Suzuki Kizashi Sport AWD launched

By George Skentzos | August 24th, 2010

Suzuki has added a new performance flagship to its local range with the introduction of the Suzuki Kizashi Sport AWD.

Based on the range-topping XLS specification, the Suzuki Kizashi Sports AWD boasts a sophisticated intelligent all-wheel-drive system and aggressive styling features.

The i-AWD system constantly monitors input from ESP sensors to anticipate oversteer, understeer or traction loss and can split drive to either the front or rear wheels for optimum take-off, acceleration and cornering.

“Most soft roaders and all-wheel drive systems employ a reactive system that engages all four wheels only after detecting a loss of traction.” said Suzuki Australia General Manager Tony Devers.

“With the Kizashi Sport AWD, the new active handling works in partnership with ESP to ensure optimum handling levels. We call it synergetic vehicle dynamics control.”

The driver can engage the i-AWD system at the touch of a button, switching between two and all-wheel-drive modes – rewarding enthusiastic driving while ensuring maximum safety for all occupants.

It is powered by a 2.4-litre DOHC four-cylinder engine based on the same powerplant introduced with the 2008 Suzuki Grand Vitara.

In the Suzuki Kizashi Sport AWD it develops peak power of 131kW at 6000rpm and 230Nm at 4000rpm while maintaining a fuel consumption figure of 8.4 litres per 100km.

This is mated to a continuously variable transmission (CVT) which is capable of varying engine speed as required to ensure optimum power and fuel efficiency.

“Now, with the arrival of the Kizashi Sport AWD, we can offer Australian customers a range of premium mid-sized vehicles that surpasses anything else on the market for performance, dynamics and value for money,” said Devers.

In keeping with the sporting theme, the Suzuki Kizashi Sport AWD features steering wheel mounted paddle shifts as standard.

The Suzuki Kizashi Sport AWD sits 10mm lower than its front-wheel-drive siblings, which has resulted in its centre of gravity being lowered 15mm – reducing body roll and offering improved turn-in and directional change.

The new sportier design incorporates 18-inch alloy wheels, a new sports mesh lower grille, new front bumper, sports side skirts, more pronounced rear spoiler and chromed body garnishes and fog lamp bezels.

Inside the Sport AWD model adds a unique sports steering wheel with chrome garnishes and Bluetooth as standard, along with equipment standard to the XLS variant such as dual zone climate control, a 425w Rockford Fosgate sound system and heated electric front seats.

It includes a raft of active and passive safety equipment, including six airbags, ESP and Traction Control, ABS brakes with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution and dusk-sensing HID headlamps.

The Suzuki Kizashi Sport AWD is priced at $39,990 excluding statutory and dealer delivery charges.

Sund00bie

No V6 option ? =(
Shak

This is more like it Suzuki. Now bung a V6 or at least a L4 turbo in this one and i will buy it. Till then there re still better alternatives out there.
nickdl

I’d have it in a heartbeat over a Liberty. This is really a great offering by Suzuki and the added bling is tasteful so it looks fantastic.

Does it come in a manual?

Grammar Nazi

This is the car the Liberty wanted to look like.

Gan Tan

Well said
Front Slider

This should have been called the Kizashi Safe,not sport.Its way more safe than sporty.

qwerty

Why oh WHY does it only come with CVT??… You can get a an AWD manual in the USA, home of the auto!! Is there nobody in Australia that actually enjoys driving anymore?

bangel

Guys where all thinking along the same lines , AWD , TURBO, 6 SPEED MANUAL , good looks , maybe a replacement for the scoobie that lost its looks .

Manual some of us still drive them , europes full of them .

sharp

Bangel, you are spot on, if this had all those features it would kill the wrx in sales as its much much better looking.

I really don’t understand what car manufacturers are thinking when they design cars. They always only seem to get half way there. I guess they are trying to capture all audiences rather than hit a niche sweet spot.

Bob

The Mazda 6 MPS had all that, and it didn’t outsell the WRX/Liberty GT.

Glen

thats because the mazda6 MPS looked like a normal mazda6 which wasnt special to begin with

Chad

As in Australia, the US AWD Kizashi is currently only available with the CVT.

Ricky

What’s “sporty” about 131 kW? The extra weight of the AWD system means this car is even slower than the base model, which is no rocket to begin with. AWD is NOT needed in climates such as ours, where it’s very dry. AWD is helpful in slippery conditions such as on ice, and for this reason they sell well in the northern states of the US and in Canada. They also get AWD 3-series, 5-series, and E-Classes in the US, which we do not get here.

Shak

Dont give me that tripe. Have you ever been on a dusty backroad, or any of our truly rural roads for that matter. AWD has many benefits, and its not just for ice and snow. Some of our local tanks, and the FWD large sedans would not be able to maintain traction on these roads, and therefore AWD is there for peace of mind. And its also a good marketing ploy.

http://www.checkwebhosting.com Neutral

This is supposed to be the sport model. 131kw is nothing sporty at all. With the AWD and good looks, the only thing missing to complete the whole package is a punchy engine. Think MPS 6 and Liberty GT.
Bob

No. Tripe is the belief that you need AWD to takle a dirt road.

Even in Scandinavia and Canada, where you can get these AWD variants, most people still just have 2WD cars.

I do agree that its still a good marketing ploy though.
Karl

You’ve also got to consider that not only is AWD heavier, but it also has more mehanical resistance in the drive train.
AWD has its merits, no doubt.

My Cars Called T-Rex

1600kg motivated by only 230 nm,does Greatwall make this or Suzuki.

My Cars Called T-Rex

It should have aleast 300nm.

http://www.checkwebhosting.com Neutral

I was all excited until I read the engine is the same 2.4litre found in the other models. Where is the fun?? Could have at least put a turbo in and pump the power up to 200kw or something.
John of Perth

Lost interest the minute I confirmed its only available in auto. Will keep my faithful Bora V64Motion and my E39 M5 – both damn good manual cars – I’m sure Suzuki should reconsider. CVTs are pure s***t for driving involvement.
Damian

Test drove the Kizashi XLS manual a few days ago, and it lacked power. The dynamics were pretty good, but unfortunately, this didn’t mask the Kizashi’s power deficit. I don’t want to imagine how bad the XLS would be in CVT guise, and it could only get worse with the added weight and rolling resistance of the AWD system.
j

No manual? Fail.
TomJ

They are nice cars, but the lack of power would be the only thing stopping me from buying one.

Add a 200kw+ turbo engine and we’ll be talking.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1435885244 Yani Hendriawan

the i awd sounds great but i think the engine is a bit weak
Moey

Better option = XR6 Turbo, I have a feeling there won’t be much difference between the AWD and FWD performance since it will pack more weight 131kw????? There’s no need for AWD

Damian

The XR6T is definitely a good option for $40k, but the reality is that anyone looking at a Kizashi will not consider an XR6T. Instead, these people will favour cars in the mid-size segment, such as the Accord Euro, Mazda 6, Subaru Liberty, Ford Mondeo e.t.c.

Personally, I’d spend a little more and get an Accord Euro Luxury with a 6-speed manual, or a Mazda 6 MZR-CD Sports Hatch (the petrol Mazda 6 is even more lethargic than the Kizashi).

Alex

Pretty good value when you compare it to the Subaru Libery Sport Premium which you can have on the road for around $49K with the McIntosh 10 speaker audio/GPS/Reverse Camera.

Has the same sized wheels, same type of headlights (HID), AWD (Depatable if its better than Subaru AWD) and is $10K cheaper.

Personally though I would steer clear and pay the extra for the Liberty.
yowza

it has nice looks, nice power 131kW FOR A DAILY 4 banger at its “entry” price of $28,000.

But if you have around 40K budget, you go somewhere else I’m afraid…. because there are better cars out there at that range.
Why?

If only they made this…

“The third Kizashi concept was an AWD vehicle that included a 3,564 cc V6 engine rated 300 hp, 6-speed automatic transmission, and 21-inch aluminium wheels with 255/30ZR21 tires. Concept Kizashi 3 was unveiled at the 2008 New York auto show”
Autoboy

Lot’s of show, and very little go. Asking $39+ big ones for what comes down to a bit extra bling, plastic mouldings, badging and paint (the usual suspects) and, of course the AWD, without any ‘real’ performance bits seems a bit rich, if not pretentious. There’s are a few key measurements of ‘sport’ capacity, including kw/weight, torque/weight and of course handling. Do the math.

As someone else suggests; for the price, (or a tad more) there are better options if ‘sport’ is the intention. Of course, ‘sport’ may not be the real intention, as much as the perception of sport. … And that’s a lot of $ to spend on perceptions.
Jumbo

What are the chances of this “sport” model actually being slower than the standard 2WD car because of the extra weight and no more power?

Jon Leong

The same with XR6 compared with the normal falcon xt. More weight, but no more power.

My Cars Called T-Rex

Yea but its not slower.

Reckless1

It’s like a beautiful bowl of exotic fruit at first glance.

Then you realise the cherries are rotten (CVVT), the cream is sour (poxy 2.4 NA engine), and the dish is very very expensive, approx $43000 drive away.
Jimmy

“We call it synergetic vehicle dynamics control.”

I call it AWD with ESP…
JEKYL & HYDE

at least the t.v. commercial for it looks the goods.i love the bit where it goes into the tunnel greyish,and comes out red and gleaming…
Jimmy James

This is just tinsel. There is no performance increase and yet they call it a Sport. Its not the first time a manufacturer has done this but I sure wish it was the last.

Reckless1

Just like the Swift Sport – costs (within a breath) as much as a Polo GTI, but doesn’t have a turbo, nor does it have the necessary better brakes and suspension.

Glen

swift sport did have both better brakes and suspension over the cheaper models, and this sport model also had a better engine (extra 18kW)

Kris

Certainly looks better than the base model Kizashi but at $44k on road it’s going to struggle I think, it just needs a bit more engine to give it an edge over it’s rivals. The US have just developed a turbo kit for the Kizashi and that’s something they need for it out here too, for the premium variants anyway.
Andrew Juma

Small problem – a Volkswagen Golf GTI can be had for about the same price. With fewer options, but a better chassis and badge pedigree. Plus, more POWERRRRRR

Jimmy

VW has put the reliability issue to rest in recent models. Get with the times Jabba!

John of Perth

Jabba the Hutt – I can assure you that VW’s are as reliable if not better than most. My Bora is now nine years old and has only been off the road for half a day to fix a broken window regulator. Its now done 170000kms so I speak from experience rather reliability surveys, which like political polls never give you the full story do they

Jarrod

You guys are all thinking like typical bogans. Just because it says it’s the “sport” model doesn’t mean it has to have more power or a bigger engine. To me a sport car is not just about power, it’s about all the other things making the car a better overall package, this can be done without more power. I drive a Nissan Skyline GTR VSpecII and it has the same power output as a standard GTR and it weighs more but is still a better drive and faster round the trach due to better handling and uprgraded AWD system.
The same thing has been done to the Kizashi, they’ve changed the suspension and lowered it 10mm (dropping the centre of gravity 15mm), added I-AWD which is not full time AWD like most systems and can send the full amount of power to either end of the car (i.e. RWD, FWD or AWD) the steering wheel is slightly smaller than the XLS too. These suspension and drivetrain changes alone are enough to make it handle better than the FWD models. Add to that the CVT which, if you’ve ever driven one, are not that bad and are better than a normal auto at keeping the engine in the butter zone for max torque and this one is a little faster than the XLS albeit at slightly higher fuel consuption (8.3L/100 vs 7.9L/100)
Oh and you can keep your euro’s, ever had to service an Audi A4??? look to the better part of $900 a service!
http://www.aimmobileinspections.com Car Inspection

Mazda is once of the best designed cars. No question on that.. I like this post, it can gives me lot of knowledge on diff. cars, the latest model and classic cars..
Jarrod

Yes Mazda are a great car too. What I also forgot to say in my above comment is that yes, Suzuki have called it a sport model and not given the engine any tweaks but this is not uncommon….
Liberty 2.5i Sports, Liberty 2.5i Sports Premium, Mazda6 Luxury Sports Hatch, Honda Accord Euro Sport and the Toyota Camry Sportivo are all touted as “sports” models and none of them have any engine tweaks over the base models and only some go further than minor interior, body kit and wheel changes (i.e. the Liberty has Bilstein Shocks)
So again to categorise as a sports version is well deserved I think /end rant
Engineer

McPherson from Suspension is not sports suspension. It will wear out the Tyre on outside edge during hard cornering.

A better choice of suspension would have been the Double Wishbone set-up, which maximises the Tyre contact patch during cornering, braking and all driving conditions.
Xander

Mazdas are great – we’ve had one for the last 12 years and it hasn’t missed a beat. HOWEVER, this new Kizashi looks so much better than the boring Mazda 6 or the Honda Accord. We just bought a red Kizashi Sport, don’t care that it’s not “sport” as such, it’s looks a million bucks & has had great reviews! You can never do more than 110 legally, so where are you going to do all this macho man driving thing anyway? It’s all in your mind.

Rita

Well said, Xander,i also had a Mazda sp23,traded it in for a red Kizashi sport I love it, I looked at a few cars, like the i45, mondeo, and focus XR5, the Kizashi was the most appealing, it has everything i need.

All Girls Team

Personally I love the look of the sports and am just in the process of buying one. I love the sleekness and the fact that it is auto. Not everyone driving a car wants to be a rally driver and it is nice not to spill the coffee while trying to change gears. It has great rating for safety and runs as smooth and silk and before you guys all groan I have been a bit of a petrol head all my life and my previous cars have been 180SX, Mazda RX7, Triumph TR6. Have gone more for comfort this time round and as long as we have some performance I shall be more than happy. IE: it starts in the morning … huge bonus and petrol bill compared to the others…. massive bonus.