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 did not work on impact - 2008 Suzuki Forenza
  By D Ybarra - April 11 - 11:03 am

  I got hit by a person driving a Chev Tahoe on my passenger side and got pushed into the highway concrete barrier. I got some stiches, cuts and bruises. Had to be cut out of car with the jaws of life. Interesting thing and concern was that none of the front airbags or seat side airbags deployed.

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  Dependable - 2005 Suzuki Forenza
  By spainishkat - February 22 - 6:03 pm

  We purchased this car for our son who was going to college in 2008. We have never had any problems. It is not a sports car or a chick magnet. If you want a dependable gas saving car this is it.

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  Pretty Good For The Money! - 2005 Suzuki Forenza
  By Money Maker - February 14 - 3:56 pm

  At first I doubted Suzukis quality but I was wrong. This car has been for the most part reliable. Ive had few minor issues but nothing major such as recalls but other than that not much of anything. I found out GM Daewoo created these cars for Suzuki and I guessed theres a pile of junk but Ive seen much improvement through Daewoo. For the price you get a decent car with a good amount of features.

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  New Car - 2005 Suzuki Forenza
  By lbgirl - January 19 - 8:46 am

  I recently traded in my honda civic. I love my suzuki.

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  Takes a beating - 2006 Suzuki Forenza
  By Takes a beating - November 26 - 11:03 pm

  I am in sales so I am always on the road. I drive a lot of miles. This car us great! Always dependable. Has trouble starting from time to time but I just give it a minute after a couple of tries and she starts right up.

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  I like it. - 2006 Suzuki Forenza
  By crisp - November 11 - 8:23 am

  The dealer told me to buy this car new over a used Honda Civic. Im actually quite impressed. It did have the not-starting problem for a week, thats gone. 2 recalls. 1 for the seatbelt latch and another for the headlight wiring harness. I put 87 octane in it and get around 30 mpg combined. Stellar if you ask me. Very quiet car at rest. The a/c freezes. Perfect. Spins the tires when I want. Brakes could go for 100k miles. I paid 11k for this car new and other than bad resale its an awesome commuter for sure/

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  Dependable - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
  By summer - October 14 - 3:26 am

  I have had this car for 10 months and put 20,000 miles on it. Its very dependable and very spacious in the back seat for my two toddlers, I even have room for a third child, if needed. The trunk is huge for lots of storage. Sometimes when you go over 85 mph, it starts to shimmy a little. The gas mileage is alright, not the best, but not the worst either. Overall, a great car at an affordable price.

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  Suzuki dreams - 2004 Suzuki Forenza
  By gojiman - May 23 - 9:00 pm

  Overall quality and ride is good. I like the idea of it being a heavier car in its class, a little over 2700 lbs. I would only say this, if Suzuki put the muscle it puts into its motorcycles into its cars, WOW! I realize that Daewoo makes most of their autos but this company has such great potential in being more than it is. They say most of Suzukis cars are quirky and I agree but this is why I like it. I am aware of some of Forenas mechanical problems, they are small and few compared to its competitors. Suzuki still has one of the best warranties in the Industry! Keep on digging in!

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  door handles break - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
  By doggett - May 17 - 4:06 pm

  I love this car EXCEPT that the door handles have broken 3 times!!! And, the paint on my door handles is peeling off! We bought this 2007 model in 2008 with a new full warranty, so the door handles have been replaced for free each time. But, it is a pain to schedule and appointment to have it done. Also, I feel like the dealership thinks Im crazy and that I am actually abusing the door handles and breaking them. But, I am paying the bill each month and I expect it to work properly. I must say I am very happy with this car- especially the air conditioning, speed and gas mileage. I was worth every penny!!

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  Bad Company - 2004 Suzuki Forenza
  By cliffmc - May 8 - 5:38 am

  We bought 2 Suzuki Forenzas from Dealership in New Smyrna Beach, FL. the first brand new and the second used. The A/C climate controls broke on both, only 43,000 miles on the second one! Right after warrantys were over of course! A $300.00 part! Had to pay the Dealership $90.00 to look at it and say "yep its broke" so they could send a report to the Manufacture in the hopes of fixing it free of charge or some kind of help? But of coarse they declined to help at all! This Multi Million Dollar company screwed over a loyal customer for $300.00!! The Dealership has never been very helpful or that friendly after you buy! I Would highly recommend everyone to stay away from Suzuki!! Built cheap!