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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  Wonderful Purchase - 2004 Suzuki Forenza
  By Mkoz777 - November 18 - 10:00 am

  Obviously a consumer may get turned off by the fact that Suzuki is not really known for sedan cars, but this car is wonderful. The fuel economy isnt too bad, and the amount of features that are packed in the car make it worthwhile. I can not find very much wrong with something for such a good price.

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  The Good And The Bad - 2005 Suzuki Forenza
  By Robert - September 11 - 12:46 am

  Overall I am satisied with the vehicle. It has a rigid body, well constructed and free of rattles or excessive road noise. The engine is strong, transmission shifting smooth, it should be better on gas though. It responds well to throttle and has good braking. The S mode provides many good standard options included in base price. By far the biggest mistake is in not providing cruise control as part of the standard options. The dealer is unable to install a cruise control as Suzuki does not offer one as a dealer option. No other cruise control is offered by any other vendors. Now I am stuck with no hopes of ever getting a cruise control installed.

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  Janets Forenza - 2005 Suzuki Forenza
  By Jimmy Hembree - July 17 - 9:40 am

  My Forenza is eye catching, the ride is good, the handling is good, the interior is good, but the engine performance is lacking. Plus it onlu has average fuel ecomomy. Its feels more comfortable crusing at high speeds. The car has been in the shop twice, other than for regular service; once for the drivers side air bag light, and the second time for the drivers side air bag light and for an entire A/C system failure.

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  Good Value for the Price - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
  By mswillard - July 11 - 6:33 pm

  Overall this car is a good value for the money. We bought this car on functionality and overall price. We have been fairly pleased. The car performs more or less as promised. Handling is good and power is ok. The mpg has been less than average in the city and better than average on the highway. The car get 15-16 in the city for us, but over 30 on the highway. We have had to take the car in 3 times in less than two years. The orginal tires where horrible, felt like they were out of balance and this grew worse with time. Two times they checked the balance issue, stating it was a tire issue. This has been fixed with different tires. Also we have had a cold idle issue too. 16,000 mi.

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  Mixed Breed - 2005 Suzuki Forenza
  By paul wernich - June 24 - 9:26 pm

  I had researched this car and found it interesting that it was sold by a Japanese company, built in Korea, designed by the Italians, and the parent company (GM) was American. In any case the car is solid, attractive, affordable, and loaded with features. I have the 5-speed manual and it drives and handles quite well. After nearly eight months Ive only had a few problems. The brakes had to be adjusted because the car was shaking when I went to stop, the passenger air-bag sensor was bad and the entire seat had to be replaced, the driver side seat fabric came loose at the bottom, and the steering wheel makes noise when I turn. Overall, I am very pleased with my Forenza.

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  Happy Anniversary, Suzi - 2008 Suzuki Forenza
  By RAYT721 - June 14 - 6:40 pm

  Our first year anniversary with the car just passed on Feb 5th. Im upset that we missed the tax credit by 12 days or so but got a great price on the car ... around $12,000 new with only 8 miles on it. I cant say about the airbag issue that others mentioned but would be a concern. The gas mileage is fine for my family ... 10K average yearly miles, around 20 mpg. I mostly drive city. I would recommend the car to others. The car came loaded with air, CD, defroster, cruise, etc. We got a 6% interest rate through credit union because the purchase price had built in equity. Former car was a Hyundai Accent. I liked that one too. For me a car is transportation, not for status.

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  Love...no...Like It - 2006 Suzuki Forenza
  By Bored Honda Honey - June 10 - 8:43 am

  I just purchased this car a few days ago and I read the reviews that were writen here before I purchased. (Thank you all). My 2002 Civic was totaled and the best part is it was paid for. This car is cheap but some of the features make it not as boring as the Civic. They are both noisy but this car is more fun to drive. I have not had the starting problem reported in other reviews. It may have been worked out by the previous owner. I am not in love with it, but I like it. I drove to an event and when my friend go in she immediately commented on the increase in comfort/space over the Civic. Great choice for a first car for your teen.

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  Cant go wrong - 2006 Suzuki Forenza
  By Chuck Scott - April 15 - 1:13 pm

  This is the best car on the market for the price, if you want a no-frills, compact sedan. I dont mind shifting, so the 5-speed gearbox is fine for me. The downside to opting for a small, light vehicle is that you dont have the comfort or heft of a larger sedan. Consequently, it can get a little uncomfortable on a road trip. But for local trips this makes a good second car. My only criticism is that the flow of air from the heater to the floor is insufficient. I had this checked out by the dealer, and was told that everything is operating normally. Although gas mileage could be better, I am very satisfied with the quality of workmanship, performance and reliability of this vehicle.

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  Nice, but work on MPG - 2005 Suzuki Forenza
  By brad - April 13 - 12:53 am

  I bought the 2005 Suzuki Forenza S. I think the main reason I bought this car was because of the 100,000 mile warrranty with full transfer to the next buyer. The gas mileage on mine around town and a little freeway is about 25-27 mpg in Utah. My 2002 protege gets about 29 avg. so they need to work on that. The car has very good standard features that most base models do not come with. Mine is having some issues with the air bag sensor and some dashboard noise while diving. All and all, this is a great car for the price!

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  Bang for your Buck - 2005 Suzuki Forenza
  By Chris - April 7 - 3:40 am

  Great price on a well built sedan. We were reluctant at first even consider a Suzuki, but after taking it on a long road trip, we were pleasantly suprised about how well it handled, gas mileage, and its smooth ride. The only drawback is the lack of cruise control. By far, you get a lot of car for your money. Very satisified with this purchase.