The people from Maruti Suzuki had selected the Udaipur-Mount Abu highway for our test drive. It is basically a dual carriageway with some really high-speed corners, allowing one to see if the sports sedan lived up to one’s expectations.
I had the manual six-speed car. Once we hit the highway and got up to speed, the first thing I noticed was the NVH (Noise, Vibration, Harshness) – hardly any road or wind noise infiltrated the interior of this car.
The Kizashi is truly a sports luxury sedan and a fun car to drive right from the short-throw six-speed box to the 2.4-litre engine. The gear shift is slick and precise. The pull from this 2.4 engine is very strong up to 4,000 rpm and then it goes a little flat until it hits the rev limiter at 6,700 rpm. The CVT option is good as one can cruise along without having to shift gears and use the clutch. At the same time, one can also have some fun by selecting the manual mode and using the paddle shifters on the steering.
The Kizashi’s engine and gearbox lived up to its sports sedan billing, but it was the suspension and steering that really completed the sports package. The steering was light yet precise and gave an excellent feedback. The firm suspension set-up with 215/55/17 tyres gave the car a leech-like grip and it was put to full test when I took some of the corners well in excess of 170 km/h. Most cars behave themselves under normal circumstances, but I had to manoeuvre the Kizashi as I came round a corner in excess of 170 km/h and, ran into a stretch that was dug up.
It was then that the Kizashi showed its true colours. As I simultaneously slammed on the brakes and steered the car, it neither misbehaved nor lost poise, with the result that I was able to steer it without a problem through that rough patch.
The Kizashi is a fine sports sedan, but Maruti Suzuki have their work cut out for them in changing the mindset of their dealers and, of course, their customers.
Captions:
1. The Start-Stop button and ESP on-off button
2. The sporty speedo and RPM with onboard computer display
3.2.4, DOHC, 16-valve, four-cylinder engine
