First Drive: 2010 Suzuki Kizashi - MotorAuthority

Gallery Suzuki flew me out to VIR and did their best to wine and dine me, including giving me an 8GB Sony Walkman full of media material that one of you will be lucky enough to win in a giveaway soon. If you’d told me a week ago that I’d be driving a Suzuki--any Suzuki with four wheels, that is--through 80-100 mph curves with not just confidence but ease, attacking a road course like Virginia International Raceway with not trepidation but temerity, I’d have called you a liar. But then I got behind the wheel of the 2010 Suzuki Kizashi. No, I didn’t just sneeze. The name, pronounced “Kee-Zah-Shee”, means “something great is coming” in Japanese, and they nearly got it right; turns out it’s already here. Now, this isn’t a car to make the BMW 3-series or Audi A4 shake in their boots. Nor is it likely to give much pause to the more luxurious or blandly utilitarian American and Japanese alternatives. But it ought to put a righteous fear into the likes of Mazda, Honda, Subaru and Ford. The Kizashi is an aspirational sports sedan with some serious chops. Features and Equipment Four grades of interior package treatment are available, with even the base S offering a fair complement of standard equipment, including push button start, sport front seats, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, automatic dual-zone climate control, stability control and eight airbags. The SE adds a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT), larger tires on 17-inch alloy wheels, 10-way power adjustable driver’s seat with 3-position memory, cruise control and leather surfaces on the steering wheel, shift lever and parking brake lever. 2010 Suzuki KizashiEnlarge Photo #3, Posted: 10/16/2009

Gazzed, It's funny you wrote that because, I thought the exact same the moment the pictures came up on my computer screen. The front fascia is so VW and the side profile is reminiscent of Audi but, the rear stands alone. Though, I must say the car is nicely equipped and attractive and I feel this car may very well help Suzuki in N.A.; IMO.

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