New Delhi. Everyone knows that from the late 2000s to the early 2010s, there was the era of luxury sedans. This was the golden era of sedan cars, in which customers had a plethora of premium options like the Chevrolet Cruze, Volkswagen Jetta, Honda Civic, Skoda Laura and Toyota Corolla Altis. The public liked all these cars very much and their sales were also excellent. If you were to go up a price bracket, you would get the Hyundai Sonata, Toyota Camry, BMW 3 Series, Mercedes C-Class or Audi A3. This was the time when you could buy a luxury German sedan for Rs 30-35 lakh.
Kishaji came in 2011
Maruti Suzuki also wanted to make its place in this segment. Being India's leading manufacturing company, Maruti decided to do something new. Maruti launched Kizashi through the CBU route in 2011, which was a big step. Interestingly, it was discontinued after just 3 years. Kizashi had once set a land-speed record of 327 km/h. Today we will try to understand why Kizashi disappeared.
Why did Kizashi disappear?
You will be surprised to know that one of the most beautiful cars of the last decade was Maruti. Its sleek body and 17 inch alloy wheels give it a very attractive look. The difference between Kizashi and the rest of Maruti's range was stark. At that time, if there was no badge then no one could have recognized that it was a Maruti.
What did Kizashi look like?
Dual chrome exhaust tips are available at the rear and the boot lid has been designed like a lip spoiler to give it a sporty look. The proportions of the car are such that you get a long wheelbase of 2.7 metres, but it doesn't look awkward. Cars of the 2010s had not yet shifted from halogen to LED lights, and the same is seen in the Kizashi. There is some similarity with the SX4, but this is not a negative point. It doesn't have any special aesthetic features, but its simple and smooth design gives it that sophisticated look that people want while buying a sedan.
Strong Rose Presence
It was the perfect blend of sporty and elegant, giving it a strong road presence. In the crowd of SUVs and hatchbacks, Kizashi stood out due to its beauty. Most of the premium sedans of that era looked very beautiful. Design engineers had to work wonders to design better than German and Japanese cars, and they were successful to a great extent.
interior
If you go inside, Kizashi starts showing its age. It has a traditional speedometer, small TFT driver display, radio system and a lot of physical buttons like the cars of the early 2010s. The feature list is also decent, which includes 6 airbags, push-button start, 10-way power adjust, 3 memory settings on the driver seat, rear armrest and leather seats. There was only one trim option, so all these features were standard.
Excellent build quality
The special thing is that its build quality is excellent, which was much better than other Maruti cars of that time. The dual-tone interiors and soft-touch materials give it a premium feel, and the heavy doors are a sign of its strong build quality. The cabin is also quite spacious, with ample legroom and headroom for the rear passengers.
Engine and Power
Kizashi has a 2.4L VVT petrol engine, which generates approximately 180 horsepower and 230 Nm torque. These figures are quite impressive, and since it is a naturally aspirated engine, the driving fun is doubled. Gearbox options included 6-speed manual and CVT. The global variant also had an AWD option, but it was not practical for the Indian market.