Maruti has had its foot stuck in the small car doorway for quite a while now. But now with the new Kizashi, the company has confirmedly stepped into the luxury car segment. We have got our hands on the new luxury saloon from the Suzuki stable and here are our first impressions.
In flesh, the Kizashi looks quite impressive sitting on those large 17inch wheels – it gives the saloon a lot of attitude. Though it’s unmistakably a Suzuki in its design, the Kizashi possesses an added flair. The front has a large open-mouthed look with the bonnet crease flowing in a singular line in ‘U’ shape under the air dam. It sports the typical honey comb and the double barrel headlamps add some zing. From the side profile, the Kizashi looks well proportioned, tightly skinned saloon with a sporty stance. The rear is nice too with the C pillar flowing all the way down to the smart tail lamps. What’s also nice is the smartly styled double exhaust pipes in chrome.
The cabin is probably the best we have come across in a Maruti Suzuki. The saloon comes with good quality interiors with just a few plastics that are not up to the mark. We like the flat integrated central console and the retro looking dials with chrome rings. Splashes of chrome add some life to the other wise basic looking cabin. The good thing is that the Kizashi is available in only one trim level – be it the automatic or the manual – so you get everything that Suzuki has on offer: smart leather upholstery, multi function steering wheel, cruise control, push button start, dual zone automatic climate control, CD/MP3 player with USB port, adjustable power seats, rear seat armrest, and 60:40 split rear seats.
The Kizashi comes loaded with safety features too –such as ABS with EBD, ESP, hill assist, pre-tensioner seat belts, engine immobilizer, lane change indicators, dual front airbags, side airbags for front seats and curtain airbags for front and rear passengers.
Under the hood lies the same 4-cylinder, 16 valve 2.4litre DOHC motor that powers the Grand Vitara. However, the improved 2393cc VVT motor now churns out 175.5bhp while developing 23.4kgm of max torque – a nominal improvement over the Vitara’s output figures.
Take the car for a spin around the city and you will realize that the bottom end is not a strong point of this car. It can also get a bit jerky in the city with sudden surges of power, but take it out on a highway the Kizashi comes into its own. It makes its way to 3 digit speeds quite quickly and is able to cruise comfortably. You have to work the gears a bit to get the best out of this car and once you get used to it, the saloon performs well in city traffic too. The 6-speed manual gear box feels a bit rubbery – we would have preferred a more positive shift. The engine gets a bit buzzy at higher revs and is quite audible inside the cabin.
Kizashi is also available with a CVT gear box. After taking this car for a spin, we felt that the CVT is a bit sluggish. It also has that typical rubber-band effect -where you feel the engine is revving more than the car is actually accelerating. A traditional automatic gearbox would have sufficed. However, the Kizashi is well equipped and comes with paddle shifts for the automatic variant, which means if you can switch to manual mode if you care less about the auto box’s functioning. In the manual mode the gearbox reacts quite quickly to inputs and shifts up or down on demand.
Out on the highway, the steering feels a bit numb at dead centre but after that it turns quickly and responds to inputs positively. What adds the Kizashi’s luxury car appeal is that is feels planted on the road, even at high speeds.
What is sacrificed due to its relatively compact dimensions and a sporty feel is legroom. Yes, at 2700mm, the Kizashi’s wheelbase is as long as the Honda Civic’s, but this car is likely to be priced in between the Civic and the Accord, and it it falls short of the competition with the interior space it offers. Legroom is more like the VW Jetta’s or Skoda Laura’s. And rear seat comfort is just as good, if not better, with the well bolstered seat supporting you in the right places. You don’t really miss the legroom unless there is someone really tall seated up front. The centre of the rear seat is slightly raised too, which means that although a third passenger can fit in, he will not be too comfortable. Boot space is not impressive when compared to others in this class, but its offering of 461litres is pretty adequate.
Maruti knows the Indian road conditions well and the engineers have tuned the suspension prioritizing on ride quality. The Kizashi’s ride is quite flat making the cabin a comfortable place to be. It absorbs all the bumps and potholes without really letting them affect to the passenger much.
The Kizashi is definitely the most luxurious Suzuki yet, but does it have what it takes to match up to its counterparts? Maybe not, because it trails behind in certain key areas. But with time the Kizashi tends to grows on you. It’s very well equipped, has comfortable back seats, good ride quality and comes with the peace of mind the Maruti brand brings. Plus, Maruti have always been known to price their cars well and price will be a key factor in the Kizashi's success in India.
