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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  Great Car! - 2004 Suzuki Forenza
  By pbwaters75 - January 20 - 10:00 am

  We just purchased our 04 Forenza a couple of days ago. It is a gret car, with great options. I am a little concerned about it being the first model year, but all reviews looked promising. For the money you cant beat this car. It has fabulous standard options and provides a solid ride. I would recommend it to anyone. The stereo, warranty, and styling also make it hard to resist. When compared to some other cars in its class, I dont see how anyone could pass it up!

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  2007 Suzuki Forenza - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
  By Stephanie - December 24 - 5:46 am

  I have owned my 07 Suzuki Forenza for two and a half years and my transmission is having major problems and most likely needs to be replaced. I did have a decent warranty at my time of purchase, but unfortunately my dealer went out of business. I am still trying to figure out where to take my car to get warranty work done at no cost to me. I am very frustrated with Suzuki in general.

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  Acceptable: Speedometer dislike - 2004 Suzuki Forenza
  By Debbie1 - December 19 - 2:00 am

  For the most part it is an acceptable vehicle. The speedometer is the only thing that I dislike about the Forenza.

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  Alright - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
  By yooperkate - December 11 - 5:00 pm

  Pretty decent vehicle for the price! We have a sunroof and a few of the extras and its a good car. Pretty good fuel consumption compared to my old Ford Taurus and handles pretty well. Find a good deal on it and yeah, good! Good visibility on driving, only a couple blind spots. Have had only one real problem with the car - it didnt start once in P but put it in N in it started.

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  Surprised by Suzuki - 2005 Suzuki Forenza
  By Richard G II - November 14 - 9:13 am

  Being in a labor Union (local 1175 baby!) comes with it an unspoken rule to buy american. I went to dodge, ford, and chevy looking for a compact car to fit my needs (being 21, my dream vette is still a bit out of my league). After thorough review, I ended up in a suzuki dealership. The warranty alone justified me buying brand new (upgraded to 7/100k bumper2bumper) but the car itself was full of options! I couldnt make myself go back to the other dealerships and pay more for less!

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  Best Deal Ever - 2008 Suzuki Forenza
  By Pittsburgh Kid - November 3 - 2:53 am

  We bought this for my wife, after looking at numerous cars and sitting behind the wheel, she like this the best. She was happy with the styling, performance and handling. No other manufactor could come near the price and the warranty is great. I have owned Suzukis before and Im very happy with their reliabilty. She wanted the sunfoof model but they were sold out.

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  Great! - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
  By kalayah - October 26 - 7:03 am

  I purchased this car on Halloween and I love it. It rides really well, its fast and fun to drive. I love the gas mileage I get, especially since gas seems to be going up again. It has ample leg room and a roomy trunk. Its great!

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  Yuck - 2008 Suzuki Forenza
  By Joe - October 25 - 1:00 pm

  The acceleration on this is terrible. The seats feel like youre sitting on a rock. The gas mileage is OK and thats being nice. I guess I just expected more out of this car considering Im paying $455 a month for it and theres no cruise control. Even my 1993 Chevy S10 had cruise control.

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  Reliable!!! - 2006 Suzuki Forenza
  By I Like It! - October 24 - 3:23 pm

  I went from owning a Grand Prix to purchasing this vehicle. The gas mileage is good but could be better! Compared to a honda civic, This vehicle is more comfortable and roomy. I have not had any starting problems with the vehicle other than the time that it didnt have gas. its starts every time in the -30 degree weather we get in chicago! Up til now Im recently having an issue with the transmission, hope its nothing serious!

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  2006 Forenza - $15,000 paperweight! - 2006 Suzuki Forenza
  By suzuki sucks! - October 17 - 6:50 am

  Look, if you are about to buy an 06 Forenza, STOP! Dont do it. About 1/4 of the 2006 Forenza line has a cold start problem. Meaning after that you let it sit a while it will not start or runs really rough. I am not the only one expercing this problem. I took to the dealer (Ive only had it for four days) and they said that there is something wrong with the fuel pressure and that Suzuki is aware of it and that when they know how to fix it they will give us a call! DONT BUY IT! They gave me a rental, but I still have to pay for something that dosent run right and that is brand new. Ive got a lawyer now its time to sue.