Suzuki Kizashi Car Review

FamilyCar Rating Styling Performance Value EcoFriendly Safety Overall Rating Model Reviewed  Suzuki Kizashi XLS CVT auto $36,990* Other models priced from XL 6 speed manual $27,990*   What we liked it Overall quality, great feature list What we didn’t Not much

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You may know Suzuki for their nippy little hatchbacks or their solid SUVs, with not much in between. That’s all about to change. Last week, Suzuki launched their very first mid sized sedan, the Kizashi, designed to get the family man out of his Honda Accord and behind the wheel of a worthy contender.

The Kizashi model range is very competitively priced staring from $27,990 for the XL and $36,990 for the top of the line XLS. We test drove all models, but particularly liked the XLS auto with all the gear, which is the focus of our review. All models are petrol, with no diesel planned at this stage-although very likely.

Driver Comfort & Visibility

When Suzuki designed and tested this car, they knew to be a real contender with the likes of the Mazda and Hondas of the world, they needed to provide a high quality finish inside and out, and smooth, quite drive. As far as the quality is concerned, they get the thumbs up from us. The all leather interior, including steering wheel and gear knob, is of high quality feel and look. The dash layout is really simple and clean with almost over sized buttons to change the audio and cabin temperature-which is dual zone climate control. The driver’s seat is fully electric and has a 3 memory function. This is a great feature, which doesn’t come standard on some cars with $20k plus price tag! As an added bonus, passenger seat is also power operated. Other features we liked are the cruise control and audio controls located on the steering wheel. Oh, and on the XLS you also get a sunroof as standard!

The car is very smooth to drive and very quite on the road. We threw the car around some hairy bends in the Gold Coast Hinterland and felt very safe as it stuck to the road. The car enjoyed slaloming up the steep hills and rarely felt under pressure to keep up a good pace.

Safety

The Kizashi hasn’t been tested by ANCAP yet, but likely to achieve a high rating, thanks to its healthy list of standard features, which include ABS, EBP, ESP, 6 airbags, Brake Assist and Traction Control.

Rear Passenger Comfort

For me, this is the litmus test as to whether the Kizashi is a small or medium car. It stacks up quite well. The legroom is very good, and headroom is acceptable. It’s the shoulder room that lets it down. OK for 3 kids in the back; very squishy with 3 adults. The good news for your rear passengers is that there are door pockets with bottle holders, pockets on the rear of the driver and front passenger seats, a centre armrest with 2 cup holders and a rear air vent to keep them cool.

Storage

There are plenty of storage options including a total of 8 cup/bottle holders throughout the car. All 4 doors have storage as well as a bottle holder, which holds a 400ml bottle of water. There is also a sunglasses holder, glove box, front centre console box and an additional storage nook in the front centre dash (with a USB port).

The boot space is great; wide and deep. The rear seats are 60/40 split fold for when you need the extra luggage space. There’s also a clever hatch that opens (where the rear armrest is) to allow you to put through long items without disturbing your two rear passengers.

Green Factor

Interestingly the manual and auto consume the same amount of fuel; 7.9 litres per 100kms combined cycle. This is nothing to write home about given the advances in the fuel efficiency arena, but it is better than the Mazda6 (8.7 litres/100kms) and Honda Accord Euro (8.9 litres/100kms). It’s also worth noting that the Honda Accord Euro requires premium unleaded petrol, where as the Mazda6 and Kizashi don’t.

Overall View

The Suzuki Kizashi is an impressive car, predominantly due to its high quality finish and super long feature list. It’s a worthy contender in the small/medium car segment and well worth a test drive.

If you are considering this car, you may also like to test drive the Honda Accor Euro, Holden Cruze, Mazda6 or Volkswagen Jetta.

Like this car for your family? Find this and more at carsales.com.au. Search now.

Features of Model Reviewed

*Manufacturer's RRP. Excludes dealer delivery and statutory government costs.

# All new vehicles sold in Australia (up to 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle mass) are tested to determine the level of fuel consumption and CO2 emissions (Greenhouse rating), which are displayed on the fuel consumption label attached to the windscreen of the car. The Green Vehicle Guide rating combines the Greenhouse Rating and Air Pollution Rating and awards a star. 5 stars is the best rating.  For more information, click here.
Information is correct at the time of the review. Please check with your Suzuki dealer for the most recent information.

Review Date: May 2010

Reviewed By: Melissa Pye