Kizi Vs Vauxhall Cascada

[paininthenuts]

As you may be aware, I just traded in my Kizi along with my wife's car and bought a large convertible, the Cascada. This will also be available in the U.S. under the Buick brand I believe. Of course, your engine and gearbox range will probably be different. The C.E.O. of Vauxhall wants to turn the brand around in the UK, and this is his first step. He has said that the cars aren't the problem, it's the badge. You see, Vauxhall are not known as bad car in the UK, they are just seen as a bid boring. The Cascada certainly isn't. It's a large soft top, that is a little larger than the Audi A5, and indeed the BMW 4 series. It is a stunning looking car, and can be mistaken for a Merc quite easily. I have lived with the Cascada for a day now, and have done a variety of different types of driving. My car is the elite 2 ltr manual diesel (165 bhp and 238 lb torque), with the upgraded 20" inch wheels and sat nav. The list price is £30,600 ($45,000) against the Kizi which had a list price of £23,000 ($34,000). Needless to say, I didn't pay either of these prices, although the Cascada cost me a lot more. You may be mistaken for thinking that they are not a close comparison, but you would be wrong. The Cascada is NOT a sports car, it is a large luxury saloon/sedan, only has a soft top.

PERFORMANCE
On paper the Kizi is about half a second faster. I would say that is about right, albeit in 3rd and 4th gear the Cascada is particularly gutsy. Where the Kizi is particularly quick is from 50 to 100, and the Cascada would not be able to cope with this in an outright race. As expected, I would give the 2.4 petrol engine of the Kizi this round, but believe me, the Cascada is no slouch.

ECONOMY
Taking the initial purchase price out of the equation, the Cascada wins this one hands down. I had a really horrible drive back last night, and was either doing 2 mph or 80 mph, but still achieved 53 mpg. It would not be hard at all to get over 60 mpg on a good run. The UK road tax is also half the price on the Cascada, although the insurance is about the same. UK road tax is based on emissions.

REFINEMENT & EQUIPMENT
This is a close one to call. The Cascada does not have front parking sensors, electric seats, folding mirrors, or 4 wheel drive, however it does have a sat nav, a seat belt presenter, a dab radio, retractable roof, and can be personalised to a far greater degree using the on board computer. To be honest, I would call this one a draw.

GENERAL DRIVING EXPERIENCE
This is a hard one. The Kizi had a CVT box with a petrol engine, and the Cascada is a 6 speed manual with a diesel engine. I believe there is very little difference between the overall enjoyment obtained from the power units. Of course, they are quite different though. Both cars are head turners, and both are rarely seen, in fact I still haven't seen another Cascada on the road yet. The ride is excellent in both, because both cars have an excellent suspension set up, and both corner beautifully. Where the Cascada edges it is the quality of the interior. The leather is certainly superior, and the dash looks a lot better with it's leather top and chunky stitching. The ambient lighting also makes the car feel quite classy. Of course, the Kizi being an out and out saloon/sedan has more space in the boot and the cabin.

It's to early for me to tell you which one I prefer, but after one day of owning a Cascada I thought I would share my initial thoughts.

Can I please remind any UK members that I still have K15ASY on retention, and it is for sale. [email protected]

[KuroNekko]

Very nice.
Your photos make it look rather small, but I guess it's a larger vehicle than it seems.
Hows the braking and handling compared to the Kizashi?
It looks like these are all soft-tops and a hard-top is not available?

[paininthenuts]

Very nice.
Your photos make it look rather small, but I guess it's a larger vehicle than it seems.
Hows the braking and handling compared to the Kizashi?
It looks like these are all soft-tops and a hard-top is not available?

For some strange reason the photos look dumpy when I post them. The car is longer than the Kizi, and like I said, it is also longer than an Audi A5 and BMW 4 series. The breaking and cornering are comparable with the Kizi. and it is fractionally smoother on a motorway. The steering is lighter, but some people prefer it heavier, it's just a case of preference. The Cascada only comes as a soft top, and doesn't share a single panel with any other car in the range. That's to say it is not a soft top version of another model, which is so often the case.

[Fritz2]

KuroNekko's link in your first post about your trade shows the car in the correct perspective, and its a real looker! Didn't Vauxhall have the Lotus Carlton and a version of the Opel speedster? They always seem to have a nice halo car like yours.

[paininthenuts]

I forgot to mention the real downside to Cascada. Since 2009 every diesel in the EU has to have a DPF (diesel particulate filter) This is a complex bit of kit. Every now and then (about 300 miles) the filter heats to a very high temperature and burns off the soot. This is called regeneration, and there are three ways it can happen

1) Passive - It does it when you are driving along a fast straight road such as a motorway. You will never know when this happens, and this is the best process.
2) Active - The computer raises the revs and sends lots of heat to the filter. If this happens a light comes on and tells you to keep driving. At no cost must you stop until the light goes off. This may mean you have to find a straight road and drive for 20 miles in the wrong direction.
3) Forced - This is when it is taken into a garage and the revs are taken up to 3500 for about 90 minutes.

DPF's can be a real pain in the arse, but having one removed means the car will fail it's next MOT. I have found an additive that is put in the tank every 3rd fill, and apparently it reduces the temperature the soot is burnt off at, which means regular long runs are not necessary, but I will find out if it works soon enough.

Wish me luck

[Fritz2]

#2 is a load of hooey! The other 2 are ok, I suppose, but what happens if you are late and can't go the distance? The EU and US government can have some boneheaded, if well meaning, legislative requirements.

[paininthenuts]

#2 is a load of hooey! The other 2 are ok, I suppose, but what happens if you are late and can't go the distance? The EU and US government can have some boneheaded, if well meaning, legislative requirements.

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No 2 isn't a load of hooey, it's a bloody inconvenience. Turning it off when it is actively regenerating can cause the system to throw diesel into the sump, and that isn't a good thing !!

[Fritz2]

I haven't heard of that on diesels sold in the states. We do have the urea injection system that has to be refilled every few thousand miles, but that's the only dumb thing I've heard of here.

[paininthenuts]

I haven't heard of that on diesels sold in the states. We do have the urea injection system that has to be refilled every few thousand miles, but that's the only dumb thing I've heard of here.

It's EU law. Every diesel car since 2009 has to have a diesel particulate filter. If they are removed the car will fail it's M.O.T.

[Woodie]

If they are removed the car will fail it's M.O.T.

That's a (yearly?) safety inspection for those of us who don't speak English very well.