Maruti Kizashi (2014)

Overview

Kizashi is the most expensive car offered by India’s largest selling car company, Maruti Suzuki. With this car Maruti enters a territory where auto giants like Honda, Skoda, Toyota and VW rules.

Exterior

The first look is not as catchy as we expected. It can easily be mistaken as a SX4 and can be neglected by many. Its face is remarkably similar to younger sibling and it won’t be hard for anyone to tell that it’s a Maruti car. Its front grille, fog lights along with surrounds and air dam look like any other Maruti car. Force hard on your eyes and then only you can differentiate it with other cars. Side profiling includes 17 inch stylish alloy wheels and muscular wheel arches. The car lacks turn indicators on its outside mirrors which indicate at the cost cutting. Rear portion of Kizashi is very charming. It has a compact boot gate with inbuilt spoiler which goes really well along with the premium looking tail lights. The big rear bumper with dual chrome finished exhaust pipes looks extremely sporty.

Interior

Kizashi has all beige colored interiors. The fit and finish inside is satisfactory but can’t compete with others like Superb or Accord. Some of the bits may remind you of its cheaper siblings as you can find some of the buttons from Swift. When it comes to space, it’s nowhere near to its competitors and you can’t consider this car for space when you have cars like Accord which makes it look like an Alto. However, knee room and shoulder room is just fine but its seats are a let-down. Rear seats could have been more comfortable.

Comfort and Convenience

Maruti Kizashi comes with dual zone automatic climate control system and rear AC vents. It has front power seats, power windows, keyless start, and trip computer and powered outside mirrors. The car features front and rear centre armrests, trip computer and adjustable steering wheel. This car is offered with four wheel drive system. However, it lacks many features like auto headlights and wipers and parking camera.

Dashboard and Storage

Kizashi has a dual tone beige and black colored dashboard with silver accent on it. There is a V shaped central console. The quality of plastic and the buttons used on it could have been better as they are not that soft to touch. For storage, it has a normal glove box, cubby holes and bottle holders on doors with a boot capacity of 461 litres.

Music System

Maruti Suzuki Kizashi features an audio system in its central console with 5 speakers and 2 tweeters. It has a radio, CD, MP3 player with USB socket. It also has steering mounted controls.

Engine and Gearbox

Kizashi shares its 2.4L petrol engine with sibling Grand Vitara. This engine churns out a maximum power of 178 bhp at 6500 rpm with a torque output of 230 Nm coming at 4000 rpm. This engine is mated with a six-speed automatic as well as manual transmission. The engine employs both an aluminium block and cylinder heads, providing a lightweight installation; aluminium pistons with low tensile force rings deliver improved power and efficiency. Dropped-forged connecting rods, rotating on a forged steel crankshaft, contribute to the inline four’s durability, and a balancer shaft delivers improved engine balance and reduced noise, vibration and harshness (NVH). In addition to this excellent new power-train, and to even further enhance the Maruti Suzuki Kizashi's strong efficiency story, Suzuki is developing an even more fuel efficient hybrid version that will be added to the line-up in the future.

Acceleration and Performance

The 2.4l engine is impressive in terms of performance but it can’t beat many of competitors like Superb, Accord or Hyundai Sonata. The initial throttle response is very good but it lacks the grunt offered by others. With manual transmission, this engine feels more relaxed and enthusiastic as you can use its power and torque according to your need. This engine takes around 9 seconds to reach 100km/hour from standstill with a limited top speed of 180km/hr. If you want to go beyond it, there are many other options. This engine will surely impress you with its refinement level as its very silent when pushed hard. It response really well after 2000rpm -5500rpm, the power delivery never feels short. Gear ratios are well matched with this engine and with taller sixth gear; it’s a nice car for cruising. Its automatic transmission is a bit slow though but after initial phase it settles well.

Mileage

The manual variant of Kizashi gives you a mileage of around 8km/ltr in city conditions while on highways its fuel efficiency is around 12km/ltr. With its automatic transmission, expect this fuel efficiency to decrease by 1-2km/ltr.

Safety Features

Maruti Suzuki Kizashi is stuffed with safety features like 6 airbags, ESP and Hill decent control.

Suspension and Brakes

Its suspension is on the soft side which confirms you a very comfy ride inside. The car manages to take on most of the obstructions on road with ease. Kizashi is equipped with ventilated discs at its front with solid discs at the back for accurate braking with other features like ABS with EBD.

Ride and Handling

Kizashi feels more suitable for city conditions as at high speeds and sharp corners, there is a major body roll in this car. The handling is not that responsive around corners but with a turning radius of 5.5m, it’s good for city traffic. Its compact size is also beneficial for day to day usage as it fits in tight spaces easily. The fatty tyres hold the road properly along with a wheelbase of 2700mm but this car doesn’t feel as stable as others.

Variants and Warranty

Maruti offers Kizashi in two variant – Manual and Automatic. Company gives a warranty of 2 years/40,000 kilometers on Kizashi.

Shades

Maruti Suzuki Kizashi is available in three shades: Premium Silver Metallic, Super Black Pearl and Snow White Pearl.

Verdict

Frankly speaking, we don’t find it to be a complete value for money car. We don’t know how Kizashi will be able to justify its high pricing because at this price we don’t think that with its ordinary looks and performance, it will manage to grab the buyers who look for sheer luxury and performance. Recently launched Hyundai Sonata is also a big threat to Kizashi as that car feels a generation ahead from Kizashi in terms of styling and performance. Moreover, Maruti Suzuki’s small car image is a big drawback for this car as nobody wants to be associated with cheaper cars after paying this much of money. So, we expect a tough time ahead for Kizashi in our car market.