Kizashi Club

Very nice.

I still haven't had time to even test drive one yet.
I've been very busy at work, and have been sick the last few days.

Maybe next week. Make sure to give us a full review in a few weeks.

Here's our new azure grey metallic Kizashi SLS AWD.

So far, day 1, she's a pretty sweet ride, let's hope she stays that way.

I figured your snow would have melted by now. That is from the Christmas blizzard isn't it?

Yeah, some of it. We've had three accumulating snowfalls this season including the Christmas Blizzard.

Normally we don't see more than a couple inches at a time and we tend to melt off within 24-48 hours around here, but this time we got slammed with 10-12 inches of snow, and then didn't see above freezing temps for about a month. And in that time, we had a little sublimation, but we got hit a couple of more times, the last one put another 3 inches. on top holding us at that 8-10 mark. A real winter... imagine that.

We've been in the 40's since Wednesday and a lot has melted away. About the only thing left around town though are the big snowbanks that got piled up to clear parking lots and driveways with a few side streets like mine in their final throws of melting. It sure doesn't help that the hill I live on NEVER sees a city plow and gets packed down to a hard dense layer of ice by the neighbors as they drive their cars over it. Which is why we need at least one AWD/ 4WD vehicle. The only reason it's not gone from the side roads completely is the dense fog that's been blocking out the sun for the last three days.

Kansas City might see a little more snow this season, but I doubt it'll be anything that's going to stick around from here on out. The Kizashi has handled the remaining patches of ice and snow in our neighborhood just fine but we weren't able to get a Kizashi out for even a test drive in time to check it on the really bad stuff a week ago, which is too bad.

I like the wordpress.

I ended up getting new tires after the blizzard. My old ones just weren't cutting it, but now I have studded knobbies and all is good.

I think my car might handle better on hard packed snow than dry blacktop now.

Hey, thanks.

I hope to be able to update it regularly, and with more interesting stuff as the weather gets nicer and we have recovered from forking out the down payment and sales taxes and all. We also maybe need a little time to get over the fear of having a new car out and about, lol.

Hey Folks, New to the Forum, Proud owner of a SLS/FWD/Gray Metallic/CVT

Figure I give you my first 1000 mile review.

Pro’s:
No Hiccups, No Problems
The 2.4 liter 4 is Strong & it actually PULLS from 3rd to 5th it puts you in your seat, and for a 4 cylinder, that’s impressive It will Rev to Redline quick ..6th gear is a nice/smooth overdrive.
Part of the power comes from the Large Airbox, It appears to be larger than most 4’s out there, the filter is Huge..I can’t wait to put a K&N in there.

The CVT paddle shifters are Hyper Fast, and change with a light/short click.
The Leather SLS interior will match if not exceed that of any 40K+ car, interior materials are Top notch.

The 18” Stock Dunlops stick very well, Suspension is firm, but still compliant for everyday street rides you can put some G’s on the car, and it stays in line, like a G0-Cart

The Rockford/Fosgate Radio Rocks !! No distortion

More than enough Truck space.

The exclusivity factor, I Rebadged the rear, to where it only says “Kizashi” , and I’ll black out the Front Suzuki “S”, many thumbs up & tilted heads where people ask “What is That” ???? All I Say is, “It’s a Kizashi”

Climate system heats up nice & quick, the heated seats, get toasty quick also.

The under body panels, kept all the North east Snow & Salt & Grime off the engine parts as advertised.

Projector lights lay out a nice beam, the High beams light up the night well.

Reverse sensing system is a nice touch in tight parking spots.

Keyless push button entry is Great, you always have your keys at hand.

Overall so far Very Happy and not one ounce of buyer regret. !!

Cons: (Very Few)
The CVT Trans while in Drive, is just too quick to upshift into top 6th gear. If you’re lazy with your right foot, it will seem to Bog down and you’re suddenly in top gear, while just crawling in traffic, and because of this, if you want to scoot out of traffic if you see an opening, you just won’t have the proper gear. However, if you’re heavy with your foot, and punch it, even when in Drive it pulls Hard.

I HATE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS !!!!, there’s gotta be a way to bypass this Bullshit system.


So far so good...No Complints...Great Car

As Cherish had said in an earlier post... the snow retreated just as we bought our SLS AWD CVT, so I did not get a chance to see how it handled on the snow. We finally received an inch of snow over the pavement here, so I took it out in the middle of the night to give it a winter shakedown. I like to understand how my car handles under adverse conditions in a controlled test so that I am not surprised in an emergency situation.

I live in a neighborhood that is usually left untreated until it melts out a week or so later. It is a very hilly area for Kansas City and looks more like a slice of Connecticut. After owning a rear wheel drive GMC Sonoma pickup, I swore to always have a 4x4 when I sold it. My last truck was a Nissan Frontier 4x4 that handled very well on snowy days.

I was worried I might miss that Frontier that I traded in for the Kizashi upon the first snowstorm, but I am happy to report that the Kizashi gets around on snow a little better than my Frontier did. It did not slip easily and when it did, the stability control system kicked in perfectly and smoothed everything out. I pushed the car a bit, weaving on a snowy road and taking a few sharp turns but the car did not exhibit any bad behaviors at all and stayed tightly controlled. It shot right up snowy inclines without slipping a bit. I could feel the anti-lock system kick in when breaking hard and could stop in relatively short distances for the road conditions without skidding. It seems like this is going to be a very safe and capable car for winter roads.

I love this car and have no regrets.

I got mine this past Monday. And the sale guy was even nice enough to deliver it to me because it was still in the wrappings and I wouldn't have been able to pick it up until later that week. I'm loving it. Got to drive it in the snow after a sudden downfall and I'm so glad I went for the AWD.

netsyd wrote:Not sure if I'm the actual first on the board but I'll be the first to reply. We bought an SLS model on Saturday the 19th. Originally I had intended to only go and test drive one to compare it to the other options out there, but after driving the car it pretty much sold itself. The CVT will definitely take some getting used to though since I've been driving a stick for years.

After speaking at length with the dealership, they don't expect to be recieving any more cars until mid-late January, possibly as late as February. Of their initial batch they only had 2 left - an SE FWD & a GTS FWD. The one we bought wasn't even on the lot - it was parked as a display at a local Sam's Club.

I got the identical car you have same color and all..I got it march first..I had no intention of buying a Suzuki and had my heart set on a subaru legacy but read about the Kizachi..I was headed to a Subaru dealer and had to pass a Suzuki garage so I figured what the hell I'll check them out..That CVT transmission in a Subaru legacy added four MPG city and highway fuel economy to a legacy which makes it just about the same as a four cylinder camry and with AWD that's a great achievement..Subaru had the first CVT transmission in a car in the eighties in a Subaru Justi I owned..It was a dog that acted up after 5000 miles and when I took it back to the dealership they had tons of them there with the same problem so it wasn't a fluke..They put a new transmission in and after another 5000 miles it went also and I ended up getting rid of the car and been leary of CVT transmissions ever since..That 100,000 mile warranty on this transmission in the Suzuki sold me..I got 700 miles on mine and I like it except the AWD is a disapointment..