Originally Posted by I8ABMR

Dare I say I would buy a GM product before I bought a suzuki ( wow0

Originally Posted by bruce van

I think it's a pretty good looking car for $20K. I'd love to test drive one when they come out. But will buys pony up this much money for a Suzuki?

Originally Posted by USA Today

Suzuki struggles to sell cars in the U.S., though it's a strong brand at home in Japan.

Accepting that good products are the only lasting remedy, Suzuki soon will field the Kizashi — a big compact but-not-quite-midsize sedan. Due about Dec. 1, it used the Volkswagen Passat, Alfa Romeo 159 and Acura TSX as benchmarks.

Two preproduction tester cars, one with manual transmission, the other automatic, felt taut and crisp and had excellent steering, prompt brakes and enough power to be interesting.

But they seemed to be two different cars.

The manual was a sweetheart. Sporty, easy to drive, lively. A car to drive for the fun of it.

The clutch effort was light, the four-cylinder engine had enough low-speed torque for lug-along traffic, and the gearshift moved with easy grace.

The automatic, on the other hand, was unpleasant. Too much driveline slop. The transmission seemed reluctant to engage under light throttle, then connected with a jerk, ka-whunk.

Under harder acceleration, the CVT felt like a conventional step-ratio automatic that shifted up into second and third too soon, bogging the engine.

The preproduction testers were "99% correct," according to Steven Younan, director of product planning and pricing for American Suzuki. For Suzuki's sake, let's hope the 1% left to be tweaked includes the CVT operation.

Other gripes:

•Dash lights. They didn't match. Some reds, blues, whites. Looked thrown together instead of premium. For the right way, just check out the interior lighting of a Buick LaCrosse.

•Engine racket. Too much of it when revved hard. Mostly OK, though.

•Engine choice. None. The 2.4-liter four-cylinder; take it or leave it. Some buyers might like a V-6 in such a crisp-handling sedan. Others might want a gasoline-electric hybrid — one is under development, but at least two years off, Younan says.

•Size. A bit small for a car likely to be marketed as midsize. The passenger space doesn't suffer much, but the modest trunk makes the point.

Younan says the tidy size will be part of the appeal to hipsters moving up from smaller compacts who are leery of a dorky image driving mainstream four-doors such as Accord and Camry, and not flush enough for the anti-dork inoculation of a well-furnished VW Passat.

•Pricing. Not set yet, but expect almost premium for this category: $19,000 to $28,000.

"We want to position Kizashi as very well-equipped in the low-$20,000 neighborhood, vs. more Spartan versions of the usual suspects at the same price," Younan says, referring to Accord, Passat and other well-known midsizers.

It'll be a challenge because of Suzuki's image in the U.S. as "the brand you bought because of the deal," not the vehicle's appeal, he acknowledges.

The name Kizashi (kee-zah-she) is a mouthful, never helpful in marketing. It's a Japanese reference to something good coming.

Suzuki was ninth among 37 brands sold here in the latest J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study, tied with Chevrolet just ahead of Infiniti. The IQS tallies problems in the first 90 days off the lot.

However, it was last in Power's Vehicle Dependability Study of problems in 3-year-old vehicles.

Younan noted that Kizashi is "all-Suzuki, all-Japanese. ... We're out of the Korean-rebadging business, which has hurt our quality scores."

Through the 2008 models, some Suzuki cars were made by General Motors' South Korean unit, GM DAT. And its XL7 SUV was a thinly disguised Chevrolet Equinox. That's discontinued for 2010.

Why you might like Kizashi despite doubts:

•Interior. Premium materials and careful fit.

•Comfort. Front and back seats delivered a lot. Tall drivers may find it difficult to have a perfect relationship with the steering wheel and pedals.

•Equipment. Quite a bit, which helps justify the premium pricing. Rear-seat side-impact air bags are standard, as is dual-zone climate control. So, too, are LED map and dome lights, costly bulbs that illuminate brightly without distracting the driver with spilled light. Power almost-everything, trip computer, even a motion-damped glove box door — an array seldom found on a base model. All-wheel drive is optional, helping Kizashi stand out from Honda and Toyota, which don't offer it.

Euro design and feel, Japanese quality — an obvious combo too long in coming. If Kizashi really delivers (we won't know until enough are on the road to gauge reliability), it could be Suzuki's ticket out of U.S. obscurity and a tantalizing sedan alternative.

2010 SUZUKI KIZASHI

What? Compact four-door sport sedan, new to the lineup, that Suzuki will pitch as a blend of European driving characteristics and Japanese quality. Available with front-wheel (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD), six-speed manual or continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT).

When? In showrooms about Dec. 1.

Where? Made at Sagara, Japan.

Why? Rescue a brand largely ignored in the U.S.

What's Kizashi mean? Suzuki says it's a Japanese reference to good things coming.

How much? Prices not set yet; expect $19,000 to start, low to mid-$20,000 for most models, $28,000 loaded.

How powerful? 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine is rated 185 horsepower (180 hp CVT)) at 6,000 rpm, 170 pounds-feet of torque at 4,000.

How big? Between Honda's Accord and Civic. Kizashi is 183.1 inches long, 71.7 in. wide, 58.3 in. tall on a 106.3-in. wheelbase. Weighs 3,241 lbs. (FWD) or 3,483 lbs. (AWD). Passenger space, 92.1 cu. ft.; trunk, 13.3 cu. ft.

Carries up to 1,080 lbs. of people, cargo and accessories.

How thirsty? Rated 20-23 miles per gallon in town, 29-31 mpg on the highway, 24-26 in combined driving. Trip computer in CVT, FWD test car showed 22.5 mpg (4.44 gallons per 100 miles) in suburban driving. Burns regular, holds 16.6 gallons.

Overall: Agile, responsive, but perhaps too pricey.

Originally Posted by mmarshall

No matter how good or bad their vehicles are (and I thought the SX-4, more so than other Suzukis, was a terrific value, offering a 3-position FWD/AWD/AWD Lock for only about 15-16K to start), it won't matter if Suzuki doesn't get some dealerships to actually SELL them. Even in the car and money-rich D.C. area (the second largest new-car market in the country outside of SoCal), Suzuki auto dealerships (not necesarily motorcycle shops) have been dropping like flies. There are virtually none left anymore within a reasonable driving distance of my place. I suspect that is the case in many parts of the country, though there still may (?) be an adequate number of them in SoCal.