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:
Showing 31 through 40 of 426.00-
Sucks - 2006 Suzuki Forenza
By moniques - October 11 - 1:14 amThis is the worst car...I have a 2006 and I have had it since 2008...it only had 20000 and I have put power steering pump-900..trans senstors--400..3 timing belts--150each...3 oil leaks--total of 450 and now the timing chain has poped and i need a new engine and cant afford it..thanks Suzuki..oh and the door handles break inside.. and it has bad gas mil and the tires wear down... Whoo I wish I could throw it back at the dealers..if you ever see me driving another Suzuki please know I must of won it
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Dont buy this car! - 2004 Suzuki Forenza
By pappy - September 15 - 4:23 pmWhen I bought this car new, it didnt seem too bad, but man was I mistaken! This car is rough and shoddy. After the initial 500 miles were put on, any semblance of confidence in it was worn off. Ill spare the details and just go on to two main points. First, the value has dropped like a rock. Second, anytime something needs done to this car, you better be ready to wait for the part to come in and be ready to pay through the nose for it. I just got the brakes done - discs were $90/each and I had to wait a week. Call your tire stores and find out how many of them stock 195/55R15 tires. Few, if any will Im sure. Save some dough and frustration: buy a 5 year old Civic.
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Get rid of it - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
By Sherrie - August 4 - 3:23 pmI was doing quite nicely with this car for about 1.5 years. Then the transmission started slipping. Dealer did diagnostic, found nothing. No Check Engine light ever came on. They unplugged battery to reset computer. Didnt work. Said was Transmission Range Sensor probably. So I bought the part for $60. Had a mechanic friend put it in as dealer wanted $230. Took 1/2 hour. Ran fine for about 20 miles then it slipped out of Drive and wont go back in. Its been sitting in my driveway. Dealer is clueless. Suzuki wont talk to you. I bought this car because it was in the cheapest price range I could afford at the time. I have learned my lesson. My inside door handle broke too.
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Transmission - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
By lilmama0o7 - July 30 - 5:07 amI just recently bought this car in nov 10 and it had 37,000 miles on it and now a month later the transmisson went out when my husband was driving home from work...... The paint on the handles is gone but they are still attached atleast. We noticed the indicator light for the tire pressure was on and so when checking the tires on the car werent the right size but after reading the other posts i can see why. I cant believe i just spent $8000 on a car ((all i had)) to have it break done with such a major issue a month later!
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JUNK - 2006 Suzuki Forenza
By floyd93 - June 25 - 1:48 amThe rest of the reviews pretty much cover it, but so you dont think maybe there are just a few bad ones let me add my 2 cents, 1 cent more than I would pay for another Suzuki! This thing will rip through brakes and tires faster than I thought possible. Had a transmission issue at less than 30,000 miles that some how was not covered under their great warranty. Dont even bother with their customer relations department, that is a joke in itself. Another Transmission problem at 70,000 miles, oh this was covered by the warranty but somehow the radiator needed to be replaced at the end of the service. Dont ask me???
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Dont do It, Dont Do It - 2006 Suzuki Forenza
By Nikki - May 12 - 9:23 amI originally wanted to see if the problems I am having was just my car or a dud from the dealer. But seems everyone has the same problems. This car has the worst electrical system. It has been in 3 times for electrical problems. And now the interior lights and trunk lights no longer work. So here is time #4. The door handles are weak. All have broken off except the driver door. In the winter is the worse. The engine light stays on and after 4 mechanics and ranger switches and what not. Turns out condensation builds up on motor and that is way it is build or something. It has trouble accelerating. So dont pull out in front of someone may not be pretty cause it may stall. anyway dont buy it
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more problems than its worth. - 2006 Suzuki Forenza
By rgunn1 - March 30 - 8:01 amWhile i do like the looks and comfort of this car, and initially thought it was an excellent car, my opinion rapidly changed. The throttle sensors have gone out twice (at my expensive of course), the check engine light comes on & stays on its nothing says suzuki who then reset it, only for it to come on a day later. and now, i have a rattle that they cant give me a straight answer on. one mechanic says wheel bearings, another said its the transfer case (its front drive and doesnt have a transfer case!!! good job suzuki training your mechanics), another says its the exhaust shielding. but no one will put it in writing what the problem is. the car is junk, better off with a bicycle.
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Everything Breaking - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
By Crystal - January 2 - 1:30 pmIve had my 2007 suzuki forenza for a year and a half, since then,3 of my door handles have broke off, which i had to pay to replace, said they werent under warranty, my transmission is slipping from drive to neutral,about wrecked the other day, going into shop on monday, paint came off all 4 wheels during a paid car wash, they said not under warranty, as they said transmission not under warranty as well, i bought this car with the feeling of not being broke down for a long time, i still owe 9,800 on it, I have taken extremely good care of my car, but it was so cheaply made its unreal, I feel suzuki should pay for the replacements of these parts, i would never recommand this car toanyone
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Death Trap - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
By yolanda Meadowcroft - August 12 - 8:23 pmMy car has been in the shop many times for the transmission and other defects that could of caused death to me and my daughter I felt I was pushed into the vehicle. These cars are the worst rated vehicle god help you when you purchase, say a prayer every time you drive the highway
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Dont waste your money - 2005 Suzuki Forenza
By crissy03 - May 9 - 10:31 pmI too own a Suzuki Forenza 05 and as soon as it reached the 58,000 mile mark it began in a down spiral. Not to mention that the Suzuki dealer in my area couldnÂ’t even fix the problems which is pretty sad. It all began when the lock on my driverÂ’s side became unscrewed you could literally hear the lock rattling around in my car door of course I had to promptly get this issue fixed. Then I began having problems with my car not starting properly. I would try and start my car and it would immediately die, after a couple of rounds of this it would eventually start up the engine would sputter than it would began to drive smooth. The day this began I took the car into the dealer (by the way my che
