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The Forenza's specs sheet indicates that the engineers were given a decent budget to work with. A 16-valve, DOHC, 2.0-liter engine is more than the class leaders can claim. Nearly all cars at this price point lack disc brakes, leaving the Forenza looking pretty endowed. Dual stabilizer bars and an independent suspension complete the impression that even Daewoo aspires to escape the cheap stigma for which Korean cars are known.
Unfortunately, reading is not believing. To start, our order for an automatic-equipped Forenza went unfulfilled, and our experience was greatly soured as a result. Think for a second about every way in which a manual transmission can offend. Long throws? Rubbery feel? The need to hold up to engage reverse? Check, check, and check. And because first gear where third should be (straight ahead) and third where fifth should be, I wasn't the only one who shifted from second to first under acceleration. The designers really went all the way here, saddling the Forenza with an unsightly, awkwardly-shaped shift knob and a center console that your elbow rams into during every shift to second. Satisfaction is majorly lacking, and the shifts are painfully undefined aside from each gear practically being in its own zip code.
Most people buy manual transmissions for the fun of shifting, to listen to a thrilling engine, and for easy access to upper-range horsepower. None of the above applies to the Forenza. Its "DTEC" (hmm, why does that sound familiar?) engine is a major disappointment, making 131 pounds-feet of torque but coughing up only 126 horsepower. Any dual-overhead-cam engine whose horsepower falls short of its torque strikes me as woefully inefficient; it also means there's little point in revving. Not that you'd want to rev anyway, as the Forenza's painful leaf-blower signature encourages upshifting even sooner than a typical automatic would. The engine is also reluctant to let the revs settle down after lifting off the gas, throttle applications make the car jerk and wallow in the lower gears, and it's not even all that fuel-efficient. Even considering my... enthusiastic driving nature, 25 MPG is barely better than our witnessed average on the much-larger-engined Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart, though at least the Forenza's 14.5-gallon gas tank can take you well past 300 miles. And lastly, isn't needing to change the timing belt every four years (says the owner's manual) a bit much? Lessons learned: not all twin-cammers are created equal, and buy the automatic.
The Forenza's handling reflects Korean tastes, which usually tend toward the softly sprung. The Forenza's front strut, dual-link rear suspension smothers the bumps about as well as a Civic would. Of course you can expect plenty of roly-poly motions in fast turns, but since nothing else about the Forenza encourages you to drive this way, it doesn't seem like a loss. The cabin does seem to let in a little more road noise than one would expect in a car with size 195/55R15 tires; maybe tiremaker Hankook is to blame.
Steering feel, like the shifter, is kind of dead. And like the engine, it's kind of slow. Even on the freeway, I sometimes found myself making more corrections than I'm used to and having to turn the wheel at larger angles. Suzuki likes to point out that the steering rack is speed-sensitive.
If you're waiting to know the one part of the drive Daewoo did right, here's your answer: brakes. The Forenza's 4-wheel discs are firm, linear, progressive, foot-friendly, and when equipped with antilock, erase velocity safely and securely even in the worst California rainstorm, speaking from experience. It's never a good sign when a car offers more pleasure in stopping than going, but let's dish out praise where we can.
Much more praise can be bestowed upon the interior. Okay, so it wasn't custom-tailored for Prince Charles, but as far as econoboxes go, the Forenza's up there. The knobs and buttons have a quality feel and the layout will be familiar to any owner of a Japanese car, though Volkswagen seems to have been the one on the pedestal here. The leather on the radio controls-equipped steering wheel feels like a Passat's, and the 8-speaker stereo is like VW's in offering a speaker and tweeter in each door that collectively form a more lifelike, superb-sounding stage than a subwoofer-less car has a right to. Also, you can only lock the car after shutting the doors (just like VW!) and the interior has that whole black-on-metal look going, which everyone has been doing but was started by Volkswagen. I think.
The Forenza has one of the better driver's seats. It goes backward far enough, and the seatback can be set almost completely vertical - an option most Japanese carmakers stubbornly withhold. The height adjuster gives the option of being perched up high or sitting on the floor. Back seat lowriders only have the latter option, but with three shoulder belts and head restraints, at least it's adult-friendly back there. In fact, anyone can sit anywhere, since the front seat is kid-friendly enough to turn off its airbag if it senses less than 65 pounds of weight in the seat. All 2005 Forenzas get the essential update of side air bags (no curtains, though).
The strategy Suzuki has been applying across the board lately is to have modest-priced cars with immodest equipment levels. The Forenza S starts off the three-level lineup with all the same hardware as the other trims, the same stereo, power windows and locks, tilt steering, and air conditioning for $13,994. For $1,900 more, the LX adds almost everything that the S might be missing: cruise control, keyless entry (with trunk opener), sunroof, fog lights, leather steering wheel and shifter, passenger underseat storage bin, and alloy wheels. The only difference of the $800-higher EX is leather upholstery, though the $800 automatic transmission is mandatory. The sole option available on all models is antilock brakes for $500. Every word here applies to the Forenza wagon, which is always $500 higher than its sedan equivalent.
The most popular Forenza will probably be the automatic LX sedan. Add antilock brakes and you're looking at $17,194. That beats a comparably-equipped Honda Civic EX or Toyota Corolla LE, both of which slide in at just under $19K. But let's be honest about where the Forenza really competes here: probably in the bargain-basement battle with hometown rivals Hyundai and Kia. So let's load em up. A Hyundai Elantra GLS automatic with Accessory Group 6 (cruise control, CD player, antilock brakes, traction control, moonroof) ends up at $16,639. A Kia Spectra EX automatic with antilock brakes, cruise control, moonroof, and alloy wheels ends up at $17,245. So far, the Elantra looks like the marginal winner.
Then there's the matter of warranties. Hyundai and Kia have long been the industry leaders with 5 years/60,000 miles on the basic warranty and 10 years/100,000 on the powertrain. Suzuki scrapes by with only 3 / 36,000 on the former and 7 / 100,000 on the latter. As a side note, both the Elantra and Spectra (they're related) have a more potent engine that the EPA swears uses less fuel, and in case anyone in this price range cares, both cars have been accused of driving better.
If you want higher quality without paying for it, you don't even have to leave the Suzuki showroom. Parked about five feet from the Forenza on any lot sits Suzuki's home-grown Aerio. Dynamically, it's the Forenza's opposite: lame brakes paired with average-to-excellent everything else. The Aerio looks and sounds better, it's more agile, the extra 29 horsepower make it feel like lightning in comparison, its gas mileage is just as good, and you get made-in-Japan security. All for $16,994, similarly equipped - that's less than the Forenza.
Won't the real Suzuki please stand up?
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