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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  Interior Problems - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
  By Gladys - October 26 - 12:23 am

  Me and my husband bought this car in 2007 and was very satisfy at first. Later, our door handles start falling off, we took it to the dealer to be repaired, and they told us this problem was not under warranty. At this point, we are very dissatisfied.

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  Suzuki Forenza LX - 2004 Suzuki Forenza
  By VBennah - October 21 - 10:00 am

  Nice car to drive,comfortable the price and warranty definitely influence me to purchase it.

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  I Love This Car - 2004 Suzuki Forenza
  By Chris Wallingsford - October 21 - 10:00 am

  I purchased my Suzuki Forenza sort of blind sided. I have previously owned Suzuki dirt bikes, yet have not had any exprience with their automobiles. This car is fun to drive and handles like a much more expensive automobile. The speed sensitive steering is a must. Also, the first automatic transmission I have thoroughly enjoyed using. Both in regular mode and in the "hold" mode. The stereo in this vehicle is "the bomb". One reason I purchased this car, is that I drove this car. 28 mpg is not bad either. I have recommended this vehicle to everyone I know. Like the title of my review states: "I LOVE THIS CAR!!"

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  Sucks - 2006 Suzuki Forenza
  By moniques - October 11 - 1:14 am

  This is the worst car...I have a 2006 and I have had it since 2008...it only had 20000 and I have put power steering pump-900..trans senstors--400..3 timing belts--150each...3 oil leaks--total of 450 and now the timing chain has poped and i need a new engine and cant afford it..thanks Suzuki..oh and the door handles break inside.. and it has bad gas mil and the tires wear down... Whoo I wish I could throw it back at the dealers..if you ever see me driving another Suzuki please know I must of won it

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  Dont Buy - 2005 Suzuki Forenza
  By Misty - October 10 - 1:23 am

  In this case my car is a lemon. A few months after i purchased the power steering rack went out covered under a warranty. Dec 09 Bolt in idler pulley snapped which caused my timing belt to shred which caused 12 valves to bend. Need a new motor $3,000.00 later. Valve cover leaks a little bit of oil. Other than that the car is great. But needless to say once i pay it off im not going straight to a suzuki dealership.

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  Good Buy - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
  By David - October 7 - 2:13 am

  I will have to say that despite all of the negative reviews on the gas milleage, mine does great. I usually get 25 mpg which is a giant step up from a SUV that only got 16-17 mpg. I mainly drive city too. The car is inexpensive b/c thats how it was built. So naturally there are downsides to it. The one I hate the most is the paint wearing out on most everything on the interior. It just would have been better to leave it the grey or tan plastic colors undernear. There is one more thing I dont like -- whenever I start it up and immediately shift gears, it will "jump" really quick and then will return to normal. Other than the above complaints, its been a great car so far.

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  DO NOT BUY THIS CAR WHATEVER YOU DO! - 2008 Suzuki Forenza
  By mckinnley - October 3 - 10:22 am

  I have had this car for a little less than 2 years now, bought it in 2010 with about 35k on the engine. I have gotten regular oil changes by a friend at his home of mine who used to own a shop for years. I have taken good care of the motor just blew out of nowhere. I got to school one morning and it just started knocking and now I have to spend 4k on a new engine! It is still under warranty but they want reciepts for oil changes when I got mine done for free. So basically im screwed even though the car was taken care of. Many other problems. headlights burned out, transmission slipping, windows not powering right, AC this summer(I fixed), bateries run out quick..... Just dont buy it!!!!!!!!!

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  Check Out The Forenza - 2004 Suzuki Forenza
  By PAnthony - September 26 - 10:00 am

  This Suzuki is pretty nice. Euro styling in and out, looks better than most of competition. Also the good price doesnt hurt.

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  Dont buy this car! - 2004 Suzuki Forenza
  By pappy - September 15 - 4:23 pm

  When I bought this car new, it didnt seem too bad, but man was I mistaken! This car is rough and shoddy. After the initial 500 miles were put on, any semblance of confidence in it was worn off. Ill spare the details and just go on to two main points. First, the value has dropped like a rock. Second, anytime something needs done to this car, you better be ready to wait for the part to come in and be ready to pay through the nose for it. I just got the brakes done - discs were $90/each and I had to wait a week. Call your tire stores and find out how many of them stock 195/55R15 tires. Few, if any will Im sure. Save some dough and frustration: buy a 5 year old Civic.

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  my daughter hates this car!!! - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
  By lisa - September 2 - 12:50 am

  we bought this car for our daughter in 6/07 with 23 miles, she nows hates this car we have had 3 bent rims , vibrations, repainted door handles, transmission jerking, gas light indicator out,plus several different other things wrong the old saying you get what you pay for is definitely true in the case of this car..very disappointing to make such a big purchase and it turn out to be such a lemon, it is cute, roomy ,comfortable and fairly reasonable on gas but we would NEVER by another suzuki. Good Luck to everyone