2012 Suzuki Kizashi

The next time you're in a parking lot in Los Angeles, take a quick look around. You're likely to use up your fingers and maybe a couple toes counting all the Corollas and Civics. But in the past two years I've spent driving in car crazy L.A., I've only needed a single digit to tick off the number of Suzuki Kizashis I've encountered outside the captivity of our press fleet. Considering what a wonderful little car the Kizashi has proven to be during Motor Trend's various encounters with it (our recent long termer and the Tokyo to L.A.: The Hard Way road trip), it's a shame this solid, but unappreciated midsize sedan is virtually invisible to the average consumer. Will the introduction of the 2012 Suzuki Kizashi GTS AWD finally garner it some of the attention this car deserves? Probably not, and that's too bad and so sad for Suzuki and the Kizashi. 

 From a style standpoint, the attractive Kizashi succeeds inside and out. Its fenders bulge out far enough to lend it a sense of aggression -- they highlight an overall exterior design that's sporty without creating a false promise of outrageous performance. The Kizashi's materials and design aesthetic say entry-level German sedan more than they do Japanese Big Three. For example, details like the steering-wheel mounted audio controls have a soft textured rubber touch and a weighty feel to accurately tick up the volume without much thought. Other touches -- like the metal "Kizashi" tag in the floor mat and a catch-plate inside the fuel door so no rogue drops touch the paint -- help create a sense you're getting more for your money.

At a perfectly average 5'11'' I adjusted the driver's seat comfortably then hopped in the backseat and didn't even graze my knees on the seatback. Best of all, the entire week I had the car there wasn't a single moment where I was faced with a "Why the hell'd they do that?" ergonomic question, a rare feat given today's over engineered interiors. While the cabin is a really nice place to be, things only get better once you start moving.  Its steering is firm and weighty, keeping you in an easy straight line while cruising down the freeway. The nimble Kizashi is also light and flickable (thanks in part to its relatively short 106.3 wheelbase) around a good hairpin or two, as its 0.89 g average lateral acceleration would suggest. Cars with a heavy nose and front-drive biased AWD system can have a nasty habit of understeering when pushed. Given the Kizashi's 59/41 percent weight distribution, it was surprising to learn just how tenaciously the front wheels bite in and resist that tendency.  Another surprisingly responsive component is the Kizashi's paddle controlled "6-Speed" CVT. In some cars less than $30,000, when paddles are attached to the back of the steering wheel, they're more for show. When you call them into action it's more of a wait-and-see interaction than instantaneous reaction. But when the time came to call on a little more juice from the Suzuki sedan, a quick tug of the minus sign paddle brought about an abrupt and shockingly smooth ''downshift.'' It felt so good I went for another. The CVT mocked its way down to fourth and the 2.4-liter I-4 came closer to its full potential of 180 horsepower and 170-lb-ft of torque. 
 The AWD Kizashi is not a quick car to say the least, as its 9.2-second 0-60 mph time will attest (the FWD car does it in 7.7 seconds). Of course we'd like to see more giddyup, but as road test editor Scott Mortara points out "you're gaining an extra three hundred pounds for the AWD, and there's nothing you can do to cheat the CVT into a better launch." The Kizazhi AWD takes 17.1 seconds to get through the quarter mile (as opposed to the 15.9 seconds at 86.9 mph for the FWD car). Despite its slow acceleration times, its highway passing power proved more than adequate, and once you're up to speed on a twisty canyon road, sawing away on the steering wheel is usually more engaging than mashing the gas pedal anyway. Well-built, fun, good-looking, comfortable, and rare! And given its AWD system, the Kizashi's as tested price -- which rang in at $27,169 as equipped -- is decent but maybe a little steep for a car without much of a reputation. So the next time you're in the market for a midsize sedan, make the sad little Kizashi smile by giving it a closer look. Drive one and it'll most likely make you smile as well.

Read more: http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/sedans/1201_2012_suzuki_kizashi_gts_awd_first_test/#ixzz2GHnJUhLg