What Is It?

2005 Suzuki Reno

What's Special About It?

If you count the Aerio, Suzuki has had no less than four all-new cars well within the past two years. Last year it introduced the Verona and the Forenza, and now along comes the Reno. Suzuki wants to triple its sales to 200,000 by 2007 and the Reno is one more push toward that goal. Judging by the 20-something-based presentation, Suzuki is hoping to grab some Mazda and Scion customers. In fact, the shape is very much like that of the new Mazda 3 or the Pontiac Vibe. Think of it as a Matrix with a 7-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty.

The Reno is a five-door hatchback priced in the $13,000-to-$15,000 range and caters to active lifestyle customers on a budget. Riding the wave of Italian-inspired design forged by the Verona, the Reno's look was created by Ital Design. Equipped with a 2.0-liter inline four making 126 horsepower, the Reno is no race car, but considering its size the power output should be about right. Fuel economy is 22 mpg city and 30 mpg highway when equipped with the five-speed manual transmission. A four-speed automatic is also available — of course the Reno is front-wheel drive.

The Reno offers plenty of standard features such as power door locks, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, height-adjustable driver seat, heated mirrors and steering wheel-mounted cruise control buttons. A version of the Reno is available with leather, a sunroof and foglights. Surprising for the price are the standard four-wheel disc brakes.

What's Edmunds' Take?

With so many new products, Suzuki is really on a roll. Roomy and stylish cars with a sub-$20,000 price tag will always be popular and will always have a place in the American marketplace. — Brian Moody