The dominant Japanese car companies remain uncomfortable with their nationality, doing their best to seem somehow American lest they provoke a political backlash. Even as unabashedly Japanese products have become prevalent in the intertwined worlds of TV, gaming, and toys, I cannot recall a car with so much as a Japanese name prior to Suzuki's new Kizashi. Why Suzuki? Well, they're too small in the U.S. to fear a backlash. And tagging a motorcycle Hayabusa didn't exactly harm its popularity. Why "Kizashi?" The name means "something great is coming." But with this car, or the next one?

Suzuki Kizashi Styling

With a name like "Kizashi," one might expect Suzuki's new sedan to look distinctively Japanese, or at least distinctive. It doesn't. Some of the details are nicely done, such as the Lexus-like exhaust outlets. And the proportions are athletically tight. But if anyone noticed the Kizashi during the week I drove it and wondered "What is that?" they were very discreet. I suppose we should be thankful that the new corporate front end introduced with the XL7 spread no further than the XL7. But anonymous soap bars are so mid-90s, and something about this car should say Suzuki aside from the oversized S on the grille. 

The Suzuki Kizashi's interior is no more Japanese than the exterior. But, for a car priced in the mid-20s, the Kizashi has an exceedingly well-appointed interior. Door pulls are the first thing you touch inside a car. And you grab them every time you get in. Yet these are rarely fully upholstered, even in premium brand luxury sedans. Well, the Kizashi has them, along with luxuriously upholstered upper door panels. The premium look and feel continues with a woven headliner, switchgear that's a cut or two above the mid-20s norm, compartment lids that open with a dampened glide, and thorough red backlighting.

Suzuki Kizashi Features

Suzuki similarly aims to impress with the Kizashi's features list, and generally succeeds. Especially nice to see at this price: an immersive 425-watt Rockford Fosgate sound system, keyless access and ignition (will anyone who owns a car with it ever go back?), rain-sensing wipers (can't get them on a Cadillac this year), and rear air vents. Some bits missed in their absence: 8-way instead of 4-way adjustment for the power passenger seat (a common omission at this price) and rear reading lamps. Yes, my well-ventilated kids complained when they could not read at night.

On the other hand, everything that could possibly be backlit inside the Suzuki Kizashi is backlit, down to the hood release and shift paddles. In the midst of this refinement, the long clunky rod used to adjust the instrument panel's brightness and the slop with which the glove compartment latches stick out more than they otherwise would. A third oversight, and easily the most annoying: while the brightness of the instruments can be adjusted, the bright green lights that announce that the cruise and AWD are engaged cannot be. I avoided using both on the highway to escape the green lights.

Suzuki Kizashi Room and Comfort

Suzuki is pitching the Kizashi as a driver's car. The firm front buckets fit the bill, with side bolsters that (for once) actually provide even better lateral support than their appearance suggests they will. Comfort is good at first, but after a few hours on the road I wished for better lower back support. Four-way power lumbar would be a welcome addition to the features list. The driving position needs work-I had to telescope the wheel all the way out to comfortably reach it, and tilt it a little higher to avoid obstructing the instruments. 

Size-wise, the Suzuki Kizashi falls between a compact and a midsize. This translates to a rear seat that is just large enough for the average adult. Those six-feet and up will wish for a true midsize. Kids, on the other hand, will wish for a lower beltline (base of the side windows). In the Kizashi they struggle to see out.

Suzuki Kizashi Performance

About that driver's car pitch-it's not based on the Suzuki Kizashi's engine. A 180-horsepower 2.4-liter four isn't ever going to impress in a nearly 3,500-pound sedan. With the six-speed manual and front-wheel-drive it might serve fairly well. With four-wheel-drive and the CVT it mandates, not even close. GM uses active noise cancellation to make a similarly-sized four sound refined in the new Equinox. The Kizashi needs some of that. As is, the 2.4 has the shakes at idle and sounds more like a diesel than VW's latest TDI south of 4,000 rpm. 

Too bad the Suzuki Kizashi's engine doesn't also have the low-end pull of a diesel. Acceleration from zero to 20 is downright sluggish. At that point the engine hits its stride and pulls strongly (well, as strongly as it can) until the CVT decides to reel it in. In normal around-town driving, the CVT often decides "mission accomplished" and quickly transitions from an athletic 4,000+ rpm to an engine-lugging 1,500-even though you're still accelerating. Or at least trying to. I'm not sure there's a four-cylinder alive that sounds and feels good under load at 1,500 rpm. This one certainly doesn't. To prevent this, make frequent use of the shift paddles to hold the transmission in one of six predefined ratios.

The Suzuki Kizashi's CVT clearly wants to maximize fuel economy. Well, in moderate suburban driving the trip computer reported 20.5. My 300-horsepower V8 Lexus with 110,000 miles approaches 20 on the same routes. On the highway the Kizashi struggled to crack 26 even with the 4WD turned off. Turning off 4WD didn't seem to improve fuel economy to a noticeable degree, perhaps because the system's extra mass and much of its extra drag are still along for the ride. Oh, yeah, the trip computer might be optimistic-manual measurement of one highway tank returned 24.6 vs. the 26.2 reported by the computer. 

The driver's car pitch IS based on the Kizashi's handling. The in-between size and low-profile 18s (on the two top trim levels) should pay dividends here. In casual driving the Kizashi does have the polished, well-dampened feel of a German sport sedan, if VW more than BMW. And yet, when the chips are down, the (almost) sporty steering and suspension both become vague, failing to provide a sense of precision when it's needed most. Say, when driving one of the curvier sections of the Pennsylvania turnpike, Jersey barrier uncomfortably close to the side of the car. No, I didn't scrape it. But the Kizashi doesn't inspire confidence the way the best sport sedans do. At speed the front end becomes a touch floaty, the steering cuts back on communication, and bumps do some of the steering. The ride similarly lacks that final bit of polish, failing to absorb the occasional impact and at times turning jittery, especially for those in the back seat. On the other hand, when the engine isn't working too hard the interior is quiet.

Unlike the typical all-wheel-drive system, with the Kizashi's you can lock the car in front-wheel-drive. So, technically speaking, it has a four-wheel-drive system. The only clear benefit: you can find out how much difference driving all four wheels makes. Obviously, there's more traction on snow-covered roads with the system engaged, enabling the car to be driven more quickly through turns without tripping the traction control system. And you don't want to trip it-once this system takes power away it's slow to give it back. But with 4WD engaged the handling is actually less predictable and thus less safe, with a tendency to oversteer not otherwise present. The car's tail-happiness is easily controlled and even entertaining, but not something for less experienced drivers who simply want to stay out of the ditch.  In front-wheel-drive the rear wheels dutifully follow the front ones. On dry roads, 4WD is of limited use until Suzuki offers a more powerful engine. A turbo 2.4 could make a big difference.

Suzuki Kizashi Price Comparisons and Pricing

The Suzuki Kizashi is available in four trim levels, the least expensive of which lists for $19,734. Go for a top level SLS with four-wheel-drive, like I drove, and the list price climbs to $27,484. Personally, I'd get a better driving car for much less money by opting for the FWD car with a manual transmission. You can't get a manual with 4WD.
Similarly load up a Kizashi SLS and Ford Fusion SEL, both with front-wheel-drive (to get AWD with the Ford you must also get a V6), and the Kizashi lists for about $800 less. But compare invoices, and the Ford is actually $600 less. Suzuki isn't giving its dealer much of a margin to play with.

Want the four-wheel-drive? The the Subaru Legacy is probably the closest competitor. Similarly load up a 2.5i Limited, and the Subaru lists for about $350 less. Compare invoices, and the larger car's advantage widens to about $1,200. But the Kizashi has about $1,000 in additional features. So, if you compare feature-adjusted invoice prices, they're close. The Subaru is larger and roomier, but the Suzuki has a nicer interior.
Suzuki is no doubt hoping that the Kizashi's upscale interior will lead people to compare it to the Acura TSX. The Acura costs about $10,600 more comparing list prices, and about $8,700 more when comparing invoices. Adjusting for feature differences only narrows the gap by about $300.

Prices change frequently, and differences will vary based on feature level. To quickly generate these and other comparisons with the specific features you want, visit my Web site, TrueDelta.com. (It's the only site that provides true "apples-to-apples" price comparisons.) 

TrueDelta's page for the Kizashi:

http://www.truedelta.com/models/Kizashi.php

Suzuki Kizashi Conclusion

Even after selling cars in the United States for a quarter century, Suzuki remains below the radar. If it wants to be a player here, it needs to offer a car so great that Americans must take notice. 

Unfortunately, while the Kizashi has definite strengths, most notably the upscale interior and premium feel in casual driving, it's not that car. The styling is too anonymous, the engine lacks refinement, its fuel economy isn't very good, the CVT could learn a thing or two from Nissan, and the chassis needs another round of tuning. Above all, the Kizashi has far too little personality. There's a lot to like, but not much to love. Suzuki has been bold with the car's name. Why not with the car itself? Something great might be coming from Suzuki, but it hasn't yet arrived.
And yet this could be the right car for some people. Are interior materials and features your top priorities, but you cannot afford a premium brand car? Then the Kizashi might be your best bet, especially if you also need four-wheel-drive.
A Note on Suzuki Kizashi Reliability

I cannot practically cover reliability within the context of this review. However, many people are interested in such information, so I've been collecting my own data. Results are posted to TrueDelta.com, with updates every three months. Unlike other sources, TrueDelta clearly identifies what difference it will make if you buy a Suzuki Kizashi rather than another vehicle by providing "times in the shop" stats. 

To report results, TrueDelta needs reliability data on all cars--not just the Kizashi--from people like you. To encourage participation, those who help provide the data will receive free access to the site's reliability information. Non-participants pay an access fee.

Details here:

http://www.truedelta.com/reliability.php

Alphabetized links to my other vehicle reviews can be found on my profile page.
Amount Paid (US$): 27,484