2011 Suzuki Kizashi Earns Good IIHS Rating

After the car managed to score only an acceptable rating for rollover protection and a good rating for protection against whiplash injury in rear-impact crashes, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has accorded the midsize moderately priced car a second chance to prove what it is capable of. The car thus received good ratings for front and side impact protection, demonstrating that the Kizashi is actually a pretty safe ride.

The Kizashi is sold in the United States with a wide array of safety features, such as four-wheel disc brakes with ABS and electronic brake-force distribution, Electronic Stability Program (FWD) or Intelligent Vehicle Stability Program (AWD), fold-down rear headrests and available rear sonar and backup camera.

It went on sale in the US in December 2009 and ever since, it went through several critical moments, including a safety recall after it has demonstrated that a door could open in case of an accident.

"The hinged door of the center lower box located in the front dashboard area fails to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard no. 201, "Occupant protection in interior impact," is the official reason of the recall, as posted on the NHTSA page back in July 2010.

The Kizashi is powered by a a 2.4-liter DOHC inline four-cylinder engine that generates a maximum output of 185 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 170 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm when equipped with a manual transmission. If the powertrain is mated to a CVT, the maximum output drops to 180 horsepower at 6,000 rpm.