NickL wrote:As fas as I understood, Kizashi was in US, Kanda and Australia offerew with many different trims, and I have no idea what means SE, SLS, GTS etc.
In Europe Kizashi was offered in only two trims. One is 4x4 CVT and the other one is manual FWD. Both of the cars had exactly same features. 18" rims, lower front end rear bumpers, side skirts, tail spoiler on the trunk, firm sporty suspension, xenon headlights with washers, sunroof, heated, electrical leather seats with memory, automatic lights and wipers, front and rear parking sensors, keyless entry.
So both of the cars were fully equiped with only difference in transmission and AWD or FWD. Thats why I adviced to stick to the manual but things are not so simple in US when it comes to choosing the right transmission and trims.
No wonder why Kizashi in Europe has higher prices as used car. It is very difficult to find a good Kizashi in Europe under 7000 Euros which is around 8000 USD, an the prices go until 12k for a 2014. Model with low mileage.
My understanding is that Suzuki marketed the Kizashi differently in the US and Canada than other parts of the world where Suzuki had a greater presence and reputation. In the US, Suzuki vehicles were always seen as small and cheap. Not necessarily bad but very few would put them even at the same grade as Honda, Nissan, and Toyota here. For this reason, Suzuki marketed the Kizashi as a budget sports sedan rather than a luxury-like car despite being the finest car they ever built. While it was the most expensive car Suzuki ever built, they knew people here would see it as a rival to the USDM Honda Accord so they tried to show case features to convince people it drove more like an Acura TSX (Accord Euro). Because the car wasn't actually going to convince anyone here of its luxury ambitions, some were cheapened for the US and Canada so they could be sold for less. The S, SE, GTS, and SLS are the different trim levels in the US to offer the Kizashi to different buyers. Here's a rough breakdown (largely on memory):
S: The base model. 16 inch steel wheels. Did not have the Rockford Fosgate audio. CVT models did not have paddle shifters. No Sport trimmings like the fascia, side skirts, rear spoiler. In the last few years of sale, the manual transmission was only offered in the S and in one color: white.
SE: These were intended as the mass seller trim. 17 inch alloy wheels. Only offered in automatic transmission. No Sport trimmings. IMO, closer to the S than the GTS in features but obviously did not feel like a base model. Apparently the most common Kizashi trim according to Suzuki literature I came across.
GTS: These were the most popular upscale Kizashi. Starting in model year 2011, they were offered with the Sport trimmings along with the SLS. Basically after 2010, they all became the Sport GTS and Sport SLS. The GTS offered the RF stereo, fog lights, moonroof, 18 inch alloy wheels, and paddle shifters for the automatic. Over the years, some features were added/deleted as part of the trim package. Unlike the SE, the GTS could be had in a manual trans.
SLS: Top of the line. These added to the GTS package things like front passenger electronic seats, navigation, heated seats, rear camera, rear parking sensors, and leather seats. While manual transmissions were offered for some of the model years, they were very rare. Most SLS are AWD.
Basically, one could get the Kizashi with AWD in any trim level. The manual trans was mostly available in the S and GTS with very few SLS models. All manual Kizashis are FWD with no exceptions for any market.
