Has Suzuki bitten off more than it can chew? After establishing itself as a car maker that specializes almost exclusively in small cars it has introduced a medium sized car that is aimed directly at the giants of the medium sized Japanese imports – the Mazda6 and the Toyota Camry. But the real surprise is that Suzuki has not only built a quailty mid sizer, but one that can tackle the dynamic abilities of the Mazda6. At the launch of the car journalists were able to compare the Kizashi directly with the Mazda6 and the Camry in a slalom test and the results were telling. While the Mazda6 does quite well, with a stable attitude while changing direction quickly, the Kizashi is an evident step better, cornering with much less body roll and far better stability than the Mazda6. The less said about the Camry in this test the better – it really is a car designed with comfort, rather than cornering in mind. But a slalom test is only one part of the story as on the road the Kizashi feels not only very stable but proves able to absorb much of what the low quality tarmac could throw at the car. After hitting a big bump or pothole the Kizashi merely settles immediately back down – no fuss or bother. Cornering grip is very good, and the six-speed manual gearbox is slick and easy to operate. While there’s only one engine, the 175 horsepower 2.4 litre four cylinder engine is willing to rev eagerly all the way up to the redline. The only problem lies with the automatic version of the car. It uses a CVT gearbox and so has that unfortunate ‘clutch slipping’ sound as the gearbox allows the engine to operate at a fixed number of revs while the gear ratio is altered to accelerate the car. So that’s the spiel for fans of fast driving out of the way but to win in this market the Kizashi also has to feel upmarket and it’s here that the designers have really done some thinking. It’s all in the details, especially the bits where the driver and passengers interact with the car. While both the Camry and Mazda6 have plastic door pulls, the Kizashi has soft leather, and there are soft touch materials everywhere. The interior does have an upmarket styling, which goes a long way to selling the car as a viable competitor to the other Japanese cars. The only real problem is convincing people that Suzuki even sells a mid sized car, which is why plenty of money will be spent on marketing the vehicle to gain awareness of the vehicle. But one thing’s for sure, there’s a new, and very serious player in the market. Category:Home › Home • Will higher gasoline prices mean lower sales for new cars? — part 2 • Will higher gasoline prices mean lower sales for new cars? — part 1 • Should the crew of the Sea Shepherd board whaling ships? • Which makes a better pet: A dog or a cat? — part 13 • Grandparents: Can blogging chronicle your genealogy? • Which makes a better pet: A dog or a cat? — part 12 • Are teachers unions the cause of public school problems today? • Which makes a better pet: A dog or a cat? — part 11