Getting your player ready...
“Gotta getta Jetta” is a line of thinking being challenged by Suzuki and its new midsize model.
Imagine that, a competition between the long-established (30 years) Volkswagen Jetta and the Suzuki four-door, curiously named Kizashi.
The Japanese-built Kizashi is just feeling its way into the crowded U.S. midsize market. It will get some advertising exposure next weekend during the Super Bowl in Dallas.
Opportunity to compare these reasonably priced, similarly sized, front-wheel-drive sedans came my way over the past couple of weeks. The fact the Jetta was a gasoline-powered version made sense of the comparison; the other Jetta, the TDI diesel, is in a class of its own.
The ’11 Kizashi Sport has a fresher face than does the Jetta. It earns second looks from its black-chromed mesh grille and wraparound headlamps to its chopped-off rear deck with small, rounded spoiler lip.
The Suzuki was equipped with a 185-horsepower, 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine and 6-speed manual transmission, an easy shifter even with a tall shift lever. Mated to Volkswagen’s 170-hp, 2.5-liter inline-5-cylinder was a 6-speed automatic; VW’s automatic seemed a bit quicker to 50 miles per hour than did the rival’s manual shift. Both have push-button start.
I’ve been driving and reviewing Jettas since the first one in 1980; they’ve been consistently sparing in fuel usage. The ’11 SEL averaged 28.8 miles per gallon. The Kizashi was barely below that at 27.5 mpg.
The $26,000 Kizashi Sport has firmer suspension than does the Jetta. The only options to the Kizashi SLS trim are XM satellite radio, metallic paint and an upgraded floor mat set.
A Rockford Fosgate CD sound system with 10 speakers, iPod and MP3 USB port is standard on the Suzuki, along with power sunroof, power leather seats (heated in front), dual-zone climate control, cruise control, leather-covered steering wheel, automatic headlamps, rain-sensing wipers and eight airbags.
The VW has firm, bolstered leather seats, still ratchet-controlled. The front-seat cushion on VW is a full-inch longer than that of the Suzuki.
An easy-to-use RNS-315 navigation system guided us in the Jetta over a perfectly timed 50-mile drive to a destination in the fast-growth 124th Avenue area north of Denver. Simple to use, though the screen is a small 5-incher.
With navigation and sunroof, the Volkswagen’s sticker price remained at a reasonable $24,165. Its audio system included Sirius satellite radio and Bluetooth connectivity, and among other items are leatherette seats (heated in front), trip computer, air conditioning, cruise control, intermittent front wipers with heated washer nozzles, fog lights and four-wheel antilock disc brakes.
The Volkswagen used Continental ContiProContact 225/45R17 tires. The Kizashi was equipped with 18-inch wheels. The Jetta has bigger trunk space, 15.5 cubic feet to 13.3 for Suzuki.
The Sport trim added to the Kizashi for 2011 includes, in addition to the aforementioned grille and spoiler, body-side sill extensions, lower body-side molding with chrome accents, sport steering wheel and contrasting stitching on the seats.
In Japanese, Kizashi means “omen.”
A look back
Thirty years ago this month, I reviewed in The Denver Post a 1981 Dodge Ramcharger. Excerpts:
The Dodge Ramcharger for 1981 is a better-looking and more practical unit than in previous years, and it comes with higher fuel-mileage figures.
The Ramcharger, which competes head-on with the Ford Bronco and Chevrolet Blazer, uses a new liftgate at the rear which is more attractive, easier to use and quieter than the old tailgate system. The test model was equipped with a 318-cubic-inch V-8, one of Chrysler Corp.’s best engines for many years. Smooth-running performance was improved with the addition of a four-barrel carburetor, not commonly combined with the 318.
Acceleration was better than I expected, about the same as a Dodge St. Regis automobile with a 318 and two-barrel carb. Fuel mileage for a combination of stop-and-go town use, hill climbing and highway cruising was 13.4 miles per gallon. The front-drive components lock in automatically when the transfer case is shifted from two-wheel drive to four-wheel. The hubs are freed again when the transfer case is shifted to two-wheel drive and the unit is backed up a few feet. The window-sticker price reached $13,021 with such options as the four-barrel carb for $50, automatic transmission for $214, air conditioning $591, cruise control $132, in-cab hood release $25 and tilt steering wheel $81. Fuel tank is 35 gallons. The Ramcharger’s suspension includes leaf springs at both the front and rear.
