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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  I love this car - 2005 Suzuki Forenza
  By Heather - August 3 - 5:46 am

  I love this car. I bought it new in 2005, I saw it on the delivery truck and told the salesman that was the one I wanted. Most people say that was a gamble but I know how great Suzukis are. I also had a Suzuki Swift that has over 200,000 miles on it and has only had to have oil changes brake pads and such. I tell everyone buy Suzuki.

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  Disappointment - 2008 Suzuki Forenza
  By Denny&Lorena - July 24 - 2:10 am

  Poor fuel milage for a car this size. Inherrant problems with tire wear and admitted problems with head gasket (loosing coolant)as pointed out by an authorized Suzuki service dept.

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  drive lights cause my car to catch on fire - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
  By mgay - July 23 - 6:39 am

  on my 2007 forenza the drive lights would not turn off. drove kids to basketball practice and smelled smoke look down and fire was down by my leg. the wire harness had melted and caught on fire!! now car want start. another motoris had to spray fire extinquisher into car to put out fire what a mess !!! but problem is recall for car is not honored what a ripoff!!! i can not keep tires on car thread wear is crazy and air conditioner blows but not cold even though it is full of freon do not buy this car !!!!!!!!!! please anybody know of a recall other than seat belts

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  Bad Tranny, Shocks, & Gas Mileage, but Good Looks - 2005 Suzuki Forenza
  By Kate2Dance - July 10 - 2:40 am

  I bought this car to commute to work and got decent gas mileage on highway, but horrible in town mileage of less than 20 MPG. At less than 30,000 miles, the transmission went bad and the rear shocks are knocking and rattling! Note this car was purchased to commute to work via a one hour drive on the interstate, so most of its mileage is highway! With a bad tranny and rear shocks at under 30,000 miles (most of which were highway) and very poor in town gas mileage, youre better off buying something else! Im buying a Honda next time, or anything else, for that matter!

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  My Dream Car - 2006 Suzuki Forenza
  By Meme - June 18 - 3:16 pm

  I have not ever owned a new car. I did resaerch on this beauty and loved all that I saw about the car. After I bought it and have been driving on the interstates and also back roads. It handles wonderfully with no shaking or sliding in the curves. It holds the road really well, rain or shine. I have a sunroof also and it is very nice to open and see the stars or enjoy the sun. My husband was against a convertable so this is the next best thing. The stereo is awsome. Whether you ride front or back seat you have plenty room. The trunk has all the room I could use. Did I mention that I came out of a Windstar van to this beauty or that I am a 62 year old grandmother? No matter what age you are, this car is Kewl.

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  unbelievable car - 2004 Suzuki Forenza
  By rnf - June 2 - 2:00 am

  I drove a 1990 Suzuki Swift for 14 years and just bought a new Forenza. It is an amazing car. Beautiful design. Sits higher than most cars. I really like the S model since without the sunroof on the higher line models you get many inches of additional headroom. Amazingly quiet; no wind noise at all. I cant imagine anyone buying a Civic, etc over this car.

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  Suzuki dreams - 2004 Suzuki Forenza
  By gojiman - May 23 - 9:00 pm

  Overall quality and ride is good. I like the idea of it being a heavier car in its class, a little over 2700 lbs. I would only say this, if Suzuki put the muscle it puts into its motorcycles into its cars, WOW! I realize that Daewoo makes most of their autos but this company has such great potential in being more than it is. They say most of Suzukis cars are quirky and I agree but this is why I like it. I am aware of some of Forenas mechanical problems, they are small and few compared to its competitors. Suzuki still has one of the best warranties in the Industry! Keep on digging in!

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  2007 Suzuki Forenza - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
  By BB - May 22 - 7:20 pm

  I needed a car that was reliable and I didnt have to spend a fortune on. While browsing for a few days I came across this car that only had 8500 miles on it for $9980. One reason for the price drop was they dealer took the stock rims off and replaced them with 15 inch black rims with hubcaps on them. That was alright with me though because I can always replace that. My Forenza is a manual transmission and unlike what other reviews have said on some Forenzas mine accelerates perfectly fine. The one and only complaint so far that I have about this car is that if the tires pressure is not perfect I get a light on in the car because of the TPMS. Overall though, good car so far!

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  Wow talk about bang for my buck!! - 2005 Suzuki Forenza
  By Richard Steere - May 21 - 10:43 am

  Lets start with options that are worth my money. I went with the base model and theres nothing base about it! Almost power everything, an unbeatable warranty, after I compared it to Hyundais. Its dependable, comfortable and affordable, I couldnt ask for more in quality and in service! Thank you Suzuki!

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  door handles break - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
  By doggett - May 17 - 4:06 pm

  I love this car EXCEPT that the door handles have broken 3 times!!! And, the paint on my door handles is peeling off! We bought this 2007 model in 2008 with a new full warranty, so the door handles have been replaced for free each time. But, it is a pain to schedule and appointment to have it done. Also, I feel like the dealership thinks Im crazy and that I am actually abusing the door handles and breaking them. But, I am paying the bill each month and I expect it to work properly. I must say I am very happy with this car- especially the air conditioning, speed and gas mileage. I was worth every penny!!