Rambunctious Kizashi

Suzuki is a brand known globally for its motorcycles and sporty, fun-to-drive small cars like the Swift and SX4. Now Suzuki has transmitted that sporty, fun-to-drive element to a larger form by introducing the Kizashi.

The Japanese word “kizashi” means “a sign that something great is coming.” Suzuki titillated the world by exhibiting extremely proportioned concept cars called Kizashi 1 at the September 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show, Kizashi 2 at the October 2007 Tokyo Motor Show and Kizashi 3 at the New York Auto Show in spring 2008. Finally, in December 2009, Suzuki introduced the mass production Kizashi as a totally new midsize sedan for the 2010 model year.

Recently, Suzuki Philippines Inc. launched the 2012 Kizashi to give D-segment leaders Toyota Camry and Honda Accord a run for their money. In automotive industry parlance, the “D-segment” refers to midsize four-door sedans that are usually categorized as executive cars and/or family sedans. Cars belonging to this category have an image of being refined, comfortable, roomy, reliable—and boring.

Rambunctious. Comes now the Kizashi to inject some rambunctiousness into the executive class without costing buyers an arm and a leg like acquiring a sports sedan would. Suzuki’s new entry in the midsize sedan segment aspires to offer a dash of excitement that the entrenched standards do not.

Does Suzuki attain this aspiration? Well, the Kizashi surprised and impressed me the first time I drove it and discovered that it delivers exceptionally crisp, nimble handling and precise, well-weighted, communicative steering. I found that the 2.4-liter, 16-valve, 4-cylinder engine, packing 180 hp @ 6,000 rpm and 230 Nm @ 4,000 rpm max torque, performs better in fast corners rather than on straight lines. With the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT), a gearless automatic tranny designed to optimize the engine’s power while maximizing fuel economy, the engine accelerates from zero in leisurely manner but powers up above 2,500 rpm.

Smooth. The ride is smooth and pleasant although the suspension is tuned a bit firm. Subframes with floating structures added to the MacPherson strut front suspension and multilink rear arrangement guarantee a compliant, quiet ride. The Kizashi is especially enjoyable to drive on curvy roads, remaining composed and with minimal body lean caroming through corners. Suzuki claims that the Kizashi’s top speed is 205 km per hour and it goes from zero to 100 kph in a respectable 8.8 seconds.

Although the Kizashi is a bit smaller than some of its competitors, its cabin is remarkably spacious with ample headroom and legroom except in the rear seat where legroom is somewhat cramped. The seats are comfy and supportive with the rear seatback splitting 60/40 and folding down independently of each other to accommodate cargo of various shapes and sizes. To hold long items, the rear seatback doesn’t have to be folded because of a trunk-through opening extending over the rear seat armrest.  The trunk capacity measures 461 liters and the electromagnetic fuel lid opens with a push-to-lift action.

Plush. The two-tone, beige-and-black cabin looks classy and has a plush feel due to excellent craftsmanship, pleasing layout and interior design and the use of high-quality materials. Plus the presence of amenities found in premium-priced cars: keyless locking, unlocking and starting with a push-start button, dual zone climate control, soft-touch buttons on the audio control panel and audio switches on the tilt and telescopic steering wheel, illuminated vanity mirror for driver and front passenger, illuminated, felt-coated glove box, USB port and AC socket in the center-lower box of the instrument panel, a bottle holder and pocket in each front and rear door, a storage box with a tray under the center console armrest, footwell lighting for the driver and front passenger, front-door courtesy lights, an overhead console box for glasses and one-touch up-down, anti-pinch functioning power windows.

But the Kizashi lacks a rear parking camera, which is standard equipment in executive sedans. It doesn’t even have rear parking sensors. No Bluetooth connectivity, either. And for a car aspiring to be an affordable sports sedan, the Kizashi should have steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters. A 6-cylinder engine option would also have enhanced the car’s aspiration for sports sedan status,

Ace. On the other hand, the Kizashi aces the safety test by having, as standard equipment, six airbags, an Electronic Stability Program and disc brakes with ABS on all four 17-inch alloy wheels. The disc brakes come from Akebono, the supplier of Japan’s famous Shinkansen bullet trains.

Summing up, for only P1.288 million, or some P200,000-P300,000 less than other Japanese midsize sedans, the Suzuki Kizashi offers an admirable balance of sports sedan-worthy handling and comfortable ride quality plus a fashionable cabin and a full suite of safety features. By making sure that the Kizashi is fun to drive, Suzuki stays true to its sporty mantra and its fans.