Subaru Sales Stay Strong; Suzuki Going, Going, Gone

I think brandloyalty is probably most correct as to why Suzuki has seemingly faded away - if my friends don't own one, should I? I've spent a fair amount of time traveling around America, and I'm always interested that no matter where you go, there's always some odd vehicle that you find in greatly disproportionate numbers to their national sales figures. Sure, there's a reason that the state car of Utah is apparently a Subaru (and the the YuSuburbaHo is known as the BMW - Basic Mormon Wheels, but I digress...) And sure, there were only so many Citroens brought in, and they seem to gravitate to San Fran. But seemingly things like VehiCrosses, SVXs, TR8s, and such seem to be clustered in little bunches. Was the salesforce just good at moving that model in that neightborhood, or was it the natural human group dynamics?

A month ago I was helping a friend shop for her first new car, and she had decided on an AWD 5-door automatic, which meant that the two lowest-price choices (in the U.S.) were the Suzuki SX4 Crossover and the Subaru Impreza 2.5i. We test-drove both (at two different branches of the Fitzgerald group in Maryland). They both had 16-inch wheels, 4-wheel disc brakes, and equivalent safety equipment. The Suzuki just wasn't competitive, even at its much lower price. Attempts to accelerate quickly resulted in a lag of several seconds and awful groans from the drivetrain (whether from the CVT or the motor itself, I couldn't tell). Although the Subie's auto was only a 4-speed, it could move; it seemed like more of a real car, and had better crash test ratings as well. Another factor against the Suzuki was that cruise control (standard in the Impreza) was only available as part of a costly package that included features she didn't want. EPA ratings are a little better for the Suzuki, but cargo space is noticeably smaller. In retrospect I'm glad we gave it a chance, but it just seemed silly to consider it seriously. However, I am amazed that only about 200 Kizashis are being sold per month; I presume this is because anyone considering a Kizashi on its merits is likely to be aware that their local Suzuki dealer may not be around much longer.