Jeff D'Ambrosio is proud to offer the ALL NEW Suzuki Kizashi at our Downingtown and Frazer locations.

The Most Exciting Cars of 2010

Known for small cars and SUVs, Suzuki makes its first foray into the heart of the U.S. market with the midsize Kizashi sedan. The exterior styling is fresh, and the interior packs cool features such as sporty seats and a nifty instrument cluster that give the car character. The Kizashi's key asset could be its power train, which includes a new 4-cylinder aluminum engine that can be matched up to either a six-speed manual transmission or a continuously variable automatic transmission. Kizashi won't go on sale until late fall, and the price is expected to be in the low-$20,000 range. Toyota and Honda better look over their shoulders, because the Kizashi makes clear that Suzuki intends to claim a share of the midsize market in the U.S.

The Specs

The Kizashi is powered by an all-aluminum 2.4-liter inline four-cylinder engine equipped with a forged steel crankshaft and connecting rods. Variable valve-timing helps optimize the torque curve, and when hooked to the six-speed manual transmission, the engine produces 185 hp at 6500 rpm and 170 lb-ft of torque at 4000 rpm.

Cars with the optional continuously variable transmission (CVT) have slightly reduced power, at 180 hp, but neither configuration feels particularly peaky. A balance shaft minimizes vibration, so the Kizashi's engine never feels or sounds strained . There is an increasing induction snarl as the revs rise, but it's an appropriate soundtrack to fast driving.

Stability control and ABS are standard on the Kizashi, and the brakes are heavy-duty units supplied by Akebono, which makes brakes for bullet trains among other things. The all-wheel-drive system is an option, and the i-AWD-as Suzuki calls it-is integrated with the ESC stability control and has strategies that combine with the usual brake operation to stabilize a wayward Kizashi. For example, it can transfer torque to the front wheels in the event of a rear-wheel slide.

Engineered to meet upcoming 2014 crash standards, the Kizashi is equipped with no fewer than eight airbags. Rear sonar and a backup camera are available options.

The Drive

All of Suzuki's painstaking chassis work has produced a seriously nippy contestant in the midsize sedan league. In slalom and lane-change tests set up by Suzuki at the Portland International Raceway, we compared the Kizashi to several competitive cars from Subaru, Acura and Volkswagen.

Naturally, the Kizashi spanked them. Well, who sets up a test they're gonna lose, right? But the fact of the matter is that the Kizashi turns in better, resists roll with more determination, and exhibits way less understeer in exercises that call for rapid changes of direction than most of its competitors.

Any lingering doubts about how the tests may have been rigged were largely dispelled on the track during hot lapping, where the new Suzuki demonstrated excellent stability and poise along with its responsive handling. Some of its secrets were revealed by a sectioned bodyshell, where numerous gussets and welded-in bridges were clearly in evidence. This is one stiff structure, particularly in the engine-box area.

As is normal on racetracks, the Kizashi's 185-hp engine isn't exactly strong enough to scare anyone, and in this case the situation is exaggerated by the chassis' potential for faster laps-particularly with the AWD option. But as the track instructors pointed out, having a chassis that's faster than its engine is always a good thing. Besides, there's a 3.2-liter V6 in Suzuki's arsenal, and it's sure to find a home in the Kizashi soon.

Out on the open road, the Kizashi certainly feels quick enough. It also rides smoothly enough to contradict its serious sport-driving credentials, although rough surface textures on the roads around Portland pipe a fair bit of tire roar into the cabin-clear proof of high bushing durometer values. To be fair, the noise subsides dramatically on smooth pavement, where Suzuki claims a sound level of just 63.5 dBA at 62 mph, and where the Kizashi displays altogether acceptable manners.

The Kizashi's sporty proclivities are very much to our liking, along with its subtly aggressive styling and attractive interior design. Suzuki only wants a small bite of the large midsize sedan market, and it's playing against manufacturers with sales volumes and marketing budgets that totally eclipse its presence on the stage.

That's why we think the Kizashi's smallish rear seat space is okay. The original Mazda6 had a similar setup until it was discovered that buyers were walking past the car to check out bigger rear seats in Hondas and Toyotas; then Mazda supersized the 6 . But in this case, the compact dimensions and superior dynamics are a vital part of this new Suzuki's charm.