Suzuki targets 6 and Euro with new midsizer

Suzuki is looking to steal sales from Honda, Mazda and established European brands with its new "midsized" Kizashi sedan. With a starting price of under $28,000 and an impressive standard equipment list, the small midsizer or big small car (depends on what side of the fence you're sitting) went on sale this week and has a brace of key models in its sights.

Powered by a 131kW/230Nm 2.4-litre fuel-injected four-cylinder petrol powerplant and boasting near-small car fuel economy (7.9L/100km for both manual and auto variants), the front-wheel drive Kizashi is offered in two model grades, XL and XLS.

Though priced at $27,990, the XL entry-level version features 17-inch alloys, dual-zone climate control air, keyless entry and start and an impressively upmarket cabin.

Offered standard with a six-speed manual gearbox, the Kizashi can also be ordered with a six-step preprogrammed (constantly variable transmission) CVT for a $2500 premium.

Stability and traction control, antilock four-wheel disc brakes with emergency brake assist and distribution, and six airbags including side curtains, are all standard on the sub-$28K Kizashi.

Suzuki Australia is not, however, offering the all-wheel drive version already launched in the USA. Instead, the top of the range Kizashi XLS features the same powertrain, but adds 18-inch alloys, rain-sensing wipers, front and rear park sensors, electrically-adjustable front seats, leather upholstery and a 425W Rockford Fosgate audio system. The XLS is priced from $34,990 in manual guise.

For the CVT version of the flagship -- this time with steering wheel paddles -- Suzuki asks an extra $2000.

Kizashi is Suzuki's first 'native' midsized car (it re-badged Daewoo/GM Epica midsizers in the US market in years gone by) and is a deliberate move upmarket for the brand worldwide. It is the production reality of a three-step concept car campaign that commenced with the debut of Kizashi I at Frankfurt show in 2007. Development on the production model Kizashi began in 2004, Suzuki says.

After the USA, Australia is only the second major international market in which the Kizashi has gone on sale.

Sitting midway in size between the Mazda3 and Golf-based Jetta at one end and the Euro and Mazda6 at the other, the Kizashi is on the compact side of the medium car segment. A quick seat of the pants measurement indicates the internal dimensions are relatively generous, however.

At 2700mm the new Suzuki's wheelbase is just 5mm shy of the Euro's but 60mm longer than the Mazda3's. The Mazda6 is just 25mm longer between the axles than the Suzuki but almost 85mm longer overall.

Suzuki believes that the Kizashi's compact external dimensions will help it attract buyers 'up' from the small car segment, though it is keen not to cannibalise sales from its SX4 sedan, which was recently facelifted.

The Kizashi's petrol four is based on the J24B Series engine which powers the Grand Vitara offroader. Significant internal revisions have concentrated not only on liberating more power but also refinement. The engine features a bespoke block with better crankshaft support, revised cam-chain design and a host of other changes aimed at reducing noise and vibration. Suzuki claims the Kizashi is significantly quieter than its direct midsize car competitors.

Suspension is also new. Up front the Kizashi features a conventional McPherson strut design, while the rear is a sophisticated multi-link independent design. Aluminium is used for parts like lower control arms and wheel hubs to help reduce weight.

Suzuki Australia has a target of around 3500-4000 sales annually for the Kizashi, but local MD Tak Hayasaki says he believes it will take some time for Australian consumers to embrace the new car.

"When you talk Suzuki with most Australian car buyers they think small cars. The Kizashi is a different car for us, and it will take a year or so for buyers to associate Suzuki with this [larger] class of car," Hayasaki told the Carsales Network.

Suzuki Australia execs are, however, bullish about the car's potential, not only to capture sales in its own right, but to positively affect floor traffic at its dealers and boost sales of its established Swift and SX4 models. In preparation for the Kizashi, the company claims it has invested around $80m on upgraded facilities across its network.

"The car is as much a branding exercise for Suzuki as volume," Suzuki General Manager Tony Devers told the Carsales Network.

"It's going to give us incremental volume obviously, but it really enhances the Suzuki brand. It will bring prospects into our dealers' showrooms that have never considered Suzuki before. What our research shows us is those people [attracted to the Kizashi] have at least three cars in their family... That will open up the rest of our model range to incremental business."

In preparation for those new to Suzuki showrooms, the company is backing the Kizashi with a cash payment offer that sees registered test drivers 'rewarded' with $200 if they sample a Kizashi and then go one to buy a range of other models. Included in the targeted cars are the Kizashi's key competitors, Honda's Accord Euro and the segment's private sales sweethearts, the Subaru Liberty and Mazda's 6. Volkwagen's Jetta and Audi's A4 also make it onto the list.

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