Kizashi Club

Hi eveyone, time for me to get a new daily commuter. I stopped into my local Hyundai dealer to look at the new Elantra and noticed the Kizashi GTS in red in the showroom. Really caught my eye but I know nothing about Suzuki. There are mixed reviews and most of it seems focused on lack of engine power and bad paint. Is the power issue on the low end start or in passing? Paint really concerns me as I like a clean shinny car.

Great looks, quality build, good handling, crap auto transmission, don't believe the official fuel consumption figures. Oh and the faster you drive it, the better it gets!

well as far as paint chips are concerned, what does your current cars nose look like? i have a manual trans that stock has 185 hp n i believe i now have 200hp after a few simple commons mods. i have heard more complaints about the auto trans compared to the manual. i have 3500 miles on mine
and have no paint chips and am really enjoying my standard trans. its a lot of fun.

Well I have a 2004 Sebring with 125K. Not one chip and in WV we use limestone chips mostly instead of salt on the roads. A good paint deters chips. I am hoping this was a 2010 paint issue and resolved for 2011. I realize with AWD mileage would be less than FWD but i was hoping to get at least 28mpg interstate roads. No preference on the auto vs Manual unless there is a mileage or perforamnce noticable difference.

Rocket_Man, I see you said you lived in Cuernavaca. My parents have a summer home there (Las Palmas section) and my sister lives out of town in the suburbs. Small world...

The Elantra is a nice car and would make a fine DD. The Kizashi is a little larger and has a little more overall space than the Elantra.
The Elantra has less horsepower (148 Vs 185), and has less standard equipment than even the Kixashi S. With the current incentives, the pricing is pretty close, depending on which model you look at.
Most of the testing feedback i have read indicates that testers are not getting anywhere close to the MPG hyundai has claimed for the elantra. I have no real world experience with the elantra, but my AWD Kizashi has little trouble returning over 30 MPG. WHen i go straight interstate i have seen mid-high 30's.
I have a 2010 and have not experienced any paint issues with mine.
One large differences(at least for me) is that AWD is available on the Kizashi.
Your best bet is to take each for a LONG test drive and put each through it's paces. That should help you make your decision. Honestly, you can;t really go wrong with either choice.

lack of engine power is on the low end with the CVT, but is less of a problem in the manual. Once over 25ish the kizashi is quicker than a lot of other cars.

If you like to drive the kizashi is for you. If you only use a car to get point A to point B then get an Elantra.

The Elantra will probably get better mileage by a significant amount, but the kizashi is a better car in just about every way.

I probably wouldn't worry about the paint issue too much. It is less of a problem now. For the most part it was on the earlier models last year. (Just make sure you document if you start to see chips) All auto manufactures struggle with bad paint some of the time. I also run a few other car forums, and all have had some issues with paint.

Don't just think I'm trying to sell a kizashi because I own one. I don't. It will probably be my next car. Nothing has come on the market that I like better, and i spend way more time than I should looking at cars. The Kizashi is the best of the group. Subarus are nice, but lack tech and are significantly more expensive. If Suzuki ever comes out with a manual AWD kizashi I will probably get one the next day.

Thanks for the info. everyone. I am leaning toward the Kizashi since I really need AWD in my area.

And if you are really concerned about rock chips, have a 3M clear bra installed (or do it yourself). Then that issue goes away.

I get 28-29 mpg running around rural roads, 2010 AWD GTS, so the mileage you're looking to get shouldn't be a problem. I have one paint chip on the hood in a year and nearly 11,000 miles. We use a salt cinder (stone) mix in the winter and the roads here were just tarred and chipped this summer (yet more lose stones flying around!). Meaning, paint chips are normal no matter what I drive, and this car only has 1 chip in it.

I looked at all the reasons to buy a Kizashi, and the best reason was when I drove it. Safety is top notch on this. If you want to commute and drive a safe car that doesn't look like everyone elses, then this is the car for you. Korean made vs Japan made...which would you prefer? Standard features, current financing incentives, price, AWD option, 7 year/100k exchangeable warranty. Only thing Elantra has is better gas mileage, and if you offset the cost it is minimal. My husband has driven every car out there, (do to traveling so much and renting new vehicles) and he described the Kizashi as the smoothest car he has ever driven. He is also a cop, so he knows how to drive cars to their limits. Only you can make the final decision, drive it!