We all learn at an early age you get what you pay for. That knockoff action figure at the dollar store just doesn't pack the same karate-chop action as the one on the TV commercials. And it's tough keeping up with friends on your $100 Toys "R" Us mountain bike when it weighs as much as your Labrador retriever and the wheels won't stay round.
Still, as we get older, we realize that every so often it's possible to feel like you got more than you paid for. Here at Motor Trend, every now and then we come across a value-priced car that doesn't take us back to our first Duffy Rockstumbler two-wheeler. The Suzuki Kizashi is one of those cars.
A few samples from our Kizashi's logbook: "Feel like a premium piece. Has the high-value/fun-to-drive bones that made the Civic famous." "Impressive for its price." "It's hard to believe this car only costs $24,000." Yes, our Kizashi tester wowed us with its value. For an as-tested price of $23,484, we got a spacious midsize sedan equipped with dual-zone climate control; a 10-way power driver's seat with memory settings; a tilting/telescoping leather-wrapped, button-laden, multifunction steering wheel; a 425-watt, 10-speaker audio system; Bluetooth connectivity; foglamps; eight airbags; and 18-inch wheels. Not bad.
And it wasn't just impressive on paper. As weeks turned into months with our little red sedan, its good looks and fun-to-drive nature made more than a few staffers into fans. Photographer Brian Vance spent a weekend with the Suzuki and fell in love.
"What really sells it for me and my heavy foot is that one can drive the Kizashi at full throttle all the time without doing super-illegal speeds," Vance scribbled. "The engine has just enough power to wind out on every hole shot, freeway ramp, or lane merge, and yet, doing so rarely puts you above the posted speed limit. Lots of fun."
That fun character, combined with practicality (the Kizashi averaged 24.8 mpg during its stay), earned strong praise from executive editor Ed Loh. "For scooting around town and riding commuter traffic, the Kizashi is perfect," Loh noted. "The manual gearbox is good (not great), but sporty enough to encourage heel-toe shifting and other shenanigans. I enjoy wringing out the four-banger, and it makes me even happier to see mpg in the mid-to-high 20s when doing so."
Associate road test editor Carlos Lago agreed after spending a weekend out and about town in the Suzuki. "Dimensionally, it looks and feels more Corolla than Camry, even though it's as wide as the latter. This is a good thing because, although the Kizashi is no compact, it feels like one; it's very easy to maneuver through narrow streets, alleys, parking lots.
"Credit is also due to its enjoyable handling tendencies; turn-in is quite nice, and there's decent weight in the steering. The shifter has a positive feel: You'd never second guess a throw as you would in the Legacy. Throwing the Kizashi down an off-ramp is surprisingly fun."
For as much as we loved driving the Kizashi, there was still room for some improvement. A blown fuse at 15,000 miles rendered the stereo and power mirrors completely non-operable, but the fuse was replaced at no cost under warranty. Service costs for our year and nearly 20,000 miles rang in at a total of $128.69 for two oil changes, tire rotations, and general inspections. Two no-cost recall services were also performed -- one to replace a dashboard compartment hinge, and the other to replace a defective drive belt pulley tensioner.
Some staffers also complained about a lack of power from the Kizashi's 2.4-liter naturally aspirated inline-four. At 185 horses and 170 lb-ft of torque, the engine is on par with other budget offerings, but the lack of oomph was a letdown to those who had become enamored of the Kizashi's athletic handling.
"It feels as if the suspension is tuned to sport, although the engine remains in economy car mode," griped Lago. "You can't hear too much of the engine note, and what you do hear isn't as appealing as any given Honda mill."
Associate editor Scott Evans concured, and offered a suggestion. "I'd love it if Suzuki would offer a real sport model in the future with just a little more power. This thing's so close to being a legitimate compact sport sedan, but the engine just doesn't quite have enough in it."
All said, we were sad to see our Kizashi go after its yearlong tenure in the fleet. It might be easy to replace it with a more expensive vehicle, but it won't be as easy to find one with more charm. Associate online editor Nate Martinez summed up our final impressions. "Suzuki should be proud. The Suzuki Kizashi is roomy and modern inside, has a handsome exterior, rides smooth, grips decently well, and returns respectable fuel economy. It's a shame Suzuki isn't selling more of these."
