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:

• 

  Its a car - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
  By Adam - November 26 - 3:36 pm

  I get about 20-25mpg, driving about 70% highway, 30% city. I guess thats average these days. The acceleration isnt great, at least with the automatic transmission. After about 6 months, the inside passenger door handle snapped off when my sister(weighs maybe 100 lbs) was getting out the car. Sometimes I smell freon when using the AC (inside air). Lets hope the warranty covers those!

• 

  Satisfied until a month ago - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
  By Debbie - November 15 - 5:10 am

  My husband and I purchased our Suzuki Forenza in August 2007. We have been satisfied with it until about a month ago when two door handles broke off, so we took it and had them fixed. At that time, for some reason the service tech did not know how to get our car out of gear and a spring was broke in our gear shift. We got that fixed. Now, two days ago, I was driving to work and the car slipped out of gear by itself and went into neutral. I immediately took it back to the dealer and they put a transmission relay switch? on it. Within the last month, I have had the car at the dealers 3 times. Not very satisfied with this car at this time. Would never buy another one.

• 

  2006 Suzuki Forenza - 2006 Suzuki Forenza
  By Synamin - November 11 - 5:13 am

  My car drove well for a year, I loved it! Then everything fell apart. There was the recurring engine warning light due to faulty gas cap, the center console hinge broke, very annoying, the inside trim along the windshield began to come off, the drivers seat belt would unlock by itself (very scary!), the air bag warning light would turn off and on, in mornings or after it sat a few days sometimes it would not start. THEN the entire motor blew up! The block crumbled and pistons fell out. So, I got it replaced, 6 miles after being "fixed" the car croaked again. Now they say there is a software mishap & itll be some time till they can fix it. Oh & there are a few "minor" recalls.

• 

  You wont pass any gas stations - 2005 Suzuki Forenza
  By Steve - November 10 - 5:53 am

  Purchased 2005 Forenza LX wagon with 4 speed AT & 4 wheel abs. Like the style size and features with the vehicle. Like the small engine , I have a new driver in the crew and figured the meek acceleration would be a plus. The car is embarrassing for a 2005 model year vehicle , gas mileage in the city is 13.5 to 14.5 mpg. If you live in a rural area may be an excellent purchase for those of us in city driving the gas mileage makes this vehicle a mistake to buy. First foreign car purchase and it looks to be very disappointing.

• 

  Best Value - 2006 Suzuki Forenza
  By voicetrack - November 5 - 5:43 am

  Ive owned this car for just over 6 months and havent had a single mechanical issue. A seatbelt latch broke and the dealership fixed it under warranty in just a few minutes. The gas mileage is excellent, the performance is adequate. The interior is quite roomy, and visibility is great. The controls are conveniently located. I love the heated mirrors. I dont usually buy new cars, but the long warranty convinced me. This is a great car for the money.

• 

  DO NOT buy this car - 2006 Suzuki Forenza
  By rrowlan6 - September 22 - 12:07 am

  My dad bought this car in 2007 as a temporary commuter vehicle for my mother after she blew up our Ford Taurus. This car has been an absolute nightmare from the start. Shortly after purchasing we ran into some financial troubles (as everyone did) and ended up paying the loan off and now own the car outright. We have put more than $18,000 in this car over the last 7 or 8 years and every time something is fixed, something else blows up. Normal wear and tear on a vehicle are understandable, but we had it in the shop every 3 months at least. Not to mention everything that went wrong with it was a safety issue.

• 

  great automobile - 2004 Suzuki Forenza
  By gcarr2003 - September 16 - 2:00 am

  I have been looking for some time for a new vehicle and this one is a great buy. It is great on fuel mileage, it is very comfortable to ride in, and it has a classy look to it.

• 

  The Daddy Mobile - 2006 Suzuki Forenza
  By Jason - August 27 - 10:23 am

  I am a large fellow and this car is a perfect fit for me. I have plenty of leg room and am very comfortable in it. Its style is just sporty enough to make me feel young (Im 27) but also responsible (I am a father of 1). Its safety features are very important to my wife and me and were one of the deciding factors in buying the car. Ive only had my Forenza for a week and I couldnt be happier with it. Although the wheel covers could be improved to help the look of the car, the car itself far outweighs such petty gripes!

• 

  Junk door handles - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
  By John - August 15 - 10:00 am

  Three of the four interior door handles broke off, but since the chinzy warranty of 3yrs, 36K miles expired they were not covered, so I crazy glued them all back together. Also, paint is peeling off the exterior door handles, and I baby this car, dont drive in snow or ice, and wash and wax often. Its impossible to service the antifreeze, transmission, and drive belts yourself. The car drives ok, but doesnt get as good gas mileage as my 1970 dodge dart, which got close to 30mpg on highway, this one gets 26, and I tune it and maintain it myself.

• 

  slow at start; good final speed - 2005 Suzuki Forenza
  By rml - August 1 - 5:43 pm

  Well put together. Slow pick-up; 110 +- mph top speed. Automatic Transmission not that hot. Comfort not that good. Lots of pockets for storage. Ergonometrics excellent. Excellent turning radius. Gallons per miles poor. Beautiful design in and out. Good value. Lots of extras for the $. Good sound equipment. Good stability for a wagon.