2012 Suzuki Kizashi Sport MT

Post videos and photos of your Kizashi.
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KuroNekko
Posts: 5170
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2012 5:08 pm
Location: California, USA

AirRideFan wrote: Tue Apr 20, 2021 9:50 pm
BEAUTIFUL Kizashi, my friend! Dannggg... are the Sport models (especially with Leather/Heated Seats) SUPER SUPER RARE where you're located, also? Please post some pics of the wheels---

Funny you mentioned the anthracite grey--- I actually just found a Kizashi I might want to buy to replace mine with ---- since it has almost 90k less miles--- and is the color I want. But they did the wheels in the dark grey! I'll attach some pics to check out.

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This Kizashi looks just like mine but in better aesthetic condition. The wheel color is also very similar and I bet you they were repainted for the same reason mine were:
The original paint on the wheels is garbage and can flake off if power-washed. A body shop washed my car after a rear bumper repaint and the paint on all wheels chipped off. They had to repaint them and accidentally blended the paint darker than intended. The outcome was the darker grey color. The body shop was apologetic and offered to repaint but I told them I actually preferred it. It hides the dirt and brake dust much better and just looks good.

The photo of the black Kizashi you posted reminds me of when I first got my Kizashi but it's since took on the wear and tear of a daily-driven 10 year-old vehicle mostly parked outside. The front bumper is nicked and scratched from road debris and parking mishaps. It's also a daily-driven duty car as I drive it for work and not only to commute. I've since shifted my focus from keeping it looking super nice to making it functional and in for the long-haul. I'll likely get a front bumper repaint in the future as it's certainly the most beat-up part of the car.

Also, in your other post about getting a different Kizashi, you didn't mention your mileage vs. the other Kizashi contenders. Does this black one seriously have 90,000 miles less? That's a huge difference if a correct figure.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
NickL
Posts: 134
Joined: Wed Aug 05, 2020 8:46 pm

Well, to be honest I believe that here in Europe every single Kizashi that has been sold came in only one trim and that is SPORT. From what I understood, the Sport trim is exactly the same what they used to call the SLS in US. Only difference that you could choose in Europe is if you wanted manual transmission with FWD or CVt with 4x4. Other trims were not available like in US.


And yes, i plastidep the wheels in Anthracite grey last sommer and it turned out great. The only problem is that for the next year I am gonna be needing new tyres and when you change tyres on plastidiped rims there is no chance to take the tyre off and not to damage the plastidip. That means that my plastidiped rims will be damaged when they remove the old tyres so instead of rediping them again, I decided to to completely repaint the rims. I just not decided yet is it gonna be silver, anthracite gray or shiny black color. I have to think about it yet. :)
"The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing". H. Ford
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AirRideFan
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Joined: Mon Sep 12, 2016 10:59 pm
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KuroNekko wrote: Wed Apr 21, 2021 6:08 pm
AirRideFan wrote: Tue Apr 20, 2021 9:50 pm
BEAUTIFUL Kizashi, my friend! Dannggg... are the Sport models (especially with Leather/Heated Seats) SUPER SUPER RARE where you're located, also? Please post some pics of the wheels---

Funny you mentioned the anthracite grey--- I actually just found a Kizashi I might want to buy to replace mine with ---- since it has almost 90k less miles--- and is the color I want. But they did the wheels in the dark grey! I'll attach some pics to check out.

Image

Image

Image
This Kizashi looks just like mine but in better aesthetic condition. The wheel color is also very similar and I bet you they were repainted for the same reason mine were:
The original paint on the wheels is garbage and can flake off if power-washed. A body shop washed my car after a rear bumper repaint and the paint on all wheels chipped off. They had to repaint them and accidentally blended the paint darker than intended. The outcome was the darker grey color. The body shop was apologetic and offered to repaint but I told them I actually preferred it. It hides the dirt and brake dust much better and just looks good.

The photo of the black Kizashi you posted reminds me of when I first got my Kizashi but it's since took on the wear and tear of a daily-driven 10 year-old vehicle mostly parked outside. The front bumper is nicked and scratched from road debris and parking mishaps. It's also a daily-driven duty car as I drive it for work and not only to commute. I've since shifted my focus from keeping it looking super nice to making it functional and in for the long-haul. I'll likely get a front bumper repaint in the future as it's certainly the most beat-up part of the car.

Also, in your other post about getting a different Kizashi, you didn't mention your mileage vs. the other Kizashi contenders. Does this black one seriously have 90,000 miles less? That's a huge difference if a correct figure.
I know!!! Same car as yours, Kuro! And, imo...you have one of the nicest Kizashi's in the USA, man. I have big respect for you and your ride...and all the nice things you've done to it. Yeah sooo the car above has 56k on it. Mine has 143,985 as of today....

I'm just having a tough time deciding if I REALLY want to shift every day--- when it's only a 185hp engine- anyway (not to say any OTHER brands --- besides "Luxury" brands are any better)--- like the Camry only had a five gears in the manual, and was only avail with their 2.4L... I don't know. My best friend and coworker has had an '08 SX4 Sport with 5mt as a daily for the past 8 years or so--- and he is soooo BORED with it. I don't know... Lots of hills here... TONS of traffic. And for the price of that car ($9k- and the seller is FIRM on that "more-than-Retail" price)--- I could honestly find another low mileage Sport SLS with AWD --- or (although KIND'VE dumb-- even a FWD Sport GTS or Sport SLS with CVT) --- I run snow tires every year anyway. And I don't need Suzuki's "i-AWD" to help me out--- even with the '6-speed' CVT ---- keep that extra 300 lbs off of my car. (so I can put a stereo in the trunk that weighs 100 lbs and still hit 60mph before 10 seconds are up..... :lol: )
2012 KIZASHI Sport SLS

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NickL
Posts: 134
Joined: Wed Aug 05, 2020 8:46 pm

90k miles less is a serious mileage, and that means that the other car thay you intend to buy is much less worn out in every single way. I think you should buy Kizashi with less mileage only if you are willing to keep the car for another minimum 3, 4 years to come. Otherwise if you bother yourself with buying another Kizashi now, and then selling your old Kizashi, and then after a year or more again selling Kizashi and buying another car, that can be a lot uf useless job if you ask me.

When ti comes to manual transmission, one thinkgmust be clear. If you really need better performance from Kizashi, it just must be a manual transmission. The difference in time from runnin 0-60 between CVT and manual is 2 seconds, and that is my friend in car race, ethernity. It is hard to believe how slow the CVT gearbox is but it is so. The only advantage that CVT in this case has is AWD, but the real questions is how bad you really need it? It will surely keep you on the road when it 's slippery, but an experienced and good driver should be able to handle his car even if back end of a car starts to dance a little bit on a slippery surface. That is more easy to do if a car, like Kizashi has and FWD comparing to RWD. And the manual transmission in Kizashi is just fine. It is not so sporty and doesn't have that klick klack sound like in some others sport sedans, but the gears are not to long, the clutch is on softer side, the shiffter is slicky and goes were easy in the gears and it is a joy to ride. Plus not the mention that MT has not this reliability issues for which CVT is known for.
"The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing". H. Ford
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KuroNekko
Posts: 5170
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2012 5:08 pm
Location: California, USA

AirRideFan wrote: Fri Apr 23, 2021 1:21 am
I know!!! Same car as yours, Kuro! And, imo...you have one of the nicest Kizashi's in the USA, man. I have big respect for you and your ride...and all the nice things you've done to it. Yeah sooo the car above has 56k on it. Mine has 143,985 as of today....
I think mine used to be nice. It's now a bit worn in look but not too bad. It's not a garage queen and is daily driven, even as a duty vehicle for work. This is also why reliability and durability are so important for me and the manual transmission Kizashi has been rock solid. I've had my car since 7,500 miles on the odometer and now, it's at 106,500 miles. It's definitely a vehicle I trust for the long haul but is still rewarding to drive.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
NickL
Posts: 134
Joined: Wed Aug 05, 2020 8:46 pm

Well I just installed O.E.M Kizashi Stereo unit yesterday and I am so happy with the "downgrade" .

Previoslu I had in a car some kind of aftermarket touch screen multimedia that could in theory do a lot of things. Read all kind of music, video or picture files, had a BTL option, navigation etc. However, this device was actually far away from beeing good. It had 10 year old mapes for navigation that I couldn't update cause the Customer support from the manufacter didn't answer the e'mails, then when using BTL for phone calls the sound on speakers was too quiet, the device would completely freeze from time to time, and I couldn't reset it unless I removed minus from Battery, and all together using touchscreen to operate the device during the ride and looking where to press on the screen was drawing my attention from the road. Complicated and not safe at all if you ask me

So with OEM Radio everything is so nicely and simly layed out, every button is where it needs to be and I can find it without even looking at it, and somehow the Sound quality is now clearly better with Suzuki amplifier.

I just like when using some old school stuff actuallt takes me a step forward. :)
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"The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing". H. Ford
NickL
Posts: 134
Joined: Wed Aug 05, 2020 8:46 pm

Last Autumn I did some cosmetic repairs on my Kizashi. On the front and rear Bumper car had some scuffs ans bruises left from previous owners. So I took the cair to the Paint Shop to repair it and give it a new shine. However, I noticed back in the days that there were few small tiny damages on the bonnet most probably caused from hitting the small pieces of rocks somewhere on the high away. Under these damages was allready yellowish color which showed the signs od a rust. The guys at the Shop sandpapered this very small surface and just put a small coat of paint on the surface, but 6 months later the rust came out again, but now it looks a lot worse than it was before. It expanded on a bit larger surface and I got the answer that the rust is coming from inside od the metal and it must be welded first, and then whole Bonnet needs to be repainted.

Well, the car is allready 10 years old but I didn't expect that it would have problem with rust especially because od such a tiny damage on the paint. Did anyone else experienced rust Problems on your Kizashis?
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"The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing". H. Ford
old tech
Posts: 705
Joined: Mon Apr 23, 2018 1:51 pm
Location: n/w pennsysvania

The cheap fix here is a Suzuki smoked deflector if you can find one. It would have to be used as these were discontinued awhile ago. Next best is a used hood in color. Replacement with new is too expensive and rust has a way of coming back if not completely removed.
NickL
Posts: 134
Joined: Wed Aug 05, 2020 8:46 pm

What the hell is the Suzuki smoked deflector? A photo or two would be helpfull.

Finding a Kizashi hood in wanter pearl white color is like looking for a needle in a Haystack. I am most probably convicted to stick with my old one and try to fix it and professionaly repaint...
"The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing". H. Ford
KlutzNinja
Posts: 286
Joined: Wed Dec 04, 2019 6:58 am



Found this pic from an older thread on this forum.
Current: Blue 2018 Mazda 3 GT 5-Door
Previous: Blue 2010 Ford Focus SES,
Black 2013 Kizashi Sport GTS-L (CVT; FWD)(RIP)
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