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2008 Suzuki Reno

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Overview

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2008 Suzuki Reno Review

By KBB.com Editorial Staff

Endowed with a bit more aggressively styled bodywork than the Suzuki Forenza on which it's based, the five-door, front-drive Suzuki Reno hatchback has room, ride comfort and lots of standard features, but a somewhat dated mechanical package. With a very attractive base price compared to the Honda Fit, Kia Spectra5, MAZDA3, Nissan Versa and Toyota Matrix, and backed by a truly outstanding warranty, it offers budget-minded buyers the chance to acquire a practical and reliable new car. However, seizing that opportunity requires accepting a one-trim-fits-all package with performance and handling characteristics that fall behind many of the current segment leaders. Given that the same holds true for its resale value, maximizing your investment in a Reno also means being prepared to live with it for a while.

You'll Like This Car If...

When the words "new" and "budget" both figure prominently in your car-buying equation, the Reno's admirable combination of style, space and standard equipment has an undeniable charm -- particularly when you factor its comprehensive warranty into that mix.

You May Not Like This Car If...

Anyone seeking the leading edge of automotive thought or design will be better served looking elsewhere. A decently executed but decidedly aging basic economy car, the Reno lacks the quickness, agility, fuel efficiency and innovative features offered by many of its newer competitors -- including Suzuki's own and only slightly pricier SX4 and SX4 Sport models.

What's New for 2008

Minor tweaks add steering-wheel audio controls to the Convenience Package and Bluetooth wireless connectivity to the options list while the sunroof gets eliminated from the Reno's already-meager available-extras roster.

Driving the Reno

Driving Impressions Like the Forenza on which it's based, the Reno is at its best when dealing with city traffic and freeway cruising, not challenging twisty back roads. Its suspension tuning puts...

a far higher priority on ride comfort than on precision control, and ride and noise isolation are commendably good for a car in this class, but those who demand some enthusiastic sportiness won't be finding much of it here. We laud Suzuki for using four-wheel disc brakes on the Reno but would still recommend stepping up to the anti-lock option -- even though that choice also requires purchasing the Convenience Package.

Favorite Features

Standard CD/MP3 Player
The Reno's standard four-speaker AM/FM audio system features a single-disc CD player with MP3 playback capability.

Standard Front Side-Impact Airbags
Unlike some pricier vehicles in its class, the Reno's extensive list of standard equipment includes driver and passenger side-impact airbags.

2008 Suzuki Reno Details

Interior

Charcoal and silver define the primary color palette in the Reno's roomy cabin, tastefully intermixing on the dash, door panels and seats. Despite an abundance of hard plastic trim, the overall fits are good, the gauges legible and key controls logically placed and finger-friendly. We think the front seats would benefit from a touch more lateral support, but the 60/40 split-folding rear bench will accommodate a pair of medium-sized adults or three kids. Open the rear hatch and you'll find an 8.8 cubic-foot cargo area, and dropping both rear seatbacks flat will increase that figure to an impressive 45.4 cubic feet.

Exterior

World-renowned styling house Italdesign penned the Reno's slick sheetmetal, which still looks clean and contemporary as it enters its fifth season. Bright, clear-lens lamps front and rear are a nice complement to its smartly raked roofline, while the back doors are large enough to permit easy access to the Reno's aft quarters. The standard tires are 195/55 all-season on 15-inch steel wheels, but alloy wheels are available from Suzuki dealers as an accessory package.

Notable Equipment

Standard Equipment

One aspect of the Reno's appeal is its array of standard features. Highlights of that list include power windows, locks and heated mirrors, air conditioning, a tilt steering column, four-speaker AM/FM/CD/MP3-compatible sound system, rear-window washer and wiper, height-adjustable driver's seat and dual-stage front and front side-impact airbags.

Optional Equipment

The Convenience Package includes keyless remote entry, cruise control, an alarm system and the opportunity to also purchase anti-lock brakes with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) as a separate option. The only other extras are an automatic transmission and Bluetooth wireless connectivity.

Under the Hood

The Reno's 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine makes 127 horsepower and 131 pound-feet of torque. That's sufficient muscle to keep pace with normal traffic but does limit responsiveness with respect to aggressive passing maneuvers. While matching the engine with the five-speed manual transmission rather than the optional four-speed automatic adds a bit more performance, even that modest advantage is hampered by a somewhat balky shift linkage. Arguably the biggest shortcoming here is the engine's lackluster fuel efficiency with either transmission. With EPA ratings of 20/28 mpg city/highway with the manual transmission and 19/28 mpg with the automatic, the Reno falls behind nearly every other competitor -- even those with larger and/or more powerful engines -- as well as Suzuki's own new, bigger and more powerful SX4 Sport sedan.

2.0-liter in-line 4
127 horsepower @ 5600 rpm
131 lb.-ft. of torque @ 4200 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 20/28 (manual), 19/28 (automatic)

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2008 Suzuki Reno Consumer Reviews

Overall Rating

7.0

Out of 10

Based on 90 Ratings for the 2005 - 2008 models.

Review this car

Value

7.4/10

Quality

7.4/10
Reliability

7.8/10

Performance

7.5/10
Comfort

7.6/10

Styling

8.0/10

I bought this car new

By Race Freak (OH) on Saturday, March 24, 2012

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 130,000

10 5.0

overall rating 5 of 10rating details

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating: 5/10
Value: 5/10
Reliability: 5/10
Quality: 5/10
Performance: 5/10
Styling: 5/10
Comfort: 5/10

Pros: "gets decent milage"

Cons: "built cheap"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 3

"I drive 100 mi a day to and from work and this car has started and ran every day. The down side was when the ignition pack caused an intermitten miss after about 45mins of driving. The check engine light would flash on and off.Took to dealer off and on for several months they didnt replace anything. Then at 80000 miles they told me it was a cadilytic converter. Cost $2000 warr. ended @ 70000 miles for this part.That still didn't fix the miss! Took back in they replaced Ignition coil. Haven't had any problems since."

4 people out of 4 found this review helpful

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Great car, great on gas!

By mfish (PA) on Thursday, November 24, 2011

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 109,000

10 10.0

overall rating 10 of 10rating details

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Reliability: 10/10
Quality: 10/10
Performance: 10/10
Styling: 10/10
Comfort: 10/10

Pros: "fun to drive, great mpg, looks great"

Cons: "none"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 10

"Love this car. Has a lot of pep and great on gas mileage, aprox. 28 mpg every fill-up. Large trunk space. Fold down seats in rear, including 2 cup holders for back seat passengers. Comfortable and sporty. Fun to drive!"

2 people out of 3 found this review helpful

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