The winter of 2010-’11 has so far been defined by blizzards, freezing temperatures and deep snow. Pretty harsh stuff!
There’s been more than once, even in my AWD SUV, when a simple jaunt to the grocery store turned into an epic quest reminiscent of Top Gear’s drive to the North Pole.
This winter I’ve certainly made a lifelong commitment to AWD, and it seems I’m not alone. I got a call from a friend who wanted advice on what used AWD sedan to buy in place of her aging MINI Cooper. She had narrowed her choices to a Volvo S60 AWD, an Audi A4 Quattro, an Acura TL SH-AWD or a Lexus IS AWD.
All are fine choices, but I took the opportunity to point out a car she hadn’t even heard of…
“A Suzuki what?” she asked, seemingly insulted that I would even consider such a plebeian car in the midst of the Audi and Lexus royalty.
“Kizashi,” I repeated. “Seriously, check it out.”
I explained that she could probably pick up a new Kizashi AWD for the price she’d pay for a used S60, A4, TL or IS. She’d get a 100,000-mile warranty along with luxury features like push-button ignition, standard navigation, leather wrapped steering wheel and shift nob, Rockford Fosgate stereo system, dual zone climate control, rear vents, beautifully stitched leather heated seats and more.
A new Kizashi is every bit as good, though not as prestigious, as the used options on her list. I’m not sure I convinced her, though, which is a shame because Suzuki has truly built a car worth considering, even when compared against some of the best in its class.
Regardless of whether she takes my advice or not, I know she’ll be one of the many folks searching through DealFinder looking for the perfect AWD vehicle to safely get them through winter’s arctic grip.
What AWD sedan would you recommend?
-tgriffith
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Used MINI Cooper
Used Volvo S60
Used Audi A4
Used Acura TL
Used Lexus IS 350
Used Suzuki Kizashi
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I second the motion to bring back the RS4!
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I bought a Suzuki SX4 in 2007 and haven’t had a lick of trouble. It’s been 30,000 miles of reliable transportation. The closest dealer is about 20 miles away, which kind of sucks, but I don’t go there very much.
A huge problem with Suzuki is their dealer network many dealers are going out due to low sales. I still have bad memories of owning a 2004 Suzuki Verona and having to pay for a tow to a dealership over a 100 miles away (closest one) and then having to wait over a month to fix it due to part supply problems and I was never reimbursed for the tow or the rental car for a month. Maybe things have changed with the quality of Suzuki’s but I am still leery.
audi RS4 is the ultima AWD sports sedan. Hope they put that model back into production.