We’ve yet to take a spin behind the wheel of the new Suzuki Kizashi, but that hasn’t stopped us from falling head over heels for the design (two words: dual exhaust). As a matter of fact, so enamored are we by one of the first 4-wheeled Suzuki products that doesn’t appear destined to suck, we’re not even phased by the $20k pricing announcement.

Set to appear alongside the troupe of tuned Kizashi’s at this year’s SEMA show is yet another pleasant surprise from the often underestimated Japanese manufacturer: the ICON Vehicle Dynamics Suzuki Equator. Without the hefty aftermarket off-road package the Equator would still find a special place in our hearts but with Wrangler MT/R tires and a grill-mounted LightForce bar, we consider ourselves head-over-heels. Part of our fascination stems from the fact that, as of late, rare has been a Suzuki vehicle with more than 2 wheels that we’d permit ourselves to be seen in. With the Suzuki Equator, that unpopular stigma seems to be slowly ebbing and the result is a rally-ready truck that could satisfy the needs of even the most discerning Raptor bro (alright, maybe that’s pushing it).

There’s really only one firm that can work the two-tone paint scheme and gaping front intake and that would be the company that pioneered it, Bugatti. Much the same can also be said of Subaru’s signature flat gold rims, yet both Bugatti and Subie’s trademark design cues managed to make it into Westside Auto Group’s Kizashi Soleil, and the results are predictably confusing.

The Napa Merlot/Bronzed Amber paint coupled with the gold wheels mean that from an angle in the right light, it almost looks like it wants to be the tricked out tC your pizza boy drives, which is never a win as far as we’re concerned. Perhaps as a subtle internal acknowledgment of this fact, the Westside Auto Group Kizashi Soliel will not be joining the Delta Tech Engineering Kizashi on the SEMA floor, but rather will have its own special spot in the show car area adjacent to the Las Vegas Convention Center.

As loyal RideLust readers (all three of you) may remember, when the 2010 Suzuki Kizashi officially bowed globally in July of this year we were genuinely surprised that we didn’t hate it with a searing passion. As a matter of fact, we actually found it quite attractive, and the same is true for at least one of its two SEMA variants.

Scheduled to appear at SEMA next week, the Delta Tech Engineering Kizashi is by far our favorite custom job and manages to perfectly illustrate what a 4-wheeled Suzuki should look like. Unfortunately, the press release was extremely brief so all we really know is that Delta Tech was responsible for the upgrades under the hood, RK Sport created the body kit, Katzkin produced the custom seats, and Koni tweaked the suspension. Exactly what that means in terms of performance and capability? Your guess is as good as ours, but we’re hoping a live demonstration at the show will confirm our suspicions of serious hoon potential.

The rebadging and sale of an existing model under a new brand name is nothing new, especially when it comes to pickups. Mitsubishi borrowed from Dodge, Isuzu swapped with GM, and Mazda did the same from Ford. See a trend there? For whatever reason, the smaller Japanese makers have previously made some sort of attempt at blending American brute and Japanese style. Which makes Suzuki’s Equator version of the Nissan Frontier somewhat curious.

This is compounded by the fact that none of the previous American-turned-Japanese examples were even close to being as successful in sales as their original counterparts, let alone those from Nissan and Toyota. Suzuki must believe that they have missed out on new customers by not having a truck option. But how realistic is it to think that a potential buyer or loyal Suzuki owner has been on a dealership lot and turned to the sales person and said, “I like the sub-compact, but what do you have in a truck?” The real question is whether Frontier-lovers will cross the street for the Equator.

Image courtesy Powertec Engineering

Whatever you think of the current Nurburgring hoopla/controversy, its undeniable that the Radical SR8LM is an unbelievable car. And while a lot of that is simply its bantamweight nature, another reason is the head-explodingly badass Powertec Engineering RPA Macroblock V8 lump nestled under the bodywork. Heavily based on Suzuki’s GSX-R 1300 Hayabusa engine, it’s a seriously developed and extremely lightweight powerplant that is begging to be shoved into anything it might possibly fit into, and possibly some things it won’t (you will get massive RideLust bonus points if you engineer a Macroblock R/C car, even if it is absurdly nonfunctional). But while the insane Mosler-esque visions we’re having of dual-RPA engined CRXs doing 4-wheel burnouts are almost pornographic in nature, the reality of the engine in its Radical SR8LM application is almost as titillating.

It used to be that only a handful of cars, mostly foreign, came with all-wheel-drive capabilities. (America’s contribution- the AMC Eagle!?!) But as more and more people flee from SUVs, this number has continued to increase, no doubt driven in large part by those not blessed to live in a warm weather climate. At any rate, while the calendar says it’s summer, it is never too early to add either a little AWD performance to your life or plot your AWD strategy for winter. Here are 7 AWD choices that satisfy either fix at any budget.

After dominating the cheap-car-you-buy-for-your-kid-with-the-expectation-that-they’ll-total-it-within-a-month market, Suzuki has apparently decided to break ties with their old, slightly less than favorable stigma with the introduction of the 2010 Suzuki Kizashi. Initially unveiled as the Kizashi Concept 3, Suzuki remained tight-lipped concerning production intent and left us with nothing by spy shots with which to fuel our imagination.

Today, after months of waiting, the 2010 Suzuki Kizashi has finally made its global debut – and we’re intrigued.

Suzuki SX4 Gains SportBack Sibling in 2010

Although when it arrives later this fall you might have a hard time distinguishing the new “SportBack” from the current SX4, don’t let that discourage you. It may look the same, but the 2010 SX4 SportBack will be accompanied by some welcome performance updates.

Suzuki Splash: One Byproduct of Suzuki/GM Coupling

Reading like a reenactment of German and Japanese diplomacy during WWII, Volkswagen continues to consolidate its status as the world’s most dominant automaker with discussions of acquiring a stake in Suzuki while the Japanese automaker relaxes ties with former affiliate GM.