2011 Suzuki Kizashi Review

See that car with the European plate carving up that winding road?  Audi A4, maybe?

Well, unless you're oblivious to headlines, you know already that not only is that not an Audi or any German car, but a Suzuki.

The good news is that the Suzuki Kizashi is all the things no one ever thought about Suzuki. The bad news is the word needs to spread more. We'll start here.

We got the chance to sample three different Kizashis and found them all to be good looking,  comfortable,  and fun bordering on truly sporty to drive.

The SE sedan came with a 180 horsepower four, a Continuously Variable Transmission, and a remarkable list of standard equipment (ABS, power steering, 8 airbags, tire pressure monitoring system, security system, keyless entry, premium cloth sport seats, dual zone climate control, rear passenger air vents, a 7-speaker AM./FM/CD/mp3 audio system with iPod and mp3 player USB port, steering wheel audio controls, a 10-way power driver's seat with memory, 17 inch alloy wheels and leather-trimmed steering wheel and shifter) for only $21,499.  The only options on that one were a premium floor mat set ($125) and premium metallic paint ($130), so the total (delivery charge is listed as zero) was $21,754. EPA estimated mileage is 23 city/30 highway.

Next step up was the SE All-Wheel-Drive. Base price ramps up to $22,749, but so does handling capability...it was a noticeable improvement over an already nimble machine. Standard equipment remains the same, so does the free delivery, and the EPA estimate drops to 22/29.

And then there was the Sport SLS. 5 more horsepower (185), no increase in torque (170 lb/ft) but some added standard equipment including fog lights, an upgraded 425 watt Rockford Fosgate audio system with 10 speakers, Bluetooth, a leather interior, sunroof, rear parking sensors, rain sensing wipers, automatic headlamps, an aero body kit, lightweight sport wheels and a sport design steering wheel. Price bumps to $24,699, the EPA estimate falls to 20 city/ 29 highway and this one had XM satellite radio on the option list, so the bottom line wound up at $25,304.

Everything inside seems of high quality and craftsmanship and the overall vehicle is solid. In fact, the Kizashi gets five stars for frontal and side crash ratings...four for rollover.

The Kizashi represents a major breakthrough for Suzuki...a sporty sedan with styling and handling that you'd associate with other cars costing quite a bit more. At the price point (especially for the Sport SLS), there's certainly competition. But your shopping isn't thorough enough if you don't make time for a test drive of the Kizashi.

Suzuki Equator Review

Gee, stranger...you look familiar.

Welcome to our brave new world...where badge engineering is no longer something that happens between divisions of the same automaker. Nope, now competing companies are swapping product and slapping nameplates on them.

Okay, it's not really new. Honda and Isuzu had the same kind of deal 15 years ago with the Rodeo and Passport SUVs and Oasis and Odyssey minivans.

In that particular deal, Honda provided the Odyssey for rebadging as the Oasis and Isuzu shipped some Rodeos over to Honda to be rechristened as Passports. Why buy one instead of the other? Well, Isuzu actually had the edge, even with the Honda-made product, by virtue of the stronger warranty.

That's essentially what's going on with the Suzuki Equator. What we have here is a Nissan Frontier pickup with an arguably more aggressive grille. That's it. Otherwise the same truck...right down to an identical EPA estimate of 15 city and 19 highway miles per gallon.

The Suzuki's base price is about $800 more than the comparably equipped Nissan...but wait. The Nissan limited warranty is 3 years or 36,000 miles with a powertrain warranty of 5 years or 50,000 miles. Suzuki jacks the ante way up with a 7 year/100,000 mile warranty. Which, if you're planning on keeping the truck more than 5 years, will more than cover the $800 price difference. Plus, dealers are hungry right now and Suzuki dealers are likely ravenous. I'd bet on your ability to make the $800 difference go away. You might even get a better deal on an Equator than you could a Frontier, depending on the dealers involved.

The Equator/Frontier's a nice truck (read my review of the Frontier here). Buying one from the Suzuki store could be a very smart move.

Suzuki Grand Vitara Review

The past three years or so have seen Suzuki really blossom in terms of product, limited as it is. The SX4 is a quirky but fun machine and the Grand Vitara has gone from an overreaching spawn of the Samurai to a solid player in the small SUV field.

The high points are price ($18,499 for a no-frills base model, $25,299 for the nicely equipped XSport V6 four-wheel drive I drove) and solid gas mileage (EPA says 17 city/23 highway) for an engine making 230 horsepower, driving four wheels and carrying 5 people and their stuff.

Once a bargain-basement automaker, Suzuki has stepped up to the good stuff of late. The XSport level brings a sunroof, climate control, heated mirrors, an 8-speaker, 6CD audio system with subwoofer and a bunch more (the only options left were a cargo mat & net, floormats and premium metallic paint).

If you're thinking RAV4 or CR-V, cross-shop the Grand Vitara, too.

Suzuki SX4 Review

GPS Navigation systems have been around for about 10 years now and one thing hasn't changed...they're expensive...usually about $2,000. For that reason, they've been virtually absent in small cars. When you're pushing a $15,000 car, having one option that can make the price $17,000 isn't such a great strategy.

So big props to Suzuki for doing the intelligent thing. They've partnered with Garmin (makers of portable navigation systems) and made the Garmin Nuvi 770 standard equipment in the SX4. It's a cool piece, featuring Bluetooth hands-free phone functionality, real-time traffic updates and MSN Direct features including news and entertainment updates. It can even store mp3 files and double as a music player.

Best of all, it's portable...just snap it out of the housing on the dash and take it with you to operate on battery power. There's a "pedestrian" mode for navigating your walks.

The Nuvi's suggested retail price is just under $700, but a quick Google search shows them retailing for as little as $359. And you know Suzuki got a deal.

That means a very small bump in the price point for the SX4, which starts at $15,939...with the Nuvi as standard equipment.

The SX4 is a fine small car, a lot more fun to drive than we expected before we drove one last year. The innovative thinking that led to the inclusion of the Nuvi just shows that Suzuki shouldn't be underestimated or overlooked when it comes to small cars.