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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  First Brand New Car - 2008 Suzuki Forenza
  By Texasdude47 - November 29 - 2:56 pm

  I have been driving for more years than I would like to share! I have driven all types of cars and trucks and motorcycles. (Owned a Geo Metro back in the 90s with a Suzuki engine.) And have owned 2 Suzuki motorcycles, all with excellent results. I just bought the car yesterday. My wife and I love it. We think it will meet our needs nicely. I am a big guy and I have plenty of room in this car. Nice interior, comfortable, looks great. This car is worth a look, bigger interior than the Hondas and Toyotas Take a look and compare for yourself, you will be plesantly surprised. When the "after glow" from the purchase wears off, and when I have some miles on it, I will let you know!

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  DO NOT PURCHASE THIS CAR!!!! - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
  By angrysuzuki - November 15 - 11:46 pm

  I bought my 07 Suzuki Forenza in June of 2010. At first it ran great, but once it started hitting the 60k mark, I have had problem after problem. First it was the door handles breaking, then the tire pressure light, then the passenger air bag light went off, then i got my gear shift fixed, then my timing belt broke off, then a new engine, then i needed new shocks and new struts, then something with my tires wearing down , and now my transmission is having trouble. I wish i would have known about this car before i bought it.

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  Dont do it - 2005 Suzuki Forenza
  By guyandron - November 12 - 9:27 pm

  I bought my 2005 Forenza brand new. Ive bent numerous rims on it (7), Its been through 2 transmissions only one of which was covered under the warranty, its gone through 4 sets of tires and Im happy to say I just traded it with 126,000 miles on a Ford Taurus. The gas mileage was horrible even thougg I did mostly highway driving. The car left me stranded on three seperate ocassions and Ive had numerous electrical problems. Also went through 8 headlights. If youre looking for a car in this catagory, stick with the old timers like Nissan, Honda, and Toyota. You may pay a little more up front but your cost of ownership will be significantly lower. I will never buy another.

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  Forenza rocks - 2004 Suzuki Forenza
  By jolly8286 - November 7 - 7:43 am

  I think that this is an excellent car. It has the feel of a sports car. It may not go as fast as most, but it can hang with some of the most sought after vehicles. All in all a very nice ride.

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  Door Handles - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
  By Suzuki Forenza - November 3 - 8:36 pm

  I have had both all of the inside door handles break off. Ive noticed that those plastic door handles snap very easily during the hot summer months as well as during the winter.

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  Review - 2008 Suzuki Forenza
  By Amr - October 16 - 2:43 pm

  I bought this car as A Chevy "Optra" its an automatic 1600CC 107 HP,with only 2 front Airbags & audio control. I luv the Hold button it makes the car go crazy giving you high acceleration. The only thing i hate is the left side mirror, alot of blind spots.. i had an A4 Skoda and the left side mirror showed me whole 3 lanes, the optra shows you only one & miss leading data on the cars position, some time i look at the left mirror & deside to change lanes and i find a car beside me!! id say its soo narrow, but all in all, i luv this car.Just dont fool your self, your not driving a benz.. what you pay for you find, no high expectations. Thats why i like it.

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  Cheap Car, but Not a Great Value - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
  By Ann M - October 5 - 3:46 am

  This car looks quite nice from the outside. It also comes standard with air conditioning, a CD player, and heated mirrors. However I have had multiple starting problems with this car even though my Suzuki dealer claims this problem is limited to the 06 models. It also gets bad gas mileage when compared to other compact cars. I was driving a SUV so I did not notice it at first, but 21 mpg for a compact is bad. Also, the automatic transmission sucks too much power away from the already small inefficient engine. When I am going up a hill on the interstate I have to keep my foot on the floor and still lose speed. The engine is also quite noisy and does not like to go above 60 mph. Do not buy this car.

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  Yyou have got to be kidding me! - 2008 Suzuki Forenza
  By SERIOUSLY? - September 17 - 10:00 am

  After the first week of having this car it completely died on me with no explanation. The air smells like mold whenever I turn the a/c or the heat on, me being pregnant doesnt help my tolerance level at all. The transmission is going out, shifts horribly, the driver side airbags do not work (the light is on 24/7) and the passenger side sensor doesnt work when it should. The cars only 2 years old has 40k miles, I cannot believe that there are this many problems with it so soon. Blown speakers, windows are off the tracks.

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  I hate it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - 2006 Suzuki Forenza
  By i hate it!!!!!!! - September 12 - 9:26 pm

  This car is a piece of junk after 5 attempts to fix a problem i had to put a new transmission in @ 18000 miles and it still doesnt work the staff @ my local dealership is a joke this car is a waste of money i hate this car the metal is so flimsy and rusted and has pot marks all over the car drive thru car washes will bend the hood dont ever buy this car

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  Suzuki Foreza - 2004 Suzuki Forenza
  By jesse gazur - September 1 - 10:00 am

  Well its a fun, affodable vehicle that drives like it has a v6 in it. Gets great gas mileage, which is really good around this time. You will get much more out of this car, than what you payed!!