Review: Suzuki’s Reno, like Forenza, is frugal and feisty, if not wild fun

[Ming]

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.

Full Article Here: http://www.newsday.com/news/columnis...ess-columnists

[Road Kill]

I believe this is the Lacetti in most countries or the Optra5 in Canada. It's a very nice looking car but as usual under powered and less than desirable mpg. than you would hope for. Otherwise a very nice package.

[paul8488]

Haven't calculated it yet, but I really do think this car gets reasonable gas mileage. Of course it sucks it back if you drive hard, but on the occasions where I've been more leisurely along the highway it's really quite fuel efficient. They're right about the interior... the materials, fit and finish, and overall design aren't what you'd expect from such a cheap car. Assuming the car holds up over time, I'd have no problem buying another GMDAT car. A buddy of mine who paid more than double for his Mazda3 GT what I did for my Optra5 saw my car this week, and was kicking himself. He said that while the Mazda is a nicer car, it's not twice as nice, and he really liked my little ride.

[dindak]

Sold as the Chevy Optra 5 here in Canada, see quite a few of them. Not a bad looking little car.

[paul8488]

I REALLY wish GM Canada would break out their monthly sales per model, like they do in the US. I have no way to tell how well Canadian GM models are doing. I'm particularly interested in the Optra and Optra5, as they sure seem to be popping up everywhere.

[asim]

why do these interiors look pretty good, but the older designs of GM suck. GM beancounters need to stop taking out money out of the interior. But this doesn't look to bad.

[2000 GTP]

Originally Posted by paul8488

I REALLY wish GM Canada would break out their monthly sales per model, like they do in the US. I have no way to tell how well Canadian GM models are doing. I'm particularly interested in the Optra and Optra5, as they sure seem to be popping up everywhere.

The breakdown is about 21% Optra5, 22 % Optra Wagon and the rest are the sedans. I agree, of all the GMDAT cars, the Optra5 would be my choice.

[Perian]

What's with this writer and his interesting headlines?

Remember last week - he was the one with the negative MalMaxx headline.

Can't wait to see next Friday's Newsday...

[paul8488]

Originally Posted by 2000 GTP

The breakdown is about 21% Optra5, 22 % Optra Wagon and the rest are the sedans. I agree, of all the GMDAT cars, the Optra5 would be my choice.

Wow, I'm surprised to see so many wagon sales. It hasn't been out all that long. Do you happen to know what the actual numbers are though? 21% of 1000 isn't near as good as 21% of 100,000!

[SystemJinx]

I kinda like the look of the car. Much better than the Chevy Aveo...

[Road Kill]

The Optra is more comparable to the Cobalt in size so it's hard to compare it to Aveo. Price wise it is also similar to Cobalt so being so low in HP is a disadvantage. It just seems odd that they would have two cars so different yet similar in pretty much the same class. However the Optra does have a little more flexability with 4,5dr and wagon and it probably appeals to those people who would prefer imports.

[paul8488]

Originally Posted by Road Kill

it probably appeals to those people who would prefer imports.

I think that's it. The Optra strikes me as very similar to the Elantra and Spectra, if a little more underpowered. The Optra's were ready to hit the Canadian market quite a while before the Cobalt was ready, so I think it was a smart move to bridge the gap and keep or grab a few customers who wouldn't consider the Cavalier. I don't think they need to keep the Optra series around forever, unless they manage to keep it noticeably different than the excellent Cobalt.

[2000 GTP]

Originally Posted by paul8488

Wow, I'm surprised to see so many wagon sales. It hasn't been out all that long. Do you happen to know what the actual numbers are though? 21% of 1000 isn't near as good as 21% of 100,000!

So far up here there have been about 23,000 sold since January of 2004.

[Ohmywrd]

Cool looks thanks to the Italian design facility. It is an engineering mess though because it suffers from a just adequate power and it's mpgs aren't up with the rest of the crowd.