Finally. After months and months of driving new and used cars, I found the car that was perfect for me. I went out into the new and used car market with a few requirements in mind. It has to be larger than a compact and offer AWD, fun to drive, fuel efficient, safe, and offer a bangin' sound system.

 

I'd written about the Suzuki Kizashi before but had yet to check it out. So one night after the gym, a buddy of mine and I took a drive over to the local dealer. It looked GORGEOUS in person, came with AWD, felt modern inside, had eight airbags, push-button starting, a Rockford Fosgate 425-watt system, Bluetooth...you get the point. I thought to myself, yeah sure, but it's a Suzuki and who knows how it'll hold up. If I'm going to buy my first new car ever, I want something solid.

 

As I felt around though, everything WAS solid. Like a steal vault, this car exhibited solidity, strength, and simplicity. All of the buttons, knurled knobs, grained surfaces and whatever else there is to touch felt remarkable. I recalled getting the same feeling from a 2010 Audi A4 I drove a few months prior. Can Suzuki make a car like that though, at this price? Something high quality and well built, with a non-premium price tag? Undoubtedly I was now curious and wanted to drive the car the next day, and I did.

 

I stopped by again in the afternoon, said I NEEDED to drive this car, and wasn't surprised by anything that followed. The Suzuki Kizashi was everything I imagined it to be after just sitting in it that previous night. It drove better than the Audi A4, and more like a BMW 128i. It wasn't ridiculously fast, but was punchy when pushed into manual mode, responding instantly to paddle shifts through six simulated gears with a continuously-variable transmission.

 

The torsional rigidity of the chassis made me want to push it. I was taking corners faster, and it only felt more secure. The sound of the exhaust pushing through the center of the car and out two outlets in the back as I pegged the pedal, made me want more. The Kizashi put the same smile on my face that the 128i did.

 

For weeks I analyzed, researched, and revisited the dealer before I made up my mind. It had already been made up though; I was just trying to find ONE reason why I should look elsewhere. I drove the Ford Fusion AWD and Subaru Legacy, and I could find flaws the moment I looked at it or sat in. The Fusion had an "everything square, even the door handle" interior and the Legacy had about as much attention to detail as my beloved Pontiac Grand Prix. The Legacy's Boxer engine also sounded harsh for such a new car and didn't come with folding side-view mirrors, which pretty much saved my life about a year ago (long story).

 

The competition simply had flaws, too many imperfections for my taste. I'm a perfectionist and this is a car where the marketing team looked at the competition, and told engineering to include everything, and even more. Up until now, every car in the mid-size class has been missing SOMETHING.

 

FOR EXAMPLE: Why does the Toyota Camry not come with folding side-view mirrors, and the smaller, cheaper Corolla does? Why is the Fusion so technologically advanced with SYNC but not offer push-button start, memory seats, or lumbar support for the driver? Any why does the Legacy feel like a tin-can, to the point where the salesmen at the dealership complained about how much cheaper it feels over the previous generation?

 

I could go on for days, and I will. That's the point of this Long-Term Review of the Suzuki Kizashi. The College Driver will have frequent updates of the Suzuki Kizashi as I go through life with it. Look out for pictures, video, and some free swag.

 

Au revoir.