The 2011 Suzuki Kizashi: The first real mid-size Suzuki

Last fall, Suzuki launched its first mid-size sedan, the oddly named Kizashi. Those in the know will tell you that Suzuki already had a funny-named product in the Verona (2004-2006), which was a Chevrolet Epica, which in turn was actually a lowly Daewoo. Basically, the Verona faded into anonymity.

As for the Kizashi (whose name means “something spectacular is coming”), it’s built on a chassis all its own. Although Suzuki is putting its new car up against mid-size sedans like the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Ford Fusion and Subaru Legacy, the Kizashi’s dimensions are more like those of a compact (like the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Ford Focus, Subaru Impreza, etc.) than an intermediate.

Strangely, while Suzuki seems to have borrowed the lines of the “spectacular something that is coming” from the Volkswagen Jetta, we heard a lot of positive comments about the vehicle’s look during our week-long test drive. Was it the vibrant red? Was it the trunk lid with its nicely rounded top part? Maybe it was the triangular exhausts? Or was it the whole thing? People were always (pleasantly) surprised to learn that Suzuki was now making an intermediate and the Kizashi makes a good first impression.

One model, no options

The passenger compartment is also excellent. It’s large, despite the fact that the Kizashi is one of the smallest mid-sizes on the market, and comfortable, although we’d have preferred it to be a little less dark! The dashboard is full and features a nice layout. Its various buttons and controls are easy to use, even while wearing thick winter gloves, but I would have liked the leather covering of the steering wheel to be a little less slippery. That’s probably a sign that the leather is very average quality. The design of the gauges in front of the driver is a little old-fashioned but a lot of people like it. There are numerous storage areas, which is rare these days. The Rockford Fosgate radio is pleasant to listen to, but I found the button to change stations too far. Fortunately, there’s a second control on the steering wheel. By the way, note that the Kizashi comes in only one model and there are no options available.

Both front and rear seats are comfortable, and the driver’s seat has a three-position memory! The space in back is good and even the middle seat isn’t too shabby. The 60/40 reclining seatbacks allow you to make the trunk, which is already reasonably large with a good loading height, bigger. However, be careful not to hit your head on the closing mechanism. And if you do hit your head, watch your language...

One engine

Just as there’s no choice of options, there’s only one engine, a 2.4-litre four-cylinder, period. This engine features 180 horses and 170 lbs-ft of torque. Not that it’s all that difficult, but these figures compare favourably with the competition (Honda Accord 4-cylinder base model, Subaru Legacy 2.5i, Volkswagen Jetta, etc). This engine is paired with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) made by Jetco and featuring six virtual gears. This gearbox is neither impressive nor disappointing. In other words, for day-to-day use, a lot of people won’t even realize that it’s not a “normal” transmission. Nevertheless, at high speeds we thought that the engine might jump right out of the hood! A little more insulation didn’t improve this transmission, but its limitations are less noticeable. Fortunately, the virtual gears can be changed quickly using shifters behind the steering wheel. During our week-long test drive, we used an average of 9.4 litres of fuel per 100 km, which is a respectable figure considering the car is relatively heavy (1,620 kilos), although we’d be remiss not to mention the Kizashi’s poor driving range of barely 495 km with one tank.

Americans will have two versions of the Kizashi: one front-wheel drive and one all-wheel drive. In Canada, only the latter will be available, but the front-wheel drive version won’t be missed since the all-wheel drive can be disengaged in favour of driving in front-wheel drive mode alone. In fact, even in 2RM mode (front-wheel drive), the system sends a very small percentage of the torque to the rear wheels. In AWD mode (all-wheel drive), the torque can vary up to 50/50 between the front and rear wheels:  Now that’s the good ole’ 4x4 manufacturing Suzuki that we know and love. The Kizashi won’t take on Jeep products, but it will hold its own in the snow with a Subaru!

On the road, despite the noisy accelerations, the handling is excellent. The chassis is very rigid, which means that there are no body noises. It also means that the engineers used suspensions that provide a nice balance between comfort and handling, with the help of Dunlop SP Sport P235/45R18 tires. The steering is decent and gives a certain amount of feedback, which is an enormous change for Suzuki... Despite all that, the Kizashi isn’t a sports car. When pushed even a little, there’s a bit of a roll before the lateral stability control system noisily kicks in, although it’s possible to deactivate it completely.

The best Suzuki ever tried!

The Kizashi is far from a bad car, but it doesn’t have anything to make it stand out. At $29,995, many will prefer the established stars of the category. Its all-wheel drive may attract some buyers, but a Subaru Legacy base model, while not as well equipped, costs quite a bit less... Maybe a Kizashi with front-wheel drive only and sold at a lower price would have more chance to succeed. Moreover, the resale value of Suzuki products isn’t very high, and the somewhat thin network of dealerships sure as heck won’t raise it. The paint is very, very ordinary (on our test car, at least) and it’s applied sparingly. The fact that no rust inhibitor was applied in the factory doesn’t help its cause either. Too bad, since the Kizashi is quite nice, competent, and if the trend continues at Suzuki, reliable.