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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  Always in the shop! - 2004 Suzuki Forenza
  By EJLowerre - April 25 - 8:06 am

  Bought this car to have a new reliable way to get to work (100miles/day). Within the first 5,000 miles we got a rattle in the dash, now at 30,500 it still is not fixed after 5 trips to the shop!, We also have had 5 check engine light experinces, replaced throttle body and control arm bushings. The car is at the dealers more than my driveway. I got a lemon off the lot! Will never buy another Forenza. even the floor mats wore out in less than 20,000 miles

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  Dont Buy This Car - 2005 Suzuki Forenza
  By Mike - April 18 - 9:33 am

  Proceeding up a bridge in my Suzuki Forenza, the engine died taking out the power steering and brakes. The Forenza began to roll backwards into oncoming and merging traffic in a two lane construction area. I was able to avoid a serious multi-car accident with quick use of the emergency brake. The dealer wasnt immediately sure what went wrong and contacted Suzuki Tech Support. Sight unseen, they were told to order a list of parts including water pump, timing belt and complete head assembly. Suzuki denied the frequent occurrence of this failure, but knew the exact parts to replace? The water pump pulley had been installed backwards, allowing the timing belt to skip. This car is unfit for American roads. Recall it!

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  Regularly Check for a Recall - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
  By jackie_o - January 26 - 11:42 pm

  In one sense, I love my car. Because it is my car, and it looks okay. But thats where my affection for the Suzuki ends. I bought this in 2008 from Carmax with 10,000 miles on it. Within one week the transmission slipped and I learned about the faulty sensor. It was replaced. Resurfaced 2 mos. later, so it was reset. And again, and again. Have dealt w/ the "check engine" light and transmission slip for 5 years. No one has the answer nor can they fix it except temporarily. Its ridiculous. I keep expecting to see a recall to no avail. Also: Shoddy paint / flaking wheel cover. Cracked pillar trim (I often see this on passing Forenzas). Awful. Be not tempted by the price.

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  You get what you pay for - 2006 Suzuki Forenza
  By lory conover - December 8 - 11:23 pm

  At two weeks after purchase, the dash light switch went out. One month later the door locks stopped working. At 4 mo. the transmission went out. Was replaced by a new one, but now Im concerned about the overall quality of the car. Looking to trade it in for a more reliable model. Darn. I liked the feel of the Forenza and the interior as well as fuel economy. Suzuki should stick with building motorcycles!

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  My bad experience with Suzuki cars - 2005 Suzuki Forenza
  By Tina Hull - December 7 - 8:16 pm

  I purchased a Suzuki Forenza new and have had nothing but problems, brake lights staying on, windshield pops and cracks, seats upholster coming undone especially front seats (been fixed twice), a problem with the power windows, hard to start on cold days, does not get mileage it should, boggs down, engine idles too fast, hard to get in reverse. The dealership tears it up more each time it is serviced. By the way, the joke at the 4 wheeler suzuki dealer is that you should buy the 4 wheeler because it will get you where youre going, even if Suzukis cars are "falling apart."

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  Youll regret getting this one - 2008 Suzuki Forenza
  By jmm16 - December 2 - 3:55 pm

  I got this back in March with 51,000 miles. The speakers are blown out, windows off track, airbag and check engine light are always on when car is on, the transmission slips. It wont go into reverse half the time, the air/heat wont completely turn off, it makes a bad noise when turning sharp to the right. Does anyone know what to do to get the engine light to go off and stay and the transmission to stop whacking out? Ive been told it could be the transmission fluid but no local shop can do it cause its a foreign car. Ive been told transmission sensors or a new trans as well and even a catalytic converter problem.

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  DO NOT PURCHASE THIS CAR!!!! - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
  By angrysuzuki - November 15 - 11:46 pm

  I bought my 07 Suzuki Forenza in June of 2010. At first it ran great, but once it started hitting the 60k mark, I have had problem after problem. First it was the door handles breaking, then the tire pressure light, then the passenger air bag light went off, then i got my gear shift fixed, then my timing belt broke off, then a new engine, then i needed new shocks and new struts, then something with my tires wearing down , and now my transmission is having trouble. I wish i would have known about this car before i bought it.

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  Yyou have got to be kidding me! - 2008 Suzuki Forenza
  By SERIOUSLY? - September 17 - 10:00 am

  After the first week of having this car it completely died on me with no explanation. The air smells like mold whenever I turn the a/c or the heat on, me being pregnant doesnt help my tolerance level at all. The transmission is going out, shifts horribly, the driver side airbags do not work (the light is on 24/7) and the passenger side sensor doesnt work when it should. The cars only 2 years old has 40k miles, I cannot believe that there are this many problems with it so soon. Blown speakers, windows are off the tracks.

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  I hate it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - 2006 Suzuki Forenza
  By i hate it!!!!!!! - September 12 - 9:26 pm

  This car is a piece of junk after 5 attempts to fix a problem i had to put a new transmission in @ 18000 miles and it still doesnt work the staff @ my local dealership is a joke this car is a waste of money i hate this car the metal is so flimsy and rusted and has pot marks all over the car drive thru car washes will bend the hood dont ever buy this car

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  2005 Forenza is a lemon - 2005 Suzuki Forenza
  By Brian H - July 1 - 7:56 am

  In the 3 years since I have bought this car I have had the front headlights fail, the battery die, the tread come off the two front tires, the oxygen sensor replaced and now Im dealing with a blown head gasket which blasted a hole in the cylinder head compromising the coolant system. By far the worst car I have ever owned.