Suzuki is celebrating the Kizashi’s first-place finish in AutoPacific’s 14th annual Vehicle Safety Awards for the midsize segment. Despite the name, the award isn’t for safety but overall satisfaction for new vehicles.
Scoring 99 points above the industry average, the all-new sedan finished first among all 2010 model year vehicles in the survey. The poll asked 42,000 new vehicle owners how they felt about the car they just purchased or leased.
With competition like the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, it’s impressive that the Suzuki newcomer managed to elbow its way so quickly into consumer’s hearts.
As far as brands go, though, GM was the big winner. Cadillac had the highest satisfaction for a premium brand, and Buick took the top slot for popular brands.
Check out the full list of winners in individual segments after the jump.
Passenger Cars
Premium Luxury Car — Lexus LS Aspirational Luxury Car — Hyundai Genesis Luxury Midsize Car — Nissan Maxima Large Car — Ford Taurus Premium Midsize Car — Honda Accord Midsize Car — Suzuki Kizashi Premium Compact Car — Volkswagen GTI Compact Car — Nissan Cube Economy Car — Honda Fit Sports Car — Porsche 911 Sporty Car — Chevrolet Camaro Hybrid Car — Mercury Milan Hybrid
Light Trucks
Heavy-Duty Pickup — Dodge Ram HD Large Light-Duty Pickup — Ford F-150 Compact Pickup — Honda Ridgeline Luxury Sport Utility — Cadillac Escalade Large Sport Utility — Ford Expedition Premium Midsize Sport Utility — Nissan Pathfinder/Toyota 4Runner Midsize Sport Utility — Dodge Nitro Premium Luxury Crossover — Lincoln MKT Luxury Crossover SUV — Lexus RX Large Crossover SUV — GMC Acadia Premium Midsize Crossover SUV — Ford Edge Midsize Crossover SUV — Ford Escape Compact Crossover SUV — Hyundai Tucson Minivan — Honda Odyssey Hybrid Truck — Lexus RX 400h
