Two years after the 2010 Philippine International show and roughly seven months after Top Gear Philippines featured Suzuki Kazashi in its website, the executive sedan with a tag from Suzuki has finally come in Cebu.
Suzuki Cebu has made a One-day Open House (which has been extended) to feature the fairly brand new Suzuki Kizashi inside the showroom of Suzuki in AS Fortuna St., Mandaue City. Two glistening white and grey Kizashi’s are on full display to car enthusiasts of Cebu. The author and Ryan Lopez, the ninja blogger behind CAB, enjoyed drooling and snapping pictures in different angles from inside and out the Kizashi car models.
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We (yes, not only me) were at awe of the fairly brand new yet magnificent sedan which has been categorized as an executive automobile in the ranks of Toyota Camry and Hyundai Sonata. Despite its part of the category, Kizashi has been designed for professionals with rugged or sporty lifestyle. Though it is not a hybrid automobile, but the model is targeted to individuals with hybrid lifestyle, primarily the executives and businesspersons who want to go in the field driving executive cars to sports events.
The athletic exterior which seems robust in height compared to its competitors makes Kizashi, a kind of a sporty yet classy car. It may not be as wide as the Camry, but its height in the exterior and the spacious interior bring in a factor which could be attractive to yuppies like me who are also into muscled yet elegant cars.
[xyz-ihs snippet=”POSTADS”]There are things that make Kizashi an impressive car to drive as you ply the good roads wherever destination you are. The interior boasts of simplistic yet ergonomic in designs from the main controls on the instrument panel to the shift gears where you can opt to go automatic to manual and vice versa.
The keyless push-start system makes you feel as if you turn the ignition of a Suzuki motorcycle. The body-hugging fit of the front seats can provide the feel akin to sports cars.
Standard interior features in Kizashi are the ambient and footwell lighting; rear-view screen, felt-lined glove compartment, entertainment and USB ports, center console storage tray and six airbags. An electronic stability program is also included as well as the dual-zone air-controller.
The minimalist yet rich control display on the dashboard with simple push buttons and knobs is one of the things that attract me to Kizashi. There are two temperature control knobs for the driver and front-seat passenger. This feature may seem an additive in design but is pragmatic, in a sense. The front-seat passenger does not have to distract the driver on the road to adjust the car interior temperature.
Perhaps, another feature that would entice car enthusiasts to buy this car model is the ability of the car to detect the owner of the remote key control. The holder of the remote key does not have to click to open the car using the key. The car can detect where the key is wherein the holder only has to push the button on the exterior car door handle on the driver and passenger’s doors. This will come handy when the car owner or driver goes on a hurry and who, at times, is oblivious if he turns click the car unlock button on the remote key or not. The functionality works if the driver has the car key with him.
The interior of Kizashi is not complex, a factor that can be well added as among the plus points for the car model. Its price in peso is above a million but is not as expensive as its other competitors.
Ryan Lopez was able to test-drive the car along with me in the passenger side. “Driving Kizashi makes me want to own one”, the CAB founder quips. “Trading my recent car for a Kizashi may be worth it”, he adds.
Thanks to Ken Laurel, the versatile sales agent from Suzuki orientated us about the model. We were able to test-drive the Kizashi with his assistance.
Being in the car seems ordinary but perhaps, I should have also been able to test drive to evaluate the car more fully. Perhaps, next time.
And one more thing, Kizashi here in Cebu is still a brand new model despite its age of over two years since its introduction in many motor shows. Owning one Kizashi models in Cebu would make you one of the first car owners who can parade Kizashis in the streets of Cebu.
