Kizashi Ups The Ante For Maruti Suzuki In D-segment

Maruti Suzuki, the pioneer in automobile manufacturing in India since over two decades now has taken a brave step towards building bigger cars. Read D-Segment cars. The automobile cmpany that has a market capitalisation of more than 50 per cent in the Indian market is well known for building small and frugal cars. Maruti Suzuki is best known to build atleast 3 cars out of every 5 cars manufactured in India.

This alone speaks volumes about the car maker. But Marutis expertise in building small car had branded the company as a small car specialist, a tag it proudly wears. But it was time for Maruti to shed their small car maker tag and get into the thick of things by buidling reliable, fuel-efficient, luxury cars. Maruti had attempted to jump in the bandwagon some time back but was met with moderate success. Maruti had earlier come out with its Baleno, which was termed as a flop and the slow selling Grand Vitara. But soon Maruti changed its statergy and went back into the drawing board and brought in the Dzire, the Swift with a boot to make it look like a sedan and the SX4, which has tilted the sales chart in its favour after introducing the diesel version.

The latest addition in the growing Maruti Portfolio is the Kizashi, a careful and calculated move from Maruti Suzuki to up the ante in the Indian car market. Maruti Suzuki Kizashi, a D-segment car, competes with Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, Skoda Laura, Chevrolet Cruze and other luxury cars in that segment. Though a late comer in the segment, it has already picked up considerable orders. Kizashi in Japanese means A sign of great things to come and true to the name the Kizashi is a new synonym for Sportiness and elegance. This car is a combination of Japanese quality and European style flair. Suzuki Kizashi is the sixth World Strategic model from the Suzuki Motor Corporations stable. Suzuki bills this car as the new stimulant for D-segment choice with engaged driving and lifestyle enjoyment.

The design concept of the Kizashi that was envisioned by the designers was that of a dynamic athlete in motion. And therefore the designers had to keep three points in mind and those were a body honed through daily training for victory, Consistent great emotional strength and willpower for tackling New challenges, Powerful presence of a winner. As the designers started working on these three points to churn out a car that could be a clear winner they also came up with Suzuki design philosophy characterized by expressions of solidarity, stability, quality, and thematic clarity.

The Maruti Suzuki Kizashi is launched in India with the same engine specifications, which are used in Japan and the US. The car is equipped with a 2.4 litre, 4 cylinder 16 valve, J-Series DOHC engine. The powerful engine is capable of generating a maximum power of 175 bhp at 6,500 rpm and a max torque of 230/4,000 Nm/rpm. The Maruti Suzuki Kizashi engine comprises of both aluminium block and cylinder heads that allow easy installation. The aluminium pistons bring enhanced power and efficiency. The Suzuki Kizashi will be available in two transmission options: a manual and a Continuous Variable Transmission, both with six forward ratios. The CVT has a paddle shift system with hear selector paddles behind the steering wheel.

The Maruti Suzuki Kizashi, boasts of sporty handling and control along with a very perky acceleration. The premium sedan comes with a standard front wheel drive system. While the manual gearbox Kizashi can do the 0-100 kmph stint in a matter of 7.8 seconds, the Kizashi with the CVT can do the same in 8.8 seconds. The top speed of the manual and the CVT Kizashi are 215 kmph and 205 kmph respectively.

The 2.4 litre engine of the Kizashi comes with direct ignition system (DIS) for powerful sparks directed to the plugs, which brings about ultimate fuel efficiency and reduces CO2 emission. Maruti Suzuki Kizashi offers an overwhelming fuel efficiency of 12.53 kmpl (CVT) and 12.45 kmpl (6-speed MT). Kizashi has a fuel tank capacity of 63 litre.

The Maruti Suzuki Kizashi comes with an exceptionally rigid steel unibody, with McPherson strut front suspension and multi-link rear suspension constructed with embedded aluminium, which allows smooth and nimble handling. The stylish luxury sedan comes with ventilated disc brakes at the front and disc brakes at the rear.

Suzuki Kizashi has a bold and aggressive styling that imbibes the Japanese craftsmanship and European-style design. This car is tailor made for driving enthusiasts and is complemented by 18 aluminium wheels. The styling is contemporary which communicates both sophistication and performance.

The cabin reflects Suzukis expertise in space efficiency in proportions that optimize roominess and comfort by extracting maximum benefit from the space afforded by the D-segment dimensions. This certainly was a task that Suzuki Motor Corporation did with precision though this was the first attempt of Suzuki to dabble in the D-Segment car building.

The interior design is upscale which falls in line with Kizashis performance characteristics. Driving enthusiast certainly will appreciate the sporty, chic instrument panel, and customers seeking luxury will be pleased with appointments that include high-quality upholstery and an automatic air conditioner with independent left and right controls. The luggage bay is also not compromised with Kizashis optimal proportions. The immense boot, offers huge space for all the bags for a long holiday drive with the family.

Performance and Handling

Suzuki Kizashi has an exceptionally rigid steel uni-body and reinforced Macpherson-strut front suspension and multilink rear suspension that afford a crisp and nimble handling with excellent stability and low chassis vibration. This technologically brilliant car is engineered to accommodate all-wheel-drive. Customers can choose a newly developed i-AWD system that evokes driving enthusiasm while promoting control. Kizashis braking is also a state-of-the-art with all-round disk brakes that include 16 ventilated front discs that deliver confidence-inspiring stopping power.

Suzuki Kizashi is a product of constant testing and tuning conducted in diverse conditions around the world. Kizashi was tested in extreme conditions like coldest Minnesota and hot-weather Death-valley in North America. The handling of the car was tested in challenging country roads of United Kingdom and on autobahns and the Nurburgring in Germany. The i-AWD system of the Kizashi was tested and tuned in New Zealand.

The superior body rigidity and suspension efficiency of the Kizashi is just marvelous as the noise and vibrations are extremely low thanks to the optimized aerodynamic efficiency.

Suzuki Kizashi sports an outstanding range of safety technologies to ensure high levels of driver confidence and control. The standard Active-safety equipment in the Kizashi includes an anti-lock braking system, electronic braking-force distribution, and an ESP with traction control that heightens driver confidence by promoting stability during cornering maneuvers, acceleration, and emergency maneuvers and on slippery roads.

Passive-safety features include a light, energy-absorbing body in which structures that absorb and disperse impact energy are combined with a deformation-resisting cabin in line with Suzukis proprietary Total Effective Control Technology (TECT) concept. The front seatbelts have pre-tensioners and force limiters. Suzuki Kizashi also features six to eight airbags, depending on market needs for further protection. The range of colour options available for the Maruti Suzuki Kizashi is Snow White Pearl, Super Black Pearl and Premium Silver Metallic.

So if you have anything like 20 lakhs to spend on a car, don not hesitate to think of a Maruti Suzuki Kizashi.