Overview & Reviews

No matter how you slice it, the departed Suzuki Reno was basically a Suzuki Forenza wagon with a slightly more stylish body. It shared that car's basic architecture, engine and transmission. A four-door compact hatchback, the Reno should make for an affordable used car with plenty of interior space and lots of features. Don't expect class-leading performance, however, as the Reno lagged behind the competition in virtually every driving-related category -- even fuel economy.

Most Recent Suzuki Reno

The Suzuki Reno debuted for the 2005 model year. With its emphasis on value, the Reno's long list of standard features took center stage. Many modern compact cars come standard with power door locks and windows, a tilt wheel and other convenience features, but the Reno went a little further by offering such features as a micron air-filtration system for the cabin, a CD stereo with MP3 capability and a height- and lumbar-adjustable driver seat -- all without requiring the buyer to check a single box on the options list.

Clearly the Suzuki Reno has excellent value as a used car. Still, "excellent value" doesn't exactly mean comfort or power. While the EX trim level was loaded and included features like leather seats, remote keyless entry and cruise control, the Reno in any trim offered barely adequate performance. This was particularly true in the acceleration department, with subpar fuel economy adding insult to injury. Handling was also less than spectacular, as Suzuki endowed the Reno with a soft, smooth ride at the expense of cornering ability. However, this is a trade-off that the average consumer will likely appreciate.

Because the 127-horsepower, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine has to work so hard to keep up, a good deal of engine noise makes its way into the cabin. Competitors like the Mazda 3 are more refined and quicker by comparison.

The Reno's interior came up short as well when compared to other domestic and import-branded small cars. The materials were of low quality and many panels simply didn't fit correctly. We suggest that shoppers looking for an inexpensive used hatchback skip the Reno and check out more viable choices.

Changes were minimal during the Suzuki Reno's run. Model year 2006 brought the addition of a standard tilt steering wheel and new seat fabrics, while '07 saw the inclusion of a standard tire pressure monitoring system for all trim levels. Unfortunately for audiophiles, the formerly standard eight-speaker stereo was dropped altogether for '08, leaving a meager four-speaker unit in its stead.

User Reviews:

• 

  manual transmission - 2007 Suzuki Reno
  By Ellen - September 8 - 12:50 am

  I am not happy at all with the transmission in this car. I am already repairing the clutch. the transmission has too much play and is very finicky with RPM to get a shift at the right time for "economy" I have always driven stick shifts. I have 48,000 on the car right now, as I commute a good distance to work. Would not be my choice again. I miss my KIA !!!!

• 

  Lights Out - 2005 Suzuki Reno
  By datmo - August 7 - 5:43 pm

  Bought the car and have only had problems. I had the light harness replace a year ago and just the other day i smelled smoke and poof lights out on a dark back road. Went to the suzuki dealership "same splice pack but the recall was done your gonna have to pay $200." Suzuki has no customer service and besides this my airbags lights have screwed up twice my mastercylinder went my check engine light wont go off ive replaced about everything in my exhaust system to try to get it now i need to replace the catalytic converter

• 

  Deceptive Warranty - 2005 Suzuki Reno
  By Patrick - June 4 - 8:10 am

  I purchased this vehicle in hopes of getting an inexpensive dependable commuter car.When driving home one evening the car quit on the interstate.The car was under warranty so I wasn’t worried.I sat in the dealership the entire next day? After a couple of weeks the dealership called and said the serpentine belt broke and caused the timing belt to jump time, ruining the engine.The icing on the cake is that Suzuki refused to cover it under warranty because the serpentine belt is not covered and according to Suzuki it caused the engine to blow up.I disputed called protested, it didn’t matter, that warranty is a teaser, they never expect to honor it.The dealership wanted $7800.00 for a new engine