“KAH-zashi???” I asked.
“No, no.. KEE-zashi!!”
Suzuki Canada's president, Seiichi Maruyama, was explaining the name of his company's latest model to me. It's Japanese for the phrase “Something great is coming”.
Kizashi is a unique and sharp, small mid-sized sedan that will flank trail-ready products like the Grand Vitara and XL7 in Suzuki showrooms. On the streets, it intends to give the brand a big presence in the mid-size segment by competing with machinery like the Camry, Fusion, Malibu and Mazda6.
There's only one engine: an all-aluminum, 2.4-litre four-cylinder that cranks out a generous 180 horsepower. If you like horsepower, that's pretty good news. If you like all-weather traction, so is the standard all-wheel drive (AWD) found on Canadian models.
The 'intelligent' AWD system can be driver-switched between 'off' and fully-automatic 'on' modes as required. A front-drive, six-speed stick configuration is available, too, but only in the USA.
Why not here? According to Suzuki, nearly half the shoppers in the Kizashi's planned market position opt for AWD when it's available. Given production complexities and logistics, that statistic made the AWD-only decision a no-brainer.
Sometimes, it's all about numbers. In fact, numbers are just why Kizashi doesn't come with a manual gearbox on our side of the border. It'll no doubt set hardcore driving enthusiasts gnashing their teeth, but a continually variable transmission (CVT) will be the only gearbox offered here.
Hold your fire, stick-shift nuts. Turns out our beloved transmission is being eliminated faster than a roomful of baddies in a Jet-Li movie. Overall take rate on manuals today is around 5%, meaning the overwhelming majority of Kizashi shoppers aren't going to want one. As such, Suzuki isn't wasting the time and resources to make it available.
Of course, for the 5 percent this leaves in the cold, the Subaru Legacy and Impreza remain available in AWD and manual configurations.
“No, no.. KEE-zashi!!”
Suzuki Canada's president, Seiichi Maruyama, was explaining the name of his company's latest model to me. It's Japanese for the phrase “Something great is coming”.
 |
| On the streets, it intends to give the brand a big presence in the mid-size segment by competing with machinery like the Camry, Fusion, Malibu and Mazda6. |
Kizashi is a unique and sharp, small mid-sized sedan that will flank trail-ready products like the Grand Vitara and XL7 in Suzuki showrooms. On the streets, it intends to give the brand a big presence in the mid-size segment by competing with machinery like the Camry, Fusion, Malibu and Mazda6.
There's only one engine: an all-aluminum, 2.4-litre four-cylinder that cranks out a generous 180 horsepower. If you like horsepower, that's pretty good news. If you like all-weather traction, so is the standard all-wheel drive (AWD) found on Canadian models.
The 'intelligent' AWD system can be driver-switched between 'off' and fully-automatic 'on' modes as required. A front-drive, six-speed stick configuration is available, too, but only in the USA.
Why not here? According to Suzuki, nearly half the shoppers in the Kizashi's planned market position opt for AWD when it's available. Given production complexities and logistics, that statistic made the AWD-only decision a no-brainer.
Sometimes, it's all about numbers. In fact, numbers are just why Kizashi doesn't come with a manual gearbox on our side of the border. It'll no doubt set hardcore driving enthusiasts gnashing their teeth, but a continually variable transmission (CVT) will be the only gearbox offered here.
Hold your fire, stick-shift nuts. Turns out our beloved transmission is being eliminated faster than a roomful of baddies in a Jet-Li movie. Overall take rate on manuals today is around 5%, meaning the overwhelming majority of Kizashi shoppers aren't going to want one. As such, Suzuki isn't wasting the time and resources to make it available.
Of course, for the 5 percent this leaves in the cold, the Subaru Legacy and Impreza remain available in AWD and manual configurations.
 |
| There's only one engine: an all-aluminum, 2.4-litre four-cylinder that cranks out a generous 180 horsepower. |