The Kizashi is already one of our top sedan picks if you happen to be on a very tight budget and don't quite need a mid-size to large sedan as large as the Honda Accord or Hyundai Sonata. The Car Connection has been impressed by the Kizashi's handling, refinement, and feature set, and its interior feels a step above that of the new (and very closely sized) 2011 Volkswagen Jetta.
Frontal tests for the Kizashi showed perfect side-impact results, with top 'good' scores in all subcategories indicating a low likelihood of significant injuries in the test conditions. The frontal impact test showed an almost perfect outcome, with top 'good' scores in all injury measures except for the head/neck area, where the agency reported that the dummy's head hit the steering wheel through the airbag.
In earlier IIHS tests, the Kizashi had achieved an 'acceptable' rating for rollover protection—as measured by the agency's roof strength test—and a 'good' rating in the seat-based rear-impact test, which gauges whiplash injury.
The same results apply to the nearly identical 2010 Suzuki Kizashi, and the test car was actually a 2010 model.
[IIHS]
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