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Walk Around

Clearly Suzuki DNA, all the way, especially head-on. Kizashi's looks are consistent with its performance profile. Not a would-be or wannabe sports sedan, but a modest sports sedan on the way up. Nothing is overdone. Not even the twin chrome integrated angular tailpipes, which are sure to be popular and undoubtedly add distinction to the car.

Shape-wise, from the rear, it's quite tidy, but you can't really tell the Kizashi is special, until you see the chrome Kizashi nameplate, in racy Japanese-looking script.

The Kizashi has a rounded, Audi-like stance. In profile, especially roofline and front valance, it's Lexus-like. The hood is a small bulge, with no extra contours other than its natural overall shape. The shape of the grille is totally Suzuki, as if that big S in the center didn't say so. Headlights fit just right, and clean lines to the three other air openings, with the two outside slots holding the foglamps.

The 18-inch alloy wheels have no less than 22 spokes, and are stunning. It might be giving them a bit too much credit to say they make the car, but maybe they do.

Interior

2010 Suzuki Kizashi

If you're looking for flaws, or even looking for under-$20,000 trim pieces, you won't find them inside the car. If you're looking for discomforts or inconveniences, look elsewhere.

The instrumentation isn't as clean and sporty as it might be, but it's still sportier than many sports sedans and we like the ambient blue lighting. We enjoyed the fit of the sport seats, their high-density, low-fatigue foam covered by leather in our test model, an SLS. We drove all day, including over some choppy pavement and felt at one with the seat. It never entered our minds, being just a naturally good fit.

The leather is great, but the standard cloth is smooth and elegant in charcoal. Leather upholstery is an option you can skip, and still have a stylish car. Unlike some competitors, such as the Acura TSX, you can keep the Kizashi's price near base MSRP and still feel like you've got the good stuff.

The layout on the center stack, in brushed aluminum-look and black, is totally intuitive. You can easily understand and operate the knobs and controls, everything in its logical place, handsomely so. The leather-wrapped shift lever feels good, although if your Kizashi has the CVT, you'll be using the paddle shifters a lot. The paddles are sized and shaped just right, unlike some.

The three-spoke steering wheel with controls, no more and no less than you need, is nice. It feels good in your hands, driving sportily through the twists. Fold-down rear headrests improve rearview visibility.

Tight cupholders in front, and in the rear they slide forward out of the dropped center armrest. Nice leather door grab handles. A standard folding rear seat that opens up the trunk is always a treasure in a car; in addition, there's a hatch to the trunk for loading long items, such as skis or two-by-fours.

The legroom in the rear is adequate, although it's a couple inches less than the redesigned Subaru Legacy, a competitor with a base model at that same under-20k price (and including all-wheel drive). The Legacy is also a couple inches longer in wheelbase and length. But what the Kizashi lacks in legroom, it might make up in temperature comfort, with that rear seat climate vent.

There's a lot of sound insulation, so the cabin is quiet. The Kizashi is not as quiet as the Toyota Camry, but quieter than the VW Passat, Mazda6, or Acura TSX. The Kizashi also offers extensive corrosion protection, including resin panels under the body, zinc-plated steel sheets, and hot wax imbedded in the suspension mounting points.

Finally, the optional 425-watt Rockford sound system is beautiful.

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