MotorTrend takes a Second Look at Kizashi

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Arrival: 2010 Suzuki Kizashi GTS
A Second Chance for a Good Impression
From the June, 2010 issue of Motor Trend
/ By Scott Evans
/ Photography by Jessica Germiller

2010 Suzuki Kizashi GTS Front Three Quarters Driver
Click to view Gallery
"The best car Suzuki has ever built." Every staffer who steps out of our latest long-term fleet member says the same thing. The Kizashi is head and shoulders above any previous offering from the company. Suzuki made a bold move giving this car a name that literally means "something good is coming," so testing that claim was only natural.

The car that turned up in the Motor Trend garage is a Vivid Red GTS model with a 185-horsepower, 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine sending 170 pound-feet of torque through a six-speed manual transmission on its way to the front wheels. Together, they gave us a 0-to-60 time of 7.7 seconds and a quarter mile of 15.9 seconds at 86.7 mph.

Included on our Kizashi was dual-zone climate control, leather on the steering wheel, shifter, and parking brake lever, a tilting and telescoping steering column, and a power driver's seat. Picking a GTS got us a sunroof, Bluetooth, 18-inch wheels, and a 425-watt Rockford Fosgate 10-speaker stereo with a USB jack. Optional floormats and body dress-up bits added a few dollars to the total, but despite that, our car rolled in with a surprisingly low sticker price of just $23,484.

2010 Suzuki Kizashi GTS Rear Three Quarters Driver
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You may recall that our first impressions of the Kizashi were less than stellar. During our 2010 Car of the Year event, our early-build tester rubbed some editors the wrong way with nervous handling at the limit. We have since chalked that up to preproduction gremlins and were right to do so, as several editors have remarked that our long-term tester feels much more confident than the Car of the Year tester. This has also borne out on the street, where many have found a pleasant surprise in the Kizashi's sportiness. Despite our team's lead feet, the Kizashi has returned 23 mpg during its tenure on the MT fleet, well within the EPA's 20/29-mpg city/highway estimates.

The Kizashi has garnered kudos away from the track as well. In its scant 1254 miles with us thus far, it's drawn praise for its thoroughly modern styling inside and out, comfortable ride, and all-around quality. Several have even made favorable comparisons to its German, Japanese, and Korean competition, further reinforcing the quantum leap the Kizashi represents for Suzuki.

The Suzuki Kizashi has unquestionably made the most of its second chance at a good impression, and it's given us new hope for the struggling brand. Will we love Suzuki's potential savior as much after 12 months of hard labor? We intend to find out.

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