Topic: Test Drive: 2011 Suzuki Kizashi

[Autos_Editor]

The all-new Suzuki Kizashi could be a great car if not for its transmission, says Assistant Editor Jil McIntosh; it offers European-style handling, nice interior and numerous features, but its rubber-band CVT moans and groans and spoils it all.

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[sailor723]

When CVT's are bad they're very,very bad. Why wouldn't they have just sourced a decent six speed automatic?

[Thinking Out Loud]

I will have to try one of these and a Chryco product with their CVT. 

The SE-R's CVT I have is great in a comparably sized vehicle/engine combo, so I don't understand what is 'moaning' and 'groaning' other than that espoused by auto critics  .

I suppose a 'rubbery' CVT is no different than a 'hard shifting' automatic or a 'notchy' manual?  IE, notable but not necessarily the earth shattering, 'spoils the experience' deal it gets made out to be, other than for the fact it is a newer technology?

[John MacDonald]

Terrific work! This is the type of information that should be shared around the web. Shame on the search engines for not positioning this post higher!

[Charles]

I don't understand Suzuki.

They need to differentiate themselves from other, especially Japanese, manufacturers giving consumers a reason to take a chance on their product.  Here is a car that can be that opportunity but they give Canadians a $30K fully loaded model as the only choice, the USA starts at $19k for a 6-sp manual.  

Also, their customer service department is extremely hard to access.  I have written to them, through their website, multiple times asking about the future availibility of a manual transmission in this model or the availibility of a new Swift in Canada through their corporate webpage.  Suzuki has not even sent out a generic 'thank you for your interest' response.

They don't seem serious about selling vehicles in Canada.

[toolatecrew]

So sad that Suzuki seems to only go 60-70% of the way with their cars. I really like this car. Its proportions are great (like the previous non bloated TSX) I think it looks great. The interior is good for the $ the handeling si supposed to be top notch. But how can they be so dense on the engine tranny front? I understand that the gerneral market isn't big on manual transmission so I can't fault them for not offering in small market Canada but when you have a nice sporty platform why burden it with a crap CVT and an uninspired engine?

They really need a turbo mill.Hyundai has a decent one in the Genisis coupe. Why not these guys? A turbo in the SX4 makes it a budget WRX. A turbo in this (without CVT) makes it a TSX beater.

[5 Wheel Drive]

Is this car even on sale yet?  the last time I saw one was at the Montreal Auto Show in January.  I'm yet to see on the road.

I kinda like the look of this car, inside and out.  But, without a manual gearbox, this car would be off my shopping list.  I'd much rather have the US version with FWD and a 6 speed manual.

[Weels]

Re: the rubber band CVT -- wonder if this has anything to do with being AWD?
Are there any other AWD vehicles out there that are hooked to a CVT?

[Roy]

Wow - a lot of agreement on this thread!  Me too: I like the looks in and out, but wouldn't consider it without a 6spd manual AND AWD offering (only subaru does this for the blue collar price point), with a turbo it moves to the short-list without even a test drive!!!

[Jaeger]

No manual for Canada?  Pass.  I have driven a few CVT-equipped Nissans and could live with that transmission as well as any other autotragic.  But Suzuki's rendition sounds like a deal-breaker.

Jaeger

[CDF]

Re: the rubber band CVT -- wonder if this has anything to do with being AWD?
Are there any other AWD vehicles out there that are hooked to a CVT?

Subaru's Legacy 2.5i autobox is a CVT. Subaru calls it "Lineartronic".

[sirAQUAMAN64]

I was extremely impressed when I saw and sat in this vehicle (was tight, but very well constructed and good materials leave a positive impression - especially impressive when you consider the resource constraints Suzuki works with to put it all together). Good thing I didn't drive one to tarnish my admiration. Hopefully Suzuki eventually gets it right, because it's so 7/8ths baked it's frustrating. Maybe a VW drivetrain will power it shortly?

It still seems to be a good car that I'd recommend though. A nice compact-ish upscale Jetta alternative.

Sadly, sales are off to a slow start... with the packaging and pricing, no surprise there.

[Erik]

Nice car ruined for the want of a nice manual transmission. Too bad.

[CDF]

Re: the rubber band CVT -- wonder if this has anything to do with being AWD?
Are there any other AWD vehicles out there that are hooked to a CVT?

Subaru's Legacy 2.5i autobox is a CVT. Subaru calls it "Lineartronic".

Is it the same CVT used by Nissan from Jatco? Or a different make/model?

I don't think so. Subaru's is a different unit. The Kizashi's is Jatco's JF011E unit. This is the same unit also used by Nissan, Mitsubishi, Renault and Dodge.

[John MacDonald]

Re: the rubber band CVT -- wonder if this has anything to do with being AWD?
Are there any other AWD vehicles out there that are hooked to a CVT?

Subaru's Legacy 2.5i autobox is a CVT. Subaru calls it "Lineartronic".

Is it the same CVT used by Nissan from Jatco? Or a different make/model?

Completely different CVT, it uses chain instead of belts.

[Spheric]

Sounds like an epic fail. CVT aside, the lack of any concerted marketing by Suzuki Canada suggests an almost indifferent attitude to a product which potential buyers can easily sense. I gave up periodically revisiting the Suzuki Canada site looking for Kizashi information which was so widely available on it's US counterpart site. Marketing practices (or lack of them) which might work in car hungry nations like India, do not work over here. 

[Sir Osis of Liver]

I've never driven a CVT car that I could tolerate owning let alone like or enjoy. Nissan, Subaru, Ford, Chrysler, they all have that rubber band feeling, and moan and groan compared to regular automatics. Some are worse than others, but none are good.

I'm really glad most of them are phasing out CVTs for 6 speed autos or DSG style transmissions.

The Kizashi was supposed to get a GM V6, but that fell through with the bankruptcy. Suzuki has been trying to source another one, as well as looking at a turbo set up. I haven't heard any updates lately.

It's really weird how Suzuki is at the cutting edge in bikes, but supremely underwhelming in their car lineups.

[John MacDonald]

I've never driven a CVT car that I could tolerate owning let alone like or enjoy. Nissan, Subaru, Ford, Chrysler, they all have that rubber band feeling, and moan and groan compared to regular automatics. Some are worse than others, but none are good.

I'm really glad most of them are phasing out CVTs for 6 speed autos or DSG style transmissions.

The Kizashi was supposed to get a GM V6, but that fell through with the bankruptcy. Suzuki has been trying to source another one, as well as looking at a turbo set up. I haven't heard any updates lately.

It's really weird how Suzuki is at the cutting edge in bikes, but supremely underwhelming in their car lineups.

Why even produce vehicles if you're only going to rebadge someone elses product and do it poorly.  Come up with some original stuff or copy something good like a VW, Honda, or Subaru.

[Dante]

I've never driven a CVT car that I could tolerate owning let alone like or enjoy. Nissan, Subaru, Ford, Chrysler, they all have that rubber band feeling, and moan and groan compared to regular automatics. Some are worse than others, but none are good.

I'm really glad most of them are phasing out CVTs for 6 speed autos or DSG style transmissions.

The Kizashi was supposed to get a GM V6, but that fell through with the bankruptcy. Suzuki has been trying to source another one, as well as looking at a turbo set up. I haven't heard any updates lately.

It's really weird how Suzuki is at the cutting edge in bikes, but supremely underwhelming in their car lineups.

I share the assessment of CVT. ANY car with a CVT, from ANY manufacturer, is off my list of interest.
Unfortunately, my observation is that the Japanese manufacturers are moving towards CVTs. Nissan used CVTs for many years and Mitsu, Subaru and Suzuki jumped in the CVT bandwagon.

Speaking of Subaru, they are not moving away from CVT they are expanding its use - Impreza and Forester are the next inline to get "blessed" with such a unit (this is the rumor at least). The new Legacy and Outback have been "fixed" already (4 cyl versions).
The same goes for Mitsubishi (4-cyl vehicles).

Going back to Kizashi, the Turbo version has been prototyped already. You can read more about it here:

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/05/05/video-suzuki-boosts-kizashi-sedans-performance-with-turbocharg/

Nothing wrong with only offering I4 powerplant for a mid-size family sedan (Hyundai does it too and others will follow), but what I don't understand is why don't they offer lower/less expensive trims in Canada. The low/mid trims are usually the volume sellers in the mid-size sedan segment. By doing so, Suzuki put themselves in a niche, hence very low volumes.

[dkaz]

At least importing a 6 speed manual sport model from the US is an option.