Will Maruti Suzuki Kizashi Sell at Such a Premium Price?

Is it worth paying big money for the Suzuki Kizashi? 

Suzuki Kizashi is as posh as it gets and will be sold as a completely build unit, so it comes bundled with all the performance, safety and comfort features you would find in a car of its class. Speaking of which, it falls between the Honda Civic/Toyota Corolla and the Honda Accord/ Toyota Camry in terms of dimension. Its wheelbase is identical to that of a civic (and more than Corolla), but overall length and width is higher than either of these two. Kizashi is has an ex-showroom price of `16.5-18 Lakh.

So what changes have been carried out to make the Kizashi suitable for Indian Roads?  “The ground clearance has been increased by 15mm and the engine has been tuned to accept Indian fuel.” Says Mr.Rao, Maruti Suzuki Managing Executive Officer. ‘And its only front wheel drive in India, unlike all wheels drive in other countries,’

Maruti Suzuki is behaving extremely conservatively with this car. Historically, they have not been successful in selling cars beyond `8 lakhs. The Grand Vitara didn’t sell well, while they sell around 1500 units of the SX4 each month. So in an attempt not to over-reach them in category they are not sure of dominating and to preserve valuable plant capacity, the Kizashi will be a CBU. Suzuki has taken also taken a safe step to launch this car only in three colors-black, Silver and White!

Now the question is if Maruti was so unsure about the impact of Kizashi on market, why did they launch it? Answer is simple: They want to be prepared to be a major player in a segment they have never been around in. They want to conquer their traditional weakness while being future ready. Makes sense. Besides why keep customers graduating in your fold and then hand them over to the waiting hands of the competition simply because they don’t have a car in that segment ?

Design wise, it has pronounced nose treatment, the headlamps and the egg-crate grille all add up to a very prominent frond-end, while an aggressive and pronounced waistline gives it a stance. Inside, the central display is virtually a fill black unit with black electronic screens, with display for the climatiser and the audio system. It’s quite cool and different from the other cars in its segment.  The interiors are beige Even the instrument cluster is quite nice and sporty. The only sore point about the look is the spoiler that sticks out of the boot lid. Kizashi has an independent design; it looks different from all other cars in its segment. The Switchgear ia vastly improved and is unique to this car. The drivers’ seat comes with a 10-way power adjustment with three memory setting and adjustable lumbar support as well.

Performance wise, it’s muscular with 2400cc, six-speed manual transmission engine. The car is brilliantly engineered and its capability mach its sporty look. The tyres make the Kizashi stay planted so one can enjoy straightening the curves. Rear passengers may not find it comfy, but the suspension does its job.

Kizashi is a brilliant driver’s car, muscular and powerful. At the price of `16.5-18 Lakh, it is quite good value. It’s big; it’s loaded with stuff including safety features, is well built, is tastefully appointed and has a drivetrain that compares well to those in large sedans. According to me people should be ready to pay for that much for the above mentioned features.