SUZUKI is to strike at the heart of Audi territory with the introduction of a high specification all-wheel-drive saloon.
The Kizashi will be going on sale in the summer and while not quite a quattro it will cost from around £24,000.
Powered by a 2.4-litre petrol engine, the Kizashi is the largest - and most expensive - car Suzuki has launched in the UK.
The move upmarket comes as Suzuki - best known for its Vitara and Jimny off-roaders - is considering launching a 4WD version of the Swift supermini.
If the Swift gets the green light it will mean all but two of Suzuki's current line up - the tiny Alto and the Splash mini-MPV - will be available with all-wheel-drive.
The Kizashi is already on sale in the US and elsewhere in Europe but in the UK it will be aimed at a niche market.
It will be available only in high grade Sport trim and with a CVT gearbox which, with paddle shifters, has six speeds.
With meaty looks it has obvious appeal and the car is well finished with chrome rubbing strips at sill level, twin exhaust clusters and 18-inch alloy wheels.
It handles well and grips nicely. The AWD system is automatic, varying the power from front to rear axle as necessary and the drive can be locked up if required for optimum traction in bad conditions.
The engine develops 178PS which results in a top seed of 134mph and a 0 to 60 acceleration time of 8.3 seconds.
Average fuel economy is 34 to the gallon and CO2 emissions are 191g/km making it much more of a private buyer's car than one which will appeal to business users.
It's high on features with leather upholstery, electrically adjustable seats and automatic air conditioning as standard. Only sat nav is an option and there is nothing crude about the interior design.
Roomy inside it will seat five and boot space at 461 litres is on the generous side. It's also fitted with a ski-hatch and folding rear seats for more capacity.
As sports saloons go the Kizashi is surprisingly appealing and pound for pound is highly competitive.
The AWD Swift is still under evaluation for the British market but already has proved popular for Suzuki is Scandinavia, Germany and Spain
Unlike the Kizashi it is permanent four-wheel-drive which pushes up emissions from the 1.2-litre engine from 116 for the two-wheel-drive version to 128g/km. Average fuel consumption is still acceptable though at 51.3mpg.
The car is aimed at buyers who want to be able to use an everyday car in bad weather conditions and Suzuki will decide if it is a viable proposition for the UK in June.
If it does go on sale it is likely to cost around £1,400 more than the standard Swift which would pitch it at around £14,000.
Having driven it briefly it does work well and would plug the gap left in the Suzuki line up by the Ignis 4WD which was last sold in 2006.
Elsewhere in the current Suzuki range the Splash is about to be made available with the 1.2-litre 94PS engine from the Swift giving it extra performance while being just as economical as the current one-litre model at 55.4mpg on average.
More efficient engines are also being introduced in the SX4 compact people mover and the Jimny and Grand Vitara 4x4s.