Kizashi SE joins New Zealand Lineup

The special edition Kizashi SE sedan has just been introduced to the Suzuki New Zealand line-up.

The SE plugs the gap between the GLX and LTD versions of Kizashi and majors on offering a comprehensive specification at a value based price.

This latest rendition of Suzuki’s medium size saloon boasts 18-inch aluminium alloy wheels with 235/45R18 tyres as fitted to the flagship Kizashi Sport AWD.

It also gains sports type door moulding strips, leather upholstery, Bluetooth and with the CVT automatic transmission has a recommended retail price of $39,990. This is a $2,000 premium over the Kizashi GLX CVT and $4,000 less than the equivalent Kizashi LTD. The four-wheel-drive Kizashi Sport remains the flagship model at $48,500.

The SE comes as standard with a sports-tuned suspension, dual-zone automatic climate control air conditioning, seven speaker audio system with controls integrated with the steering wheel, computer display and cruise control.

The distinctive looks of the 4,650 mm long Kizashi set the car apart and the European style and engineering advances are matched with Japanese craftsmanship. Careful body detailing includes chrome-plated bezels on the indicator lamps, piano black garnishes on the B-pillars and glossy black belt-line mouldings.

Much of the car’s handling finesse and responsive manners are due to the inspired independent suspension design and multi-link set-up at the rear. Critics say the Kizashi’s handling dynamics exceed almost everything in its price, size and class.

The 2.4-litre twin overhead camshaft engine with variable valve technology produces 131 kW of power and 230 Nm of torque, giving the agile Suzuki a top speed of 205 km/h and 0 to 100 km/h in 7.8 seconds.

Suzuki engineers benchmarked luxury German brands when developing the Kizashi and said the end result had exceeded all expectations.

In a closed race track handling and high speed evaluation in Australia most owners said they had chosen the Kizashi for its looks, features and good value pricing. However, following the high speed driving there was the unanimous consensus that the car was much better on the track than they had expected.

The addition to the line-up of Kizashi models in New Zealand comes within weeks of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in the United States announcing that the Kizashi is one of only two cars to score the top safety rating in the mid-size family car class. The independent tests conducted by the IIHS based the car’s safety on how well it protected the driver from serious injury.