It’s amazing how long-term test cars can start to get under your skin and how many of the points of criticism that one might note on a short test, just seem to disappear over time. For example, the Suzuki Kizashi, I am learning, is a great, sporty drive. Yes, it is a bit wallowy on faster bends and it has little heel space for my stilettos when I wear them, but the few little quirks I initially had to come to terms with are now easily brushed under the floor mat.
Among the standard features on ‘my’ Kizashi sport sedan are 18-inch alloy wheels, ABS, leather seats, a sunroof, cruise control, six airbags, dual zone climate control air-conditioning, steering wheel mounted audio controls, CD/MP3 with USB socket, keyless entry and start, parking sensors front and rear, a 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat with memory, a four-way power-adjustable passenger seat, self-levelling High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps with washer, a rear spoiler, a driver’s arm rest and, out front, a sporty front bumper and foglamps. Quite a bit of kit, and all of it pretty useful to me!
The Kizashi is powered by a 2.4-litre in-line petrol engine and there’s the option of a manual gearbox or a CVT (continually variable transmission). The Cars in Action long-termer is the manual version. It really plays along well in both traffic and open road driving. I find the gearchange easy and smooth to operate and the clutch is light and does not need much effort at all, so no calf raisers required. The ride is absorbent, providing effortless progress over potholed Gauteng streets and roads. In fact, I’m quite impressed with Suzuki’s first venture into the the C-segment.
One thing about driving different cars all the time is how they react to your daily route in different ways. My personal test, in more ways than one, is conquering the newly installed speed bumps in the complex where I live. They are horrific, metal appendages that really are not very pleasant to encounter. However, the Kizashi’s suspension just takes them in its stride and driving in and out of my complex is no longer the headache that it once was.
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