I didn't know much about Suzuki a few weeks ago, but after a test drive in a new Kizashi I feel like I know a little bit more about them. Apparently they are (surprisingly) ninth largest auto manufacturer in the world and Japan's second-largest. While many car companies were affected by the tsunami the assembly of Suzuki vehicles is apparently done in areas other than where the worst of the tsunami took place - when I was talking to the dealer, getting a new Kizashi would be no problem.
First and foremost, the car felt great. Upon first sitting inside, it felt as thought someone had built it with me in mind. The controls were clean and simple, thoughtful, not like a lot of the garish and overstyled interiors coming out in today's modern cars. It felt Germanic, lots of tactile plastics and soft-touch materials. It is also very well equipped, but I guess that is to be expected when the base model is about $25K. On the road the suspension was excellent, the multi-link setup is fairly advanced and from what I understand rare in this field. The ride was taut but soaked up rough roads nicely. The car had a good enough engine too, but it was let down by a lethargic CVT that dulled all of the responses.
Overall I felt that Suzuki was a good car, but for the price I would likely shop for a Volkswagen. I think there is a lot of uknowns about Suzuki in North America and people are comfortable with having something proven. Therein lies their problem. Expensive cars that people are wary of, even if they are great vehicles underneath.
