2011 Suzuki Kizashi

We tested both the six-speed manual and the CVT automatic but it was the manual that we preferred. The gearbox is positive and easy to slot accurately and the action is nice and light despite the fact that the gate is a bit wide. Performance is strong though and the wide powerband allows the Kizashi to shoot to 100kph in 9.13 seconds, 150kph coming up in 20.12sec. Skoda’s Laura TSI is much quicker in comparison though, with 100 and 150 coming up in 8.1sec and 18.5sec respectively.

The 2.4-litre motor is very torquey though and the Kizashi responds instantly to a tap on the throttle, making it an enthusiastic performer. So there’s always plenty of performance on hand for city overtaking and you don’t really need to swap cogs often. You can pull the motor all the way to 6500rpm, and it does so willingly, but it does get a touch throaty towards the top. We also found that the Kizashi carried a Japanese speed limiter, the car unable to cross a real speed of 181kph (approximately 193kph on the speedometer), which is a bit of a shame. And Maruti won’t remove this limiter for you either.

      
The performance of the automatic, as expected, is not as strong. It takes 10.1 seconds to reach 100kph, due to the initial sluggishness of the CVT ’box. It’s only marginally nicer when you use the paddles and put the ’box in manual mode. The ‘rubber band’ effect is now a bit less and you have some control over the gearbox, which improves things a bit. And there is less droning and whining from the belts in the gearbox as well. We suggest you opt for the auto if you are going to do a lot of city commuting only.

The upside of the CVT is that it delivers greater fuel efficiency than a torque converter equipped auto. The Kizashi automatic consumed a litre for every 7.9 kilometres covered in the city and efficiency on the highway was even better at 12.2kpl.