
Kizashi is here. Yes, the so-called
Maruti Suzuki’s game changer has finally arrived on Indian shores. In its first ever attempt to tread where the big boys play, Maruti Suzuki, a synonym for small cars in India for over two decades now, has launched the
Kizashi in India D-segment. This marks the company’s entry in the premium luxury sedan segment in India.
“Kizashi”, Which means great thing to come in Japanese certainly is the greatest thing to come out from the Maruti stables for the time being. Kizashi, as the good folks at Maruti put it, is a luxurious and sporty sedan. With a price tag of Rs. 16.5 Lakh for the MT and Rs. 17.5 Lakh for the CVT (Ex-showroom Delhi), it needs to be seen how Maruti Suzuki will be faring in the D-segment.
So, what’s new in the Maruti Suzuki Kizashi? For starters, this luxurious sports sedan is powered by a 2.4 litre DOHC J–Series engine, which pumps out a max output of 175.5 bhp @ 6,500rpm and a maximum torque of 230Nm @ 4,000rpm. With the beastly power, the Kizashi produces; Maruti certainly has all the rights in the world to call it a sports sedan. What’s more? For a country obsessed with “Average Kya hai” tagline, Maruti always has given some jaw-dropping numbers. Maruti Suzuki, carrying the magic forward has come out with mind numbing fuel efficiency numbers such as 12.53 Kmpl (CVT) and 12.45 Kmpl (6-speed MT). How cool is that?
Maruti Suzuki, with the Kizashi has given the customers a choice of Continuous Variable Transmission (CVT), which further promotes fuel economy along with a superior driving experience and the 6-speed Manual Transmission (MT) is tuned for the true driving enthusiast to give a taste of Suzuki Motor Corporation’s high technological competence.
Maruti Suzuki Kizashi offers an excellent packaging of feature rich luxury, style and sporty performance. It is manufactured at Suzuki Motor Corporation‘s Sagara plant in Japan and will be imported into India as a Completely Built-up Unit (CBU). After its launch in Japan in late 2009, the Kizashi was introduced in the US.
Speaking at the launch, Shinzo Nakanishi, Managing Director and CEO, Maruti Suzuki India said, “The Kizashi is a major step forward for Maruti Suzuki. With the launch of this luxurious sporty sedan, Maruti Suzuki is able to offer an international car to top-end customers in India. I am delighted to note that most previews by auto experts here have been positive, appreciating the Kizashi’s stylish looks, sporty performance and luxurious feel. We are fully geared to delight customers in a segment where we have been absent so far.”
The customers of the Kizashi will be pampered to the core as the car comes loaded with features such as 10-way power seat for driver with 3-position memory, 4-way power seat for Co-driver, Smart key entry and advanced keyless push start system, paddle shift in CVT variant, multi-functional steering wheel with Audio Control and Cruise Control switches and CD/MP3/USB Audio system to name a few.
The Kizashi, which is a recipient of five star rating in US NCAP crash tests comes equipped with safety features such as 6 Airbags (Driver & Co-driver, 2- Front Side, 2-curtain), Electronic Stability Program with traction control, ABS and EBD, projector headlamp, Hill Hold Control (HHC) in CVT variant and ISO fix child seat anchorage. This Kizashi certainly with this load of safety features should pass off easily as the most luxurious battle tank in the world. (Pun not intended)
The performance and handling of the Kizashi shall reflect the benefits of testing and tuning conducted in diverse conditions around the world. Kizashi has been tested in some of the most extreme conditions, like cold-weather trials in Minnesota and hot-weather trials in Death Valley, USA.
Kizashi’s handling has been honed on challenging country roads in the United Kingdom and on autobahns in Nürburgring, Germany. Kizashi has been developed with special emphasis on combination of sportiness and elegance in its design, smoothness and quietness befitting a vehicle in this class and superior engine performance and fuel efficiency.
The Kizashi in India will be available in three shades i.e. ‘Snow White Pearl’, ‘Super Black Pearl’ and ‘Premium Silver Metallic’ colors. Those of you interested to own the Kizashi can do it by paying a booking amount of Rs 50,000. The deliveries of the car are slated to begin in March 2011 onwards.