We owned a 2010 Suzuki Kizashi GTS for a year. During this time we encountered countless strangers formulating equally innumerable variations of the same question, "What is it?"
"Kizashi makes me think more of breakfast cereal than a car."
"What's a Kizashi? Oh, Suzuki. Like the motorcycles?"
"Suzuki makes cars, too? I didn't know that."
"Kizwhat?"
There is a lot in a name. Kizashi highlights Suzuki's Japanese heritage. It also differentiates the Suzuki from its peers in a highly competitive midsize sedan segment. Kizashi is an asset.
It's the Suzuki brand that's a bit of a crutch. The Kizashi is the best car built by Suzuki since it started selling in the United States 25 years ago. But nobody knows it. A smattering of Suzuki dealerships across the country doesn't help the situation. After a year behind the wheel of a Kizashi, we think it deserves more.
Why We Got It
Suzuki has a history of platform sharing. Suzuki Cultus was synonymous with the now-departed Geo Metro. Fiat named its version of the Suzuki SX4, Sedici. Even the Suzuki Forenza, which the Kizashi essentially replaced, was a product of Daewoo coordination. There is a difference with the Kizashi, though. Suzuki built this car from the ground up.
Everything on the 3,300-pound 2010 Suzuki Kizashi was new. Under the hood was a 2.4-liter inline-4 producing 185 horsepower and 170 pound-feet of torque. Many amenities, optional on competitive cars, were standard on the GTS. This was a well-equipped vehicle that was fuel-conscious, too. We set our sights on a front-wheel-drive, six-speed manual.
There was one more reason we introduced Kizashi to the long-term blog. Our long-term SX4 had given us a glimpse into the world of Suzuki ownership. We read about dealership closings around the nation. We even witnessed the closure of our local service center firsthand. How much more was to come? A Suzuki in our fleet offered the insight we couldn't find anywhere else. A call to Suzuki secured our loan of a Kizashi GTS for 12 months and our test began.
Durability
Almost everybody had something positive to say about how the 2010 Suzuki Kizashi drove. Engineering Editor Jason Kavanagh also offered some constructive criticism. "I am pleasantly surprised by its handling. It's pretty sharp in terms of body control and steering precision. And the grip! Clingier than I expected. Plus, it's apparent the body shell is stiff. The taut damping is allowed to work effectively and the car feels quite solid. I give the chassis a B+.
"The powertrain could use some fine-tuning, though. Forget power for a minute and think power delivery. Irrespective of how much or little power an engine makes, we want a snappy response here, both when the throttle is initially cracked and when it's flicked shut. The Kizashi, though, has quite a lazy throttle take-up when you're feeding in the pedal for a normal launch, then hangs onto revs when you want to shift. I blame the drive-by-wire throttle calibration. It's trying too hard to smooth things out and the result is that it feels like Suzuki installed sloppy engine mounts and a giant flywheel. Not a huge deal, but the whole Kizashi package would be more cohesive if it were better."
Inside the cabin our Kizashi's dark cloth interior showed little wear and tear. Inside Line Editor Ed Hellwig also praised the radio layout. "Just a quick shout-out to the boys in Hamamatsu for the design of the Kizashi head unit. That's about as clean a setup as you're going to find these days. Nicely spaced buttons, knobs for volume tuning and readable labels all around. They kept it simple and it works."
Senior Technology Editor Doug Newcomb commented on its Bluetooth interface. "While it isn't the best, it is better than some cars costing twice as much. It was relatively easy to pair my iPhone 3GS. While chatting with a friend I was struck by how clear the connection sounded in the Kizashi. If you classify Bluetooth systems as good, better and best, then the Kizashi falls somewhere in the middle. But if you go by what you get for your money, and also consider that the car's in-cabin tech comes standard, the Kizashi is way better than most."
Dealership interaction was among the most influential elements of our test. Going into the test we knew the Suzuki network was dwindling. We had one dealership within 25 miles and two more if we expanded the search radius to 50 miles from our Santa Monica office. Our decision to use Quality Suzuki in Midway City for service offered unexpected perspective on the state of affairs within the Suzuki dealer network. Our first scheduled visit at 7,500 miles was quite positive, thanks largely to an attentive service advisor. It was the second visit at 15,000 miles, with a different advisor that left a sour taste on our palettes. We were prematurely up-sold a cabin air filter and throttle body service. This happens often, and across all brands. But this advisor was especially deceitful in his approach, marring our prior perception of this dealership. A missing lugnut discovered days later furthered our disdain. Then the encounter took an unforeseen turn.
We were contacted out of the blue by Quality Suzuki to discuss our service experience. Dealer Principal Todd McCallum requested a face-to-face meeting and drove the 40-plus miles to our office. Our conversation was cordial yet succinct. It culminated with a handshake and McCallum stating, "We made a mistake. We're sorry and we have since taken measures to ensure this doesn't happen again." IL said we wouldn't return to this dealership for service. But based on the efforts made in that conference room to rectify a failed consumer relationship, we would be willing to give it another try. McCallum's visit came too late, however. The test was already complete and the car had already been returned to Suzuki.
Total Body Repair Costs: None
Total Routine Maintenance Costs (over 12 months): $294.12
Additional Maintenance Costs: None
Warranty Repairs: Glovebox door latch recall
Non-Warranty Repairs: $228.75 for one Dunlop SP Sport 7000
Scheduled Dealer Visits: 2
Unscheduled Dealer Visits: 1 for glovebox door latch recall
Days Out of Service: None
Breakdowns Stranding Driver: None
Performance and Fuel Economy
Every long-term car is tested at both the beginning and end of service. The 2010 Suzuki Kizashi was no exception, and we noticed some performance differences between tests.
Acceleration from zero to 60 mph slowed 0.2 second to 8.2 (with 1 foot of rollout), while the quarter-mile results were identical, 16.2 mph at 86.9 mph. Senior Editor Josh Jacquot noted after the test, "Good shifter but sluggish throttle calibration. Gearbox is easy to work and feels solid. Throttle feels like it's always half a step behind." From 60 to zero mph the Kizashi shortened its stop to 116 feet. Jacquot added, "Reasonably solid pedal feel and relatively consistent stopping distance." Around the skid pad the Kizashi generated 0.86g of lateral force, a value on par with its first test. Time proved favorable to the slalom speed, which improved to 65.9 mph.
Observed fuel economy aligned with EPA estimates of 20 city and 29 highway mpg. We averaged 24 mpg over the lifetime of our loan. Our best single tank of fuel was 31 mpg and carried us over 400 miles before we needed to refuel.
Best Fuel Economy: 31.1 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 15.0 mpg
Average Fuel Economy: 23.9 mpg
Retained Value
We added a $23,614 2010 Suzuki Kizashi GTS to our long-term fleet just over one year ago. During the test we accumulated just over 20,000 miles. Doing so depreciated Kizashi 24 percent from its original True Market Value (TMV®), based on a private-party sale.
For reference, our long-term 2007 Toyota Camry and 2007 Nissan Altima depreciated 26 percent at the conclusion of their tests. Our 2008 Honda Accord depreciated 20 percent. That puts the Kizashi in good company.
True Market Value at service end: $18,055
Depreciation: $5,559 or 24% of original MSRP
Final Odometer Reading: 20,160
Summing Up
Brand recognition remains a challenge for Suzuki. We owned a Kizashi for a year. Each time we climbed behind the wheel it surprised us. There was promise. Quality was good, as was resale value. The Kizashi proved a legitimate contender against the Hondas and Toyotas of the world. But where can we buy one?
A lack of dealerships to sell and service Suzuki products poses an immediate problem. A convenient location may not be an option for many consumers. Chances are they'll just go someplace else. In our experience, albeit at one dealer, the service department showed us that it cares about customer satisfaction. That is a step in the right direction. Suzuki as a brand still needs help with U.S. market expansion, however.
What is it? Until Suzuki can answer this question the 2010 Suzuki Kizashi will remain the best-kept secret in the midsize sedan segment. Editor in Chief Scott Oldham observed, "People look at this car. People ask about it when you park. It has the 'it' factor the Jetta lost and no other small sedan has ever grabbed." Coincidentally or not, just days after the Kizashi went on sale Volkswagen bought a $2.5 billion stake in Suzuki. Maybe this is a sign of things to come.
The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.
Add A Comment »
bricknord says:
06:49 AM, 05/03/2011
I wonder if the average owner would have received this kind of personal attention from the dealer principal. Kind of doubt it.
billd12 says:
08:51 AM, 04/24/2011
I actually saw two Kizashi's yesterday, one in a driveway down the block. Not really in the market for a sedan, but i've been intrigued by the Kizashi since it came out and this road test is encouraging. As many have basically said, pictures don't do this car justice. It is very distinctive looking in person and really looks like it costs alot more than it does. I would say it's all in the level of detail, and the size says "sport sedan" like an A4 or 3-series does. As long as Suzuki can stay in US and provide a reasonable service network, the exclusivenss could actually be a plus, especially if the resale value described in the test holds true.
litewerk says:
12:51 PM, 04/22/2011
I actually parked between a Kizashi and a Verona on a stop on my way to work a week or so ago. It was the third Kizashi I've seen. And, that day, I encountered 6 Suzukis on my way to work, a 25 mile trip. People have seemed to like Suzukis in the capital city of the Buckeye state.
cz_75 says:
10:42 PM, 04/21/2011
If Suzuki added more power, I'd certainley take a look, but any potential repairs would be an issue considering there are two dealers nearby, each over 30 miles away and no independent mechanics who have any real knowledge of the brand. So, they better make them reliable.
formerreda3 says:
12:38 PM, 04/18/2011
26,000 miles on my GTS and my wife insisted that she wanted one too. Just bought an SE AWD for her. Sorry to see your long term Kizashi go. It was a fun read. And yes, my dealership is 20 minutes away. If they weren't close no matter how nice the car I would have gone elsewhere.
iramnj says:
02:59 PM, 04/17/2011
Yes! :) I own 2 2010 Kizashi's, an SLS for my wife and an S, both AWD. I love the cars and my only complaint is my wife wouldn't let me get the 6 speed. :)
I'm fortunate that I have a suzuki dealership across the street from my office and another one 20 minutes from my house, so I have easy access but I agree, this car is hard to "find" because not enough people know about it.
In my wife's SLS, I get asked all the time what kind of car it is, and people always turn around to look at the car in parking lots. I even once had an audi S4 driver slow down to check out the car again.
I love it, and am a huge supporter of the Kizashi. I read about it before it was for sale and jumped in, very glad I did. I have 25K on my car and it's only been 5 and a half months, yet every time I get in my car I get excited.
jscion says:
12:16 PM, 04/16/2011
If you ever see one of these cars in person, you easily mistake it for a car costing twice as much at first glance. The shape of the car and every angle is beautiful. But again and again, Suzuki continues to shoot themselves in their own foot because of such a sparce dealership network. Consumers are going to be more likely to go for Chevrolet Malibu, Toyota Camry, Hyundai Sonata, or Mazda 6 to name a few just based on convenience to the dealership. The Kizashi is definately a departure from the norm in a fantastic way but until they start pushing and selling their vehicles, they are going to always be like "the little engine that could"....but never did.
zeniff says:
09:16 PM, 04/15/2011
I'm interested in this car, for the fact of the value and fun-to-drive quotient (ok, maybe not the most fun-to-drive car ever, but for the money, I think you get quite a bit). Anyways, it's been out for 2+ years, and I STILL have never seen one on the road. However, just 2 days ago I did see the 1st Suzuki dealership I've seen in years...but it was shuttered.
I'd like to see one in the flesh because maybe it looks better than it does on the computer screen. Everyone seems to say it looks good, but to me it looks like a decked out Chevy Cobalt. Which isn't so good.
tbone85 says:
04:26 PM, 04/15/2011
This car is like an upsized Mazda3: The driving experience sounds class leading in many respects, but instead of having an ugly nose, it's an exercise in bland design. In that respect it has more in common with most of the cars in the mid-size group that most people place the Kizashi in.
keyboardwars says:
04:21 PM, 04/15/2011
I cant put my finger on it, but this car really appeals to me for some reason. It would be my choice if I were in the market for a 4-cyl midsize family car.