2010 Suzuki Kizashi - Review

By Tim Healey

Tim Healey

Contributing Writer BIO

Tim Healey was formerly an associate editor at Consumer Guide Automotive in Chicago. Before that he worked in the automotive industry as a service... More

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2010 Suzuki Kizashi

Suzuki has long been left out of the conversation when it comes to mid-size sedans, and it's trying to change that with its all-new 2010 Kizashi sedan.

Green-car fans will note that the Kizashi has been estimated by Suzuki to make anywhere between 29 and 31 mpg on the highway, thanks to its 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 185 horsepower in manual-transmission models.  Models with the continuously-variable automatic transmission (CVT) are slightly down on power, at 180 hp.

I had the chance to test a Kizashi with the CVT and optional all-wheel drive in top-line SLS trim, and putting the newest entrant in the mid-size class through its paces proved to be interesting, at the very least.

In SLS trim, my tester had a price of entry of $26,749. Standard features included 18-inch wheels, ABS, an antiskid system, traction control, a performance suspension, fog lamps, a sunroof, an uplevel audio system, a USB port, a wireless cell phone link, a rear parking assist system, leather seats, heated front seats, and rain-sensing wipers, among others.

Options were limited to premium floor mats ($125), premium paint ($130), and body-side molding ($125). With the $735 destination fee, the total came in at $27,864.

Suzuki likes to talk about its motorcycle DNA, and some design elements of Kizashi--most obviously, the shape of the steering-wheel spokes, perhaps modeled after a sport bike's handlebars--seem to be inspired by motorcycle design.

Overall, the exterior shape is handsome, with sporty, swoopy lines and rounded edges. The interior comes dressed to impress, with materials that look and feel more expensive than they are.

The upscale feel of the interior may be pleasing to the eyes, but the engine isn't pleasing to the ears. It's coarse and buzzy, which means it lags behind the rest of the class in powertrain refinement. Suzuki left a promotional CD in the car as a way of showing off the capabilities of its audio system, but cynics might wonder if it was left there to encourage cranking the stereo to drown out the engine noise.