Kizashi? It sounds like a sneeze. But, odd name apart, Suzuki seem to be onto a winner with their new Mondeo rival.

It’s good enough to tempt a few away from Ford, Vauxhall and co into something a little less, shall we say, common.

Who’d have thought that Suzuki would be creating a car capable of standing alongside some of the best mid-market saloons?

Well, this brand has come on in recent years and has moved away from only 4x4s and cheap and cheerful cars. It all started with the remarkable Swift and has continued with the Alto, SX4 and others.

They combine decent styling and competitive pricing, aimed at people who like something different but who don’t want to pay too much. So, it shouldn’t be a surprise that Suzuki has created its first Mondeo-sized car with real credibility. It isn’t perfect: the name is controversial. It means ‘something great is coming’.

The economy is questionable, too. It’s fine on a run (42.8mpg) but around town (25mpg) is very expensive. And the choice is limited to just the one model, and (bad news) it isn’t a diesel.

That said, it does have lots of factors in its favour. It looks good and drives very well. It also has a 4x4 option at the flick of a button which will prove popular with people who have struggled through shivery winters.

It’s also very well equipped and, like all Suzukis of late, it has a fine cabin. And £21,995 isn’t too much compared with other well-equipped D-segment saloons with four-wheel-drive.

So, what do you get for your money? It’s a compact car for its class, smaller than Mondeo and Insignia. It comes with CVT (continuously variable transmission) which can be switched to a sequential system.

It has a stability control system and seven airbags, plus leather upholstery, powered seats, eight-speaker stereo, cruise control and a CD system with Bluetooth connectivity. It ticks a lot of boxes. At 4.6 metres long it’s one of the most compact in its class, yet it’s spacious and well-mannered. The cabin is neat (Suzuki have sorted their interiors) and the overall package has much to commend it.

The spacious interior offers plenty of leg and shoulder room, even for rear seat passengers. Space is not the only factor in ensuring plenty of on-board comfort: the shape and position of the seats are designed to support a natural posture, a key factor in comfortable long-distance travel. Additionally, ideal seat heights and large door apertures make access easy for all on board.

For practicality, the Kizashi features a through loading system to allow for longer items to be loaded from the boot.

It is highly equipped as standard including seven airbags; four electric windows, MP3/WMA compatible CD tuner with eight speakers, Dual Zone automatic air conditioning, 18in alloy wheels, keyless entry and start and folding heated door mirrors.

It makes you wonder why Suzuki’s plans at launch were to sell only 500 in the UK. That’s a pretty modest target. If they added a diesel and a manual gearbox, demand would be massive.