2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport (base price $18,999)The Kizashi is a brand-new model for Suzuki and the automaker's first serious attempt to compete head-on against established players in the mid-priced, family sedan segment such as the Nissan Altima, Honda Accord, Ford Fusion, VW Jetta/Passat and so on.
It comes standard with a high level of luxury and convenience features, including push-button start/keyless ignition, projector beam headlights, a premium stereo with USB port and nine speakers and dual zone climate control - for less than $19k, sticker. Equipped with the optional driver-selectable all-wheel-drive system that can be toggled from 2WD to AWD by pushing a button (which saves you fuel and wear and tear by letting you turn off the AWD when you don't need it) it's still just over $21k.
Not many competitors can touch that. Suzuki also offers reassuringly long-lived 100,000 mile powertrain warranty coverage. The only obvious potential downsides are the lack of an optional V-6 engine and the "generic brand" status of Suzuki, at least when it comes to cars (Suzuki is well-established as a premium motorcycle brand but hasn't yet become a major player on four wheels).
Still, the wealth of features at such a lowball price - especially the neat 2WD/AWD system - make the Kizashi a pretty appealing prospect, even if Suzuki hasn't yet got the Blue Blood bona fides of Honda or Toyota.
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