In times of war, being stealthy is a strategical must. If your enemies know where you stand or are aware of the threat of an imminent attack, you may be good and screwed. That's the extent of my army-wartime knowledge. Thank goodness I drive cars and not tanks... Although, I wouldn't mind taking a Leopard C2 for a spin around town; I could cure road rage with just one swift flick of a lever... OK, sorry, I'm back.

A hoot to drive, smashing good looks and kit that you can throw a rock at, the Kizashi may turn out to be one if this year’s biggest surprises. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com)
In the automotive business, you want the word to get out! A manufacturer needs to make the masses aware of what they have to offer. If the enemy is aware of your arsenal in this process, then so be it! Declare war to all. Seems logical, no? It would appear that Suzuki is not so keen on spreading the news, which is quite unfortunate as they seriously seem to have stumbled upon something very very engrossing: the new Kizashi. Say it with me, it's quite simple actually: “Kee-zah-shee”.
The radar reads: “Whoa!”
Yes, it's true. The Kizashi is a surprising machine. First impressions will tell you the same. Stop, sit or squat and look at the car. Soak it in and you may forget that you are looking at a Japanese car and not a German-engineered product.
The Kizashi's design will leave very few people indifferent. The front-end has got a dose of Volkswagen through its headlights and grille. Its profile and rear-end have an upscale Japanese, kind of Infiniti quality to them. I swear, de-badge the thing, park in a mall parking lot and ask passers-by to tell you what this car is and they'll go for something more expensive or German. Yes, this is quite the compliment in fact. The fancy standard multi-spoke 18” alloys and dual exhaust tips further complement the whole.
Kudos to Suzuki for not dropping the ball when the interior design and budget was determined. Too often, nice on the outside does not translate to nice on the inside.
Ingress and egress are not the easiest tasks to accomplish when dealing with the Kizashi. Once settled behind the wheel, the magic does continue. Soft-touch materials abound, fit and finish are, once more, very German, and the whole lot comes together nicely, with a well laid-out centre console that is lightly speckled with clear, fair-sized controls.

Soft-touch materials abound, fit and finish are, once more, very German. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com)