Tom Incantalupo
Suzuki’s Reno, like Forenza, is frugal and feisty, if not wild fun
July 15, 2005
www.newsday.com
Suzuki is having a pretty good year, its U.S. sales up by 5.6 percent through June from a year earlier in a vehicle market that's risen only about 2 percent overall. And you're looking at one of the reasons for that success: the Reno, a fairly new, five-door version of what is now Suzuki's best-selling car, the Forenza.
Like the Forenza, the Reno is built for Suzuki in Korea by GM Daewoo and is handsome, offers a lot of equipment for friendly prices and carries one of the industry's best powertrain warranties. The Forenza is offered as a sedan or wagon.
My test Reno had interior fabrics, plastics and trim pieces more attractive and seemingly higher in quality than one might expect for the car's under-$16,000 price.
Sadly, though, the Reno is no more fun to drive than the Forenza. Apparently deciding that buyers value a comfortable ride over flat cornering and stability at highway speeds, Suzuki has given the car a suspension as flabby as its siblings'.
That's a shame, but it's the only serious flaw I could find in a week with the Reno. If you drive conservatively and the suspension is to your tastes, this inexpensive and fuel-efficient little car is worth considering.
On sale since fall, the Reno shares the Forenza's 16-valve 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, whose 126 hp. is sufficient (and more gutsy than those of the Scion xA or xB), with zero to 60 mph taking about 9.5 seconds, according to Car and Driver. A respectable torque rating makes the engine feel stronger than its zero-to-60 time would suggest.
The Reno starts at $13,994 with freight for a stick-shift model in the S equipment level - $14,894 with automatic. The Reno is also offered in LX trim, like the tester, and EX, the highest equipment level. Even the cheapest version comes with air-conditioning, an eight-speaker audio system, height-adjustable driver's seat, power windows and locks, and a speed-sensitive power steering system.
The five-speed stick in my tester was serviceable but far short of state-of-the-art in the length of its throws and the imprecise feel of gear engagement. Take your time shifting, and you'll have no problem.
The five-door body style - though never very popular in this country - gives the Reno the utility of a small station wagon, with about 45 cubic feet of storage if the rear seatbacks are folded down.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety deems the Forenza and Reno "acceptable" in their frontal crash protection, based on the research group's 40 mph crash test. That's good for a small car.
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