It's not that often you witness a major car manufacturer make a significant change to it's stable ... but that's just what has happened with Suzuki and the new mid-size sedan Suzuki Kizashi. Suzuki has built it's reputation with small cars. In Australia it's best known for being a producer of reliable, but uninspiring cars and 4WDs, built on the foundation of the sand-conquering light Suzuki 4WDs of the 1960s.
These days it also sells the light car Alto, Swift, trendy SX4, sedan and hatch 2WD and AWD, as well as off-roaders Jimny and Grand Vitara. The Suzuki Kizashi sees the company break with it's long tradition and puts itself into unknown territory, competing head-to-head in the fiercely fought medium segment against major players such as Ford, Mazda, Subaru, Toyota and even European competition such as VW.
We are not just talking here of a bigger-bodied car, but an upgrade in perception and reality. This is no spartan Suzi nor could you call it a `cheap and cheerful' offering for the proletariat. This is the real deal.
Kizashi offers refinement never seen before from a Suzuki, excellent finish and fit, quality materials, high comfort levels, ballsy design and genuine driver enjoyment. The type of car current Swift owners might look for from another company.
STYLE
We like the European styling of the Kizashi. It would not be out of place in Toorak or the North Shore. It's conservative, yet at the same time adventurous. Not quite BMW or Mazda 6 at the same time streets ahead of Camry. In particular we like the boot spoiler which adds to Kizashi's sporty appearance, the large, bold grille, and standard 17 inch alloys, with optional 18 inch available, and out-there large twin exhausts. We like the interior too. Keyless start means a trendy push button start, with the keys still in your pocket. The interior is subdued but with flashes of chrome matched with red illumination on key features. It is also simple with just two large, round dials for the tachometer and speedometer and steering-wheel mounted controls for audio and cruise control. The 10-way power adjustable driver's seat has a memory function so that if the other half changes the adjustment, it's a piece of cake to return it to your pet position. Our test car came with the six speed manual shifter, and it's as smooth as it gets. A CVT is there for those who prefer an auto.
DRIVETRAIN
At the heart of the Kizashi is a 2.4 litre in line four cylinder engine which is quiet and responsive, but will find critics with those who want out-and-out performance. The engine develops 131 kW at 6500 rpm and 230 Nm of torque at 4000 rpm. With an AWD variant having just been released using the same power train, we would not be surprised to see a more powerful variant also added to the stable, whether it be a turbo or a six cylinder. For now though we have the adequate four which will be no surprise to Suzuki Swift buyers that now have a larger Suzuki option to move into, rather than changing brands as the family grows.
SAFETY
No compromises here. Six airbags, including curtain airbags for rear seat passengers, crash-saving electronic stability program, ABS brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution, brake assist, and energy-absorbing trim on pillars and roof side rails. Perhaps the best indicator of safety though it the Kizashi's on-road, at speed, handling which was benchmarked against BMW and fine tuned at Nurburgring. Suzuki did the hard-yards at both engineering and testing stages, and it shows.
FUNCTIONALITY
No attempt to re-invent the wheel, just good common sense, proven placement of the key ingredients such as window switches in the driver's door armrest, sensible centre stack with user-friendly dials for audio and air conditioning, plenty of storage space in both front doors, cup holders, armrest contains two storage areas, and audio and cruise controls in the steering wheel spokes. The rear pew suffers a little from lack of head space with the XLS sunroof lowering the roof height. Will not suit those over six feet, in the old money. Good legroom, but shoulder room a little tight also. Okay for three kids. For a change the centre pew is soft, but it needs to be with the low roof. There's a centre armrest when two passengers are aboard and it includes dual, pop-out cup holders. When this is down there's also a ski-hatch for long items carried in the boot. The doors contain bottle holders and the rear of the front seats have storage netting. Dual rear-facing adjustable air conditioning vents peek out from the rear of the front centre console. Overall a good package.
DRIVING IMPRESSIONS
This is where Suzuki has excelled. Kizashi is sharp around town, easy to park, and easy to drive. My wife normally will only drive autos, but was taken on just how easy six speed manual Kizashi drives. Others who drove the car commented on how smooth it was, in all respects: mechanically, cabin NVH, and ease of operation. On the open road the Kizashi provides the real surprise with road hugging and handling the equal of some of the European cars it aspired to at least match. It may not be the fastest car on the mid-size grid, but it's no slouch for the important out-and-pass manoeuvres in the critical 80 km/h to 120 km/h on the back roads.
MODELS AND PRICING
XL 2.4 L man/auto $27,990/ $30,490
XLS 2.4 L man/auto $34,990/ $36,990
Sport 2.4 L AWD auto only $39,990
FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard
Air Conditioning: Standard
Automatic Transmission: Optional
CD Player: Standard
Central Locking: Standard
Cruise Control: Standard
Dual Front Airbags: Standard
Front Side Airbags: Standard
Curtain airbags: Standard
Stability Control: Standard
Traction Control: Standard
SPECIFICATIONS
ENGINE:
Capacity: 2.4 litres
Configuration: in line four
Head Design: 16 valve
Compression Ratio: 10:1
Bore/Stroke: 92.0 mm x 90.0 mm
Maximum Power: 131 kW @ 6500 rpm
Maximum Torque: 230 Nm @ 4000 rpm
DRIVELINE:
Driven Wheels: Front
Manual Transmission: Six Speed
Automatic Transmission: CVT
Final Drive Ratio: 4.117
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4650 mm
Wheelbase: 2700 mm
Width: 1820 mm
Height: 1480 mm
Turning Circle: 11.0 metres
Kerb Mass:1490 kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 63 litres
Towing Ability: 1700 kg (kg with braked trailer)
SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: MacPherson strut with coils
Rear Suspension: Multi-link
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Disc
PERFORMANCE:
0-100 km/h Acceleration: N/A seconds
FUEL CONSUMPTION:
Type: 91 RON
Combined Cycle (ADR 81/01): 7.9 L/100km
GREEN VEHICLE GUIDE RATINGS:
Greenhouse Rating: 6.5/10
Air Pollution Rating: 8.5/10
STANDARD WARRANTY:
3 years/ 100,000 km
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