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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  Love This Car - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
  By bill - May 4 - 3:33 pm

  I thinks this car is a gem. I have never owned a Suzuki before only Mazdas. I think this vehicle is wonderful, the acceleration is great. I mean its not a sports car but it does the job. I also think the safety features are great. So if you are looking for a new car I would recommend this one. And as for the other posts about the gas mileage, this car has phenomenal gas mileage.

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  i like it. - 2004 Suzuki Forenza
  By rachel - April 30 - 1:36 pm

  before purchasing my suzuki forenza s, i drove a 1993 ford probe. so getting the suzuki was a step up. my 50+ conservative, typical know it all, car loving dad loves my suzuki. its a wonderful car. i commute back and forth to school 30 miles each way and it makes the trip much more enjoyable and bearable. i can drive in the rain with ease because of some special feature on the car. i havent tested in the snow yet, but im sure ill do fine.

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  Lots of engine noise, very low power - 2005 Suzuki Forenza
  By Bill Pearson - April 26 - 6:13 am

  Severly lacking in power. Lousy gas milage for a car of this size. My 2001 Lincoln Town Car gets as good or better gas milage in town & on the hwy. This car is somewhat unstable on the road. It gets blown around by trucks. Seems to veer a little for no apparent reason. Pulls to right on initial acceleration. No longer own this pigeon.

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  Good commuter for young drivers. - 2005 Suzuki Forenza
  By alessing - April 19 - 10:06 am

  I had this car for a few years and never really had problems with it. Like others the airbag light came on but that was its ONLY problem. I wont complain about power because if I wanted power I couldve bought something else. It was perfect for what I needed, something inexpensive, mildly efficient, reliable, and simple. This was perfect.

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  Very good for the money! - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
  By Dan - April 17 - 6:06 pm

  Weve had our Forenza for about 9 months now and we are very happy! No problems, very comfortable inside, and good enough mileage. Of course its not a performance car, but it does better than you would expect from some of the reviews Ive read. I would definitely recommend to anyone needing a reliable, lower-priced car.

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  Airbags did not work on impact - 2008 Suzuki Forenza
  By D Ybarra - April 11 - 11:03 am

  I got hit by a person driving a Chev Tahoe on my passenger side and got pushed into the highway concrete barrier. I got some stiches, cuts and bruises. Had to be cut out of car with the jaws of life. Interesting thing and concern was that none of the front airbags or seat side airbags deployed.

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  Forenza2004 awsome car great for anyone - 2004 Suzuki Forenza
  By Megandrichy - April 3 - 2:00 am

  Lovely car, great for anyone of all ages able to drive it. great pick up great breaks. Confortable, and smoth driving. great on gas, great on milolage, it hase a good look to it, casual car. In the lower ranges of expencive cars. I think that anyone who does not wanna have to worry about playing a butt-load on gas then this would be your car:).

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  poor gas mileage - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
  By brodie3 - April 3 - 1:38 am

  I bought a 2007 forenza in Dec.11th 2011,it had 49,515 miles on it then and now on Sept. 25th I have 60,371 miles on it. How is that possible when I dont go anywhere. The furthest I have been in this car is 25 miles one way. Never been out of the state of ohio, gas burns really fast, took it to dealer spent 1400 in repairs the biggest was trans range sensor,timing belt, serpentine belt 2 tires,tune up, oil change,etc, not satisfied , after repairs cold start has car knocking was not doing that before service work. Dealer wants to keep it to check it out, used mile markers on highway for every 1 mile I got 2.3 miles how can this be. I need help.

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  73 - 2005 Suzuki Forenza
  By rubyluv40 - March 30 - 12:40 am

  very good car all the way around fun to drive nice ride good inside and out side look to the car could be better gas miles to it

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  New owner - 2004 Suzuki Forenza
  By EJowerre - March 24 - 10:00 am

  Only had the car a few days but it is good solid basic transportation. bought to haul me back/forth to work. fuel mileage is amazing (35mpg!) quite comfortable and pick up is very good. ride is a little stiff but it has all of 300 miles on it! dealership was great, really gave me a good deal, warranty ammmmmmmmazing