As the Hyundai Genesis has shown, you don’t need a fancy name to move up the automotive food chain. But can just any automaker make the same shift? We’re about to find out as Suzuki’s all-new mid-size Kizashi is set to hit the Aussie market later this year.?When most of us think Suzuki, we tend to conjure up images of motorcycles and tiny econoboxes. But with the new Kizashi sedan, Suzuki is hoping to change that public image. And change it for good – the Japanese word Kizashi translates to “something great is coming”.

Admittedly, a mid-size sports sedan from Suzuki does sounds like a head scratching proposition. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. After all, the SX4 is a pretty decent little car to drive. But taking on the behemoths in the mid-size sedan segment?

Don’t think of the Kizashi so much as a Toyota Camry or Honda Accord rival, but rather as an alternative to the boring appliances that seem to populate the mid-size segment. Whereas most mid-size sedans try to cater to the masses in a plain vanilla kind of way, the Kizashi stands out with a healthy dose of sport and style. And, from what we experienced firsthand, the Kizashi just might have the chops to steal away some sales from the traditional heavy hitters of the segment.

Walking up to the Kizashi, you’ll first notice its rather small size. While most sedans in the mid-size segment are now bumping against the full-size classification, the Kizashi is more in line with the first few generations of the Honda Accord.

Thanks to that compact footprint, Kizashi designers were able to give the car a very taut and muscular look. The Kizashi’s design doesn’t do enough to scream “Hey, look at me” – after all, it’s still technically a mid-size sedan – but it does look far more sporting than most of the Camcords of the world.

Up front, the Kizashi retains its show car-inspired grille, flanked by aggressive-looking projector headlamps. A sculpted hood and wide bumper flares round out the Kizashi’s front end.

Overall, Suzuki did a very nice job on the Kizashi’s interior – especially considering it’s the brand’s first attempt at a “premium” offering. The center stack is more than a few notches up from what you’d expect in a Suzuki and the designers did a nice job of incorporating the shape of the automaker’s new corporate grille.

Suzuki went with soft-touch material for much of the Kizashi’s interior, which is always a good move in our book. However, some pieces do feel a little on the cheap side, dragging down the cabin’s overall feel.

Power for the Kizashi is sourced from a 2.4L four-cylinder making 185 horsepower when mated to the six-speed manual transmission and 180 horsepower when hooked to Suzuki’s CVT. Like most modern CVTs, Suzuki’s unit offers a ‘sport’ mode, simulating six forward gears, complete with steering wheel mounted paddle shifters.

The CVT can be had on front and all-wheel drive models while the six-speed manual is reserved for front-drivers only.

Although the CVT does offer slightly higher fuel economy numbers – 23/32mpg vs. the six-speed’s 20/29mpg rating – we’d opt for the manual setup. The CVT takes something away from the Kizashi’s sporting nature and the six-speed unit is rather good. Clutch action is very well weighted although throws are a bit on the long side.

Out on the open track, the Kizashi continued to shine. Not surprising considering the Kizashi spent most of its early life on Germany’s famed Nurburgring. That track time really comes through as the Kizashi is a blast to throw around in the corners. Turn in is great and the Kizashi is an extremely well-balanced front-drive car, exhibiting virtually zero understeer and hardly any body roll. The Kizashi’s brakes are equally impressive and are a result of a tie-up with Akebono – the company responsible for making the brakes for Japan’s bullet trains.