2012 Suzuki Kizashi EcoCharge Concept – First Look, Performance, Preview
2012 Suzuki Kizashi EcoCharge Concept at the 2011 New York Auto Show.
2012 Suzuki Kizashi EcoCharge Concept line consists of, well, just the Kizashi sedan. One engine, front or all-wheel drive, stick or CVT. We don’t mind—a fact attested to by the praise littering the logbook in our long-term test car—but Suzuki needs more flavors of Suzuki Kizashi EcoCharge if it wants to be a player in the mid-size sedan segment. At the 2011 New York auto show, the company is previewing two directions in which it could expand the Kizashi line: the hybrid EcoCharge concept. There is also a specialized headlight treatment, plus new LED foglights that are integrated into the front fascia.
From the side, it’s easy to see the new lightweight aluminum wheels that enhance the car’s sporty aura. The 2012 Suzuki Kizashi EcoCharge Concept wasn’t the only sedan on the stand. On the other end of the spectrum, the automaker debuted something more focused on outright performance rather than efficiency.
At the other end of the spectrum is the kinder, gentler 2012 Suzuki Kizashi EcoCharge Concept. Combining a 2.0-liter inline-four producing 144 hp and 127 lb-ft of torque with a 20-hp electric motor, the pearl-white concept is said to achieve a 25-percent gain in highway fuel economy. Drive is sent to the front wheels via six-speed automatic transmission. That would take it from the 30 mpg of the current CVT Kizashi—with its 2.4-liter—to somewhere around 36 mpg.
Since the 2012 Suzuki Kizashi EcoCharge Concept hybrids tend to offer greater benefits in the city than on the highway, its overall combined rating also could end up over 30 mpg. A 115-volt air-cooled lithium-ion battery stores the electricity. The gasoline engine produces 144 bhp at 6500 rpm and 127 lb.-ft. of torque at 4500. The electric motor provides an addition 15kW, or roughly 20 hp, which brings the vehicle’s total power output to approximately 164 hp. Shifting is performed via a 6-speed automatic transmission that Suzuki Kizashi EcoCharge praises for its smoothness and seamless flow of power.
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