Overview & Reviews

Born in Japan, Suzuki is an automaker that has made a name for itself by crafting vehicles that emphasize value and affordability. Through the years, the brand's lineup has included sedans, wagons and SUVs. However, in late 2012 the company decided to stop selling new vehicles in the United States.

The company was founded by Michio Suzuki in 1909 as Suzuki Loom Works. By the 1950s, its focus had expanded beyond just loom machines to include both motorcycles and automobiles. In 1955, it rolled out the Suzulight, a compact car that proved to be a harbinger of a new era of Japanese lightweight vehicles. The automaker expanded its lineup to include a truck in 1961. Like its sibling, the tiny Suzulight Carry pickup distinguished itself with its featherweight specification. By the end of the decade, the Suzuki lineup had grown to include the Fronte passenger car, the subcompact Fronte 800 and the Carry Van full-cab van.

In 1970, Suzuki rolled out the Jimny, a four-wheel-drive sport-utility vehicle that resembled a playful version of the Jeep CJ-5. The automaker's roster continued to grow throughout this decade, with the addition of the Alto and the subcompact LJ80.

The 1980s saw Suzuki partnering with General Motors when GM acquired a 5 percent stake in the company. GM made this move partially in response to the growing popularity of subcompacts in the U.S. market. After the purchase, Suzuki products were rebadged and sold as GM vehicles on American shores.

In 1985, the carmaker launched an American outpost, and for the first time, Suzuki-branded vehicles became available in the U.S. The company's first model was the Samurai; available as either a convertible or a hardtop, this compact SUV met with immediate success. However, the Samurai's glory days were short-lived.

In 1988, Consumer Reports published an article in which it deemed the Samurai unsafe, saying it was more likely than most to roll over during certain maneuvers. Suzuki took the magazine to court (and eventually won) but the bad publicity from the article cast a pall on the Samurai that never quite lifted. Suzuki soldiered on, though. By the end of the decade its total aggregate car production had topped 10 million units, and its line had grown to include the compact Swift and the Sidekick, a compact SUV.

During the '90s, Suzuki expanded its reach to include territories like Egypt, Vietnam and Hungary, and launched new models like the Cappuccino convertible and the lightweight Wagon R. On U.S. soil, Suzuki rolled out the Esteem, dropped the beleaguered Samurai, introduced the two-seat, T-topped X-90 and replaced the Sidekick with the Vitara and Grand Vitara.

Suzuki and General Motors purchased ailing Daewoo in 2004, and two of that manufacturer's vehicles were rebadged and given new life as Suzukis. The Suzuki Forenza and Suzuki Verona both had former lives as Daewoo cars.

Through the first decade of the 2000s, Suzuki continued to evolve and improve its models, culminating in the Kizashi, a midsize sedan that was good enough to challenge segment front runners. But with overall sales and consumer interest stuck on a downward trend, Suzuki finally announced bankruptcy and termination of its U.S. vehicle operations in late 2012. The company plans to honor existing warranties, and some Suzuki dealers will continue to provide parts and service.

User Reviews:

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  If you must have 7 seats - 2002 Suzuki XL-7
  By flowfacs - May 30 - 10:00 am

  Ive test drove the base model and the ride was much softer than the touring model which Ive purchsed. Its not the most comfortable vehicle, but it does seat seven reasonably. If you want 7 seating and have 7 full sized adults, dont even think about this car. If you have 2 or more small children and 2 adults then consider this vehicle. If you can afford Acura MDX, I say go for that. I understand it rides much better.

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  Would never own another Suzuki - 2006 Suzuki Grand Vitara
  By Mary - April 23 - 10:00 am

  Bought my GV with 17 miles on it and by 13,ooo miles had to replace 2 tires. At 23,000 had to replace the other two tires. Had to deal with 2 recall issues, one happened before the recall notice was made. Brakes started to feel mushy and at 38,000 miles 2 more tires were wearing out!! Gas mileage was terrible and the head lights made driving terrible at night! Just traded it in on 09/06/10 for a Toyota that I love!! Buying the Suzuki was the most costly and stupid mistake I ever made.

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  Reliable but ugly - 1996 Suzuki Sidekick
  By JLite5784 - March 30 - 2:00 am

  I bought this relatively high mileage (over 100k in 2000) sidekick for use at my second home in the NC mountains. None of my other vehicles have four wheel drive, so I needed a cheap and reliable vehicle to drive in the winter. This thing is anemic in normal driving, but for its low price and winter-driving ability, it cant be beat.

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  Not bad at first - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
  By curt fletcher - March 5 - 2:00 am

  If you notice reading all of these reviews, the recent ones are not good. All of the good reviews are from 2006-2007 when the car is fairly new with not a lot of miles on it. Seems like once it hits the 50,000-60,000 mile range is when things start to go pretty rough. Our front door handles broke off quite early, but they replaced them at the dealership no problem. Just recently the transmission has been slipping and has almost caused a few accidents. Ive noticed the tires arent the greatest either, seems like a pretty uncommon tire size, too. Luckily the car is under warranty, so hopefully I can get the transmission problem fixed soon.

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  Tire Eating Machine - 2005 Suzuki Aerio
  By Jose Hernandez - February 1 - 2:50 pm

  This car has eaten three sets of tires in 70,000 miles. Something is wrong with the rear end. The dealer says that nothing is wrong, yet it eats tires. Im on my 4th set of tires, good tires Michelens Symmetri. It also has worn out Goodyears and two sets of Bridgestones.

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  Overall Disappointment - 2006 Suzuki Forenza
  By RCassell - December 5 - 11:43 am

  When I first got my Forenza I absolutely loved it, the styling and ride were seemingly above class. I purchased it used with 6,000 miles on it. Then, when it hit 20k miles, there was a problem with the brakes and it wouldnt go into gear. Needless to say, the brakes are only covered to 12k miles. Now, the door handle fell off, my speedometer is off by 5+ mph depending on your intended speed, a valve gasket is blown, and the power steering pump needs to be replaced. It only has 33k miles on it! This shouldnt happen, and while the warranty covers it, Im still disappointed that I spent 10k on this when I could have bought a different make and had less problems.

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  Dont do it - 2005 Suzuki Forenza
  By guyandron - November 12 - 9:27 pm

  I bought my 2005 Forenza brand new. Ive bent numerous rims on it (7), Its been through 2 transmissions only one of which was covered under the warranty, its gone through 4 sets of tires and Im happy to say I just traded it with 126,000 miles on a Ford Taurus. The gas mileage was horrible even thougg I did mostly highway driving. The car left me stranded on three seperate ocassions and Ive had numerous electrical problems. Also went through 8 headlights. If youre looking for a car in this catagory, stick with the old timers like Nissan, Honda, and Toyota. You may pay a little more up front but your cost of ownership will be significantly lower. I will never buy another.

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  Door Handles - 2007 Suzuki Forenza
  By Suzuki Forenza - November 3 - 8:36 pm

  I have had both all of the inside door handles break off. Ive noticed that those plastic door handles snap very easily during the hot summer months as well as during the winter.

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  2001 Suzuki XL-7 - 2001 Suzuki XL-7
  By STAY AWAY - October 3 - 12:10 pm

  I loved this car when I bought. However, the tires do wear out soon. The major problem is the timing chain tensioner. It is a bad design. Suzuki is not offering any help with this. This repair costs around $1600.00.

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  Watch out for Trans Problems - 2007 Suzuki SX4
  By biklover52 - September 13 - 4:59 pm

  My wife bought this car in 09. At first she liked it very much. Mileage is not great around 25 on the highway. We took a couple longs trips and thats when you notice how small it is inside. Through town or back and forthe to work is ok. Around the 70k mark the trans mission went out and we had it replaced under warranty. We at about 85k the trans went out again. So we dicided to get ride of it before anything else went wrong. Suzuki told us this was very unusual and worked with us through all of it. We might purchase another one but not sure.