Why choose to buy a Kizashi?

[mille33]

I'm looking very hard about buying a Kizashi or a Sonata. Why did you decide to buy a Kizashi over other cars? Would you say it is reliable so far? Easy to maintain? Thanks for your feedback!

[Blackbelt]

Both are great choices. I was actually looking at the Sonata, but there were 2 things that pushed me towards the Kizashi.
One was the availability of AWD, and two was the price.
I got my AWD Kizzy for less than the price of a base model Sonata GLS manual. My Kizashi offered more equipment for less money, plus a transferrable warranty.

[chazyouwin]

If you are thinking of a Sonata, I would suggest going to a rental company and asking for one of the high mileage 2011 Sonatas. I rented one at the Tampa Airport Avis recently. I did not ask for a high mileage, but the first one I got was very noisy, with an oscillating sound like a flat tire as it moved. But the tire was not flat. I drove it straight around the airport back to Avis and asked for another one. That one had the same sound, so I kept it. It had 27,000 miles on it. On the plus side, I guess, it seemed to have slightly more back seat space, which my tall passengers appreciated.

Generally, reviewers do not seem to have mentioned noise as a problem with the new Sonatas, so I suspect the road noise may be appearing with higher mileage. Perhaps there is separation or another change in the noise insulation. The noise was extremely unpleasant and would absolutely prevent me from considering the vehicle for a purchase.

[lookin]

That tire sound i think is really the road you were driving on there aare some streets i get that too .... But for the money kizashi cant. Be beat of course you could spend more and get less thats up to you but the most you will get over the kizashi is brand name which apparently matters (i dont know why) even if the kizashi looks and drives. Better and offers more... It really is an excellent car... As far as lag goes i never had an issue with lag i think its mostly a sound the car makes mind thing but what do i know about that im no dragster ... Again great car

[mille33]

Thanks for your replys!

Blackbelt & chazyouwin I see you have other Suzukis. Is it safe to assume that you haven't had any major mechanical issues with the Suzuki brand?

Also I have read that some owners have had paint issues have any of you had that problem?

[Blackbelt]

Actually my transmission had to be replaced in my Kizashi at 3800 miles. I do not consider that a real issue though. The CVT that Suzuki uses is made by JATCO, and the exact same model is being used in many other cars with no issues. I had a Dodge caliber with the same tranny and it was problem free. Suzuki took care of things immediately and paid for a rental for the entire time, and even followed up with several phone calls to make sure i was satisfied. Other than that, both of my Suzukis have been trouble free. I consider the tranny a fluke, transparently some internal sensor took a dump and killed the tranny. I would buy another one without hesitation.

[Firefly]

My choice was narrowed down to the Kizashi and the Kia Optima (essentially same car as the Sonata). I test drove the Optima first. It was fine, but didn't excite me. The Kizashi is much more fun and engaging to drive and that sold me. The interior feel and materials are very high quality. Firm supportive seats. The Kia seats were softer, flatter, and the back seat - though it had more legroom, had low flat seats that make you feel like you are sitting in a dark pit. No regrets here.

[AlexRuiz]

Welcome to the forums!

I'll answer very briefly. If you like driving, and I mean enjoy driving for the pleasure of driving, get the Kizashi. If you prefer a big car, even if the driving is uninspiring, get the Sonata.

In more detail, I could add that the Kizashi is much better put together, the car is solid all around, very tight tolerances, perfectly matched components, and the "wow" factor of a rare car. The sonata, like pretty much every other car in the segment, is a good car, but the Kizashi is simply "the driver's car" in the segment.

Have fun shopping!

[chazyouwin]

Lookin - that was definitely not just the road on the Sonata. I had the Sonata for several days, and everywhere I went I heard and hated the racket. One could not help but be startled by it every time the car moved.

Mille - On the Black 2002 Suzuki XL-7, I had a fuel door (while I waited), remote, and rear end replaced under warranty. The rear end did not need a complete replacement, but Suzuki authorized it anyway at the dealer's request so that I could start afresh with new parts. One of the parts in there had failed. Suzuki provided a free loaner, as it was within the three year bumper to bumper.
On the Silver 2002 XL-7, I had a slightly leaky seal replaced under the drive train warranty. The repair manager said that had it been a Ford (their other brand), Ford would not have covered it. This was just a few months before the seven year warranty expired, if I recall correctly.
What I can say about all three vehicles is that I have not paid a dime outside of warranty service for anything other than routine maintenance during the warranty period. Indeed, my first such expenditures were quite recently - I replaced the front rotors in both XL-7s about a month ago (106,000 and 91,000 miles).
In contrast, with the short warranty periods of my Honda and Toyotas I never had anything reimbursed under warranty - and consequently paid handsomely for repairs within the first seven years.
My Suzuki warranty experience, in other words, has been absolutely stellar and is a substantial reason why we purchased a Kizashi.

[WESHOOT2]

I could have bought any brand under $25,000.
I picked the Kizashi S AWD for its stellar gas mileage, its fine relaxed feature-laden cabin, its sophisticated AWD system (I live in very-snowy Vermont. On a dirt road), and its performance when driving.

What other choice did I have?