Faults:

Nothing! Suzuki is renowned for the reliability of their vehicles.

General Comments:

Bought my Kizashi from a dealer a couple of weeks ago & so far I'm delighted. My previous car was a turbo diesel with a "normal" 6-speed automatic, so it's taking a little while to adjust to the different driving dynamics.

The Kizashi is smooth, very comfortable with supportive seats & adjustable driving position & is, surprisingly, spacious - I had expected to feel cramped after downsizing from a larger family-sized sedan, but don't feel I've lost any usable space, such is the well designed layout of the cabin.

The car feels very solid, like it's carved out of a solid chunk of metal, the doors close with a reassuring "thunk", & the fit & finish is superb.

The car rides smoothly on the 18" alloys (with a full-size alloy spare too!), the steering & suspension are a revelation over my previous sedan, the CVT actually works very well with little "droning" & feels like a normal auto transmission (congrats to Suzuki for sorting theirs out!) & the brakes are excellent.

While mine is the "base model" in the lineup, there's no sense of missing out on too many important features (except for reversing sensors!). Outward vision is very good, but I will be having reversing sensors installed (not a standard fitting) because of the high boot lip & sporty-looking spoiler obscuring the rearward view.

My only criticisms are to the old-fashioned bonnet prop-rod & the gooseneck hinges in the boot (my previous older model sedan had gas struts at both ends).

The Kizashi was discontinued, which is a real pity because it is a truly superb sedan.

Faults:

Nothing!

General Comments:

Ride: Bumpy on harsh Aussie roads, but otherwise good (the car is fitted with standard 18 inch rims).

Steering: Can torque-steer excessively on bumps around corners, but once you are aware of it, it's not a problem. The steering has great feel, but can be a little heavy at very slow speeds; again, you get used to it.

Gearbox: A little notchy at times and not as slick as the Mazda 3 SP25 that I test drove, but OK.

Vision: A lot of things block your vision out of the car, like the fantastic large external rear vision mirrors and the large A-pillar, which are great for safety, but make it harder to sight a line when turning into a corner etc. Once you get used to it, it's fine. A bit harder in car parks where there is a lot of concrete around, and you feel like you are very close to hitting a pillar. Haven't yet though.

Fuel consumption: is OK, but in peak traffic it's between 10 and 11.5 L/100km, but still running in, so could get better. About 2-3 litres/100km better than my Saab was though, and runs on standard unleaded.

Quality: It has it. The feel of dials and knobs is great. Doors open and close nicely. No rattles or squeaks. Boot lid is a little light and doesn't recede back far as I'd like when it opens. The Saab used to recede quite a bit, so on the Suzy I've bumped my head a couple of times, but of course now I'm aware of it, it's fine. Boot is plenty large enough, and the rear seats fold down if more is needed.

Features: Apart from reversing camera and DVD/SatNav, it has everything (the first 2 items are available as options). Xenon headlights, heated electric front seats. Headlight washers, all-around parking sensors. Leather. 2 power jacks (formerly known as cigar-lighters). The Pickford-Fosgate sound system is just great. Auto Lights/Wipers. etc etc etc.

Issues: I've had a recurring issue where when letting the clutch out on occasions, there is a lag, and it can almost be like tapping the brakes at times. It happens regardless of the gear I'm in, and whether upchanging or downchanging. It's intermittent, and dealer could not detect an issue (of course). So I will wait and see what develops over time.

I was looking at the Mazda3 SP25, but it was a little small for us, and the Mazda 6 a little to large. This Suzuki Kizashi is just right!