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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  Its not the best car! - 2006 Suzuki Forenza
  By bcchunk - August 17 - 6:46 am

  I have had this vehicle now for 3-4 years and havent really had major problems. My airbag light wont go off. Ive recently had my check engine light come on a lot. My friend says that it probably the transmission. The last time I got an oil change the service guy says I need new brakes and Ill probably need new tires. Im coming up on 60K miles and the service for that is over $400. Not cool. I dont want to put any more money in this car. The car doesnt really have a high value and the suzuki dealerships are going out of business so when trying to trade this in most companies are only giving me $3-4K. I should have left this vehicle where it was and tried for a nissan altima.

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  Nice Car - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
  By Sammy Felix - July 25 - 7:56 pm

  So far I have had no problems with this car. Its drive is very smooth and comfortable.

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  2004 Suzuki Forenza - 2005 Suzuki Forenza
  By Rick2004 - July 17 - 10:23 pm

  My 2004 Suzuki Forenza is a great car. Make sure you buy it from a repudable Suzuki dealer though because the dealer I purchased my Suzuki at later decided to stop selling them and now I have to drive half an hour away to the next closest Suzuki dealer for maintence. So far after 6 months and nearly 8,000 miles this car is running great. I have had a few problems, but overall the car handles great and is fun to drive. The car guzzles gas, but thats because I drive it almost a hundred miles a day. I highly recomend this car. It can be a little noisy but overall it is a great machine.

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  dont be fooled - 2005 Suzuki Forenza
  By eduardo - July 1 - 3:03 pm

  Its a good around town vehicle for 4 adults, but for long trips. it does not have that much back room to carry a big load; its smaller than my old, old toyota corona. On a 4000k trip to California and back to Missouri I only average 25 mpg, which is bad for that small of a car; mileage was the main reason that I bought it. I think I would have done better with a bigger car or a wagon.

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  2005 Forenza is a lemon - 2005 Suzuki Forenza
  By Brian H - July 1 - 7:56 am

  In the 3 years since I have bought this car I have had the front headlights fail, the battery die, the tread come off the two front tires, the oxygen sensor replaced and now Im dealing with a blown head gasket which blasted a hole in the cylinder head compromising the coolant system. By far the worst car I have ever owned.

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  Nice little car! - 2006 Suzuki Forenza
  By StephenC - June 20 - 12:43 pm

  This is a nice little car. I like it a lot. As to what was written in the offical review. It is just a matter of getting to know what your car can do. Sort of like bonding with it. Once you know what it likes and dislikes, this car is really fun to drive.

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  Fusion Red Forenza of Hi Quality - 2004 Suzuki Forenza
  By Ray Hg S - June 12 - 2:00 am

  - The safety rating is highest - Love the ext. look produced by Italian Pininfarina + the Fusion Red color. - Interior f+r l+h spaces roomier than Corollas Civics Sentras. Interior materials great quality. Drivers seat has nice side & adjustable lumbar support, nice for aching lower backs - Engine is torqy, 126 hp & 131 ft/lb, silent, smooth & enjoyable ( someone with new Mitsubishi Galant tried to race me, but lost ;-)) - Standard design features good, 195R5515 Kumho tires, good in cornering, Porche-Opel suspension, claimedly tweaked by Lotus, giving definitely good drive - OK 8 spkr cd/cas/radio, pwr: door locks, mirrors, windows, trunk

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  Will not buy another one - 2006 Suzuki Forenza
  By R.Johnson - May 26 - 5:10 am

  My daughters car and my nieces car and one other lady I work with they all have had electrical problems. If you want a cheap car, great on gas this is it. But it does not ride very well and the size tires that it takes do not last, everyone said that the P195/55R15 are a low rated tire that will only last 20k miles max and they werent kidding!

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  Not the car i thought it would be - 2006 Suzuki Forenza
  By Pablo - May 11 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car brand new.. thought it was a great buy. I guess you cant ask for much for 11,000. Everything was good until 45,000 miles. Head gasket blew.. a couple of oil hoses had to be changed. The 5,000 repair cost was covered by the warranty so that wasnt that bad. Then at 49,000 my clutch and all the components broke. That was 850 out of my pocket not including towing... Now at 51,000 the cam shaft sensor broke along with the steering belt. 600 dollars to replace... I dont know whats next... Im still paying for my car and i already have an extensive list of repairs.. My only question is, whats going to break next? Oh and the paint on all my door handles chipped off after 3 years.

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  Value is Key - 2006 Suzuki Forenza
  By badandy - May 5 - 2:33 pm

  If youre looking for value, then this is your car. I found an internet special for $10,400, minus a $500 military discount and I paid $9,999 for a well equipped small car. Pound for pound the Corolla / Civic are a better quality cars, but in terms of value....my Forenza is the winner. It looks good, rides well, and has adequate power....what more do you want, unless you want to pay more.