Overview & Reviews

At some point in their lives, most people find themselves in need of a small, inexpensive car that gets them around with minimal hassle. While the names "Civic" and "Corolla" come up in most every small sedan buyer's research, the trouble is that you often pay dearly for these household names. In hopes of attracting people on a tighter budget, Suzuki offered the Forenza from 2004-'08.

This value-oriented compact came in sedan and wagon body styles. It boasted a low price of entry, a roomy interior, European-inspired design, a host of standard features, competitive power figures and a seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty.

At a glance, the well-equipped Suzuki Forenza appeared to offer terrific value. But in our evaluations, we found that it fell short of the segment leaders in terms of performance, fuel economy, handling and interior refinement. Unless you really need the extra space of its available wagon body style in a used car, we recommend that you focus on one of its more worthy competitors.

Most Recent Suzuki Forenza

The Suzuki Forenza debuted in 2004, with the wagon model following in 2005. The Forenza was actually built by the Korean automaker Daewoo and rebadged as the Forenza for the American market. It was offered as a four-door sedan or wagon in a single trim level with various available packages. Standard equipment included four-wheel disc brakes, air-conditioning, front seat side airbags, full power accessories and a CD/MP3 stereo with steering-wheel controls. Notably, ABS was an extra-cost option.

The Forenza was powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 127 horsepower and 131 pound-feet of torque. This engine performed adequately with the manual transmission but felt burdened and underpowered when saddled with the four-speed automatic. To make matters worse, it wasn't particularly fuel-efficient or refined, either.

The Forenza's cabin was something of a mixed bag, too. It was spacious, with lots of stylish metallic accents, but this was offset by inconsistent materials quality and an overall lack of refinement and quality compared with class leaders. If you can get past that, there was lots of rear legroom for adults and a 60/40-split-folding seatback for extra utility. The sedan provided 12 cubic feet of trunk capacity, with the wagon offering nearly 62 cubic feet of space with the rear seat folded.

On the road, the Suzuki Forenza exhibited soft, rubbery handling and a poor ride quality compared with its competitors, as well as excessive wind noise on the highway. Although it was compliant enough, it exhibited little suspension control over bumps and ruts. Handling around corners was loose and unsure, with excessive body roll and minimal grip from the tires. When merging into traffic, automatic-equipped Forenzas accelerated weakly, and any such maneuver took some advance planning.

Changes were slight during the Suzuki Forenza's run. For 2005, side impact airbags became standard for all Forenzas. The Forenza was freshened up a bit for 2006, receiving a new front fascia, redesigned seats, new wheels and revised trim levels. Bluetooth became available for 2008.

User Reviews:

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  Competent, but uninspiring - 2005 Suzuki Forenza
  By aposak - October 30 - 10:34 pm

  For basic transportation and cargo hauling, this car is great! It has been rock-solid reliable at 135k miles. Anything over basic transportation, though, and you should look elsewhere. Although a lot of nice features and afterthoughts are included, Suzuki overlooked many of the basics. The lower dash and doors are soft plastic, which scratch and mar easily. The seats arent particularly comfortable, though they feature several adjustments. Handling, acceleration, and braking are competent, but feel disconnected. Ive averaged 24-26mpg combined throughout the life of the car.

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  First New Car and a Joy to Drive - 2006 Suzuki Forenza
  By Richard E Gugula II - October 4 - 4:53 am

  My Suzuki Forenza purchase so far has been a joy. I got a good deal on it and am impressed at both how nice the car was on the inside and how cool it looked on the outside. I havent had a single problem with the car, save for the constant stops at the pump. With recent hurricanes making gas lines long here in south Florida, having a 300 mile limit on a tank stinks. Another selling factor had to do with the insurance rate that I recieved from AIG. Full coverage on a financed vehicle for a 21 year old male was actually cheaper than minimum coverage on my previous 2002 Mazda, which is very cool.

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  Suzuki Costumer - 2006 Suzuki Forenza
  By proud costumer - June 29 - 7:10 pm

  This car has a lot of complaints and I dont think that they are necessary. Its a $13000 car, what do you expect, a tuned engine from BMW and Mercedes and Audi? This car is not built well but should last you a good 3 years. I dont like the gas mileage but it is a great upgrade from a 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee. 14mpg city 17mpg highway so I think it is a good car, even though it wont last you 10 years like a Camry. I would consider it if you are looking for a good used car.

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  Served us well - 2005 Suzuki Forenza
  By firstimebuyer - June 27 - 11:33 am

  We bought our Forenza new and have been driving it for 5 years. Its not as comfortable as our older bigger car but we expected that. Its always been reliable, no issues. Never noticed a problem with the power and I spend a lot of time on freeways. Dealerships keep selling out and we end up making a day trip to get checkups, warranty stinks - charge an arm and a leg just for normal stuff thank God nothings gone wrong.

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  Decent.... - 2005 Suzuki Forenza
  By MIke - May 24 - 3:40 pm

  This car is very fuel efficient. I can usually get almost 400 hundred miles on a full tank of gas. The engine is a little rough, but its only a 4 cyclinder so that is expected.

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  Chevy Optra = Forenza - 2004 Suzuki Forenza
  By GuyT - April 10 - 2:00 am

  After comparing all data the Chevy version of the Susuki Forenza ( Optra LS ) in Canada. The choice was easy. The most for the $: 1- Best Price for the fuly loaded. Sun roof Audio MP3 Mag Leather Fog light, electric mirrors Steering audio control, electric doors AC Automatic Trans 4 disc Break etc... With GM rebate $1000 loyal customer and 0% financing. Best price in town. 19,000.00 CANADIAN dollars 2- The ride: Quiet car on highway. Transmission feel as it is electric motor driven. Sussp like a mini Cadilac Break very well. 3- This not the best acceleration but is well enough for city driving.

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  Loaded with fun - 2006 Suzuki Forenza
  By bErTo - January 30 - 11:56 pm

  After comparison shopping, the 2006 Suzuki Forenza Premium w/ABS was my pick. It has a lot of headroom for my 6 body, loads of standard features, and a nice ride for an ecomonomy car. The expensive looking exterior and interior add a touch of class that make you wonder if you are driving an economy car. I love to drive it and recieve many compliments.

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  I love this car! - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
  By H - January 29 - 6:13 pm

  Very fun to drive - zippy, handles well, good pick up, small turn radius, parks easily. Great entry-level vehicle. Only disappointment has been gas mileage. I expected low 30s combined city/hwy, but getting only mid/high 20s. Bought mine brand new - last one on the lot, I have almost 18,000 miles on it - its been great. Kids can get in and out easily, huge trunk fits baseball and lacrosse bags easily. Drives Colorado mountains with ease. Radio/CD player is OK - its whats expected in this type of vehicle. Comfort is average. Although I sprayed Scotchguard on the interior myself, interior cleans up easily.

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  Great Car - 2004 Suzuki Forenza
  By Dmoore - January 26 - 1:16 pm

  I thought I would give the Forenza a shot when I bought it. The stereo was good and was the most comfortable out of all the cars I test drove. This is my work vehicle so comfort is important. I have over 106K miles and the only thing I replaced is the brake switch. It took two days to get from the dealership and cost me $15.00. I replaced myself in their parking lot. It is not a luxury car but it has definately met my needs. It will run for another 100K miles.

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  Bad mpg - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
  By justonemike - January 20 - 9:56 pm

  Ive driven the Forenza now for 6000 miles and the mpg on it the last 3 months has been awful. 12mpg 3 tankfulls in a row(unacceptable) and thats city driving. Summer highway driving was ok (27-29) but if I were to buy it again I would get a manual tranny. Ive read it does better on the mpg. Other than that cars been ok. Power is enough for my needs. Just one issue with an engine light had it checked when I went for oil change.