OK, I've had this car for 3 weeks now and I'm going to make a list of the things I don't like about it.
1. The bumper to bumper warranty is up in 600 miles.
2. The factory tires (with 35,400 miles on them and lots of tread left) are slightly cupped so there's a little road noise from them.
3. It's too low to the ground for me to get under without a jack, jack stands or ramps.
1. Smiling too much while enjoying the drive makes my wife think I'm up to no good.
2. Enjoying the stereo at max volume make me oblivious to emergency vehicles behind.
3. Taking corners with confidence make me hate following other drivers who can't.
A couple of people I know make a point to get an inspection done right before the bumper to bumper runs out. Just to be sure nothing is wrong that can be fixed under the warranty. An Idea for anyone who's warranty is about to expire.
My only gripe is with the RF radio unit, when using xm, the name of artist or song gets cut off and I can not see the whole thing because it will not scroll on its own. I do not know if there is a setting for this but I would very much like if it display would scroll on its own. That's it, love driving this car a lot.
Check the owner's manual on the RF features. On my SX4, I found out there was a setting to control the display brightness. My complaint was while the radio display brightness dimmed with the rest as you adjusted, it was still brighter than the rest of the dash. I wanted it the same. I checked the owner's manual and found there was a setting for it.
The car is overall excellent, but after nearly a year of ownership, here are some issues:
- Nicks on the bumper from city parallel parking. Yes, it's not the car's fault (it's those other people who push their cars into your bumper because they can't park well), but how the bumper's paint looks is far worse than most other cars. I will post on it soon, but there is some kind of white undercoat to the paint which makes the nicks look awful.
- The blackened chrome on the front lower grill is starting to chip from road debris. In several years, it will probably look horrible and need a repainting.
- Minors rattles have started to make their way into the cabin. I will need to investigate. Some buzzing as well when using high bass with the Rockford Fosgate system. They weren't there when I first bought the car.
- The manual transmission shifter is not great. While not horrible, it's not crisp or precise enough to really enjoy. The one on my old Mazda was a lot better, but Mazdas are known for great shifters. If there is any mod I want to do in my car, it's to get a short throw shifter. I have not been able to find one made for the Kizashi.
- LED tail/brake lights. I wish the car had LED tail lights which not only look better, but light up faster and last a lot longer than incandescent bulbs. At least the high center mounted brake light is all LED.
- The car could use more power. While it's not slow for the 4 cylinder midsize car segment it occupies, it would be better if it had more power.
Overall, these complaints are minor and the car is awesome. However, if the Kizashi was sold new today in it's current design, it would be behind the competition. The rivals now have direct injection with many offering turbo and or hybrid versions. They are also more fuel efficient and many get high 30's in hwy.
1. Smiling too much while enjoying the drive makes my wife think I'm up to no good.
2. Enjoying the stereo at max volume make me oblivious to emergency vehicles behind.
3. Taking corners with confidence make me hate following other drivers who can't.
That's great!
I'd add #4....I won't ever be able to get another new one.
sold)