Suzuki Kizashis used as unmarked police cars in Japan

[KuroNekko]

I searched for videos related to the car under the Japanese writing for "Kizashi" which is キザシ and found some interesting videos from Japan.
Looks like the Tokyo Metropolitan Police and the Osaka Metro Police have Kizashis in their unmarked police fleet. There are silver and white Kizashis captured on duty.

Interesting, but not surprising given Japanese unmarked police cars can be anything. Unlike American police departments that almost always use certain domestics like the Crown Victoria (nearly all police cars until recently), Taurus, Impala, Explorer, Charger, etc. the Japanese police use a wide variety of cars. My friends in Japan tell me it's very hard to spot an unmarked police car and they use them to do a lot of nit-picky traffic enforcement to make matters worse.

The last video is a collage of 4 different unmarked police cars: the Nissan Skyline (Infiniti G sedan), Toyota Mark X, Toyota Allion, and the Suzuki Kizashi, respective to their appearance in the video.

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[bootymac]

Good find! Wonder if they have any modifications done to make them "police spec"

[murcod]

I bet they don't use them for Police chases - because that would be a bit embarrassing!

[Ronzuki]

I bet they don't use them for Police chases - because that would be a bit embarrassing!

Yeah....to the BMWs and the like that can't out-manuever it! Seriously, how fast can you actually drive in Japan's cities, or any other country's? (not very). Handling and control are where it's at, and you'll be hard pressed to beat a Kiz.

Police service (ab)use...a testament to any car's durability.

[DWenz]

And they only say Suzuki once on the back

[KuroNekko]

I bet they don't use them for Police chases - because that would be a bit embarrassing!

There are rarely chases in Japan. The cities are too congested and nearly all the highways are tolled. It's kind of like New York City and the NYPD using Altima Hybrids and Ford Escape Hybrids. You don't need speed for police duty in dense cities.

In any case, the Japanese police have used Nissan Skyline GT-Rs in the past and the motorcycle cops ride bikes that can outrun just about anything on 4 wheels.

Funny story about a motorcycle cop in Japan:
Last time I was there, I visited my friend in Tokyo. We were at an intersection waiting to walk across when a police bike pulls up behind a black BMW 128i. The police officer claims the BMW ran a red at an intersection sometime shortly before. The guy in the BMW is obviously some douche that looks like a Yakuza (Japanese gangster). He starts arguing with the cop saying he didn't run a light and that he isn't going to comply with the police. The cop tells him to lower his window and the driver refuses. They have this exchange and they start yelling at each other. My friend and I and about 15 other people are watching this exchange from the intersection. The cop then threatens to punch out the glass window of the BMW if the driver did not comply. The BMW driver still refuses to cooperate with the police. The light then turns green for the BMW and he takes off. The cop then scrambles to get on his motorcycle to give pursuit. As the cop is running to his bike, I yell out loudly in Japanese "Do your best!" and everyone cracks up. The cop then takes off after the BMW.
I'm sure the BMW douche did not get too far as I watched other police cars and bikes scramble toward where the BMW took off a few minutes after.

So some things to note:
1) Douches drive BMW anywhere on the planet. (I know, not all BMW drivers are like this, but you got to admit a disproportionate percentage are.)

2) Japanese cops are patient. In the US, Yakuza douche would have had a Glock in his face.

3) You can't really outrun a motorcycle, especially one ridden by a determined cop.
This is what you're up against in Japan:
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[KuroNekko]

And they only say Suzuki once on the back

Well, in Japan, Suzuki is a well known name in automobiles. They make some of the best selling cars in Japan like the Wagon R.

In North America, many people are like, "Whoa, Suzuki made cars? I thought they only made motorcycles!"

This is why exports have the "Suzuki" badge and the JDM only have the logo badge.

[murcod]

I bet they don't use them for Police chases - because that would be a bit embarrassing!

Yeah....to the BMWs and the like that can't out-manuever it! Seriously, how fast can you actually drive in Japan's cities, or any other country's? (not very). Handling and control are where it's at, and you'll be hard pressed to beat a Kiz.

Police service (ab)use...a testament to any car's durability.

Get onto Youtube and do a search for "japan street racing". I've read articles in the past on the clubs over there that race on the freeways/ highways.

PS: A stock Kizashi's handling is very good, but lets not get carried away!

[bootymac]

Haven't you guys seen Tokyo Drift? Police cars here are only factory tuned. If you can do better than 180K they can't catch you, so they don't even try.

[KuroNekko]

Get onto Youtube and do a search for "japan street racing". I've read articles in the past on the clubs over there that race on the freeways/ highways.

This is why the Japanese police enlisted the help of Godzilla.