VIDEO: Suzuki Goes After Audi's A4 and Mercedes-Benz's C300

Awesome car the Kizashi! I bought one last month. Blew away the new Sonata and Optima I test drove. Suzuki outsells Honda in Japan so how could anybody question its reliability?

Too bad Amricans are more concerned about brand name and prestige than value. Thats why this economy is going down the drain! I am proud to drive a nice sporty and feature/safety loaded Kizashi and being distinct on the road and knowing I did not overpay just for the Audi, Mercedez, Toyota or even Hyundai name!

I'd be really curious to see what your thoughts are the Audi or Mercedes if you test drove those as well.

I kind of thought that whole segment of cars, the small sedans from Audi, BMW, and Mercedes, were more flash than substance too. Then I sold my year old, fully loaded Honda Accord and now drive a BMW 335i and I can say in all honesty that it really is THAT much better. Everything from the build quality to the way it feels to drive is far superior.

I think it's awesome that auto makers like Suzuki are stepping up their game to the point they feel confident comparing themselves to the premium German cars. All it does is raise the bar for all the brands, letting us, the consumers, enjoy the benefit of fierce competition. I personally doubt the Kizashi is genuinely a better overall car than a brand new A4 or C300, but the fact it's getting closer is good for all of us.

Impressive that this cheap car can out perform these cars in braking and slalom, what is wrong with Audi and Mercedes to let a cheap entry level car out perform it? They better get up to speed so these cheaper cars can't out perform them! And as far as reliability Audi and Mercedes can't brag! How bad is the Suzuki? Another question is how political is the reliability ratings according to CR? Maybe they didn't pay CR? think about CR's credibility and endorsing toyota all of this time.

Do you think your typical Audi A4 or MB C class owner cares about slaloms? They don't. These cars are bought for luxury and comfort - not sport. And although the A4 and C class are sporty cars, they're not the sportiest in their class and owners know this. Plus, a Suzuki doesn't compete with an Audi or Mercedes. Nobody shopping for a premium car will consider the Suzuki brand. It's that simple.

Let's not forget that there's the S4 and C63 AMG, which make mincemeat out of the Kizashi - and they also cost much more.

Suzuki is a very reliable car. It is the largest seller in one of the world's largest growing markets in South Asia. Perhaps reliability takes a beating as Suzuki does not have the same funding as others to bribe CR and JD Power. Let wikileaks open this jar of worms as well. Japan runs on those 650cc K cars!

CHEERS and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

lol, I would love to know if there is some real bribe happening.

I wonder if it would have helped the Audi if they used the more common AWD trim, not the FrontTrak.

I'm genuinely asking, I've heard mixed results on the merit of AWD in the dry. I could see it going either way.

I went and had a look at the Kizashi a few months ago and I was very impressed with it. It has a nice feel to it. As for fugeesnfunions' impression of the 335i, I think you should be careful not to mistake "tactile feel" for "build quality". Those are two completely different things. The Europeans have aced how to make their doors, switches, levers, and other gear FEEL like they were carved from a solid block of steel. But the truth is that they really are no better (and in many cases are actually worse) built than anything else out there.

All due respect, I think that's a joke, but IF it were true and you told me I had to choose between a car that was built well but didn't feel like it and a car that wasn't built as well but felt far superior, I'd unquestionably drive that car that felt nice. Who cares if something is built well if you can't tell it is.

Every single thing BMW did to my 335i is overbuilt. Some kid accidentally ran into it in a parking lot and took off the front bumper and the insurance guy that came out was amazed at how it was all put together, he showed me several examples of places BMW did something that they didn't need to and that most other cars don't have. Everything from filtering and analyzing the air coming in from the outside and automatically switching to cabin air if there's too much pollution outside, to pre-tensing the brakes if you quickly lift your foot from the accelerator (because that means you're probably going to put the brakes on), all add up to creating something truly special to drive.

This is a joke. It's the Japanese version of the Hyundai story.

Too bad they don't do an acceleration test where it beats a motorized wheelchair but loses to a Toyota prius 0-60

Perhaps you are refering to the AWD version of Kizashi that gets loaded down with every option and the added weight of the AWD set up as well as the lag of the CVT? That's the only version that has been tested at the 9 second mark. (it should be noted also that there is now a flash update for the CVT AWD Kizashi available at the dealers that addresses the sluggish 0-15 mph acceleration that also improves the 0-60 time.)

The fwd manual transmission Kizashi does 0-60 in 7.2 seconds. Several automotive sources have verified that too. That number makes it very competative in its class.

Additionally, for 2011 Suzuki is shipping to the U.S. many more 6-spd manual Kizashi's, especially in the Sport trim, so it will be much easier to get a version of Kizashi that does the 7.2 second 0-60.

Lastly, for those that still need more speed above and beyond the 7.2 0-60 mph lf the Kizashi 6-spd manual, the answer is coming by late summer of 2011.
That will be the Kizashi Turbo-4 -> "Platinum Edition", a cooperative effort between Suzuki and Road Race Motorsports.
The Plantinum Edition Turbo-4 Kizashi will be in stock and available at most of the higher volume Suzuki dealerships around the country. Road Race has hinted that the Turbo edition will have an output of appx 300 HP.