Team-BHP - Suzuki Kizashi - Should I or shouldn't I? UPDATE: Got a Passat!

Friends,

I have been on the lookout for a proper drivers car and have somehow narrowed down on the Kizashi with regards to my budget.

please:I need everyone's help before I finalize and take the plunge. I am planning to purchase it in first week of Feb 2012.

Would appreciate if owners or senior members here can share some information or tell me why I should not go for the Kizashi apart from the bad resale value down the years.

I would love to hear from current or past Kizashi owners / users on their ownership experience and what I should be aware of. I am planning to go in for the manual version.

Cheers... I-Chief

AFAIK there is no Kizashi owner on the forum as of now - if you buy, you would be the first. I can already visualise the replies to your query - most would say "Dont buy".

Apart from the fact that they screwed up the pricing, IMO it is an amazing car. CBU means not only do you pay high customs duties, but also pay higher road-tax (I understand road-tax is higher for imported cars).

Advantage of CBU is you get a proper made-in-Japan car. If this were a CKD, I would have traded my Baleno for the Kizashi. Resale be damned - if I cared about resale, I would not have bought the Baleno anyway.

BTW, I saw the 3rd Kizashi today in all the months since it has been released. First one was an HR-regd car spotted near Loyola college before the car's launch, which in all probability must belong to some MSIL official. 2nd one was some months ago (a white one) on Sterling Road. Today again at the same location on Sterling Road I saw the 3rd one in grey - looked amazing to me.

Why not the AT ?

BTW, do post a break-up of the price, discount and taxes.

Although myself being a fan of good drivers car but I have burnt myself a few times with wrong decision as per market trend. There are many positive things about Kizashi but I still wouldn approve for it's purchase. I might be wrong on some aspects but i feel:

1> overpriced
2> market dud so resale values effected
3>will face part problem as not a volume seller, god forbid if you crash it, down 5 yrs.
4> service will be doubtful as being a rare vehicle mechanics will not be "experienced" regarding the problem faced by owners
4> the biggest one being better alternatives available in market
5> my personal opinion that it does not click to layman being a expensive vehicle

in my circle my friends have got Jetta, Laura, civic and a brand new Kizashi(white) but average joe does not think it to be a costly vehicle and their eyes pop out when told the cost.

If you still wanna go with your heart for Kizashi make sure you get enough discounts and the vehicle you are buying is current manufactured one as few dealers have vehicles laying with them from the launch. my local dealer is using the only vehicle he received for sale for himself with speedo disconnected:deadhorse

Well there is no doubt it is a great car but the question here is that @ 19 lacs on road - Delhi, this is no value for money. If I am correct it is available in petrol engine only.

Within 19 lacs you have many other option (both diesel and petrol).

If you want petrol car then why don't you consider a Skoda Laura RS which is almost 1.5 lacs cheaper than Kizashi.

But it is true that Kizashi is more sportier and powerful than Laura RS.

I will suggest you to TD the car once before you make a decision.

Well to be honest there is no reason as such for not buying a Kizashi. You yourself are aware of the current success ( or the lack of it) of the Kizashi. The resale ofcourse will be extremely bad. You have the example of the Accord in front of you. I also didn't find the Kizashi as a head turner specially given the price tag. The Fun to Drive part might be there although I have not driven it yet. But is as good as the Jetta with DSG or an Accord?
Knowing all these facts if you still feel strongly about the car then go ahead and get yourself one. The quality will be top notch because of the CBU tag.

Its a good car if you do not care about the price tag (which everyone thinks is expensive), very low GC, may have to wait for parts if something goes wrong as its a CBU and parts availability is iffish, low resale value when you want to sell it.

When i test drove it and considered as my next purchase i was offered upto 2L discount, do push the dealer for discount. I am not sure if they are available now or only were there for the end of the year.

@ I-Chief,

A good review of the Kizashi I came across:

Suzuki Kizashi 2.4 4WD

For Value proposition l Game handling l Functional, unadorned cabin
Against Poor performance l Alienating drivetrain l Limited passenger space

source: Suzuki Kizashi review - Autocar.co.uk

Well I think most people here would advice you not to buy Kizashi because that is what their minds tell them. Even I was surprised to see such a thread because Kizashi was quite popular pre-launch on this forum but the moment the pricing was announced it was game over for Kizashi. BTW you said that you narrowed down to Kizashi? May I know on what parameters? You did not find any other good alternative? I am not saying Kizashi is bad but then did you consider other alternatives? I would advise you to take a test drive of it and go through official Team-BHP's test drive. You will not find any user ownership review because nobody owns it on this forum.

If you like it, then go for it!

The Kizashi is a good all rounder. It may not be too spacious, but it's comfortable, well built (save for a few bits that are shared among other Suzukis in the menu) adequately powerful, handles well and rides well too. And I think it looks brilliant!

The fact that it's a CBU has ensured that it has turned into an instant market dud. Which is unfortunate, because it's a brilliant car. At 10-15 lakhs, it would have added some serious flair in that segment.

Do remember that you have other options too, if you're on the look-out for a fun-to-drive entry level executive sedan. You've got the Skoda Laura RS, that fits your bill perfectly, I'm of the opinion.

Why I'd recommend the Laura over the Kizashi is because it's more popular. And that would mean you're entitled to parts whenever the need arises. A Kizashi might sit at the workshop for days because one part would need to arrive from New Delhi, or some other place. But your Laura would be up and running within a day, in case it had to visit the service station for a parts-replacement.

A car that ends up sitting in the workshop for days is not a fun to drive car. ;)

It could be, but it isn't.

Quote:

Originally Posted by I-Chief (Post 2646630)

Hi Kizashi is a nice car but for not for a price of 19 lacs.
My suggestion would be to wait for the sonata if you can.
I have driven the sonata , Laura and also travelled in kizashi (did not get a chance to drive it though ) and to me Sonata was much better.

I have just seen one Kizashi till date, since its launch almost a year back. It's a Civic sized car priced at something like an Accord. It's as good a market dud as the Grand Vitara. For the price of this car you can get a Skoda Laura vRS or even an L&K Laura 2.0 TDI with DSG which would make sound sense or even the entry level Superb with 1.8 TSI. Reach a little more and get the Passat top end with all the bells and whistles. If you are like me: who doesn't mind a 'flop' show if there's a good deal to be had, I suggest a Sonata Transform Diesel.

If FTD is what you are looking for, then you needn't look any further. Skoda Laura Rs will be your best bet. Its easier to maintain (kizashi being a CBU). Its a VERY good handling car. A turbocharged Direct injection mill is state-of-art Audi tech!! Its a very good car.

IMHO, its a much better car to consider atleast when compared to Kizashi (having test-driven one myself).

My 2 cents!!