It's been one year and 10,000 miles. Just a little preface, I take very good care of my Kiz. I keep it clean inside and out, wax a few times a year, use Mobile1 full syn and a high flow air filter. I tend to drive aggressive (but not reckless), so I definitely put the car's reliability to the test. So at 10,000 miles, here's my report...
- My average fuel efficiency on the interstate (70-80 mph) is around 32 mpg. My average mixed is 23.5 mrpg. And my average in city alone is 19 mpg. I'm a little underwhelmed with the city efficiency, but I do drive aggressive so that is partly my own doing. Overall fuel efficiency grade: B
- Other than recalls, I have had to take my Kiz in twice: Once to replace a bad amp, and once to replace a blown sub woofer. I have had no mechanical issues thus far (knock on wood). Reliability grade: A-
- I have a few more paint chips than I would like, but it's not horrible at this point. I have a very random rattle in my driver side door, but it's very occasional. Interior has held up extremely well and I have enjoyed the quality and durability of the interior materials. Overall interior/exterior durability/quality: A-
- As most on here already know, the only performance area I take issue with is the initial acceleration. Now that I understand why it is that way & that there is no getting around it, I have learned to live with it. As far as the rest of the performance aspect, I am very happy. Handling, breaking and smoothness of the ride are all top notch and have not depreciated one bit. Overall performance: B+
In summary, after 10,000 miles I am still very happy with no buyer remorse. Overall I would give the Kiz a very solid B+, which is impressive for the first year of a model.
PS - Snow handling was OUTSTANDING. I nicknamed my Kiz the "snow beast" last winter: A++
SLS AWD at 10,000 miles
Very nice report card. I think your post-script is an extremely note worthy addition to the grading of this car...a performance feature that truly sets it apart from the typical 4-door sport sedan. You can't have everything top-grade and perfect in a car that has AWD, and, at the price point that we're in. Factoring in that particular A++, I think you're looking at more of a solid A / A-. 
Ron
2010 Kizashi GTS, CVT, iAWD (3/10 build date)
2011 SX4 Premium Hatch, CVT, iAWD (12/10 build date)
2018 Mazda CX-5 iAWD Touring
2014 Wrangler JKUW (GONE, traded
)
1991 Samurai, 5-Speed, EFI, Soft-Top (
sold)
2010 Kizashi GTS, CVT, iAWD (3/10 build date)
2011 SX4 Premium Hatch, CVT, iAWD (12/10 build date)
2018 Mazda CX-5 iAWD Touring
2014 Wrangler JKUW (GONE, traded
) 1991 Samurai, 5-Speed, EFI, Soft-Top (
sold)