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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  airbags - 2008 Suzuki Forenza
  By ohwow - November 6 - 1:03 pm

  I just totaled my car Sunday night and it held up very well I flipped it twice and none of the air bags went off, im okay though. But I was very surprised at how well it held up with some of the thing I found out why the price was so low and they just kinda found the cheep way out. But I was very surprised. But I would never buy another Suzuki car

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  Dont Buy - 2005 Suzuki Forenza
  By Misty - October 10 - 1:23 am

  In this case my car is a lemon. A few months after i purchased the power steering rack went out covered under a warranty. Dec 09 Bolt in idler pulley snapped which caused my timing belt to shred which caused 12 valves to bend. Need a new motor $3,000.00 later. Valve cover leaks a little bit of oil. Other than that the car is great. But needless to say once i pay it off im not going straight to a suzuki dealership.

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  my daughter hates this car!!! - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
  By lisa - September 2 - 12:50 am

  we bought this car for our daughter in 6/07 with 23 miles, she nows hates this car we have had 3 bent rims , vibrations, repainted door handles, transmission jerking, gas light indicator out,plus several different other things wrong the old saying you get what you pay for is definitely true in the case of this car..very disappointing to make such a big purchase and it turn out to be such a lemon, it is cute, roomy ,comfortable and fairly reasonable on gas but we would NEVER by another suzuki. Good Luck to everyone

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  Gas A Holic - 2005 Suzuki Forenza
  By Steve - August 7 - 3:30 pm

  Purchased a 2005 Suzuki Forenza Wagon , LX with 4 speed automatic trans and 4 wheel abs. Compared the vehicle to Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Ralliart wagon 2004. Mitsubishi has better build quality , better engine, overall better vehicle but the dealers here do not want to move the existing 2004 vehicles. The Forenza has an amasing list of standard features. The vehicle is pleasant enough to drive with the fact it is under powered and should have the Aerio engine in this car. City driving brings on the first knowledge this was a poor choice. Gas mileage in city driving with 1000 miles on the vehicle is 13.5 to 14.5 Miles per gallon. I could be driving a motorhome and be less disappointed.

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  This car is a lemon - 2006 Suzuki Forenza
  By THEDORK - August 3 - 6:00 am

  I own a 2006 forenza with 60,000 miles. I have had the timing belt go out at 36,000 mile which caused the engine to be replaced. It was replaced with a daewoo engine, they dont even make these cars anymore. My check engine routinely comes on and the dealer tells me its nothing. Now the transmission range sensor is needing to be fixed but it is not covered under the extended warranty. This car should never had been sold after the first model. Do some research, and dont me one of the numerous disappointed Suzuki forenza owners. This car should be taken off the market and destroyed

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  Death Trap - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
  By zmama - April 6 - 10:00 am

  We purchased our Forenza in 2008. A month later 3 interior door handles broke off. Ever since we bought the car I have had to put air in the tires everyother day or so. Cheap Tires. Low Tire pressure signal constantly. Took car to dealership they replaced doorhandles, let me know about seatbelts, fixed those. About a month ago my transmission started slipping. Me and my daughter are in the vehicle all the time. The transmission trys to slip into another gear. We have almost been in SEVERAL accidents because of this. I say a prayer everytime we get in the car to make it to her school or the store safely. this care is NOT SAFE!!!!!

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  Good Start Bad Finish - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
  By hawtsauc3 - February 11 - 4:34 am

  The negative reviews on this are pretty accurate. I bought mine in 2008 (its a 2007) with 17500 miles on and it was great up until i paid it off. Over this last year its slowly deteriorated along with a massively depreciated value. The negative reviews say between 60k and 100k miles problems start and lo-and behold on my day off yesterday the check engine came on the the transmission started acting up. Got the system re-set and was told it will probably break again. Traded it in today. Its a decent care for the price but once problems start its all downhill.

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  Transmission and value - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
  By triniprinces76 - January 4 - 7:53 am

  I bought this car brand new back in September 2007. I was desperate for a car, and it was all that I could afford. I should have resorted to taking the city bus! Right around 60,000 the transmission started slipping, and the gears dont go in right away... And if youre fed up of it, bull still making payments, dont try to trade it in. Its worth NOTHING! Lesson learned...I will stick to the cars that have been tested time and time again.

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  Good for the price? - 2008 Suzuki Forenza
  By David - December 13 - 12:43 am

  I thought this car would be good on gas and boy was I wrong! The dealership said it would get better the more I drive it, but who wants to drive more than they have to with the price of gas as it is. I get about 325 to 360 miles per tankful, which averages about 25 to 28 mpg. I have the standard and when it is in 5th gear it sounds like it is going to take off. I think there should be an overdrive or sixth gear.

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  Paint or clear coat peeling off - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
  By hjb6 - August 23 - 12:50 am

  My car has suddenly had a problem with the clear coat on the hood peeling off. There is an area about 18 inches wide and just keeps growing bigger. Looks horrible. The tire pressure light stays on now all the time. Weve checked and adjusted the pressure over and over and cant get the light to go off. The check engine light came on today and Auto Zone said its coming up with something about the cooling system, most likely the thermostat. Im calling tomorrow to have it all checked out. Its been ok otherwise, but well see.