Maruti Suzuki Kizashi: Gone but Not Forgotten

When we think of Maruti Suzuki as a brand what is the first thought that comes to our mind? Small affordable, compact and mass market family cars with frugal engines meant to serve a purpose and India’s biggest obsession — fuel efficiency. In February 2011, they introduced the Kizashi as a CBU with big ambitions to capture the market, bringing the fight to the likes of the Accord, Camry and the Superb. At the time of its launch, it was Maruti Suzuki’s most expensive offering to the country. In an attempt to change its brand perception, Maruti wanted to cater to the consumers seeking a more luxurious driving experience akin to the D segment sedans. The Kizashi was meant to be a unique model for bringing an upscale flair in the Indo-Japanese portfolio.

Maruti Suzuki Kizashi exterior design

To start with, the Maruti Suzuki Kizashi stood out in terms of its aesthetics thanks to the appealing and modern design for the time. The Kizashi’s front end had immense character and carried forward Suzuki’s new age design that was first seen on the Swift. Immediately the honey comb grille with its wide band separating it from the lower air dam and those chunky flanks were seen. From the side profile, the Kizashi looked sporty with its tight roofline making it a well knit visual package. It looked quite impressive with its 17-inch alloy wheels along with its sporty stance from its wide track. All of this was an exercise to attract the average buyer and the driving enthusiast. The rear too was unlike any other Maruti with the integrated spoiler-look of the unique boot lid and it also housed the third brake light. The rear bumper featured a sharply designed pair of exhaust tips which were actually functional and weren't there just for show. Apparently the exhaust surrounds were inspired from the Suzuki Hayabusa.

Maruti Suzuki Kizashi interior and comfort

The Kizashi’s upmarket design also found its way to the interiors. It had a simple, uncluttered, and inviting cabin with the most attention-grabbing detail being the three-spoke steering wheel with the prominent Suzuki logo. It had the controls for the audio and cruise control which were standard equipment. The two-tone dashboard gave it a big car feel along with its leather upholstery. Speaking of which, the driver's seat was 10-way power adjustable and 4-way for the co-driver seat, making them comfortable for long distance travels. Since the Kizashi was only available in a single trim level with the choice of either an automatic or a manual 'box. In addition to the already mentioned cabin amenities it also got a push start/stop button, dual zone automatic climate control, CD/MP3 player with USB port, rear seat armrest, and 60:40 split rear bench. Maruti had also raised the car by 15mm, lending it a total ground clearance of 155mm for enhanced comfort. It had a 460-litre boot which was also accessible via the cabin through a hatch in the armrest.

Maruti Suzuki Kizashi engine performance and safety features

It was launched with a 2.4-litre NA petrol engine producing 175bhp and 230Nm, paired with either a 6-speed manual or a CVT with paddle shifters. In a market obsessed with fuel efficiency and diesel engines, this was a bold move. The powerplant was also shared with the Grand Vitara which was inherently very torquey and surprisingly very linear and performance was strong, but more importantly, the Kizashi showed that a Maruti could handle triple digit speeds, inspiring driving confidence. Sure the engine would get a bit buzzy at higher revs and was quite audible in the cabin. The Kizashi earned a perfect 5-star rating from the ANCAP, thanks to its safety features, such as a high-tensile steel body, and the sedan featured an extensive airbag system covering front, knee, rear, side, and curtain airbags. Additional safety features included an immobilizer, ABS+EBD, speed-sensing door locks, impact-sensing auto unlock, and seatbelts with pre-tensioner and load limiter.

Maruti Suzuki Kizashi pricing

Introduced as a fully imported model, the Kizashi bore a hefty price tag due to the 105% tax levied on such vehicles. The Kizashi was packed with a feature set bringing it in the crosshairs of its D segment rivals. The manual version was priced at ₹16.5 lakh (ex-showroom), meanwhile, the automatic variant commanded a higher tag at ₹17.5 lakh (ex-showroom).

Maruti Suzuki Kizashi pitfalls

The incompatibility of Kizashi with Maruti Suzuki's long-standing brand perception emphasized the necessity of constant brand positioning. The company should have carefully assessed if a new product would resonate with their target market and how it would fit inside their existing brand identity. The company since its inception in 1981 had been involved in making economical cars for the Indian market. So, for a car with that perception attached to it, it was difficult to step in the premium segment with a standalone model. Since the Kizashi was a CBU model, for obvious reasons the car was more costly than its competitors in the same segment. The world was just getting out of the recession in 2008 and India especially had been experiencing a lower growth rate than usual at somewhere around 5.6 per cent.

Although the automobile market saw a positive shift in 2011, the consumer preference started inclining towards two-wheelers and smaller cars, however the consumers were rather more cautious and not willing to spend much. The Kizashi, on the other hand, was comparing itself with the luxurious sedans like Superb or the Laura which were being offered by Skoda or the Hyundai Sonata at a somewhat similar price of around ₹20–25 lakhs. With Maruti launching the Alto, being India’s most fuel-efficient car for a long time, coming with a car that churned out a mileage of merely 10kmpl was just against everything that Maruti stood for. When the car came into the market, people tried coming at terms with it and the prices. The targeted customer group wasn't able to understand the proposition of a premium model from an economy oriented brand. The car should have had a diesel variant too. Sales remained slow, Maruti made no serious attempt to localize or reposition the car, and within a few years the Kizashi was quietly discontinued.

Looking back, the Kizashi was never a bad car. It was simply launched before Maruti Suzuki had earned the credibility of a premium car maker.