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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  Suzuki the other Japanese Auto Company? - 2008 Suzuki Forenza
  By DK - November 15 - 8:50 am

  I have purchased a Suzuki product once before and was please with the quality and performance. I was looking for a car for my daughter and found the Forenza, its quality and performance match that of the previous 1995 Esteem. Suzuki has one of the best car warranties around.

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  Sad to see it go. - 2006 Suzuki Forenza
  By blacktiger - November 13 - 8:07 pm

  Bought The Frog, a Desert Green Base model 5-speed 2006 Forenza, when it was a year old with only 4000 miles for a bargain, only $9900. In only five and a half years I drove it to over 141,000 miles. The exhaust, cooling and A/C systems required no attention. Paint maintained original appearance and the car would not rust. Maintenance included changing the oil, synthetic only, filters and the rear brake pads. Suzuki also replaced a fried splice pack for the headlights, under recall. No other service or repairs were required! Everything else, including the battery, was original. I could have replaced the timing belt and continued trusting it indefinitely.

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  Decent car/ great price. - 2005 Suzuki Forenza
  By Gabe - October 21 - 7:50 pm

  I bought the car because it was so cheap. i received a killer warranty and great service from the dealer. I financed the car for 60 months, but as long as i owe money on it it is covered because they gave me a 7 year/100000 mile bumper to bumper. who could beat that. it gets good mileage and is a fairly decent looking car. They beat everyone elses price by thousands and gave me a car easily as nice.

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  Never again! - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
  By Cara - September 29 - 5:00 pm

  I bought my car brand new and It goes through tires and rimes like crazy, the passenger airbag sensor went out (2000.00 part) a .75 cent spring in console cost me 200 to fix, now the Transmission range sensor is going out. They really need more recalls on this car but no one seems to care until the problems start to leave dead bodies on the road, hint (Toyota), back door handles are pealing, i would never buy one again. thinking about having a bomb fire with it, at least than it wouldnt fail me!

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  good car - 2006 Suzuki Forenza
  By carreview - September 22 - 11:20 pm

  We have had our forenza for a week now and love it. We have the manual transmission which i recommend(better gas mileage). We have the base model but you dont feel like you have a base car. The materials feel very nice, they dont feel cheap, the styling looks great inside and out. Very comfortable to ride and drive in. It does have a surprisingly roomy interior. The trunk space is also large and legroom in the back seat is roomy. I would recommend this car to anybody.

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  I Love my Car - 2006 Suzuki Forenza
  By melissa - September 21 - 1:40 am

  Since the day the dealer showed me my 2006 Suzuki Forenza I have loved it. It gives me the feel of a much much more expensive car for less! Everything from the handling to the stero I love. The only complaint that I do have is not getting the crusie control and sunroof :( .

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  The Best Car - 2006 Suzuki Forenza
  By tgann - September 4 - 6:43 pm

  I have yet to find a problem with this car . I am used to driving Toyotas and Hondas the the only differnece with the cars are the price and name I would recommend the Suzuki Forenza to anyone.

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  Suzukis are GREAT!! - 2005 Suzuki Forenza
  By Nancy - July 28 - 8:03 am

  This is my 3rd Suzuki. I bought a 1999 Grand Vitara which I couldnt bear to give up when I bought my Forenza, It has 125,000 miles on it and Ive onlyreplaced the tires and brakes. The people that cant get great MPG on a Suzuki must check their driving patterns. I get 35 mpg on the Forenza, 25 mpg on the Grand Vitara and got 30mpg on the Tracker. I fail to understand why Edmunds and ConsumerReports dont rate them higher. I had a Nissan Pathfinder before my Grand Vitara and couldnt wait to get rid of it after 3 years!! When they told me how much it was I said SOLD!!! and I had been looking for months! I bought it on the spot.

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  How good it is - 2004 Suzuki Forenza
  By Ekollerc - July 17 - 10:00 am

  I have lots of fun with my forenza S. I already put 16" chrome wheels on it and added a 12" subwoofer.

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  Forenza Review - 2005 Suzuki Forenza
  By Mary Tinsley - June 26 - 11:56 am

  The car is roomy in the front but less leg room in rear seating area. Easy to handle and rides very smooth. One drawback on the interior is the steering wheel blocks the speedometer. The seats adjust easily and are quite comfortable. Controls are easy to reach and use. Gas mileage is great I get around 34-35 hwy. It is an attractive looking car with many pluses when you compare it with the price of the vehicle. It handles well in heavy traffic and stopping is not a problem and has a good turn radius. Easy to parallel park. Overall the best vehicle I have owned and really liked the price.