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Re: After Kizashi - What New Vehicle?

Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2022 6:48 pm
by Onikarge
I finally ruled out choosing the gorgeous Kia Stinger: what I liked about that car was above all, its rarity but at the end, the Kizashi and Stinger are two different beasts, so I have not other option than focus my search on more common models and that's where I noticed the Lexus IS 250 (2nd or 3rd Generation).

What do you think about it? I personally think it's a major leap into a great company that still takes care of sedans and also let's not forget that Toyota has recently welcomed Suzuki under its wings in its business alliance (sentimental reason), however between these two cars there are still many differences and (I find it hard to recognize this) possibly the Lexus IS are better in several features than the KZ.

So, are we talking about a good replacement?

Re: After Kizashi - What New Vehicle?

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2022 10:04 pm
by KuroNekko
I have a hard time comparing the Lexus IS to the Kizashi largely because the Lexus is of a different segment and mostly because it's RWD-based. Yes, both cars have available AWD but by inherent design, the Kizashi is a FWD-based family sedan while the IS is a RWD-based sports sedan. There is also quite a difference in the powertrains. I think the Lexus is a solid choice as long as you want an upscale and refined sedan that isn't going to be running up against the costlier German sports sedans in performance. The benefit of the Lexus is that it will likely run fine and without much work out of warranty for the long haul. The IS is also not too big, much like the Kizashi. I think the IS would be a nice upward departure from the Kizashi.

Re: After Kizashi - What New Vehicle?

Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2022 12:32 am
by NickL
What after Kizashi...


I own the car more than 2 years now and beside the Problem with paint that i solved relatively cheap, it didn't give me any headache.

Nevertheless in about a year or two the time will come to replace the Kizzy with someting newer. It doesn't matter how much I like this car, the life is too short to stick to one car for a too long time.

After thinking about many possibilities including some BMW 3 series GT, Mazda 6 and CX5, as well as Ford Mondeo, somehow I came on the idea off pulling the trigger and buying the Dodge Challenger with v6 engine. I was always a fan of american musle cars even though I never seriously considered owning one of them because they use to have (beside power) awful bad consumption as well as the Problem with spare parts in Europe. However I see that these newer V6 engines found in Camaro, Mustang and Challenger are much more efficient and better option as a daily driver. To be honest, Mustang is my number one but it is too small to be one and only car in the family. I never thought about buying the coupe as a family car but after seeing many videos about how roomy Challenger inside is and how much space it offers on a back seat and in the trun'k, it may actually be a reasonable choice. I really, really like every single detail on the car and the fact that it retained retro looks which are placed in a modern car. I like the Petrol engine and 309 hp are more than enough for me on a daily basis, especially paired with 8 speed auto transmission that proved to be working soo good in many BMWS.

The only thing I don't like about Challenger is the facts that it drives a lot off attention especially here in Europe where it is such a rare and unusual car.

What do you think guys? Can a Challenger with the smallest engine be a good choice as an everyday vehicle for a car enthusiast with a family with 2 small children? How much different is this car when beeing compared to Kizashi?

I know that is most probably like comparing fire and water but i would be happy to read opinions...

Re: After Kizashi - What New Vehicle?

Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2022 11:48 am
by Onikarge
Between those I would choose the Mazda 6 with its 2.5 motor (194hp). Why? More rare than common. Sleek not striking. Enough power for a family (IMO V6 motors are more single petrolheads inclined). Reliable. Japanese.

The Mondeo is not bad and the BMW 3 GT is fine (however I prefer the lower driving position of the standar 3 series).

Anyway remember that Kizashis are very special cars and It is hard to find similar vehicles.

Re: After Kizashi - What New Vehicle?

Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2022 9:52 pm
by NickL
I like Mazda 6 a lot, and from all the cars that I mentioned, it is something that reminds me of Kizashi in the terms of naturally aspirated Petrol engine with similar power and handling. My next car must have automatic transmission because of my wife and because I never had automatik before, and Mazda fullfils that. However, Mazdas with 2.5 liter engine are fairly rare and not so easy to find here...

Mondeo is great because it is roomy, reliablel, has nice design and good range of engines and transmission to choose. Nothing fancy or spectacular, just a logic choice with less emotions.

BMW 3 series is one of my favourite, but I would like to get one with 6 Cylinder engine. Good examples with reasonably low mileage are very hard to find for a reasonable price. And if it si going to be 4 Cylinder engine, than to me it doesn't play such a big role is it going to be Mazda or Bmw. Saying so, Mazda may be smarter choice, cheaper and more reliable, but almost equaly good equiped.

I was hoping that some of the Americans will give more thumbs up for buying a Challenger because it si in my personal opinion very special cars, but looks like that the only really worshiped car on this forum is only the Kizzy. :D

Re: After Kizashi - What New Vehicle?

Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2022 5:29 pm
by KuroNekko
For a family, I think the Dodge Charger makes more sense than the Challenger. They are similar in many ways because they are RWD-based vehicles with the same engines, I believe. The Challenger is a 2 door coupe while the Charger is a 4 door sedan. The Charger is far more common in the United States than the Challenger and is also used for police duty. The California Highway Patrol and some local police agencies use the Dodge Charger as a police car. Off the top of my head, I think the big differences between them other than body style is that the Challenger is offered with a manual transmission but the Charger is not. The Charger is available with AWD but the Challenger is not. My info is a bit old though as these cars are rather old themselves.

As for the Mondeo (Ford Fusion in the US) and the Mazda6, I think they are solid choices but to me, they are too similar to the Kizashi. If the point was to merely get a newer car that is similar, I guess it makes sense. For me, I rather keep the Kizashi as long as I'm happy with the car and it fits my needs. When the time comes to part with the Kizashi, I'm personally going to move away from sedans because my outdoor interests really favor a CUV or SUV. Even a CUV offers a huge range of possibilities in adventure travel that my Kizashi or similar sedans cannot. My GF's stock Chevy Equinox with AWD has very much proved that to me. So for me, I'm hanging on to my Kizashi a while longer to thoroughly appreciate it as a sedan with a manual transmission because I'll replace it with something very different when the time comes.

Re: After Kizashi - What New Vehicle?

Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2022 7:57 am
by NickL
Well, when the time comes that I have to change my vehicle, I would relly like to get something that rides and looks like Kizashi, because I like the concept of Kizashi a lot. Unique design, a lot of extra features that comes as a standaed, reliable engine and transmission and sharp handling. I also have interest for outdoor adventures but all these adventures I do most of the time on my bicycle. I don't need a car for that.

I was also looking forward to buy a SUV, especially the CX5 from Mazda cause I like the Mazdas design a lot, and CX5 has prooven to be quite a reliable vehicle down here in Europe. It has original looks, lots of features, reliable engines and tranmission, and SUVs are much better for ladies to drive because they offer better visibility. However, the reason why I hate SUVs is because when beeing compared with sporty sedans is that they are heavier, have worse handling, worse consumption and worse aerodynamics, worse acceleration, less top speed and worse stability on higher speeds. The only thing that is better at SUVs is AWD, but I nevertheless live in a Flat area where we rarely have snow. However I do know how to drive a non AWD car on snow even when the tail is dancing and I have a lot of fun doing so.

So to me I don't see any reason except of a bit bigger trunk that I should ever in my life buy an SUV even though my wife loves it...

Re: After Kizashi - What New Vehicle?

Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2022 7:02 pm
by Onikarge
NickL wrote: Sat Oct 29, 2022 7:57 am Well, when the time comes that I have to change my vehicle, I would relly like to get something that rides and looks like Kizashi, because I like the concept of Kizashi a lot. Unique design, a lot of extra features that comes as a standaed, reliable engine and transmission and sharp handling. I also have interest for outdoor adventures but all these adventures I do most of the time on my bicycle. I don't need a car for that.

I was also looking forward to buy a SUV, especially the CX5 from Mazda cause I like the Mazdas design a lot, and CX5 has prooven to be quite a reliable vehicle down here in Europe. It has original looks, lots of features, reliable engines and tranmission, and SUVs are much better for ladies to drive because they offer better visibility. However, the reason why I hate SUVs is because when beeing compared with sporty sedans is that they are heavier, have worse handling, worse consumption and worse aerodynamics, worse acceleration, less top speed and worse stability on higher speeds. The only thing that is better at SUVs is AWD, but I nevertheless live in a Flat area where we rarely have snow. However I do know how to drive a non AWD car on snow even when the tail is dancing and I have a lot of fun doing so.

So to me I don't see any reason except of a bit bigger trunk that I should ever in my life buy an SUV even though my wife loves it...
I agree with you, the urban suvs that never leave the asphalt are a bit closer to nonsense than usefulness.

When it's time to replace the Kizashi with a similar car choosing one agile sedan is appropriate, personally I am going to lean towards a Japanese brand because american and german cars don-t appeal me, however I recognize that a car with a BMW engine and an Alfa Romeo bodywork would be ultraperfect, in the same way, a Japanese car motorized by Honda and with Mazda bodywork would be a marvelous work of engineering and, in that way, probably Lexus has done a good job: I consider some IS models bring together the best of both worlds.

So probably later on I will opt for one Lexus IS 200t (241hp) if -I choose with the heart- or maybe one Honda (Civic) 1.5 VTEC (182hp), if I choose with the brain: I am not convinced by its weird designs but I think it is the closest japanese car dynamically to what I am looking for.

Re: After Kizashi - What New Vehicle?

Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2022 8:23 pm
by KlutzNinja
If I was in Europe and I needed a car to succeed my Kizashi, and it had to drive well and be practical, I’d consider the Mazda6 Touring (i.e. the estate/station wagon) over a crossover. It can be had with the turbo and it looks pretty cool. A shame the US never got the 3rd gen. I’m not sure they’re still made, maybe just for Australia at this point, but there’s no shame in getting one used. Most of us got our Kizashis used, if I had to guess.
The Mazda3 hatchback is a nice car, but as I’ve come to learn for myself, its size limits its practicality, despite the hatch opening. Might not be ideal for a family, hence the Mazda6 Touring suggestion. Was considering writing a post or a thread going in detail about it.

I’ve driven a Mazda6 sedan, Ford Fusion, and Dodge Challenger, coincidentally. Albeit rather briefly.
The Challenger is a boat compared to the Kizashi. Very numb steering, a floaty feel, very wide. Felt like I drove a large block around the corner. Was hard to get a feel for where the bumpers were, because of the width and the length of the hood. But as far as muscle coupes go, it’s the best for families, with its larger second row, larger trunk, and larger trunk opening (relatively speaking). The Camaro and Mustang both have fairly impractical trunks/boots. Challenger owners seem to enjoy driving their cars, though. There was a GT trim introduced some years ago that had AWD, but only with the base V6 and automatic transmission. I think it was cancelled a few years later. Don’t think any were sent to Europe, but I don’t know for sure.

The Fusion is pretty solid, but old at this point, and Ford quality control is something of an issue. It’s kind of a cliche here in the States - I wonder if Europe also roasts Ford for quality problems. Most engines are turbocharged with direct injection - that means more maintenance down the line. The naturally aspirated engine has been around forever and doesn’t feel that great. You could do worse... But you could also do better. The Fusion’s age may be an advantage, though, if you want a less-advanced car. As technology becomes more interwoven into the user experience of a car, there is also a growing appeal for older, simpler cars, with fewer expensive electronic features to go wrong or cause distractions.

I drove a 3rd gen Mazda6 sedan when it first came out a decade ago, so I can’t speak for the recent model years. Back then I remember the steering felt pretty light but very accurate in feel and precision, the body reacted quickly; everything felt in sync with the driver. I thought the same feeling would transfer to my Mazda3, but my car’s steering is heavy, and I needed an adjustment period with the pedal feel. But now that I’ve adjusted, it feels great, like a natural progression from the Kizashi. I can only imagine the Mazda6 is similar, although perhaps not quite as focused on driving thrills, with more emphasis on refinement and comfort (which the 3rd-gen 3 could use).

Re: After Kizashi - What New Vehicle?

Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2022 1:38 pm
by NickL
Yeah, the Challenger is such a huge car especially considering it is a coupe. I am sure I would have lot of fun driving it, but then again I am even more sure than my wife will never sit behind the steering wheel. For an unexperienced driver with its body over 5m long it is nightmare to park in and out.

Mazda is a great car, no doubt on that. Here in Europe diesel engines are vey popular. Very punchy with a lot of torque at lower rpm and proven to be very reliable when being maintained properly. Even though I like Mazdas petrol engines more because Mazda is one of those rare car manufacturers that still produces a non turbo 4 cylinder Petrol engines. Surely it would be better if they had V6 as naturaly aspirated engine to offer, but considering the fuel prices in World these days, I guess very small amount of people would actually buy that. Thats why 2.5 L petrol engine is just a perfect balance between good gas mileage and solid performance for a family car.

I am a big fan of Hondas as well, I like how they handle and look. However, I need one serious car for long distance traveling. Even though the Civic is the biggest car in it's segment, Honda decided to put extremely small gas Tank in the car, only 46 liter. That means that with this car after maximum 300 miles of normal driving you must urgent search for a gas station and to me that is not a serios travel car. And Accord is no longer offered in Europe since 2015.

Off course, from all the cars mentioned Lexus is top of the hill but to be honest I don't like its design so much that i would be ready to pay so much higher price for something that doesn't thrill me with it looks...