothly, even if it has just a little too much play. The clutch is light and easy.
While the Kizashi is most at home twirling through corner combos, it’s wide 235/45 tires make the car less happy cruising on the freeway. Those wide tires tend to follow every road groove like a bloodhound on the scent of a bank robber, making the car feel skittish.
The Kizashi's interior is nicely finished and has tons of features.
The car’s interior is finely finished. And it’s loaded. Listen to what comes standard on this Kazashi Sport SLS: 10-way driver’s seat with memory, dual-zone climate control, 10-speaker, 425-watt Rockford Fosgate stereo with USB, Bluetooth, leather seats, power sunroof, heated mirrors, heated front seats, rear parking sensors, rain-sensing wipers, keyless ignition, and other goodies. It even has eight airbags. For $25,304 with just a couple minor options? That’s a lot of car for a nice price.
The Sport also features the obligatory body extensions – Suzuki calls it an aero body kit, although the add-ons probably do more to hinder aerodynamics than help it – as well as alloy wheels and a sport-tuned suspension.
It’s also comfortable. The front seats are wide, but somehow still have decent support. Soft-touch materials cover the dash and door panels. There are no rough edges. The rear seats have a shocking amount of space for knees and toes in a small sedan.
So, there must be something wrong other than a little freeway wandering. Actually, the Kizashi does have an Achilles heel. While the Kizashi is a stunning accomplishment for a traditionally underperforming automaker, it still can’t match some of the top automakers’ technology. So, the Kizashi’s extremely smooth 2.4-liter four cylinder lacks such advancements as variable valve timing and direct injection.
Kizashis start at $18,999 for the base S. A continuously variable transmission is a $1,050 option. All-wheel drive adds another $1,050, but is not available on the Sport.
It’s fun to have something unique. Your friends will ask what it is and how much it costs. They’ll look it over and wonder if it’s fun to drive.
Sure, you could buy something like a Mazda 3 and be happy with it because it’s a great car. But buying a Kizashi means you won’t often pull up next to yourself at a traffic light, if ever. Exclusivity has its benefits.