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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  Extremely Dangerous on Highways - 2005 Suzuki Aerio
  By khunt2 - April 25 - 1:50 pm

  The 2005 Suzuki Aerio is a danger on the highways because the front axles may suddenly break without warning!! In July 2011 while in a parking lot about to make a left turn from a stopped position, the left front axle broke. The dealers shop replaced Control Arm only. Two weeks later, went someplace else & had wheels aligned because car vibrating badly. Found CV joint damaged & boot ripped. CV joint replaced Sept. 2012. Oct. 2012, while stopped at a corner about to make a right turn, the right front axle broke. Called Suzuki in Calif. but they arent interested in the danger. Owners should stay off of highways and have front end carefully checked at once under strong light.

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  Bad Car - 2006 Suzuki Reno
  By Kat - April 3 - 8:00 pm

  This is the worst car I have ever owned. I started having problems when it was only a few weeks old. It took forever to get the problem fixed. Then the car had the head light not working problem. Then my front drivers seat came disconnected from the base. The tires wore out in under a year. The check engine light keeps coming on for no reason. The mileage is not good for that small a car. I was just told that I already need to replace the rear breaks. The service from Suzuki is bad. They knew about the starter problem when I called and told me they were working on a fix, I would just have to wait. I only had the car for less then a month. It is a bad, bad, bad car. I used to love Suzuki.

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  2001 XL-7 Review - 2001 Suzuki XL-7
  By JENNIFER - March 25 - 6:56 am

  The Suzuki XL-7 is visually cute on the outside. However, the interior is small and compact in all roows of seating. The dash organization is poorly done. The radio is on the bottom of the dash and hard to reach and see, which I think makes it a danger to change stations when driving. As far as the driving of the vechicle, its okay on a perfect day with NO wind. With even the slightest wind, its nearly impossible to handle, for male and especially female adults. Weve even been told we look like drunk drivers and believe me its the car, not our skills.

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  Never buy, cant drive my family safely around!! - 2008 Suzuki Forenza
  By maloney1124 - February 25 - 6:46 pm

  I got my Suzuki two years ago this month... Bought it wil 18,000 miles on it. To start, they replaced the transmission a day before I got it. Dealer never said anything and said nothing was wrong with it, that it belonged to an elderly woman who only used it to run errands... I get the car n 6 months later (4,000 miles if that!) they had to replace the transmission again! 35,000 miles currently n on its 3rd transmission and current will need replaced yet again cause its slipping. It randomly shuts off, speakers blown out, outside door handle paint is all off n dealer repainted them, check engine light goes on n off, gas light doesnt come on until your out of gas, Nd much more! Dont buy!!!

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  Gas Guzzler of a Small Wagon? - 2005 Suzuki Forenza
  By psc210b - February 18 - 11:03 pm

  I have put 2,000 miles on my Suzuki Forenza LX wagon. Just like others have said, the fuel economy is terrible on this car. I have gotten less than 15 mpg in the city and 27 mpg in highwaydriving. Also, the steering wheel is always vibrating when it starts to take off. I like its design though, pretty much looks like a Jetta wagon. I would hope these are all the problems I have for the next few years.

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  Buyer Beware - 2002 Suzuki Esteem
  By Jana Green - February 3 - 10:00 am

  This is the worst mistake I have ever made. I bought it less than 2 months ago, tried to give it back to the dealer two days later. The only good thing I can say about this car is it has good gas mileage. But I have learned there is more to life than Gas Mileage. I feel my kids and I are very vulnerable in this car, not much to it to keep us safe. We were overcharged so I cant even say it is a good value. We were misled and the car was misrepresented to us. And to boot, the seats are very uncomfortable, and why doesnÂ’t it have tilt?. I am counting the days till I can sell it. Wish me luck.

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  Terrible Car - 2006 Suzuki Verona
  By goodfrench229 - December 16 - 10:30 pm

  My 2006 Suzuki Verona is a terrible car. Its heater would not work. I had a broken temperature control cable. Its paint was bubbled up. All four doors and quarter panel had to be repainted. The speedometer needle fell off (no kidding,it fell completely off and was sitting in the bottom of the gauge housing). My car has been stalling during sharp acceleration. This is very dangerous, it would stall and almost die. As you can imagine, this is not much fun when pulling into traffic. The dealer could not do anything to repair this problem. It must be a characteristic of this car. It has done it since it was new. It is hard to start when it is cold outside. The dealer I bought the car from quit dealing with Suzuki. My new dealer is one and a half hours away and he told me if it was running they could do nothing.

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  esteems, not a very good reliable-good - 2001 Suzuki Esteem
  By carter - November 4 - 10:00 am

  not a good car not good if you have to try to outdo someone who is trying to hit you on the road. you feel your car is going to overturn. tires skid in the rain no matter what mph you try to start at. motor problems

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  2006 Forenza - $15,000 paperweight! - 2006 Suzuki Forenza
  By suzuki sucks! - October 17 - 6:50 am

  Look, if you are about to buy an 06 Forenza, STOP! Dont do it. About 1/4 of the 2006 Forenza line has a cold start problem. Meaning after that you let it sit a while it will not start or runs really rough. I am not the only one expercing this problem. I took to the dealer (Ive only had it for four days) and they said that there is something wrong with the fuel pressure and that Suzuki is aware of it and that when they know how to fix it they will give us a call! DONT BUY IT! They gave me a rental, but I still have to pay for something that dosent run right and that is brand new. Ive got a lawyer now its time to sue.

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  Big Mistake - 2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara
  By Jeff - September 30 - 8:46 am

  We purchased this car thinking it would be as good and reliable as the Honda we traded in. Big mistake. After 6 trips to the repair shop and many telephone conversations to the customer relations department, the problems remain unfixed. The warranty is not worth the paper it is written on. We had problems from day 1. The dealer finally admitted there were problems but was not capable of fixing them so customer service sent us to another dealer. They are unable to fix them also. We have not been able to travel any distance all summer and we certainly would not carry our precious grand children in this unsafe car. Please learn from our experience and do not buy a Suzuki.