Team-BHP - Maruti Suzuki Kizashi 2.4 CVT: Test Drive and Review

It's good some good points, sure, but Im not sure what's going to be the crowd-puller for the Kizashi, even if Suzuki only wants to sell between 200 and 300 each month. As has been pointed out at numerous points along this thread, price-wise it slots in between the Civic/Laura/Cruze/Altis and the Accord / Superb.
Even if you discount the Altis for being too bland and the Civic for being too long in the tooth, most Indian customers would choose the Laura because of the snob-value and if they wanted something sporty with a few toys they'd choose the Cruze (which along with being a stonkingly fast car also has the added benefit of being a diesel).
Alternately, if your target demographic is willing to pay 20-odd lacs for an Accord or Superb (which, less face it, sell basically on the brand value associated with these two cars) do you really think you're going to lure them to your product that is only 10-15% cheaper but has absolutely no snob value whatsoever?

I'm sure it'll impress a few prospective buyers, but I don't think it'll impress them enough to compensate for the fact that they're going to spend about 18 lakhs on a car which has absolute zero neighbour's-envy-owner's-pride.

I predict a LOT of Kizashis finding their way into Hotel fleets after a few months.

Hey Sidindica,
Read the complete review,
Good pics and comments
But the price they are asking really demands a little more value add from the car,
The Door trims could use a little wood finish, IMHO these Japanese boys have tried to keep it really simple but missed the idea half way..i mean beige interiors and slick black center panel...does not make the cut
Also in the instrument cluster, the spacing between Speedo and tacho is not apt..looks like 2 separate chunks
And there is a little hump on rear hood housing the LED stop lamp..i dont know how would it look if we plan to add a rear spoiler later
And the best part..except alloys this car bears no similarities to the conceptlol:
Overall..i like the review:thumbs up but i was not impressed by the car...
If i was given a choice (and had the money of course), i would still go with a Sonata

Cheers

Quote:

Originally Posted by gshanky (Post 2259833)

I know some of us have different ideas than MSIL about how to sell suzuki cars. However I am not sure why kizashi's price should be reduced for it to be successful though it is still one of the lowest in the midsize category (same as Accord/Camry/Superb/Sonata). And we all know how well sonata sells though it is the lowest in its category.

And probably all is not lost with the India Japan free trade agreement coming in to reduce the import duty. The price of Kizashi could still come down quite a bit. But I am not sure that would be enough to push Kizashi's sales if the qualities of the car itself won't help it that much.

Quote:

Originally Posted by skjlives (Post 2261550)

Last I checked, the current Sonata is available OTR Bangalore for under 18.5L(post discounts/freebies). Agreed, it's a model on the way out, but still, this is data as of today. The Kizashi is around 21L OTR. Kizashi is not the cheapest in the mid-size category, not unless there are discounts/free insurance etc thrown in.

Also disagree that a price drop will do sales figures no good. I know of people who would take it at 2.5 - 3 L cheaper than it is. I am one of them. This car is too sexy, but not for the money it comes for right now.

On the claimed figures, not sure what that 350 means. I had paid a notional booking amount to the dealer here, well before the actual launch, and will go do the TD tomorrow (the invitation has finally come!). Highly likely I'll cancel my booking tomorrow.

I'd wait for ARAI figures for 2-3 months (to neutralize the effect of early buyers who'll buy a new toy despite any sticker price just for novelty value) to ascertain the success/failure of this launch.

Where did I say Kizashi is the cheapest?

Regarding price drop I meant that price reduction alone will not be enough to sell a car if it cannot compete with its abilities. And if CBU is ~16 lakhs with 100+% tax, with FTA wouldn't the price drop be more than 2 lakhs?

Excellent review man, great details. I think the vehicle is over priced, I also saw some US reviews and their market didnt Kizashi that much. I think because of the concept vehicle which they displayed raised too much expectation and what they have actually delivered isnt not that close at least by external looks.

Sales wise I dont think this car will do that good since there are other good cars in that price range like the new 2011 Sonata, Accord and Superb.

I don't know if this is true or just a marketing gimmick on the part of MSIL, here is an update from Motoroids website:

Seems like Maruti Suzuki have managed to crack the luxury car code with their Kizashi D-segment car in India. The company has registered 400 pre-bookings for the car, making the prospective customers wait for as long as 3 months before they get the keys handed over to them. Deliveries for the car will start from March 10th.

The company is happy with the public interest in Kizashi, which without doubt exceeds the expectations. It’s notable that the earlier forays into big car segments by Maruti Suzuki have not met with much success. The Grand Vitara, both in its first and second innings was not a success. The Kizashi, though sounding like a success right now, may feel the heat in the long run, as Maruti Suzuki lacks a diesel option – an area where VW Group companies rule the roost with their advanced diesel mills.

Maruti Suzuki has now ordered a second shipment of 350 more CBUs of the D-segment car, and can order as many more units as required from Sagara, Japan, where the car is manufactured.
Maruti Suzuki had earlier said that the company would think about assembling the car locally in India if the volumes permit. We would say that 400 units a month doesn’t look like a bad number at all.

Pardon me for being :OT.
Just watching the ad for Kizashi on TV. While taking a right turn, the girl falls to her right almost on the driver, though she is wearing the seat belt. This normally doesn't happen nor is possible even if someone wants to do that deliberately with the seat belt on and while the car is moving and turning. Does this mean the seat belt is not working properly or the ad maker doesn't know it?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Torquedo

We would say that 400 units a month doesn’t look like a bad number at all.

If they indeed can sell 400 units a month, it would be an astounding success. But I seriously doubt these figures can be achievable consistently - maybe a 300-400 units for the 1st few months might be do-able, but then tapers off to 100-odd at best. Actually 100-odd itself would be good, given the figures posted by the existing players in thats segment.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RajaTaurus

Just watching the ad for Kizashi on TV. While taking a right turn, the girl falls to her right almost on the driver, though she is wearing the seat belt. This normally doesn't happen nor is possible even if someone wants to do that deliberately with the seat belt on and while the car is moving and turning. Does this mean the seat belt is not working properly or the ad maker doesn't know it?

I have not seen the advt - but I think, this is just something added to project some image like 'closeness' - as if the car brings people closer. Given the forces at work, it should actually be the opposite - when taking a sharp right turn, objects in the car usually slide to the left (away from driver). I notice this almost daily while taking the sharp right turn from Mahalingapuram to Loyola college.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RajaTaurus (Post 2270309)

I have not seen this ad, but I would imagine she can only fall to her left if the car takes a sharp right turn. If I remember right, it is due to the centripetal force or something?

Had the opportunity to admire the Kizashi which was on display at a mall last weekend. Could only manage to check out the interiors & boot space. No test drive was possible. Initial impressions were pretty good. The leather on the door panels and plastic quality seemed to be top notch. The door shutting sound was very European. The thud was audible and felt good to the ears. The driver's seating position was spot-on, though adjustments are possible in most high end cars. The alloys looked very sporty and the front grill though SX4-ish looked very aggressive. Overall, the impressions were positive. Only if a TD was possible!

Quote:

Originally Posted by RajaTaurus (Post 2270309)

Thats creative freedom...just like our heros can beat off a bunch of baddies.lol:

But overall the ad is good makes the car stand out.