Forenza

Although Suzuki is a Japanese motor company, their Forenza was a Korean made vehicle. The Suzuki Forenza is currently in its third generation and any Forenza owner would be advised to add the Suzuki Forenza repair manual to their glove box.

Originally called the Daewoo Lacetti, this compact car debuted in 2002. This first generation was offered as a 4-door sedan and a 5-door station wagon. In 2004 a hatchback version was released for sale. This car spent 2 and a half years in development before being ready for consumers.

Between 2002 and 2009, the vehicle would undergo several facelifts and redesigns.

This vehicle was rebranded and sold in many different countries. In each country it was sold in, it was given a different name along with variations in design and style. In Australia and New Zealand, the Lancetti was packaged and sold as a Holden vehicle.

Canadian consumers could purchase this vehicle as the Chevrolet Optra and it was available in 2 different models. In China it was branded as a Buick Excelle and could be purchased as a sedan, wagon or hatchback.

For European markets, the car was sold as the Daewoo Lacetti until 2003. By 2004, it was completely rebranded as the Chevrolet Nubira and then later on as he Chevrolet Lacetti. In India, it was known as the Optra, like in the Canadian markets. The Indian Optra came with 2 engine options, a 1.6 and a 1.8-liter engine.

In Japan, Suzuki would sell the Lacetti as the Chevrolet Optra wagon. It was available for purchase in 2 trim levels and as either a 5-speed manual transmission or a 4-speed automatic transmission. The problem with sales for this car in Japan was the size. Since this was a larger sized car, Japanese owners had to pay a yearly tax. This led to a decline in sales for the Japanese market.

For the North American market, Suzuki rebranded the Lacetti as the Forenza. This rebadging took place in 2004, after Daewoo closed operations in the US in 2002. The Forenza in the United States featured a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder D-TEC engine made by GM. It was capable of a maximum power of 132 hp. By the end of model year 2008, the Forenza was discontinued.

Clearly the Suzuki Forenza enjoyed a colorful worldwide history during its run. The Suzuki Forenza service manual is a valuable guide when working on this vehicle and worth adding to your garage.