Team-BHP > Team-BHP Reviews > Test-Drives & Initial Ownership Reports


Reply
  Search this Thread
278,006 views
Old 24th February 2011, 20:25   #76
BHPian
 
gshanky's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Coimbatore / Bangalore / New York
Posts: 717
Thanked: 13 Times
Re: Maruti Suzuki Kizashi 2.4 CVT: Test Drive and Review

Great review Sid!

Seems like a lot of folks including you have issues about the pricing of Kizashi. On the contrary I think that their pricing is consistent in all markets. One can't expect Kizashi to compete in different segments in different markets can we?

Kizashi was intended to be a sporty midsize sedan and it is positioned as such. So, in all markets it competes in the midsize segment. In india, we have a habit of considering other midsize sedans like Camry, Accord, etc. as premium or luxury - which they are not IMO. I think we are just giving too much benefit for brand value here, which is not necessary.

In the midsize segment, Kizashi is among the cheapest. And with the India-Japan free trade agreement the price could be down by the time the first delivery is made. So, we'll have to wait before passing judgement.
gshanky is offline  
Old 24th February 2011, 21:13   #77
Senior - BHPian
 
supremeBaleno's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Chennai / Kochi
Posts: 5,545
Thanked: 2,693 Times
Re: Maruti Suzuki Kizashi 2.4 CVT: Test Drive and Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by chevelle
SB: I was saying the same thing in Kizashi thread for which you won't agree, I didn't get reply from you afterwards.
Well, I did prepare a reply, but did not post it because that thread was turning into a dialogue between you and me.

Quote:
Originally Posted by chevelle
It seems finally we agree on some thing in common for kizashi
Well, as consumers we always want the best at cheapest price - so there we would be in agreement. The disagreement was about which cars to compare the K against. You said it should be compared with Corolla/Civic/Jetta, while I believe it is trending more towards the Accord. I still stand by that and given that a couple of posts on this thread say that the K competes against the Accord/Camry in the US, it does not sound like an unreasonable comparison.
supremeBaleno is offline  
Old 24th February 2011, 21:35   #78
Senior - BHPian
 
chevelle's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: sacto
Posts: 1,299
Thanked: 552 Times
Re: Maruti Suzuki Kizashi 2.4 CVT: Test Drive and Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by supremeBaleno View Post
Well, I did prepare a reply, but did not post it because that thread was turning into a dialogue between you and me.

Well, as consumers we always want the best at cheapest price - so there we would be in agreement. The disagreement was about which cars to compare the K against. You said it should be compared with Corolla/Civic/Jetta, while I believe it is trending more towards the Accord. I still stand by that and given that a couple of posts on this thread say that the K competes against the Accord/Camry in the US, it does not sound like an unreasonable comparison.
Having driven one, i can vouch for this, it doesn't belongs to accord/camry segment in terms of space, quality, drive, performance(quite near yet far). Putting in a 2.4 L engine, avg to par-performance, pricing it near accord/camry territory can best be termed as wanna-be. Apart from that in all other areas including sales, services, availability, resale, image, it clearly falls short of accord/camry/sonata.

even the high end versions of jetta/civic/corolla runs to the base versions of accord/camry/sonata, that is approx $25k, i won't compare them with their bigger brothers. Same goes for superb and accord in India. I doubt a person considering two cards would consider a kizashi in India.

And i also felt its overpriced for what it offers in India, and many members seem to agree here including the OP. While i won't want a difference of 4 lakhs, i would certainly like to see a couple of lakhs less than current pricing. With Indo-Japan agreement, i hope that happens in near future.

Anyways, lets not compare the sizes and stick to the review. You can always PM me for that.

Last edited by chevelle : 24th February 2011 at 21:37.
chevelle is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 24th February 2011, 21:45   #79
Senior - BHPian
 
pjbiju's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Pune
Posts: 1,357
Thanked: 1,088 Times
Re: Maruti Suzuki Kizashi 2.4 CVT: Test Drive and Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by supremeBaleno View Post
...
I like the Accord's looks, though dated now. But the current Superb from any view is plain dull. That sure ain't hampering sales.

As far as prices go, the Civic costs as below in Delhi.
Civic 1.8V MT : 1,308,500
Civic 1.8V AT : 1,382,500

Given that the K-MT and K-AT are priced at 16.5 and 17.5 lakhs respectively, if it is overpriced by 4lakhs as some members say, are you suggesting that MSIL offer a CBU car which is not only bigger & better equipped than the Civic, but will also whack it in performance, to be available at 12.5 and 13.5 lakhs respectively ie cheaper than Civic ?

Why stop at the Civic then ? Let us clamour for the Kizashi to be priced alongside the City.

If not for the CBU route, the K would have been cheaper by a couple of lakhs, which would have been a good thing - a price of 15lakhs and 16lakhs for the MT & AT respectively would definitely have been good. But to say that it should have been priced at Civic (or worse lower) levels does not make sense.
Good points there SB. As far as the looks are concerned, I find all the Skoda cars looking very similar and uninspiring. I too like the Honda accord. And I find the Kizashi good looking. The front could have been a little more radical though, like the first concept car.

With respect to the pricing I wish they were priced around two lakhs lower to make it affordable to more people (like enthusiastic drivers and not so much to the chauffeur driven people) . The 50% lower tax on the CKD kits would have helped Maruti to launch this at a much lower price point. But then, they also need to consider the amount of investment they would have had to make, to make the CKD route possible. May not have been an easy task considering the waiting periods for most of their models.

With respect to the interiors, the switch cluster that has the switches for the fog lamps, headlamp levelling etc. really look out of place in this car because of their design and quality and the fact that they are present even in the Swift (and may be other models as well).

I wish Maruti success with this car.
pjbiju is offline  
Old 24th February 2011, 21:56   #80
BHPian
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Mumbai, Noida
Posts: 38
Thanked: 17 Times
Re: Maruti Suzuki Kizashi 2.4 CVT: Test Drive and Review

Awesome review Sid. Though I agree with most people Kizashi seems over-priced. I somehow feel this car might not bring huge profits for Maruti but would probably keep numbers running just like Aria is doing for Tata.
Safari_Sid is offline  
Old 24th February 2011, 22:29   #81
GTO
Team-BHP Support
 
GTO's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Bombay
Posts: 70,335
Thanked: 298,733 Times
Re: Maruti Suzuki Kizashi 2.4 CVT: Test Drive and Review

Sid,

What can I say, you continue to amaze me, man! Each review of yours is better than the previous. Your dedication & attention to detail is to be respected.

Your Kizashi review gives a better insight on the car, more than any other I've read. When I sat in the CBU Kizashi at the Auto Expo, the interior quality just blew me away (especially for a Maruti). I think Maruti's got the package right (or rather Suzuki), but they've done an "Aria". Great product, but a couple of lakhs too expensive. The Kizashi faces the same problem in the States as well; it's sales performance has been less than spectacular / predictions in the very market it was designed for. After the initial hype settles down, the Kizashi's sales will run out of steam in India too.

Rating the thread a well-deserved 5 stars.

Last edited by GTO : 24th February 2011 at 22:30.
GTO is offline   (2) Thanks
Old 24th February 2011, 22:52   #82
BHPian
 
salbin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Bangalore, Kochi
Posts: 525
Thanked: 306 Times
Re: Maruti Suzuki Kizashi 2.4 CVT: Test Drive and Review

Excellent review Sid..

IMHO Kizashi design got some touches from SX4 front and the dash center console similar to Swift2011.
salbin is offline  
Old 24th February 2011, 23:25   #83
BHPian
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 531
Thanked: 274 Times
Re: Maruti Suzuki Kizashi 2.4 CVT: Test Drive and Review

sid's review clearly says that SuKi (Suzuki Kizashi) doesnt stack too well against an accord or the Euros (except for the powertrain). So my gut feeling is that this is gonna be a disaster for Suzuki. Should have pitted it against the old war horse Civic or atleast priced it around 14-16 lacs. To me its bad homework from Maruti. They should have done it step by step by first entering into the 10-15 lac bracket and then think of 20's and 30's.

Unfortunately for car manufacturers, the better guys are with team-bhp (like sid, gto etc ).

Someday we can imagine team-bhp venturing into car manufacturing

Personally I feel, Suki is a Sx4 'hangover'!!!

Last edited by sam_sant2005 : 24th February 2011 at 23:27.
sam_sant2005 is offline  
Old 25th February 2011, 02:59   #84
BHPian
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Calicut
Posts: 99
Thanked: 39 Times
Re: Maruti Suzuki Kizashi 2.4 CVT: Test Drive and Review

Woww..awesome review Sid.You overpowered my laziness to reply.

But the car...my heart and brain both feel that this is over-priced.

You have taken all kinds of photos with all kinds of angles..but none of them justify a 20lac price tag,especially the side profile.

I personally would go for the superb if I was looking for a 20 lac car.
ahmed26 is offline  
Old 25th February 2011, 09:21   #85
Senior - BHPian
 
Gansan's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Chennai
Posts: 4,520
Thanked: 5,470 Times
Re: Maruti Suzuki Kizashi 2.4 CVT: Test Drive and Review

I have a feeling this will not go the GV way and Maruti may achieve their sales target if it is ~ 200 per month. GV was done in by the petrol engine and may have fared better with a diesel option. But this is not a big handicap for a sedan.

As for price, I feel they will take their usual discount route if things don't work out!
Gansan is offline  
Old 25th February 2011, 09:23   #86
BHPian
 
John's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Secunderabad
Posts: 381
Thanked: 518 Times
Re: Maruti Suzuki Kizashi 2.4 CVT: Test Drive and Review

Thanks for a great review Sid and the awesome pics (even with an old school camera!). Now, if Maruti could have priced this around
15 L they would have a winner on their hands. Nearly 20 L OTR... not so sure.

Last edited by John : 25th February 2011 at 09:25.
John is offline  
Old 25th February 2011, 10:08   #87
BHPian
 
nurni76's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: BLR/SEATTLE
Posts: 907
Thanked: 360 Times
Re: Maruti Suzuki Kizashi 2.4 CVT: Test Drive and Review

Sid, You have done it again. I was eagerly awaiting a Team BHP review on this car. I was pleasantly surprised to see you beat the big Daddies of Team BHP to this review. A 5 star rating (though not enough to justify the quality of this review).

You have thrown in a lot of details on the exterior, interiors and the drive. This definitely is a giant leap for Maruti. Your version of this being the best engine in its class is what is attracting me to this car. However, a package is great only when the price is equally attractive. I personally feel, the product is great. However, the overall size, brand image will peg it below the Accord and Superb. Having said that 16.5L is not very expensive for the product, but it would be been perfect had it been priced at 15L ex showroom for the Manual. I am also waiting to lay hands on one for a test drive.
nurni76 is offline  
Old 25th February 2011, 11:04   #88
BHPian
 
fuel_addict's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 692
Thanked: 121 Times
Re: Maruti Suzuki Kizashi 2.4 CVT: Test Drive and Review

A 5-star review and some splendid pictures of the car. Good work Sid! The Kizashi does look like a beast with those 17" alloys and the aggressive front grill. Enough has been said about the engine. It surely sounds like a stonker. Being a CBU spoils the pricing to an extent. Hopefully, MUL will look at the CKD route which will not only make the car cheaper but an ideal VFM prospect. A diesel option in the future would be an icing on the cake.

Last edited by fuel_addict : 25th February 2011 at 11:05.
fuel_addict is offline  
Old 25th February 2011, 11:37   #89
BANNED
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: BLR MCT
Posts: 962
Thanked: 900 Times
Re: Maruti Suzuki Kizashi 2.4 CVT: Test Drive and Review

Awesome!! well done sidindica!

Just 3 colours? one bright colour is a must!!

nice rear end and well integrated exhaust!

the exteriors are quiet understated. IMO lacks the punch for the price bracket.
The dash is a nice dual tone. The rest of the interiors are too much of beige for my liking!Awesome list of equipment! makes the can seem worth the money! on the flip side some of the features excluded are simply disappointing!
seems like a good overall package! how it goes down with the consumers is to be seen!
Mafia is offline  
Old 25th February 2011, 11:50   #90
BHPian
 
Fornax's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Bombay
Posts: 293
Thanked: 91 Times
Re: Maruti Suzuki Kizashi 2.4 CVT: Test Drive and Review

Fantastic review, much better than what a video review may have provided. IMO, Photos+Narration is still the best mode of putting forward a technical review. Great job Sidindica. (Were you a former Indica owner?)

With regards the growing noise about its' pricing - isnt it a double edged sword really? Suzuki prices it lower, and gets tagged cheap. It decides to launch a car truly manufactured outside India, and gets tagged over-priced.

Guess numero unos always have to live with criticism.

As regards the car itself, its' perched right at the top in my upgrade list, and I could not have been happier seeing such a wonderful product from a company which gives me peace of mind when I need the most - service times.

If there was any change desired, after local production , I'll be happy to see a low powered engine, that will give me 9-10 km/l. Everything else is absolutely down my alley.
Fornax is offline  
Reply

Most Viewed
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Team-BHP.com
Proudly powered by E2E Networks