 This is it, the Monster Suzuki that now rules the Pike's Peak Hillclimb.
The race has been run since 1916, but 2011 was an important year and saw dozens of classes contested by 150 competitors.  No rocket ship to the top of Pike's Peak, but an essentially good car!
The winning time in 1916 was posted by Rea Lentz driving a Romano Eight at 20 minutes, 55.40 seconds. Drivers from the Andrettis to the Unsers and Rod Millen have run vehicles based on cars from virtually every car manufacturer worth its salt.  Want to stirr the passions? You can get the car with a shifter, or automatic.
On June 26th 2011, Nabuhiro “Monster” Tajima blew the record books to bits with a run of 9 minutes 51.278 seconds driving a 910-horsepower Suzuki SX-4 Hillclimb Special. Given that there will be no more gravel, no more radical changes in surface, 2012 will be a very different race.  Life in the City: The Kizashi gets around, even comfortable on city streets!
The rich blue exterior gave way to tan leather interior, a premium near-luxury offering, the upscale interior clearly a step above the competition. Plenty of room in front for six-footers in very supportive and comfortable seats. Slightly less headroom in the back as the car is in between a Corolla and a Camry in size. Soft touch materials throughout that fit well with nicely matching colors. Thoughtful touches like sun-shade extenders that block the light to simplified radio and heater controls abound.  Here's an excellent overview of what you'll find inside the Kizashi!
But this is a driver's car. A light tip-in of the throttle produces thrust that felt like a six. It has a 106-inch wheelbase, front wheel drive, seats for five . . . and for all the world it feels like a descendant of the legendary BMW 2002 in that it has a superb ride, control, clear feedback through the steering and a balanced chassis.  Here's a look at Control Central, where you sit and have lotsa fun!
The EPA has rated the stick at 20/29 and the CVT automatic at 23/30. There is even a Hill Holder option and four-wheel drive if you choose the automatic.  This 2.4-liter fourbanger pumps out a healthy, fun-filled 185 horsepower.
Not quite what Nabuhiro “Monster” Tajima had in his SX-4 Hillclimb Special . . . but then do you really want vacuum cleaner levels of fuel-pumping power resulting in calling the bank for a loan every time you fill the tank? Supple handling combined with 18-inch alloy wheels, 235/45 18 Dunlop low profile all-season tires made clean work of a few difficult roads and made driving a joy. There were even three positions for the fanny warmers that came with the leather bound seats. Um-mm . . . warmth on a cold and rainy day. The only pain was that it took a while for the defroster to pull the fog off the side windows and the side mirrors had to be wiped. Hey, sometimes you have to tough it out. The Kizashi has been the highest ranked vehicle among midsize cars in the JD Power & Associates’ APEAL study. The Kizashi has been recognized by AutoPacific as tops in consumer satisfaction, two years in a row. Word of mouth and very solid press reviews gave the Kizashi a foothold in the market. This scribe has yet to meet an engineer or penny-pincher who does not like the idea of a zero maintenance timing chain that should last the life of the engine. I.E. no 60,000 to 120,000-mile $1,000 timing belt change needed. The tie-in to “Monster” Tajima and his record-smashing Suzuki SX-4 to the Suzuki Kizashi is simple: Both demonstrated an extraordinary attention to the smallest details that make a winner. What should have been a wildly successful product was allowed to flounder because of a lack of advertising. Suzuki has just stated a real advertising campaign for the Kizashi. And it's about time.
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