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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  Stay away from this car - 2006 Suzuki Forenza
  By nick131 - November 26 - 10:11 am

  This is the worst car i have ever purchased. The transmission control module had to be replaced every 6 months. Loud engine. I bought the car with 6000 miles and at 30k miles head gasket went out. Struts had to be replaced 3 times. So last week i decided to sell it for only 1000 dollars. I lost 8000 dollars but i am so happy to get rid of that piece of junk. Suzuki makes motorcycles NOT cars. Please do not spend your hard earned money on a Suzuki. Good luck finding a dealer for parts, they all closed their doors.

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  WARNING: WORST CAR EVER OWNED! - 2006 Suzuki Forenza
  By chelbel4 - June 22 - 7:53 am

  I have had this car less the three years and have had over 8 major problems! Everything brakes all the time and not the regular ware and tare. The gas tank had problems, the windshield montior already went, door handle broke, the rims crack if you hit a pothole and the check engine light is always on due to default censors. Plus the dealers, service dept. and customer serivce are uncaring and unhelpful.

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  Road Hazard - 2008 Suzuki Forenza
  By tester - March 9 - 7:26 pm

  Engine Light ON and breaks fail before 30,000 miles. NOT WORTH THE MONEY

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  Battery Problems & Transmission Censor - 2006 Suzuki Forenza
  By D.Jones - December 1 - 7:06 am

  I have had my car since 2006 and it has been problem after problem. First my Transmission censor went out which cost me roughly $200.00 dollars. The transmission is still skipping sometimes when I drive. Now the batter will not keep a charge. I have had everything check thoroughly and the watts on my alternator, starter are good. Replaced the batter and the card still have problems. I have checked and there is no recalls on this car for major things such as this.

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  DO NOT BUY THIS CAR WHATEVER YOU DO! - 2008 Suzuki Forenza
  By mckinnley - October 3 - 10:22 am

  I have had this car for a little less than 2 years now, bought it in 2010 with about 35k on the engine. I have gotten regular oil changes by a friend at his home of mine who used to own a shop for years. I have taken good care of the motor just blew out of nowhere. I got to school one morning and it just started knocking and now I have to spend 4k on a new engine! It is still under warranty but they want reciepts for oil changes when I got mine done for free. So basically im screwed even though the car was taken care of. Many other problems. headlights burned out, transmission slipping, windows not powering right, AC this summer(I fixed), bateries run out quick..... Just dont buy it!!!!!!!!!

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  Please dont buy a suzuki - 2008 Suzuki Forenza
  By need new car - August 12 - 10:00 am

  i bought my car about 2 years ago. it seemed ok at first until it started turning off out of nowhere. That is when all my problems began. i took it back over and over again only for them to look at me like Im stupid tell me they couldnt find anything and sent me home. now my check engine light stays on all the time, my air bags wont turn on and quite frankly this car is worse than the 92 buick lesabre that i got rid of to get this. my sister has an 07 forenza and we seem to have the same problems within months of each other. coincidence i think NOT!

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  LMT/CLT - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
  By neo - May 19 - 10:00 am

  To be nice to other buyers here is a few words, dont buy this car! It will break down on you over and over again! I Bought the extended protection plan and the dealership still cheated me after the transmission went out at 28,000 miles! I called Suzuki of America corp. and they told me I had to pay the dealership fee of 600 dollars to replace parts that were supposed to be covered through the warranty! Here is everything that has gone wrong since i bought this car brand new in 2007. Valve cover seal, cooling fan bolts fell out, continuous oil leak from the oil pressure sending unit, shocks and struts worn out, bent rims, intake induction system seal split before 3000 miles, cup holder.

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  DisSatisfied - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
  By dontbuyforenza - December 18 - 9:14 pm

  It makes me sick to my stomach to read all the reviews on the Suzuki Forenza. It is sad that there are so many problems and no recalls. I have a 2007 Forenza & have had multiple issues. Tires are always in need of balancing, the door handles paint is starting to chip off, oil changes once a month because the oil light comes on and the engine knocks really hard even though there is plenty of oil, now as of yesterday, while I was driving, the trasnmission hit hard and the check engine light came on. The gear indicator flashes with a square with a line through it. I also almost got into an accident. Pep Boys ran the codes and as of many many other Forenza drivers, 7000 & 7005 came up.

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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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  Paid off, now its history! - 2005 Suzuki Forenza
  By cubbie1 - May 14 - 1:26 am

  First week of purchase I hated it! Took it back and they sold my trade in. I have cursed since I bought it, never another Suzuki again! The rims bend like pasta when I hit any pothole, and headlights go through bulbs like crazy. The CD player has been replaced 2xs and the suspension squeaks! Heres an idea: Suzuki stay with the bikes cause the cars are crap! I traded in a Honda and thats my next purchase. If youre looking at a Suzuki, dont walk away from it, RUN!