Suzuki Kizashi FR (2010-2015) Questions & Answers

We have a 2010 model with a CVT transmission. The transmission has completely failed at only 80,000kms. We're really disappointed as we have really babied this car. Service Agents put a second-hand transmission in and it lasted 9 kms before once again failing. Not happy!

Make sure ALL the services have been done. Check the fluids. Check the radiator for cracks on the top. Mine cracked after a year and was replaced under warranty. Check for undercarriage damage - low clearance. Avoid any car driven on gravel or rough country roads. CVT - will last if not thrashed. Check boot latch. Easily broken due to lid slamming easily (no hydraulic struts and slams on any up incline). I love my Kizashi. 10 years & 140,000 kms drives like new though probably won't last as long as my V6 '98 Camry 500,000 kms and the engine was as good as new. Shame everything else fell apart around it.

My Kizashi (2011 model) has been written off now, in Australia, and although I have some serious reservations about the models made around then due to faulty fuel tanks etc (2015 was fine; it was earlier models affected), can I say that the Kizashi was otherwise a BEAUTIFUL car to drive. REALLY safe in an accident, and just generally a great car. Plenty of oomph in the engine when you needed it. Cornered smoothly and safely. The boot latch was annoying. I kept hitting my head on it when the boot was open! That was my major gripe. And the dash was a little high and there wasn't enough head room. Don't have friends in the car near the 6-foot tall mark - they won't fit in the car without keeping their head on an odd angle! But you'll probably like the size in the end. I found it a great size. Could fit a whole big food shop in the boot and could get 3 car seats across the rear seat!

YES, parts can be really hard to get sometimes. I had to wait extra weeks multiple times while parts were shipped over from Japan because there were none in Australia. A bit frustrating.

It's not overly expensive to insure, at least I didn't find that. NZ might be different? I live in a cold inland area, it gets to negatives overnight in winter, and never had a problem starting her because of the cold. She had a few other minor issues at 7 years of age (fuel tank issue aside..), but she'd also done over 150,000km.

If you resonate with the car, if she feels right to drive (and with good tyres, you will find all corners easy to handle!!), and if you're happy with the price, then I'd say get her.

I think it would be fair and reasonable to negotiate down in price due to it being discontinued. It's never going to be a Collector's car, so the sooner they can get it off the lot, the better - and if they will take a little less than what they're wanting, I think they will get that wish!

Good luck!

Hi Mela. Our car had the CVT re-conditioned 2mths ago and going well after our drama. Saying that, I hope it keeps on like that. Many owners have had no troubles at all with the CVT, we just got a problem one. You don't see many around, they're well appointed and drive great. Sound system is brilliant, good on fuel. I would have the CVT checked for unusual noises especially whirring/whining ones. Other than that, enjoy. Cya!

Fantastic car Mela, if you are buying the AWD Sport, price seems reasonable but for a lower grade, I would say they need to drop the price by at least $2000. Enjoy

They are a great car to drive and I would certainly recommend purchasing if you like the vehicle. As regards price, I can't really comment as I have no experience with second hand prices, especially in New Zealand, and even more so with a Japanese import.

Not me - at 40,000km they have no spotting.

I'm at 110000km so it may be an issue that arrives later. I have heard of a couple people with this issue. Probably just faulty wheels. Thanks

Yes. I replaced my standard Kizashi XL wheels for the 18 in XLS mags. Two years later but only 20,000 klms later I reported to my dealers lots of black tarnishing. I washed the mags every week or two (no corrosive sprays used) so brake dust or dirt build up was not an issue. Suzuki management in Brisbane said that although there were a few cases in the USA I was not covered by my warranty as the wheels were not standard and secondly, the warranty excludes wheels. So I got the wheels repainted in a light silver which is close to the metallic alloy look of the original. No problems with blackening problem yet.

Yes the Kizashi has been discontinued since the beginning of 2015. While they are a good car, resell will definitely be affected as many don't want to own a car that has been discontinued. Kizashis go for a cheap price and they will only keep going down in value. The Honda Accord Euro is the other mid-size car that has also been discontinued.

As I understand it, yes they are discontinued. I did not get a great price when I sold mine, but it was the best car I ever owned and I only changed because we needed a smaller car in our old age. If you intend to keep the car for a while, buy it, you won't get a better keeper. If you are worried about the price you are likely to sell it for, it is probably not a good buy. I can't think why it didn't become a sales success.

Thank you! I do a more k's than most average drivers, sinus ideally like to only have it around 3 years so the k's don't get crazy high. The one I'm looking at is a dealer demo, has done 15,500kms and is $23,300. It's the sports AWD My14. Thoughts?

You might only get 14-15k for it. Good luck :-)

Hi Tracee. The "carsguide" site, which I have found to be pretty reliable, suggest a price of $13000 - $14800 if sold privately, and $10400 - $11900 if traded in. That is for the Auto transmission. Variation due to mileage and condition. Have a look at the site, it has some good info on it. Hope you do OK.

Regards Sean.

To be honest, I don't think you will sell it. They are a discontinued car and yours has done a lot of kms. When I traded mine in, I only had around 35,000km. I don't want to sound negative but trading it in might be an option. You won't get the greatest price but it will save you the waiting time on a car that isn't exactly on people's radar. Good luck with it!

I'm pretty sure it's 150,000km

Not in Australia as far as I am aware. Some 2010 US built cars did have CVT module failures but I think this problem was confined to them, not Japanese built cars. 2015 was the last Japanese build year. Kizashi is now built in a Suzuki factory in Pakistan.

I I cant find evidence that USA had its own factory - I am interested in a 2010 build one so I want to be sure I wont have to pun i a new trans at great expense

According to my local service manager in Auckland there are no issues with Suzuki CDT at all. All they have ever done is change the transmission fluid at 150000 kilometres.

It seems to be a USA issue - I have also asked a local Suzuki dealer and they say it has not been a problem

I ended up changing the battery myself but I can't remember the battery size. Why don't you just check the User's Manual?

Original question of "Is a VY 2008 model v8 worth more than a v6 Omega ve 2007 model?" has nothing to do with my knowledge of my Kizashi. Sorry.

No peeling at all. When I bought my car I was aware that some owners were reporting easy chipping. But apart from a few chips from negligent shoppers putting shopping trolleys next to my car then the reported chipping problem has not become apparent to me after 3 years of ownership. I still think the Kizashi is a universe better than any Mazda 3, Ford Focus etc. If you need a BIG medium, yes, you might consider the new Mazda 6 ...but the second hand prices of Kizashis make them the buy of the century. All the best.

Have had no problems with any peeling or unusual chipping of paint, I imagine most cars manufactures these days use the same technology in paint application methods.

My Kizashi was a black one and from the beginning I said that they cut costs on the paint. The paint would scratch if you sneezed at it! Stone chips, scuffs and scratches would always appear and I am a very fussy car owner who looks after my car and always keep my car in the garage. So yes, paint was not good at all.

To answer CWMORPH's comment....I bought a Mazda 3 SP25 Astina after I traded in my Kizashi and I have to disagree with you. The Mazda 3 is a MUCH better car in terms of features, safety, performance and paint quality. I used to own a Sport AWD Kizashi so I have first hand experience with both top of the range models.

I have not had any problems with the paintwork at all in the 3 years I have owned my Kizashi. In fact I recently had some scratches to 4 panels repainted and the repairer remarked on the good quality of the original paint; good thickness and easy to match.

Deb ,I do not have any hesitation recommending a second hand Kisashi, just take due care and if not sure get some qualified advise on the condition of the car, if you get one you are happy with and it ticks all the boxes as far as the general condition goes you will be a happy little vegemite. They really are a very good car and I still look at mine in a car park and think what a great looking car it is, I have a xls which handles very well ,if you want great handing get the four wheel drive if you want better comfort go for the xl which I imagine would have a softer ride. They are a slightly heavier car than most in their class but to me this represents quality in the manufacturing of the vehicle more than any thing else, as each kilogram adds to the cost of producing the car, this indicates that Suzuki have not skimped in the production of this car, and weight usual contributes to a better ride and in some cases better handling, they have a great 2.4lt engine which performs very well when required, but 2.4lt is big compared to todays four cylinder therefore fuel consumption may be good it is not great compared to a small diesel or a hybrid, but this is in my opinion a worth will trade off.

I have a 2012 AWD Model with after sale" Alpine " Sat-Nav and rear view camera installed and am about to buy a new car, same make/model now that I have exceeded makers warrantee of 3 yrs. My Kisashi has never shown any problems with paint chipping or repair with small parking damage required resulting from car park problems. My current model has done 43000k and runs like clockwork. Once again, I can only claim that this is the best car I`ve had, following on 4 new Mazdas, as they appeared. That`s my story! Ron Hyams

My Kisashi is a FWD, so I can't coment on the 4WD other than to say that it is an extremely well made vehicle, which has been completely trouble free and reliable since Oct 2010 when we bought it new, also very well equipped for the money. I don't think you would be disappointed if you bought one.

Own the Sport 4WD and can say that it is a very good vehicle. Body is extremely strong and is one of the safest cars on the road. Advertising for the vehicle is poor so many have never heard of it. Many comments have been made on the appearance, and the

only fault if any is that it doesn't have a rear wiper. Once you have a drive you will realize this vehicle has many, many good points.

Very happy indeed.

Yes it is firm. It handles like a sports car and has virtually no body roll. It feels like a really solid car but I don't think It's the car for really rough or dirt roads. Having said that though I don't think any of the other competitors in its class would give a much better better ride. If you spend a lot of time on country roads you'd probably be better of with an SUV. After six months with the Kizashi I'm still impressed and have had no trouble whatsoever.

You' might be better off picking up the "old" model Touring with the 17" wheels- if ride comfort is a high priority? Mine has 17" rims and I'm glad in a way- because Adelaide roads can be shockingly rough and the extra sidewall height takes the "edge" off the sharp potholes.

But take out one of the models with 18" rims on familiar roads and see what you think. Everyone has a different idea on what a comfortable ride is.

Ride is firm but compliant. On windy roads is where it really shines as handling also kicks in. The front seats are very supportive as well.

Have just returned from Adelaide where we had a new Kizashi hire car with 750km on the clock. I don't know if it is just the roads in Adelaide or not, but the ride quality was terrible. Not impressed with the car at all. You could feel engine vibration through the floor & it felt like it had square wheels. Would not swap my 5 year old Falcon gor one.

We have just returned from a 3000km trip to Vic and back in our 2010 Kisashi XLS with 18" wheels. The ride is certainly on the firmish side, but we have always found it very comfortable on long trips, the seats are very good and the firmness is offset by extremely good handling. Have a test drive and see for youself, I am sure you will be impressed.

Yes ride is firm but not uncomfortable. Seats are great. I have the base model - tyres with slightly higher side walls making a more forgiving ride but the car still sticks to the road like glue.

Thanks a lot for your answers. Very helpful. Will keep in mind for the future.

I'm a regular on numerous worldwide Suzuki forums and can honestly say I've only heard of 2-3 people having catastrophic CVT failures. Any problems would be covered by warranty and I believe the standard warranty period is now 5yrs. I'd suggest to take one for a test drive and see what you think of the CVT operation. I haven't driven one (mine's a manual) but have heard there are a few idiosyncrasies with the CVT operation- compared to a traditional automatic transmission.

Hi Stephen. I do own a 2013 Sport AWD Kizashi. It is a great car. The issue with the CVT is that if you put your foot down it can take a while to change through the gears, and sometimes get to the high 5's in revs before doing so. In the lower gears there is a "drone" noise - but thats because it seems to run in a higher gear and change down later to save fuel - if you flick over to manual gear shift you will see that it is still in a higher gear for the speed you are doing. All cars seem to be going this way - Toyotal have said all thier new cars will have this auto too. Take the car model you want to buy for a test drive - as the one I bought is apparently heavier than the base model. Still Happy with my choice though. : )

Really appreciated all your helps :)

If you read international forums on the Kizashi CVT it appears the occasional CVT module failure occurred only in US models early on. Interestingly US Suzuki also had some body paint issues on certain colours. As I understand it US Suzuki made their cars in the USA. Perhaps quality control may have been an issue.

I have had mine since Jan 2012 . Kizashi Sport, AWD, CVT, the works! I have no problem with my first ever cvt driven veh. What noise???? I am ,of course, profoundly deaf. Perhaps an advantage in my case, if there is any noise. I am in my 4th year of ownership and pursuing a new model, same ole, same ole! I don`t aspire to anything more desirable in a new car! Stick with it kid...... I was born in 1928-----how about you.