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Spy Shots: Suzuki Kizashi spied in Germany
by Damon Lavrinc on Oct 28th 2008 at 5:02PM 
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Suzuki Kizashi
When the Suzuki Kizashi 3 concept bowed in New York, we were smitten by the sedan's aggressive lines and low-slung stance. But after seeing some rudimentary patent drawings of the production model, we were seriously concerned that everything we loved about Suzuki's new sedan would be lost in translation. Finally, some glimmer of hope has arrived.
KGP caught a Kizashi mule in Germany before it set off on its mandatory 'Ring run, and with a modicum of camo and some artfully placed tape, the prototype laid most of our concerns to rest.
Although the exaggerated shape and massive fender flares of the concept has been eschewed for something a bit more sedate, the majority of the lines remain, along with the sculpted headlamps and broad rear shoulders. Unfortunately, things begin to go slightly awry in the rear, where the chunky C-pillar and 1-series look-alike lights join an upkicked trunk and a bulbous bumper. But overall, our gripes are minor, and with power rumored to be provided by either a 300 hp, 3.6-liter DOHC V6 driving all four wheels or a 2.5-liter four-cylinder putting power down to the front rollers, we think this might be the first in a string of new models from Suzuki that could finally bring it up to par with its cross-town competitors in Japan.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
styleguy 5:10PM (10/28/2008)
It seems to me as if this car looks a little small to be in the midsize segment with the Mazda6 and Accord, but more the Fusion and Legacy. I'm looking forward to seeing this in production form.
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Torrent 5:30PM (10/28/2008)
It kinda looks like a corolla...
Kotse 11:17AM (10/29/2008)
If it's a little small for a midsize...well and good! Better and more nimble perhaps than the bloated and "American supersized" dimensions such as the US Accord, etc...
Kotse 5:14PM (10/28/2008)
Actually looks pretty good...I see it as a fresh design. I don't see it as hacking any other sedan style out there.
Real nice Suzuki!
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Dasupersprint 5:20PM (10/28/2008)
Seems like a handsome car!
By the way, they don't really know how to camoflage a car!
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AdamM 5:49PM (10/28/2008)
Looks good! mostly excited about the 3.6L V6 with 300hp and AWD... wow!
cant wait to see what Road Race Motorsports does with it...
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ultimatemxcn 5:26PM (10/28/2008)
Looks more like a Nissan Sentra successor than anything like the concept.
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BoneHeadOtto 10:56PM (10/28/2008)
agreed 1000% The ruined this car. The concept looks like a bad @ss sedan with some G37 cues and a seriously fast stance. This thing looks like a sentra with acura RL lights and a BMW like tail. Looks terrible in comparison to that show car. worlds apart.
AkulaX1 5:27PM (10/28/2008)
I can never understand how manufactures manage to downgrade from concept to production.
Lets make the car look insanely good that everyone will love it. Lets give it the sickest interior you will see in a car that everyone will love. Lets give it a badass platform engine and chassis!!! Let's spend millions of dollars on developing this concept. Ohh hmmmm let's not make it because lots of people will buy it...
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Nellydesign 9:04AM (10/29/2008)
The problem is, if car companies actually BUILT concept cars for the masses they would have horrible rides, no headroom, and cost $100,000...
Though I am also upset at the "concept car" process. Too often they show us a "concept" version of a car that has already been fully designed, with all of the stylistic tweaks they wish they could have put into production. I'd be happy if they could just get the proportions the same between the two. If it isn't going to look that way in real life, then don't do it. And if you can't make it look good in production to begin with then you need to go back to the drawing board or make better platforms. When you overly tweak the "concept" the production model ends up letting people down.
Sean Flanagan 5:29PM (10/28/2008)
What 1-series are you looking at? The rear lights look like a Civic Coupe's more than anything else.
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Michael 5:31PM (10/28/2008)
I would buy it just like that.
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gtdrifter 5:35PM (10/28/2008)
Other than the Genesis headlamps, it looks decent...at least better than the SX4 sedan.
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Crackberry Addict 6:52PM (10/28/2008)
more like 05-08 Acura RL headlights.
mayflyripper 5:36PM (10/28/2008)
Is that Jamie Hyneman (beret) and Adam Savage in that pic? :)
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Aki 5:38PM (10/28/2008)
Ugh, they destroyed the concept. Now it looks like a Corolla.
I understand they can't implement everything in a concept (giant brake rotors, ultra-low offset wheels, tiny greenhouse, etc)... but it's obvious from the general contours that they totally chickened out and went conservative in styling. The concept had sharper edges mixed in, this is so rounded out (hence the resemblance to Yaris/Corolla).
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J M C 3 5:49PM (10/28/2008)
Some of these Asian car companies can re-interpret German styling themes rather quickly.
Very nice for an economy car.
Especially the wheels.
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andy 5:52PM (10/28/2008)
does anyone else think it looks like a G6 from the front in first set of photos.
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BigWill 6:11PM (10/28/2008)
I'm rooting for Suzuki. Unfortunately, here in America the memory of really fun Suzukis like the Swift Turbo has been almost totally obliterated by the Suzuki-labeled Equinoxes and Daewoos - excuse me, GMDATs.
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Eek 6:13PM (10/28/2008)
Looks pretty good. I wish it kept the length of the concept but it seems pretty nice from these pics.
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