Why The Final New Suzuki Sold In The USA Was A Brilliant Failure

Suzuki had high hopes for the forgotten Kizashi. The Japanese brand was so confident in the car that it even unveiled it on US soil, and not in Japan. This made a clear statement that the car was built for the American market, and even its name was rather apt. Roughly translated, Kizashi means “good omen” or “something good is on the way”. Sadly, the Kizashi turned out to be a dud. After four full markets on sale, Suzuki only managed to sell roughly 20,000 units. To put that in perspective, Toyota sold 68,000 Camry units in the first quarter of 2010 alone, which was the Kizashi’s first full year on sale.

Base Trim Engine: 2.4L Inline-4 Gas
Base Trim Transmission: 6-Speed Manual
Base Trim Drivetrain: Front-Wheel Drive
Base Trim Horsepower: 185 hp
Base Trim Torque: 170 lb-ft @ 4000 rpm

Was the Kizashi’s performance that bad? When equipped with a CVT gearbox, the answer is a resounding yes. For a CVT transmission to not make the driver want to get out and drive over themselves, an engine needs to provide loads of low-down torque. Mating it to a naturally aspirated engine almost never works. But the Kizashi was also available with a six-speed manual, and I don’t recall anything particularly hateful about that model. Perhaps that was part of the problem. I had to go dig out my notes to remember what I thought about this car 15 years ago, though the same could be said of the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord of the same vintage, though the latter has aged particularly well.

What Was Suzuki Known For?

Suzuki Does Small

If you look at a list of the best Suzukis ever made, you’ll note they all have one thing in common. Suzuki is at its very best when it makes small cars, as proven by the Swift Sport and Jimny. In America, the last models it sold were the SX4 Crossover and Sedan, the Grand Vitara, and the Equator pickup truck, which was a Nissan Frontier in disguise. It was a pretty poor range of outdated cars, but the Kizashi was meant to change all that, heralding a new era for the embattled brand.

So Why Did It Fail?

There Are Many Reasons

Like many other cars that were launched around the same time as the Kizashi, it was a victim of bad timing. The entire world was in the middle of an economic crisis. The average US citizen was too focused on keeping their home to even contemplate a new car, let alone a rival to two of the most established players in the segment. Suzuki’s dealer network was also tiny, and the brand had almost no equity. It’s funny that these days we look across the pond today and wish we could buy the Jimny, but back then almost nobody wanted a Suzuki.

Also, Suzuki fans may have been disappointed that the final product didn’t turn out half as well as the concept car from 2007.

Was The Kizashi A Bad Car?

A Little Bit Of Good, A Little Bit Of Bad

First, the build quality of the Kizashi was on par with Toyota and Honda. The front seats were brilliant, and this was before the era of the touchscreen interface, for which the Kizashi receives bonus points. Suzuki also knew it had to have some sort of unique selling point to take on the more famous Japanese rivals, and the tactic it went with was to give you almost everything as standard. The top-spec model came with all the usual luxury features and added a 10-speaker Rockford Fosgate sound system with Bluetooth connectivity, heated leather seats, and an auto-dimming rearview mirror.

On the downside, Suzuki messed up the size. It was bigger than a Toyota Corolla, but not quite as big as a Camry. But this paled in comparison with the underwhelming 2.4-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine, mated to a mediocre manual. And what a pity it was, because the handling was great. The steering in particular was communicative, so you sat behind the wheel wanting more power. A turbocharger would have solved the problem, or a nice free-revving engine borrowed from Nissan, but alas. The Kizashi was only around for four years before Suzuki pulled the plug. Not just on the car, but on America entirely, and it hasn’t been back since. To be fair, there isn’t a single modern model Americans would actually like, including the Jimny.

How Much Value Has The Kizashi Lost?

It’s A Great First Car

Even the most expensive Kizashis currently on sale in the used market don’t stray above $10,000. Decent examples with a full service history, one owner, and no accident reports go for $5,000. That’s a lot of car, plus a lot of safety for not much money. You could send your kids to college in this car and feel good about it. Remember, the Kizashi received the esteemed Top Safety Pick + Award from the IIHS when it was new, and that matters.

The only known major flaw with the Kizashi is the CVT gearbox, which is another reason not to buy one. That way, your kids can also learn to drive stick, which is your duty as a gearhead parent. Since Suzuki left the country, you’d expect servicing to be an issue, but no. There are many independent shops that specialize in keeping Suzukis on the road, and for the most part, they only need routine maintenance. Those parts are readily available, but if you need a very specific OEM part, you might have to source it from Japan. Overall, the Kizashi has received rave reviews from actual owners, and they can do many miles without becoming problematic.

Should you buy one? There’s certainly no shortage of cars that can go way over 200,000 miles and still be reliable, and a host of other dependable models for less than $10k. But the Kizashi is just a bit more interesting, and a cool alternative to the usual list of suspects.