Kizashi Club

Hello Kizashi Clubbers
Longtime no post. Since my last foray into the forums I have moved from Portland, Oregon - where you may recall some of my snow-rally shenanigans testing the Kizashi's AWD system at Crater Lake national Forest - to sunny Miami Beach FL, where I have no need for AWD whatsoever.

I got a job at a high-end sound and video system installation company here in Miami in January and that settled it. After 6 years in the terminally damp, grey, and passive-aggressive NorthWest, my wife, who is Honduran and raised in Miami, was about to go clinically insane from the lack of sun. I wasn't quite as adamant about moving as she was, but after about 5 years there, I was ready to see somewhere new. I speak Spanish and love Latin music and culture, so Miami seemed like a good spot to land, and one that wasn't as insanely built-up and mental as LA nor as panic-attack-inducing as NYC or SF.

Soooo, we packed up the Kizashi, put our stuff in storage, and set off on a 4,400 mile road trip in my trusty 2013 Platinum silver SLS (spoiler alert: the only issue the entire trip that I had was changing the oil and some TPMS alerts because I had inflated the tires to 47psi due to the heavy load) . You would be amazed at how much stuff we managed to cram in this deceptively roomy little (midsize) sedan. As fate would have it, Portland got one of its 20 year snowstorms the night we were due to take off. Of course. The first night where I could have taken the Kizashi out in an empty parking lot in the city and just hooned it we had it packed to the gills and were just about to leave. This is what it looked like the night we left:

This is what me doing 60 in the snow on I-5 headed out of Portland at 2am looked like:



As I've stated before, this is one of the best snow cars I've ever driven. Very composed, very stable. I don't think I would necessarily be doing 60 MPH with a loaded down car if anyone else was out there at that hour, but given the circumstances - namely that the snow pack was only about 1-2 inches on the road and it was all very dry and sticky - I felt like I had some leeway to put the car through some more snowy paces. It performed admirably. Very impressed with this car's snow capabilities so far.


We first stopped in Santa Barbara where, even loaded down to the last possible square inch of space with what must have been at least 700 pounds of stuff + the two of us, the Kizashi managed to corner and perform quite admirably on the twisties in the mountains from I-5 to 101. The next day I really felt like I needed to get to the gym after so many hours of sitting and driving. Not for leg cramps, but just general driving fatigue. I will say, however, that the leather seats in the SLS are THE most comfortable seats I've ever driven long distance. Absolutely no cramping even after a 12 hour bruise cruise down I-5. My Honda insight (previous car) almost gave me a damn blood clot in my upper thigh. Anyway, check out what I saw when I got to the gyn in Santa Barbara:

Is that thing beautiful or what ? What gorgeous curves. Bold curves like that are a big part of why even bought my Kizashi in the first place. i love curves. on cars and women.

So we rested for a few days in Santa Barbara and then headed for the Grand Canyon. For the first time in my life. Words and pictures do not do it justice. Just. Go. SEE IT.
So, that's All I have time for today. Part 2 coming up soon. Thanks for reading !

johnhenrydale wrote:...the terminally damp, grey, and passive-aggressive NorthWest...

You do realize that Grunge music came from this area right? Well, this is why.

Great post. I'm looking to do my own cross-country move sometime once I get off my ass and get things lined up. I moved from California to Maryland/DC about 7 years ago and I'm itching to head back. I'm planning to take my bicycle on the roof rack since I have both the accessory roof rack and bike module for the Kizashi. I'm going to also get a roof cargo carrier so it'll give me more space. I've got a ton of tools I want to take with me.

Despite your long drives, the Kizashi is an excellent car to do it in. You can't complain. My buddy did a gnarly cross-country trip... in his carbureted air-cooled VW bus. He shipped it from Alaska where he lived to Bellingham, Washington. He then drove that to Kentucky then headed south to end up in Florida. Let's say he was more than a few days behind schedule even with the generous amount of time he gave himself for the trip.

Drive safe and keep us posted on the trip.

Nice. I would love to find one of those Suzuki roof racks and bike modules myself. Can't seem to find them anywhere online. If you find some please let me know. I'm an avid cyclist myself and would love to have the roof rack for gear hauling when I can't fit stuff in the cabin.

We've actually already completed the trip and have been here in Miami for 2 months, but I just haven't had time to post pictures until now. It was a great trip and the Kizashi handled it all very smoothly. Lots of cruising at 80-100 mph. This is a great highway car, but I do notice it tracking either right or left - depending in which lane I'm in - as most of the roads out west are crowned. I guess that's partly to do with the fairly sporty/wide Dunlops on it too.

Not sure how long our stay in Miami will be. I'm originally an East Coaster myself (raised in DC/MD/NOVA/WV Panhandle) and, as fate would have it, my Mom decided to move herself and my Stepdad to Oregon to be closer to my sister and her son right as I got the new job in Miami. Ships in the night. My Dad also moved to Portland a few years ago so now my whole family's basically in Northern Oregon and I'm down here in DJ City USA.

I needed to get out of Portland though. Its self-referential, cutesy, hipster, west-coast-stoner-chillbro (yet totally agro and elitist at the same time) bullshit was really starting to wear on my east coast sensibilities. I have never met so many people with such thin skins and loud mouths in one place. The natural beauty is staggering though and the cycling is stupendous. We may end up doing a Miami/Winter & Portland/Summer situation once I make my millions becoming the next Miami Mega-DJ superstar

Epic trip! Looking forward to more pictures

What will your DJ name be? DJ Kizzy has a nice ring to it

One of these days when you go back, if you take US41 North to I-70 West, lemme know! I live about a mile from the intersection! LOL

I love road trips like this! I haven't done anything long in the Kizashi, but have done Alabama to California multiple times in a Camry, Altima, and Porsche. Each was fun for its own reason.

And the Grand Canyon is exactly like you say it. I took a detour on my last trip from out there and was completely blown away. You can't capture it in photographs, and this is coming from a photographer who always can.