It wasn’t much of a surprise. After showing a number of concepts under the Kizashi name, Suzuki finally revealed the production version of its new four-door sedan in Detroit. Well, Grosse Pointe, actually, home to the mansions built by the founding fathers of the American automobile industry. Despite the cheekiness of launching the car in the midst of Motown, the true importance of this announcement had nothing at all to do with the car itself. It had everything to do with the future of Suzuki as a brand and an automaker.
Suzuki has been something of the red-headed stepchild, most recently selling vehicles originally designed and sold by now-defunct Daewoo in numbers so low one analyst recently said it and Mitsubishi should exit the automobile business. GM swallowed what was left of Korea’s Daewoo years back, and used it to create an Asian design and engineering base from which it could take the Chevrolet brand global, and compete in Europe and Asia with vehicles that are small and fuel-efficient. Suzuki, a business partner of GM’s for a number of years (it built Chevy’s Metro and Tracker, and pulled the XL-7 SUV from the Saturn Vue’s platform), took advantage of Daewoo’s demise to augment its lineup. For very little outlay, the Daewoo-built Forenza and Verona let Suzuki compete in markets it wasn’t ready to enter with its own cars, and as a niche player it could learn about the market while earning much-needed profits and establishing a dealer network. Since the volumes sold were relatively small, the fact that the cars had little Suzuki DNA had virtually no effect on the brand.
It also doesn’t hurt that Suzuki was, and is, still much better known for building motorcycles. That makes it easy for the car side of the company to ignore past offerings like the tippy Samurai small SUV, X-90 two-door 4×4, Aerio, Esteem, and other vehicles too bland and underwhelming to mention. And it gives the car side a target to shoot for in terms of image and value for the money when it starts producing true Suzuki vehicles. The Kizashi is the first of those vehicles.
According to Kevin Saito, president of American Suzuki, the latest generation of the home-market Swift was the first Suzuki vehicle to point the way to “more exciting looking and driving cars that are more aspirational” than basic in their design and performance. This continued with the SX4, and culminates with the introduction of the Kizashi, “a car that is 100% Suzuki,” says Saito. Which means that it uses a Suzuki powertrain in a Suzuki-engineered platform clothed in Suzuki-designed bodywork. Daewoo’s designs are done. The benchmarks for the car were nothing if not ambitious: the Alfa Romeo 159, Acura TSX and VW Passat. In addition, much of the development work took place on Germany’s famed Nurburgring race track, through the Alps, and on both European and American roads. Yet, Suzuki claims the Kizashi will be “a premium car without the premium price.”
Though a V6 model is in the planning stages, like most cars in the midsize segment the Kizashi will come standard with a four-cylinder engine. (A hybrid also is expected.) Power ratings for the dual overhead cam 2.4-liter with variable valve timing are not yet available, but Suzuki says it should meet or exceed the output of the standard fours in cars like the Mazda6 (170 hp), Nissan Altima (175 hp), and VW Passat (200 hp) while returning 30 mpg in front-drive form. This engine is mated to either a six-speed manual transmission (available in all trim levels) or a CVT with steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters that are used to up- or downshift through six distinct steps. Cars with the driver-selectable intelligent all-wheel-drive get a traction system that intervenes when needed, is biased as much toward handling as ultimate traction, and has a less than 3% impact on fuel economy. Saito-san also promises that the electronic stability control will be less nanny-like so drivers can explore chassis limits, a task made easier by the aluminum-intensive multi-link rear suspension and four-wheel disc brakes.
Still, why would Suzuki target the midsize sedan market – the largest portion of the U.S. new car market with yearly sales (in good times) of 1.7 million vehicles – with a car that can’t possibly compete with perennial top sellers like the Toyota Camry or Honda Accord, much less the much improved Ford Fusion and Chevy Malibu? Suzuki believes it has discovered an overlooked niche of younger buyers with active lifestyles who either haven’t the disposable income to buy an established sport sedan, or who are part of a growing trend – strengthened by the economic downturn – toward thrift and away from conspicuous consumption. Buyers who resemble the profile of a Suzuki motorcycle customer. As such, the company doesn’t have to build a mass-market contender. It can concentrate its efforts on a more select, defined and individual customer pool, and one that will – it hopes – help build the Suzuki car brand via word of mouth and example.
The production Kizashi has taken some hits for styling that is blander and more derivative than the concept cars that shared its name. These are valid comments, though I dare anyone to find a production vehicle that was more adventurous than the concept that preceded it. It’s hard to say how the car will look with minimal adornments and the standard 16-in wheels, but the full-tilt version combines short front and rear overhangs with a tall, rising beltline to give the car a visual solidity. Chief designer Tadaeo Kanero had to design a front end that would meet European pedestrian impact standards – the nose is tall to leave crush space between the hood and engine – and drove this line through the rest of the side elevation. To his credit, he resisted the cliché rounded roofline and instead used a low roof with distinct front and rear pillars, much like – but not as exaggerated as – the roof on Chrysler’s 300. This also gave him space to append a trunk that is tall, regularly shaped, and spacious.
But it is the interior that best shows the levels of fit, finish, style and quality to which Suzuki aspires. The upper portion of the instrument panel is pulled almost directly from VW’s Passat with its twin central air vents, smoothly curved hood over the instruments, and a channel that runs along the surface near the windshield’s base. Unlike the VW, however, this piece is done in a grained hard plastic that, on the preview vehicle, was easy to mistake for a high-quality soft plastic piece. The same material is used on the lower section of the panel, and both are augmented by soft-touch pads bisected by silver trim pieces that resemble a bird’s wings in flight. Most impressive.
Even more impressive is the center stack that contains the climate and audio controls. These systems appear to have been pushed through the smooth black trim piece, piercing it only where the buttons and knobs appear, rather than placed in a slot with space on all four sides. In addition, there are subtle chrome trim bands on either side of the padded interior door pull, a flocked glovebox, and a sliding cover over the USB port that keeps dust and dirt out. Sport seats with high-density foam are standard, and checking the premium leather box on the order blank also brings three-level heating for the front seats. Other standard equipment includes a keyless push-button starting system, iPod connectivity (through the USB port), and soft tops to the door panels front and rear while Bluetooth streaming audio and the 425-watt Rockford Fosgate audio system are available as options.
Without driving the car, it’s hard to say whether or not Suzuki has delivered on all it has promised. However, first impressions suggest it has delivered a vehicle that appeals to a distinct subset of a much broader market. Since the Kizashi doesn’t have to appeal to the lowest common denominator buyer as well as those with higher expectation, it can be a more focused entrant. If Suzuki has developed a premium small sport sedan without the premium price that can attract young, active customers to its dealerships, it has the chance to establish a unique brand image with future all-Suzuki vehicles upon which it can build both sales and profits.
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