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The Suzuki Kizashi isn't going to bowl you over with its looks, but yet it's a very nice looking sedan (it will grow on you, trust). Based on the body design you're not likely to think of it as a very sporty vehicle, but the Kizashi has a 2.4 liter 16 valve inline 4-cylinder engine that produces 185 horsepower and 170 lb. ft torque. Mated to a six-speed manual transmission, the car is relatively quick off the line and very smooth at higher speeds. Not bad for a car that costs around $25,000. I drove the six-speed manual but there is an option for CVT. And Suzuki is supposedly developing a hybrid version of the car sometime soon. Another "Kizashi", they might say. Apparently the word is Japanese for something great that is imminent - and not some fantastic new sushi or the title of a samurai flick!



It's a little difficult to decide though how Suzuki is positioning the Kizashi in terms of its image. On the one hand this is their flagship near-luxury sedan and certainly it's a very quiet car, which adds to the car's, shall we say, civilized feel. On the other hand it has a Rockford Fosgate system that seems designed for younger buyers for whom this car is probably beyond their means. More on that later.



Key features include a performance tuned suspension with KYB shock absorbers, 18" wheels, an electronic stability program, a traction control system and a tire monitoring system. On the safety side, the car has eight standard airbags — front passenger, front seat side mounted, rear seat side mounted, front & rear curtain.



You have keyless entry plus a security system, heated sport seats with leather interior, a power tilt and slide sunroof, power heated exterior mirrors and dual zone auto climate control. Again great features for its price. This is a sophisticated car! And then there's the sound system, which is loud. Don't get us wrong, we like loud. After work, we want a lot of loud on the drive home. It's fun. The point is that it might not be kind of system some would expect from a more upscale car.



The Rockford system is rated at 425 watts, and has 10 speakers, including a long-throw 8" PUNCH woofer on the rear deck (for an 8" woofer it does move considerable air). You have a DSP that controls all of the speaker locations' frequency response, arrival time, compression and limiting. And there's Rockford's PUNCH BASS control for the bass level. You also get the requisite USB input and a Bluetooth handsfree system with wireless audio streaming.



The speaker system, besides the aforementioned subwoofer, consists of true silk-dome 1" tweeters, 6.5" midbass drivers with linear suspension and reinforced polypropylene cones, a 2" mid center channel to improve the center image and move the stage forward and 6.5" mids and tweeters in the rear doors.

All of the audio components described above contribute to a formidable system. I played a variety of tracks and depending on the music it could be amazing or lackluster. With heavy rock and rap music, it excelled; with lighter fare, it required some adjusting tonally. The general trait of the audio system is a bit boomy. I preferred the sound with the PUNCH BASS lowered, with the Mid and Treble slightly higher. Of course this depended a lot on the music. Generally though that seemed to work. And the 2" mid is supposed to move stage forward but the stage could have had better definition. Sometimes the music sounded like was playing from the middle of the car or slightly from the back. For instance on Rage Against the Machine's "Take the Power Back" this was noticeable.



Like I said though, the system excels at "big" music: hard driving electronic dance tracks, heavy rap music or anything that sounds great at high volumes. Jay-Z sounded, well, dominating! Actually most of the time the system sounded better once you increased the volume. The balance of the frequencies was better at higher volumes. That being said, the system is still too bass heavy for my taste. For Sigur Ros I had to turn off PUNCH BASS, as there was too much resonance. But OK, I did crank it — because that's the way you should listen to Sigur Ros! The sound may not be as linear as it should be. At low volumes it doesn't seem have the same balance of frequencies and tonal clarity.

As usual I played "Boxenkiller" off a Focal audition disc and I have to say that the imaging was decent. You could feel the movement of the drum rolls, but the bass guitar (the higher notes anyway) wasn't as crisp as I would've liked. And this track also sounded better with the PUNCH BASS lower. I like playing Tierney Sutton to listen for detail and clarity and it was a little lacking. Then I played the an electronica track off Audison's Music Expression Vol. 1 with big bass and hard hitting drums and the Rockford system was massive, exactly the way that type of music should be reproduced.

I also played music wirelessly via Bluetooth. Switching from BT audio to USB was a problem because of a problem with the iPhone. But in terms of sound quality, it was fine. My only issue was that in BT audio mode, I couldn't change tracks, at least using my iPhone. On the handsfree phone side, the system was basic, especially since there wasn't a large screen for viewing a phone book and a menu for phone operating options, but the functionality of it was commendable with clear audio for both parties.

In terms of ergonomics, I liked the steering wheel controls — thumbs for audio and cruise control and fingers on the underside for buttons to access Bluetooth and display and trip. The Kizashi has some voice command capability for certain controls. This is convenient as well as contributes to driving safety. My only complaint is that I had to hit the talk button each time to address the system. For instance, if you want to use the Dial by Number option, you'll have to hit the Talk button each step of the process. Fairly typical though for factory systems. I have used aftermarket products for hands-free calling that had automatic prompts for calling by number or name. All in all though the ergonomics is sound. Plus the overall electronics system is fairly simple.

The Kizashi offers a lot for relatively little. For the price it's actually quite a deal. You might say it's an economy near-luxury vehicle. It has the features and characteristics of a sophisticated automobile while being quite affordable. Which brings me to my main issue with the car. It's mildly incongruous that the vehicle has such a brute of an audio system. It would seem to be a better complement for, say, a truck or a car aimed at younger drivers. It's a masculine system. But then again, the Kizashi is a relatively fun car to drive that has some youthful aspects. Suzuki's intention may have been to straddle a couple segments of the car market. If so, they accomplished what they may have wanted to achieve. In any case, the Kizashi represents terrific value. You get a lot for the money, including a big sounding system which may be exactly what some car audio lovers will want.