2010 - 2013 Suzuki Kizashi | Used Vehicle Spotlight
Kizashi! It's just fun to say. It means something along the lines of "Something great is coming," an omen I remember fondly from 2009, when the 2010 Suzuki Kizashi midsize sedan was introduced to North America. When it did arrive, it impressed. It didn't set the world on fire or anything, but it was an entertaining, well-executed sedan that didn't look exactly like everything else on the road. It didn't look weird, just neat.
It was only on the market for a few years before Suzuki, sadly, retreated from the U.S. market.
The powertrain was a humble thing. The only engine option was a naturally aspirated, 2.4-liter inline-four producing 185 horsepower and 170 pound-feet of torque. It came with front- or all-wheel drive, and either a continuously variable transmission or a six-speed manual transmission.
There are three good reasons to buy a Kizashi. First, it is a solid all-around sedan. It was easy for the public to ignore — Suzuki didn’t have a huge presence in the U.S., and it was easily overshadowed by the likes of the Honda Accord, Mazda6 and Hyundai Sonata. That said, it could easily compete with those sedans on equal footing in terms of quality and content.
Second, it’s fun to drive. It’s not particularly fast, with 0-60 coming in a reasonable 7.5 seconds or so, but boy can this thing handle. A stiff body, sporty suspension and accurate, responsive steering make it a blast to pilot when the road starts to get bendy.
Third, it’s unique. It was only sold here for a few years, and it has since been orphaned here in the U.S. There’s a certain charm to driving a good, affordable car that most of the rest of the car buying world slept on util it was too late.