Minneapolis Street Sighting: Suzuki Kizashi

As a kid growing up, I noticed all of the Japanese "orphan" brands, and quickly became a fan of most of them; I loved Mazda (and still do), Nissan had a place in my heart, Honda was awesome but made mostly boring cars where I was growing up, and obviously so did Toyota (aside from enthusiast favorites of course.) But there were two brands that quickly gained my respect, and always left me continually curious. Those two brands were Suzuki and Isuzu. And as I got older, I learned that both would share quite a bit in common.  More on that later.

When I was  a child, Suzuki, sold mostly SUVs, but here and there the company did sell cars; not many, though, as Suzuki was (and is) mostly known for producting cheap runabout, durable vehicles like the Sidekick/Vitara and the Samurai.  The firm also produced cars, too, and unfortunately those are mostly forgotten--and seldom seen.

In the 1990s, the Swift 3 door and 4 door held down the minicompact spot in the lineup (as well as being cloned into the Geo Metro), and the later on, and Esteem was added. That little car was replaced by the Aerio sedan and hatchback. Fast forward to 2007 and the Suzuki car lineup had been dwindled to one--enter the SX4. It came (like the Aerio) as a four-door sedan, and a five-door hatchback/SUV with available AWD for snow climates and wet roads. All the while, Suzuki still gave the US its Vitara SUV as well.

But, dealer networking (and the GM empire) was not kind to Suzuki. Dwindling sales figures and sparse availablity hindered the automakers chances even more; but the struggling Japanese firm wasn't ready to bow out of the United States just yet. They wanted to prove that building a midsize car wasn't completely out of their Forte. (Sorry, Kia).

The Kizashi came out in the fall of 2009 as a 2010 model, and from the start, sales were slow; unfortunately the cause for slow sales is the result of a variety of factors. Due to slow sales projections, Suzuki's dealer network was already compromised as it is, and during the later part of the 2000s, GM was in turmoil. The company treated Suzuki as a has-ran, and as a result, Suzuki didn't have the budget it needed to run successful ad campaigns. This, combined with an ever-shrinking dealer network could only mean one thing.

Add to this mess, the vehicle wasn't quite midsize, and it wasn't quite compact either. That spells success, if the market is indeed a European country. However, Americans wouldn't buy into this new category, much less so at a price that was deemed "too high" from the getgo.  For $18,999 ("NEW MIDSIZE SEDAN STARTING UNDER $19,000" was the headline that was fixed to full-page ads for these), consumers could enter the cabin of a base model, but options pushed the price closer to $28,000. Not exactly the kind of cash consumers were willing to part with for a brand not very many people know about.

Besides having a crap dealer network, and the peculiar sizing of the vehicle, the amenities weren't bad; sure, it lacked a V6, but the Kizashi had something many non-premium sedans lacked: all wheel drive. This means that in wintry climates, the car is the go-to family sedan for families on a budget.  I only see the top-spec models out driving, but I have seen one base model with hubcaps. I wonder if that model had the six-speed stick?

Moot point, because the only base model I saw was given a nice facelift courtesy of a row of plastic newspaper boxes. Sadly, the Kizashi name fits both that particular car, and the whole Kizashi lineup in general; according to Wikipedia, the name "kizashi" translates to either "sign of things to come" or "omen". Truth be told, the Kizashi was a sign of things to come--just not for the US market. The name also fits as "omen" because, due to slow sales, this marked Suzuki's last real endeavor into the US car market.

Parking Lot Pimpin: Mazda Miata MX-5

 

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Toyota Supra Mark IV

In my years of carspotting, there have always been a select few of my favorite cars that have somehow eluded me. Maybe it has to do with rarity, or simply because of where I live; the Supra falls into both of those categories I'm afraid. Marketed as Toyota's halo car when it went upmarket, the last-generation Supras are quite rare compared to earlier cars.

First established in 1978, the nameplate was made into a separate model in 1982; it is Toyota's answer to Mazda's RX7, and Datsun/Nissan's beloved Z-car.  Like its two main competitors, the Supra has always relied on one main powerplant--variations of an inline-six cylinder engine, which, in later years had the option of being turbocharged. Like its turbo-Z competitors and RX-7 competitors, the Supra turbos are quite the collector item--if not molested.

While some car enthusiasts (mainly on the muscle car side) have the idea that Supras will never be as fast as certain cars, the fact of the matter is, they can. As with a vast majority of other Japanese supercars, they can be turned into quite quick monsters with very little effort. I have not seen many tuned Supras up close, but as a general car enthusiast, I would like to.

I am proud of this find; for starters, Mark IV Supras are pretty uncommon here in any form--and rightfully so. This is Toyota's halo car--and this example certainly looks the part.Being all stock helps matters in this case, as its a rare feat for one of the world's most renowned tuner cars.

All the correct bits are present here; the stock (and slightly bland) wheels, the stock (and often duplicated) rear wing, and hey look! Supra taillights-- but wait.. This is a Supra!

I notice that this one has badges on the fenders, marking this one a 15th Anniversary Edition; that little tidbit marks this example as a 1997. Surviving nearly seventeen years as a stock car is one thing, but to do so in a world where this car is widely coveted by people who refuse to leave it stock is quite another.

I am quite happy with this spotting as I hardly ever see Toyota's supercar, stock or not. This is the only Mark IV I've shot in depth, and I hope it won't be my last.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Datsun 280ZX

I have always been a fan of Japanese sports cars; being a staunch Nissan and Datsun fan, it's no surprise that I have featured quite a number of Z-cars on my blog. After all, the Z-car has always been one of my favorite nameplates, if not my favorite Nissan or Datsun product. I've shot multiple examples, and will continue to do so until I die.Sadly, a vast majority of the cars I find are in less-than-desirable locations, so shoots have to be swift and precise.

Introduced in 1969, and continuing until the end of its 1996 run, the Z-car was the mainstay sports car from Nissan--and with its rebirth in 2002 as the 350Z, the Z-car still wins enthusiasts over day after day. Like most sports cars (and for that matter, imports in general), the nomenclature reflects engine size; the earliest cars were badged as 240Z and they numbers stretch up to today's 370Z, indicating the displacement in liters of the six-cylinder engine.

It's rare to see unbutchered cars, even more-so in the land of rust; I was extremely when I found this bone-stock appearing 280ZX, but I had to hurry because the area wasn't the best place to be walking around with a gaggle of high-dollar electronics. Nevertheless, I am happy with the shoot.

From the get-go, I am happy with this spot; no, it isn't a turbo, and yes, it lacks T-Tops, but sometimes base is best. Black works best on these cars, too, and this one has no distracting paint schemes or decals to clutter up the lines; while this generation is far from my favorite, there's no denying that it looks absolutely sinister all blacked out. Perhaps that was the owner's intention or maybe the steelies are just winter rolling stock? Regardless, this Z looks amazing, even like this.

I am slightly saddened that this isn't a ZXTurbo or an Anniversary car, but at the same time, it's nice to spot a plain-jane that hasn't succumbed to beater-status yet. Points awarded to this car's owner for keeping it in seemingly pristine condition; even if this is a repaint.