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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  Fun Car - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
  By benny - February 8 - 4:00 pm

  Hey, I really love this car. I think its awesome. I have not had any problems with it and I love taking curves fast and driving fast. I only pay $200 a month for it and I put zero down also. It is not a bad car at all. If you go buy one, dont forget to ask for the $1,000 rebate. It puts the car at less than $14,500 for the 2007 model. If you find a 2006 model you can get it for $13,500. I read the complaints that some have about the resale value. Well you just bought a new car you cant expect to resell it for more...its not house. The best thing to do is just hold on to it and have fun with it hey it does have a great warranty and it looks really good.

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  Regularly Check for a Recall - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
  By jackie_o - January 26 - 11:42 pm

  In one sense, I love my car. Because it is my car, and it looks okay. But thats where my affection for the Suzuki ends. I bought this in 2008 from Carmax with 10,000 miles on it. Within one week the transmission slipped and I learned about the faulty sensor. It was replaced. Resurfaced 2 mos. later, so it was reset. And again, and again. Have dealt w/ the "check engine" light and transmission slip for 5 years. No one has the answer nor can they fix it except temporarily. Its ridiculous. I keep expecting to see a recall to no avail. Also: Shoddy paint / flaking wheel cover. Cracked pillar trim (I often see this on passing Forenzas). Awful. Be not tempted by the price.

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  Strong purchase - 2006 Suzuki Forenza
  By Jeckaroonie - January 23 - 10:10 pm

  The car is perfect for its price range, although I do have a few problems with it. The 3rd day I bought it, the check engine light went on, and when we took it in we learned the O2 sensor blew. However, it was covered by the spectacular warranty. Also the transmission is slow to respond. When you go from R to D or D to R the transmission jumps. The gas mileage is OK, I average 24 mpg. For my small body (55") I fit just great, however, my husbands 6 5" body has a tight squeeze. I have the base model and I dont feel like I am missing out on anything.

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  Just bought my 05 Forenza - 2005 Suzuki Forenza
  By Robert Fisher - January 18 - 11:53 am

  I just bought this car about a week ago and so far I love it. Im very impressed with the high level of style & build quality in a car of this price. The styling reminds me of an Audi A4. Like just about everyone else I like all the power gadgets and the 8 speaker stereo cd/tape player that come standard. Dont know about the gas mileage yet but it seems ok. I traded in a Suzuki Swift with 138,000 miles on it. Got en extra $500 off for owner loyalty. I highly recommend this car. Already got one of my friends to buy one.

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  DisSatisfied - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
  By dontbuyforenza - December 18 - 9:14 pm

  It makes me sick to my stomach to read all the reviews on the Suzuki Forenza. It is sad that there are so many problems and no recalls. I have a 2007 Forenza & have had multiple issues. Tires are always in need of balancing, the door handles paint is starting to chip off, oil changes once a month because the oil light comes on and the engine knocks really hard even though there is plenty of oil, now as of yesterday, while I was driving, the trasnmission hit hard and the check engine light came on. The gear indicator flashes with a square with a line through it. I also almost got into an accident. Pep Boys ran the codes and as of many many other Forenza drivers, 7000 & 7005 came up.

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  You get what you pay for - 2006 Suzuki Forenza
  By lory conover - December 8 - 11:23 pm

  At two weeks after purchase, the dash light switch went out. One month later the door locks stopped working. At 4 mo. the transmission went out. Was replaced by a new one, but now Im concerned about the overall quality of the car. Looking to trade it in for a more reliable model. Darn. I liked the feel of the Forenza and the interior as well as fuel economy. Suzuki should stick with building motorcycles!

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  My bad experience with Suzuki cars - 2005 Suzuki Forenza
  By Tina Hull - December 7 - 8:16 pm

  I purchased a Suzuki Forenza new and have had nothing but problems, brake lights staying on, windshield pops and cracks, seats upholster coming undone especially front seats (been fixed twice), a problem with the power windows, hard to start on cold days, does not get mileage it should, boggs down, engine idles too fast, hard to get in reverse. The dealership tears it up more each time it is serviced. By the way, the joke at the 4 wheeler suzuki dealer is that you should buy the 4 wheeler because it will get you where youre going, even if Suzukis cars are "falling apart."

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  Overall Disappointment - 2006 Suzuki Forenza
  By RCassell - December 5 - 11:43 am

  When I first got my Forenza I absolutely loved it, the styling and ride were seemingly above class. I purchased it used with 6,000 miles on it. Then, when it hit 20k miles, there was a problem with the brakes and it wouldnt go into gear. Needless to say, the brakes are only covered to 12k miles. Now, the door handle fell off, my speedometer is off by 5+ mph depending on your intended speed, a valve gasket is blown, and the power steering pump needs to be replaced. It only has 33k miles on it! This shouldnt happen, and while the warranty covers it, Im still disappointed that I spent 10k on this when I could have bought a different make and had less problems.

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  Youll regret getting this one - 2008 Suzuki Forenza
  By jmm16 - December 2 - 3:55 pm

  I got this back in March with 51,000 miles. The speakers are blown out, windows off track, airbag and check engine light are always on when car is on, the transmission slips. It wont go into reverse half the time, the air/heat wont completely turn off, it makes a bad noise when turning sharp to the right. Does anyone know what to do to get the engine light to go off and stay and the transmission to stop whacking out? Ive been told it could be the transmission fluid but no local shop can do it cause its a foreign car. Ive been told transmission sensors or a new trans as well and even a catalytic converter problem.

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  good car for the money.. - 2004 Suzuki Forenza
  By vlinkous - December 2 - 10:00 am

  this car is really nice for the entry level cars compared to it... it is my first new car and i love it