Midsize Sedans 2.0

Kirstie_H

OK, the first few were cute, but really, we're now duplicating content already in the Kizashi discussion. I can understand how a person becomes obsessed with vehicles (um... that's most of us, eh?), but let's not pull the overkill switch in here.

dash5

Well putting aside the fact that the poster is intentionally going overboard....

The Kizashi looks nice from the back, ok from the side and awful from the front. So it's a butterface car. I think the interior looks solid though, not bad. Purely based on aesthetics the Sonata crushes it though. No two ways about it. That silver looks great.

kdshapiro

Living in the land where there is no snow and where an Infinity G37 costs less to own and maintain than a Toyota Camry I see your point. But for the rest of us living in climates where there were some major snowstorms the Genesis really isn't a steal. And, please, don't even start with the snow tires stuff.

Kirstie_H

This past winter has turned me off owning another RWD sedan - it was our 3rd snowiest winter on record, and my car was a no-go for days, and once, weeks, at a time. Studies can tell me they're just fine, and some of the vehicles are pretty tempting, but right now RWD is a dealbreaker for me.

jeffyscott

Purely based on aesthetics the Sonata crushes it though. No two ways about it.

C'mon, that is just a silly statement. Of course there are many "ways" when it come to aesthetics. It is possible for a human (at least one, me) to look at that Sonata and think: "eeew, yuck, I don't like the looks of that at all".

jlindh

Kinda makes you wonder how people ever were able to get around in the winter before 1963 or so! It's all technique, if you know how to do it, it's really not a problem. And yes, if you live in a snowy area, you should be using snow tires.

backy

I didn't own my first FWD car until 1985 (Civic)... and that was when I lived in TX. Before that, I drove for over 10 years in MN winters in RWD cars--no ABS, no traction control, no M+S tires. Maybe a sandbag in the trunk. More recently, I owned a 328Ci and found winter driving no problem at all, especially with its ABS and traction control. Now, if I lived in a rural area, it would be a different story. I'd probably drive a Subaru.

j2j

"The 2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport comes out in August of 2010 as a 2011 model. Nice looking hindquarters, huh? And those new wheels designed for the Sport are working just fine for me, too."

*****
The hindquarters are OK (tho, a bit too bulbous); the problem is the front fascia which is bland bordering on ugly (too bad the front of the production model looks nothing like the gorgeous concept).

Anyway, by all accounts the Kizashi is a fun drive, but it is a tweener w/ regard to size - not quite fitting in either the compact or mid-size categories.

midas69

Kinda makes you wonder how people ever were able to get around in the winter before 1963 or so! It's all technique, if you know how to do it, it's really not a problem. And yes, if you live in a snowy area, you should be using snow tires.

There are many things we were able to survive without that I wouldn't want to live without. Things such as the telephone, airplanes, the Internet and dare I say cars themselves. Mankind survived before their advent. That doesn't mean we want to revert back to those times.

I drove a taxi in Chicago winter weather in RWD cars. Even with dedicated snows, it wasn't fun. I have no ambition to go back to those days.

m6user

but it is a tweener w/ regard to size - not quite fitting in either the compact or mid-size categories

Nothing really wrong with that, in fact it could be a draw to a lot of people that think midsize cars are getting a little oversized. I think the car is attractive as I have always liked the look of the front end of the Jetta which it resembles. There are other things I don't like about the car though. The big "S" on the front and steering wheel and the huge side mirrors remind me of Dumbo.

I've read it handles very nicely and the interior is fairly nice and it comes well equipped for a reasonable price. But, like others, the dealership network stinks and I would be afraid of resale. If you keep it 10 years resale doesn't really matter but I would be afraid to take a chance on a brand new model and believe that I would love it enough to keep it 10 years.

backy

Maybe it's one of those cars that will be a better bet used than new... if you can find a used one. At the rate they're selling, that'll be difficult.

syitalian25

I bet the resale will be horrible, if you wait a few years and pick one up off-lease I bet you could get a really good deal on it.

bhmr59

Just goes to show that people have different opinions. You like the front end of the Kizashi and I think it's fugly. I also don't like all that red on the center stack. Some may think it's great looking.

Neither one of us can say the other is wrong.

iluvmysephia1

I have heard nothing, I repeat nothing your best mid-size Suzuki haters have to say that would dissuade me from buying a 2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport. Can anyone think any stronger than that out there?

This whole thing was a test. Suzuki and I and the OKC Thunder have won. Hands down. The Lakers, with help from the ref's only, won Game 2. The Lakers are not the better team than the Thunder. They ought ta be ashamed of their silly selves.

No contest. Larry King and his 8 wives aside. Jerry Sloan and his countless tries at the Big Enchilada-let's just put that to one side.

Suzuki has proven that they can and will build cars for the masses that look great, last for the Long Haul, and cost less. It's value-except now they have beaten former favorite Kia with great value.

The only carmaker I respect more than Suzuki is Mitsubishi. Mitsubishi builds the world's finest powertrains and the world's sexiest car in the 2008+ Mitsubishi Lancer GTS. I and Suzuki and Mitsubishi and the OKC Thunder are one a roll that Donald Trump would love to be smart enough to be on.


2008 Mitsubshi Lancer GTS

Yummy!


2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS

m6user

I appreciate your enthusiasm but you should really talk to somebody besides us on this forum.

jeffyscott

I'm with you. I have no desire to go away from FWD.

I don't want snow tires. I don't want to deal with the hassle and expense. In addition, putting snow tires on for 4 or 5 months means driving with tires that perform worse than all-seasons, in the conditions that actually exist, during most of the time that they are on the car. This is because I would estimate maybe 5% of my driving in winter is on roads that are actually snow covered.

All-seasons with FWD is good enough for my winter driving. I would not want the trade-off of snow tires for 4-5 months, in order to have RWD.

midas69

I have heard nothing, I repeat nothing your best mid-size Suzuki haters have to say that would dissuade me from buying a 2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport. Can anyone think any stronger than that out there?

Nobody is trying to talk you out of buying a Suzuki. You, on the other hand, seem to be trying to convince everyone else. Sorry to say, I don't think you're doing a good job. As long as you're happy with your choice, we're all happy for you. We think you're wrong, but we're happy for you.

kdshapiro

Off-topic, I know, but that was well said and was exactly my point. I lived near Buffalo for a time and had a RWD with snows. Because I survived and didn't get into any car crashes doesn't mean I want to do it again.

iluvmysephia1

talking to rocks.

Horse walks in to a bar. Bartender says...hey, why the long face?

Horse says, "Everyone's telling me I have ta buy a Hyundai Sonata. They tell me it has everything I'd ever want in a midsize car."

Bartender replies "Hey, have you heard of shooting guard Kevin Durant of the Thunder? He led the NBA in points per game in the NBA regular season at 30.3."

Horse replies "They tell me Suzuki and their midsize Kizashi is full of poop. Sort of how I get from time ta time, dont'cha know."

Bartender tells the horse, "Don't you worry your silly long face. Before long, everyone will know that something great is coming."

Horse replies, "But they're so dumb. It's a lot like telling them that soon the people in high places will fall. The leaders of the armies, churches and world governments will shreik in terror. They never believe me. They will knock, but the door will be closed. It will be too late."

Bartender thinks about what the horse just said. "Humm...you're a heavy horse. Perhaps you'd better hop in to your 2011 Suzuki Kizashi and get out of here. We don't like you or your kind around here. Scram!"

Horse turns around, walks out and hops in to his 2011 Suzuki Sport. Pushbutton start, safety tried and tested through the year 2014, foglights, sunroof, 425-watt Rockford Fosgate stereo, 10-way adjustable driver's seat with memory presets, rear HVAC controls, leather wrapped steering wheels with Sport perforations, leather-wrapped gearknob and emergency brake, leather seats, 6-speed manual transmission, new chrome accents around the foglights up front, chrome colored side moulding, by far the finest looking midsize sedan available. All for only $22,799. Available in Aug. of 2010 as a 2011 Suzuki Sport GTS.

Vroom! Horse fires her up, pops in The Cars 'Candy-O' CD, turns up the volume and puts the car in reverse. Out he goes from his stall.

Hi-o, hi-o silver, hi-o, hi-o silver, hi-o, hi-o silver away, yeah! Life is good. Much better since Suzuki decided to add midsize cars to it's stable. Suzuki is growing rich from all the small cars they sell in Japan. They lead the Asian kei-class market and are growing ever-so-rich from their sales in India as well.

Hi-ho silver!


2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS in Vivid Red

Wow-since you're all wondering what my latest fave color for the car is, I am heading right back ta red for this pup. Two new cars back would be our 2001 Kia Sportage 4X4, which was a color Kia called Pepper Red. One new car back is our latest car, our 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS, which is in a shade Mitsubishi lovingly calls Rally Red.

With these new chrome accents and the chrome side moulding, I have officially switched my top running color choice to a shade Suzuki Motors lovingly calls Vivid Red. Look at that thing. Beautiful, huh?

And that big chrome 'S' in the front looks simply mah-vel-ous as well. Seriously, folks. Look over to your right to that white VW Passat. Look at how the 2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS in Vivid Red blows it away cleanly and nicely. Sweet spot.

akirby

acdii

No thanks, I'll take my Fusion Sport, and wave to you in my rearview mirror as you watch my taillights fade into the distance.

As for the FWD/RWD in snow, I prefer RWD. It is no fun when your front tires pull you towards the shoulder when trying to get going in snow. At least with the RWD, throw a few sand bags in and I can go anywhere I want and have total control over where I steer. I totally hate the fact that when the front wheels, you know, the ones that control the direction your car goes, start to slip and slide when power is applied and you lose not only traction, but steering, not fun. Of course, been driving RWD for 25+ years in snow, so I do know how to handle it quite well, with regular all seasons, not snow tires. For me its AWD/4WD/RWD---->FWD. In fact I traded in my perfectly fine Hyundai Veracruz, a car we all liked to drive and ride in, because it was FWD, and has a nasty habit of swinging its [non-permissible content removed] out in snow, something that is very hard to control in a FWD car, and got a AWD Flex.

stephen987

This whole thing was a test. Suzuki and I and the OKC Thunder have won. Hands down. The Lakers, with help from the ref's only, won Game 2. The Lakers are not the better team than the Thunder. They ought ta be ashamed of their silly selves.

No contest. Larry King and his 8 wives aside. Jerry Sloan and his countless tries at the Big Enchilada-let's just put that to one side.


Dude, WTF are you talking about? And in what language does any of the above actually make logical sense?

backy

iluv, why don't you take a break off from the long, repetitive dissertations on the Kizashi for a bit and actually read what others are saying in reply? Then you'll see that no one is telling you that you "have to buy a Sonata." You buy whatever you like. (And the sooner you buy that Kizashi, the better for all of us. :sick: ) But don't call us "Suzuki haters" and blast those people who don't happen to agree with you on choice of cars. You asked for our opinion, and we've given it to you. If you don't want to hear someone else's opinion, and you aren't willing to accept that that opinion may be different from your own, don't ask for it. Sheesh.

I for one would love to see you buy a Kizashi so we can hear all about your ownership experience with it--for the short time you own it, before you take a beating on resale value and turn it in for the next new car that strikes your fancy. For which I am putting my money on the 2011 Optima.

stephen987

Anyone who actually wants to know about the Kizashi ownership experience would do well to head over to Edmunds' own Long Term Test Blog and read the relevant posts at Long-Term Kizashi. As for the mindless fanboy spam (regardless of which brand you shill for), please take it somewhere else.

mickeyrom

Huh :confuse:

temj12

How long are you going to go on about the Kizashi? You like it--fine. Move on!

Kirstie_H

Hm... I vote for ME!

Really, that's enough. This is a discussion, not a monologue. Enthusiasm for the Kazashi has been duly noted and entered into the record. Posting photos and unsolicited personal reviews yet another time isn't going to sway people to a particular opinion.

There's a discussion about this vehicle already, and unless it just comes up in the course of conversation here, or in comparison talk, please take the "I'm a fan and you should be too" talk to the vehicle-specific discussion. Thanks!

syitalian25

As others have stated, we have already given you our opinion of the Kizashi, and until they add another 100 HP, lower the price by $3-4K for the fact that it's an unproven Suzuki with terrible resale alone, and change that horrible plastic grill with the giant "S" I will not be all that impressed. They have made a great Jetta competitor - not a particularly remarkable car either. Personally I wouldn't buy a Suzuki any faster than I'd buy a Chrysler or a Saturn, and at least those used to be made my GM. And if Suzuki really, miraculously has produced the wonderful car you claim they have,I do not think they have the dealer network or brand image to become a major player in the US.

And I checked out your profile and noticed that you claim to absolutely love the 1999 Kia Sephia... my ex girlfriend used to have one of those, and I have never seen a bigger pos car. No power, no torque, the manual tranny was terrible, no power anything (not even power steering), unremarkable fuel economy, crap stereo that I can't even remember if it had a CD player or not, and it looked like the bland economy car that it was. This is not a personal attack on you, but I question the judgment of anyone who loved that car enough to make it their screen name. I think if you owned anything nicer than a '99 Kia Sephia and a 2008 Lancer GTS you would be more critical of economy cars which try to market themselves as performance vehicles. Go drive a Mazda6 V6 or Fusion Sport V6 and then take out the Kizashi and tell us which one has better "performance".

akirby

We don't like people who call other people dorks just because they prefer a different vehicle.

I think somebody needs a time out. :sick:

shabadoo25

You're officially an Internet troll at this point.

"Fly away, little Starling, fly, fly..."