2010 Suzuki Kizashi - Long-Term Conclusion

Kelley Blue Book spent 1 year driving and testing a 2010 Suzuki Kizashi test car. In this video, Kelley Blue Book's Leigh Anne Sessions and Micah Muzio wrap up the experience, discussing what went right and what went wrong.
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[@ShandaP018]

I have this car. It's really an amazing and stylish ride. Parts are harder to acquire but the Suzuki US customer service is still up and running and very helpful.

[@georgefa]

how much millage did the car last you? I'm looking at one with 138k miles on it. and how's the AWD holding?

[@opinionmatters7119]

Awesome cars. Bought one off the showroom in 2012. Still runs like a timex watch. Wish I could buy a new one today.

[@swiftsportcolombia]

What about buying a g wagen like but suzuki 😼😃✌🏻🇨🇴 im not talking the new JIMNY , I’m talking a new grand Vitara 😉

[@opinionmatters7119]

@@swiftsportcolombia Suzuki is not sod in Canada anymore

[@johnbogardus970]

How’s it running today?

[@opinionmatters7119]

@@johnbogardus970 gave it to my son shortly after my post. Not an issue

[@diocanaja]

@@opinionmatters7119 is it an automatic? and does it have awd? I'm looking to buy one used but I wonder if those 2 things are reliable, I already know the engine is solid

[@kekwlul3582]

I’ve got a 2010 with 43k on it. Amazing car! Also have 2 previous Kizashis with over 200k each, one still runs and drives great!

[@gregc6535]

235k miles and my 2010 still runs great. No transmission work needed. It does have an engine seal leak but it's not bad. My only complaint is replacing the headlights. The front bumper has to be taken off and if you're not too handy then you'll need to bring it to a shop to do the work since most cheaper oil/headlight places won't bother with that amount of work.

[@kevinhoffman3177]

I drove a 2012 Kizashi over 1000 miles on vacation in Maryland and I was very pleased. Even on steep grades the engine never felt overtaxed. Braking was great too. The interior was a bit more cramped than in my Honda Accord, but that would be my only complaint. Upon returning to my Kizashi from a mall in Ocean City, I found two admirers looking at the car and then asking me about it. So apparently the car has the looks too. Too bad Suzuki has gone bankrupt in the U.S.! This is a very good car!

[@MrAsH412]

FYI guys, the CVT unit used in this car is from Jatco which supplies Nissan as well. Suzuki ,Nissan and a few others have a stake in them. It's literally the same model unit that were used in comparable nissans of that period. I reckon Nissan engineers just know how to set them up better.

[@kylemas2005]

Nissan knows how to "set up" a JATCO CVT8 better? Are you nuts? They lost a massive lawsuit forcing them to extend their drivetrain warranties because of premature CVT failure. I would trust Mitsubishi/Suzuki CVT/ECU programming over Nissan Xtronic anyday.

[@TheSoftwareJunction]

I got a 2nd hand kizashi 2011 for $6000 . I can tell you it's an awesome car.

[@kbb]

Glad you like it!

[@Tony_G657]

TheSoftwareJunction awd? I'm looking for a daily for ne winters and fun at the same time

[@aivs9300]

no issues so far?

[@georgefa]

how much millage did the car last you? I'm looking at one with 138k miles on it. and how's the AWD holding?

[@ericodom3549]

AWD 11000 gotta give me more then I paid for it

[@RaVAndres]

Long term conclusion now in 2020. I have a 2015 black Kizashi, in mint condition, with 38.000km on it, being 2020 people ask me if its a new model from Suzuki. Sadly we will never see a new version of this awesome but underrate an quite unknown car. If someone is looking to pick up one, do it, you wont regret it.

[@aldonsockwell179]

Do you know where i can get a new key fob ?

[@RaVAndres]

@@aldonsockwell179 ebay, even aliexpress. You will need a programer scaner also.

[@billyc3237]

how has servicing been? have you had to buy parts? I heard headlights burn out quick. I've been looking at one to purchase but I'm just worried about lackluster support from no dealerships and also hard to find expensive parts.

[@RaVAndres]

@@billyc3237 Just oil changes every 10.000 km (5w30 fully synthetic), a new battery this year and that's it. I have LED all around (since day 1) except for the turn signals so i have no problems with headlight blowing up. The car is running in mint condition.

[@ericodom3549]

Mine has 120000 mils I've had absolutely no problems. Oil change tires of course which lasted 60k from factory. Great sport look. Who wouldn't want this car. Awesome 👍

[@ericodom3549]

No Wonder they went bankrupt they make cars that last a lifetime

[@97warlock]

have u had to replace the timing belt/timing chain yet??? Im looking at one that has 112ki miles for 3900 ......... and the thought of breaking down scares me.

[@malithssamarathunga]

awesome little car. sad to its so underated.

[@andrewschannel4259]

And sad to see Suzuki go under.

[@soumyadeepbhunia172]

We do see one or two every year in India. It was too expensive for the badge. The BMW X1 that launched at the same price and time sold way more.

[@francocagayat7272]

Yup. If only Suzuki back then did put this to their midsizer.... -3.0L VVT V6 265hp -6AT (at least for the V6) -more radical redesign It must have been improved for its name "Kizashi" means in Japanese.... "something great coming" And those specs must have made its name's meaning more truer and sensible

[@aaryeshg.6526]

@@soumyadeepbhunia172 it's expensive because it was not made in India, it was made in Japan. When buying the Kizashi you had to pay 105% import tax there. The BMW X1 was made in India however (Chennai plant specifically), that's why the X1 was a better deal to get in India.

[@ericodom3549]

11000 and absolutely no problems. Of course oil changes and brake pads

[@TheHarmonica]

Had my Kizashi since 2013. And I still love it.

[@billyc3237]

how has it been servicing wise? I'm looking at buying one right now and I'm just worried there will be no support 5-10 years from now or parts will be expensive and hard to find.

[@TheHarmonica]

@@billyc3237 It has been pretty good. I have in my years changed two dampers, break pads, and oil cooler to the gearbox. The car never stops, it allways runs. It takes two weeks to get parts from Japan to Europe, but they allways has the parts that the car need

[@rakeshgr8]

How is the transmission? I heard the cvt has reliability issues. I am in uk by the way.

[@TheHarmonica]

@@rakeshgr8 To me it has been fine. The only thing I had issue with has been a leak in the oil cooler to the gear box. Changed the oil cooler, and the gearbox runs fine👍🏽

[@alierikenoglu8006]

I'm a little late to the game here...but the fuel cap locks when you lock the car. Secondly...the CVT transmission in the Kazashi IS a Nissan unit!

[@rcopa1]

Good review, great car. This car is a blast to drive.

[@JohnWick-tx4zw]

@1:08 texting dual handed behind the wheel. Shame. Red light or not, common KBB

[@MrOmgfreak]

i agree i like it i have the 2011 gts sport i will never get rid of it ever.

[@nparadisecity]

You guys make an awesome review together!!

[@Jahwarrior91]

Wouldn't buy it because of the ridiculous prices for parts where I'm from but I must say I absolutely love this car!

[@spinto12]

what a lovely review...

[@noamzacks3315]

Those years,the 'biggest' car Suzuki had to offer to Europe was the SX4..so the Kizashi could have become an important addition to the line up

[@th3m3du54]

Nissan CVT as gold standard. Holy moly were you guys wrong about that one...

[@Haribolman]

They sure were wrong! My 2012 Swift Sport with the same Jatco CVT had to be rebuilt at only 77,000km and again less than 15,000km later. Close to $10,000 for those two repairs convinced me to avoid Nissan CVT's!

[@jdantigua1999]

Toyota has a Gold Standard CVT. They did this by incorporating an actual first gear that then switched to CVT.

[@jdantigua1999]

​@@Haribolman I found a garage in Linesville, Pennsylvania. The name is Gillette Import Autowerks. Tim did a great job of rebuilding the Jatco transmission and putting it in my daughter's Kizashi.

[@th3m3du54]

@@jdantigua1999 Maybe the new CVT used by Subaru (as well?) - I am not sure who the manufactuer is of that one - in the new WRX is actually the best CVT to come out of Japan (: they sure seem to have put effort and engineered a lot into it. EngineeringExplained (channel by a great guy named Jason) has a good video on this that came out not long ago - about people being wrong regarding CVTs. I recommend checking it out. His channel is a gold mine either way.

[@Saucycupcake]

I got a 2010 gts kizashi, 6 spd. not even a month after I got it, before I had made my first payment on it, the clutch went. 1,800 dollar fixed, mad me mad, but for some reason I still love that car.

[@slingshot3030]

why would you pay 1,800 to fix a clutch? Good god.

[@user-jz3kn9pw8d]

Hahaha

[@Windgrace]

I like these reviews! Much better than the rather monotonous ones KBB usually has. I think the Kizashi is a very attractive vehicle, but resale value certainly is a killer. Looking at the true cost to own is really informative, I find...for example a Honda Accord and Hyundai Sonata both have some of the lowest TCO. The Accord because it has amazing resale value, and the Sonata from it's significantly lower initial costs.

[@fmmnta]

Vw dna and japanese reliabiliity. Awesome.

[@fdplionheart4328]

Clutch paddle box issue on these cars are very common on the manual. A manufacturers issue and not on recall which costs thousands to repair.

[@TheReapersSon]

Suzuki doesn't offer this car in AWD with a manual transmission option. Shame, because I really wanted this to be my next car!

[@joshuafallet5690]

He said the manual version, I think that was only true for the first year of production

[@racers115]

There are new levels of Kizashi out now. The one in this video is no longer the top model. The new top model comes with navigation standard and the body kit is a bit different too. The version in this video would be an SE and priced a bit cheaper now. Btw, the CVT in Kizashi is one of the same units that are used in some Nissans. It's supplied by Jatco.

[@fordlandau]

Lovely car even now.

[@harisahmed90]

Suzuki just got a bad name because they sold those general motors daewoo crap called forenza and reno. ..i think partnership with general motors hurted suzuki reputation in US.. ,, i think they need to bring one more vehicle in US for sure and that is the Swift.... I beleive suzuki is going through times that hyundai went through from 2000 to 2006 and look hyundai is at now... people perception will change slowy but i think surely.

[@FA-sr6lx]

harisahmed90 lol this comment is 6 years old. But hey today I saw this car and decided to KZbin it. It's a awesome car and really cheap car.

[@jerryarcher9489]

New flash!! Kizashi's cvt transmission is the same one in every Nissan, the cvt transmission is outsourced from the same manufacturer (Jatco), used by Suzuki and Nissan. You should have done some research about the CVT, before you pointed that out. I own a 2011 Kizashi with over 128,000 miles and no problems with the CVT transmission, yet.

[@Haribolman]

My 2012 Swift Sport with the same Jatco CVT had to be rebuilt at only 77,000km and again less than 15,000km later. Close to $10,000 for those two repairs convinced me to avoid Nissan CVT's!

[@user-jz3kn9pw8d]

Are the leather seats comfortable after any amount of time of driving? E.g back stiffness isn’t too bad? That’s my main concern Also long term owners, how has realibility been? I’m in Australia, not that common but enough on the roads here, they seem to offer a lot for the money

[@luyandadhlamini9792]

I own a 2012 version. So just crossed the 10 year mark. Leather seats are still amazing. Entire entire has held up excellently. Would still recommend.

[@kevinhoffman3177]

The interior is slightly cramped compared to most other mid sized sedans. At 183 inches in length, the Kizashi is on the short end of the mid size scale. Most people of average size though, probably won't mind.

[@flatblackstrat]

@vonOhzu I don't know what systems you have used but Garmins don't compare to a fully integrated nav system. All you get out of a Garmin is portability and an oversimplified UI. Depending on the model you can update the maps as well, but with the Nav systems moving toward flash based storage it is no longer an issue. Not to mention Garmin is now a player in the OEM game anyways. With a Garmin you don't get the niceties of a Infotainment nav setup like COMAND, Sync, Uvo, or iDrive.

[@racers115]

@flatblackstrat At that price they actually DO come with a nav unit now. Remember that when this year long test was done, they were using a previous year model. Navigation is now included on all the 25k+ editions.

[@ronch550]

It's too bad the Kizashi didn't fare well in the market, otherwise there would've been a sequel.. Perhaps Suzuki can try again next time although that doesn't seem likely.

[@cheesepie1011]

@MrRyuzaki91 so wait... does that explain why i think the kizashi looks veryvery similar to a jetta?

[@julionieves322]

my 2010 kisashi last forever exellent car

[@Ji99i3]

ive been waiting for this review. now i know what my next taxi could be.

[@mikeray5475]

I had that same issue with gas tank door.but I notice on mines is if I locked the doors the tank door lock too but when I unlock the doors I can push tank door open that's just it work on mines today.

[@Aenigmaa]

How is it with the rear-seat space, kneeroom and headroom?

[@kushalpatel3353]

I still love the look Ruther then any other current avaliable cars in market but ,lack of resale value and low mileage plus too pricy when lunched cause not good sale bit still my favourite ❤

[@325iuc]

@BCCHSMD For a brief time Volkswagen and Suzuki did have a mutual stake in eachother, however Suzuki has broken off the relationship. Suzuki is now looking towards Fiat as a new global partner. Apart from all of that though, the Kizashi was designed inside and out well before Suzuki partnered up with VW, thus, there is no VW content in Kizashi, or any other Suzuki vehicles either.

[@robosy_9421]

3:12 Oof

[@YevPetrovsky]

@casmatori no casmatori you are wrong and racers115 is right. The size of Kizashi might be similar but Kizashi has nothing to do with Daewoo or Chevy. The Kizashi completely new from the ground up Suzuki platform. I've been following the development of it since its inception, including the team of Suzuki engineers that designed it, several of them from Japan. Kizashi's chassis is considerably different than Lacetti. Remember also that Suzuki has nothing to do with GM now, they got divorced :)

[@flatblackstrat]

@hb4f6 Again their is an explanation for that. The used car market is in a bubble, everyone is getting more for their used cars not just the Suzukis.

[@SweetWife84]

most desire japanese non luxury sedan may be Legacy GT or Mazdaspeed6, but they are well over 30G at sticker, so this would make it the best at its price.

[@carlmanu]

@juggernaut494 Suzuki doesn't source their CVT from nissan but from jatco (originally a subsidiary of nissan now an independent company) Jatco provides CVT trans. to several car makers but it doesn't mean they sell the same cvt design and/or programing configuration for all the companies they provide to. However, not all engines work the same and it might just be this specific cvt trans. was not setup specifically for this engine or driven wheels. Their argument is valid but unsound

[@sora1223]

What happened to that lady?

[@borosasa3500]

Why didn't Suzuki advertise this in the UK. No one here knows about it.

[@SnackeyG]

Suzuki is still in America? I haven't seen them in years.

[@flipfloplogic]

Nice looking car.

[@Jasshands1]

@juggernaut494 my jag had a jatco transmission and there prone to failing very early.

[@noamzacks3315]

I never understood,why in view of poor sales in the U.S,Suzuki never attempted selling this car in Europe..by it's size it did have a chance

[@makan1568]

You could buy Kizashi in Europe

[@BCCHSMD]

@casmatori From my understanding; Volkswagen has taken over Chevy's stake in Suzuki(Not Sure). But if so it does show in the interior quality and sporty demeanor. Although I do agree with you on one thing; to many automotive brands are using other brands tomake a evolution instead of a revolution.

[@ArthropodSpidey]

Damn the girl is 😍

[@joegrizzly3324]

I want one.

[@eskimochild87]

Ive only seen a handful of these on the road

[@oldschool1928]

These reviews are critical when purchasing a car, in my opinion. How far will my money go with this car? Awards for "initial quality" are lame as the car in question may fall apart faster than others.

[@flatblackstrat]

@AdrianC12345 Try coming to Japan and asking the same questions. The answer would be a resounding yes. The Kizashi is such a niche vehicle and will never see huge sales because of it's lack of content for the price. The car is basically Suzuki's attempt at making a VW. Super nice interior, well put together, but not incredibly fuel efficient for it's segments and rather pricey. For 27K you can get much larger and well equipped cars from the U.S. and Korea with better MPG and dealer network.

[@flatblackstrat]

@hb4f6 You don't judge a cars resale value by time lengths as mentioned. When you factor in inflation you aren't getting a 45% resale value on the car since the dollar doesn't buy as much. You do realize that inflation has nearly quadrupled the prices of everything including cars. A new Samurai Aka Jimny costs 1,500,000 yen base, that when converted into the suffering dollar would be nearly 20K. The resale predictions are more correct than your math.

[@Denim_____Dreams]

inshaallah i would get one soon

[@socratesmavrofridis2363]

I am buying a suzuki and its only got 29thousand km

[@aldonsockwell179]

Can anyone show me where i can get a key fob for a 2010 one

[@dwaynedavis4961]

try eBay.

[@LeSiZmOr]

At the time of my post.. ebay. $169

[@AdrianC12345]

@flatblackstrat Lack of content for price?! Huh?! The Kizashi is one of the best bargains on the market! What other car gets you an actual 7 year warantee? AWD, 182HP, and all the other things you mentioned for 27K. The cars that the USA currently makes at that price range are a total joke. And the Jetta, an utter peice on shit that itsn't even nicely built anymore. Sure the Koreans are making great cars right now, but their refinement on suspension can't touch the Kizashi.

[@AdrianC12345]

@juggernaut494 Mabey Suzuki needs to fine tune their CVTs then, but I still love the car. My neighbor has one! And I love looking at it! ^_^

[@DigitalCyborgman]

Beautiful girl. Love her !

[@xan-man3940]

Ok

[@tomtom5418]

did I see you on your phone while driving?....tisk tisk ...

[@MetroJet2000]

3:13 Nissan CVTs are "the gold standard?" 🤣🤣😂🤣🤣That's a good one! That line sure aged like milk! 🥴🥴

[@jdantigua1999]

Agree with you as they are not. Toyota has a Gold Standard CVT. They did this by incorporating an actual first gear that then switched to CVT.

[@saysbadman]

Lol, Nissan (jatco) gold standard of CVTs! I would rather have an Aisin cvt. Honestly, I prefer a manual, and I am actively looking for one in this whacky car market of 2022.

[@casmatori]

@racers115 Actually we're both wrong. As I look at it, this car resembles a Deawoo / Chevrolet Lacetti which is sold in the EU, AU, NZ and Asia. So infact it is now Suzuki taking cars from GM S.Korea. 100% Suzuki design my rump! And BTW, Chevrolet and Holden are companies and Cruze is the car name...

[@racers115]

@flatblackstrat I'm not sure why you would think that I'm "one of the few" that knows that the upper trim level of Kizashi now comes stock with Navigation when ANYONE that simply goes to the Suzuki website to build a Kizashi would see the navigation unit right there. As far as Suzuki "dieing off", that simply isn't the case. ASMC closed it's slowest moving dealers back in 2010, but now is on the rebound, opening new dealers and sales have been double digit increases the past 8 months running!

[@vonOhzu]

@flatblackstrat Most factory navigation systems suck. You are almost always better off with a Garmin.

[@casmatori]

@BCCHSMD Yes, I see your point. It's a shame that GM feels it needs to reproduce past models and call them their own. Erm for instance, who remembers Saturn? They made small economy sedans and wagons in the '90s. Then years later they magically returned with the likes of the "Astra" and of course the famous "Sky." And what an epic fail that turned out to be! Everyone was like, "Huh, Saturn? Wah?" And that's why GM nearly went bankrupt because they chose be lazy and half assed!

[@drunkenemulatorgamer]

3:10 Nissan, CVT and 'Gold Standard' should NEVER go in the same sentence.......

[@notrut]

Music TOO loud!

[@Aenigmaa]

Thanks. I have some very tall friends who I suspect probably wouldn't fit in the back seat of this car.

[@flatblackstrat]

I would never pay 27K for a car like this. No Nav is a deal breaker at that price point.

[@codypowell6088]

Who disliked

[@MrRyuzaki91]

This is why VW would never accept a divorce from Suzuki...

[@whsbeernuts]

I've had so many problems with mine, like literally needing to replace my headlights 3 separate times, back lights needing replaced also ( having only owned it for 2 years which is crap). biggest complaint I've had with it. also I don't know why the back seat seatbelts have covers as when they get used they are literally just in the way and get thrown around and confuse people. this car I give 2.5 stars out of 5

[@Jacob_6420]

Same here. My headlight lamps have blown over 5 times

[@captain_orange]

​@@Jacob_6420would switching to l.e.d. solve this? I am looking at a 2010 with 70K miles on it for $4500, immaculate interior no dings. Runs great. Would you buy it?

[@racers115]

@casmatori Wow you are very misinformed. The Kizashi is a 100% Suzuki design and platform. It has absolutely nothing to do with and Chevrolet/Holden/Cruze platform. Why not do a little research before you spout such ignorance? Really makes you sound foolish.

[@francocagayat7272]

Should it lived on.....it must be Suzuki's arsenal against...... -Toyota Camry -Honda Accord -Nissan Altima -Mazda6 -Subaru Legacy -Hyundai Sonata -Kia Optima Among others

[@casmatori]

I do like it, but I don't understand why GM keeps dishing out all of these "samey" cars. Like this is obviously a Chevrolet / Holden Cruze but wearing a Kimono! (Pardon the reference) It's like come on GM, bring back the Oldsmobile Auroras of the 1990s, or reinvent Pontiac! I'm sick of seeing Australian or German cars in drag like the Pontiac G8 or the damn Saturn Aura for crying out loud!

[@tirthadutt]

The Cameraman was Tripping, it seems.

[@majedbineisa]

Yeah try this CVT in hot weather on high speed and you'll definitely heat it girl... it will heat up and force you to slow down after half an hour ... it will make a horrible noise too It's a deal breaker for sure after 6 years of ownership in hot weather

[@aayonce4]

Where do yoh live?

[@majedbineisa]

@@aayonce4 KSA

[@aayonce4]

@@majedbineisa where is that?

[@majedbineisa]

@@aayonce4 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦

[@aayonce4]

@@majedbineisa well do you drive very rough or easy with the car i just find it bizarre

[@AdrianC12345]

@flatblackstrat Then get a 200 dollar nav system. Deal breaker? Are you hopelessly lost 24/7?

[@jojo0827]

@tHeWasTeDYouTh and you are not competitive with people who know about cars because A) people who know cars know that American cars now are very nice and competitive, and B) they know how to SPELL the names of car companies. And you say "old people"? Try spending a day outside. You will find out that that's very wrong.

[@DaWookie15]

wow get off ur phone while driving but decent car

[@casmatori]

@tHeWasTeDYouTh Well people buy imported cars because they are cheaper. But imports aren't always the best quality. I mean - Uhum; you only have to hint the word "Camry" or "Lexus" and you get 12 of them somewhere in Southern California crashing and burning! (No offense to anyone who was killed or maimed) And where are you getting your facts from? "Only OLD PEOPLE," hell I've seen 100s of brand new Buicks and Cadillacs all driven by YOUNG people or families!

[@maybach6536]

Lol he was texting and driving.

[@SUV7777777]

me

[@tHeWasTeDYouTh]

@casmatori hey buddy maybe because THOSE CARS FROM EUROPE AND AUSTRALIA actually SELL!!!! No one wants to buy American design cars, Cadillac and Linclon cannot compete against BMW, MB, LEXUS, Acura and Infinity. Only OLD PEOPLE buy American luxury while young Americans buy all import

[@aburanick]

Jetco transmission will fail at 80k to 100k mark... not bad of car, crappy transmission

[@Haribolman]

My 2012 Swift Sport with the same Jatco CVT had to be rebuilt at only 77,000km and again less than 15,000km later. Close to $10,000 for those two repairs convinced me to avoid Nissan CVT's!

[@user-sp6uc5nv4l]

كيزاتشي🤝👍👌👌🇯🇵🇯🇵😭😭😭😭

[@egork519]

did she say they should have had a better transmission something a no-par with Nissan CVT?? LMAO! oh if she only knew before

[@jdantigua1999]

Agree with you as they are not. Toyota has a Gold Standard CVT. They did this by incorporating an actual first gear that then switched to CVT.

[@atenistaako9672]

"Nissan CVTs gold standard" lol

[@jdantigua1999]

Agree with you as they are not. Toyota has a Gold Standard CVT. They did this by incorporating an actual first gear that then switched to CVT.

[@dontourville8567]

As a former service manager for Suzuki I will say the kizashi is straight garbage. Paint is too thin, engine is underpowered and reliability is terrible.

[@manuelgaete1136]

😂😂😂😂Dónde compro repuestos 😢😢