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2004 New York Auto Show: Suzuki
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| Suzuki Forenza Wagon |
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| Updated |
Mar 17, 2005 19:41:50 |
| Rating |
 337 ( -46 -13.64% ) | | Author | Brian Chee |
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Description:
The W word is back, the one automakers loathe to utter, the one they have collectively driven from the new vehicle lexicon.
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Suzuki Forenza Wagon
Wagon.
There. I said it and it didn't hurt. Big or small, tall or wide, there's quite a few of them on the road today - and making up a name doesn't change that wagons are here and becoming more popular every day. Somewhere between car and SUVs, the wagon is actually - surprise - the perfect compromise between 14 mpg behemoths and cramped space for families.
Suzuki is one company that, apparently, agrees. So at the 2004 New York International Auto Show, they rolled out a wagon to go with their new Forenza compact, called it a wagon, stood at its side and smiled for the cameras.
Imagine that. No 'tourer' hooey, no cross-over baloney. They didn't say it was a different kind of SUV, or a four-door hatch. They called what it is, and are hopeful that buyers will feel the same when they shop for that something that's not an SUV and not a car. No one was hiding in the back, except during the horrifically amusing Suzuki-ized rendition of Billy Joel's "New York State of Mind".
It's a family lifestyle that Suzuki has on its mind lately, and the Forenza Wagon should fit nicely into those planes. They are no longer the budget choice - Suzuki is rebuilding its vehicles to focus on a quality value and a lifestyle feel.
"The Forenza Wagon is an important new vehicle for American Suzuki," said Koichi Suzuki, president of American Suzuki Motor Company Automotive Operations. "Not only does it enable Suzuki to compete in the growing premium compact wagon segment, but it allows us to directly leverage the popularity of the Forenza sedan."
Of course, it's one thing to say family value and another to mean that a family will value your vehicles five years after purchase. Time will tell, but it looks like the Forenza Wagon has the kind of features it needs, at a price ($13,000 - $16,000 MSRP) that should give competitors such as the Ford Focus Wagon, Subaru Impreza Wagon, Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback and VW Jetta Wagon a solid scare when it debuts later this year. And price isn't the only scare.
According to Suzuki reports, the Forenza Wagon is longer and wider than the 04 Focus Wagon, and is one of a few like models to offer an eight-speaker audio system with steering wheel-mounted stereo controls, four-wheel disc brakes, passenger-side weight-sensing advanced airbags, side airbags for both driver and passenger-side, speed-sensitive power steering and heated power mirrors as standard features. Additional features include instrument clusters rimmed with metallic silver accents, cloth seating surfaces, dual-height lumbar support adjustments, steering wheel tilt and ample storage space. power windows, door locks and heated mirrors are also included, as is a 60/40 split-folding rear seat; a center-dash 12-volt power outlet and a digital clock.
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Suzuki claims that it also offers the best cargo capacity (with rear seats folded down), rear legroom and front and rear shoulder room in the premium compact wagon category.
But we're spoiled. We also want to like what we drive. We want to feel powerful, professional, sexy, smart and/or successful as we cruise the road in our wheels. And whether the Forenza Wagon accomplishes such a lofty goal is up to buyers. the look of it seems pretty nice for a wagon and ripe with aftermarket opportunities, while power and performance seem in line with what one would expect from a wagon of this ilk: a 2.0-liter, DOHC, 16-valve, in-line four-cylinder engine producing 126 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and 131 pounds-feet of torque at a low 4,000 rpm. Available with either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission, and according to Suzuki, front MacPherson Struts and a rear dual-link suspension. The speed sensitive power steering is a key benefit, as are safety items such as side (but not side curtain) airbags, and the standard Suzuki power train warranty of 7 years or 100,000 miles.
The Forenza Wagon, combined with the Forenza, Verona, and a number of other new Suzuki vehicles in the coming years, may well introduce a new word for wagons -- and Suzuki in the American marketplace: long-term success.
With all that room, surely they meant to call it a mini-ute.
Either way, the Forenza Wagon seems to have scored on what has always attracted buyers to wagons and SUVs -- the not too hot, not too cold, just right porridge formula so successful for so many years. |
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