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2005 New Car Model Guide, Model Guide, New Car Reviews, Suzuki Cars, Trucks, & SUVs

2005 SUZUKI LINE-UP

2005 Suzuki New Car Model GuideMore vehicles display the marque of Suzuki in 2005 as this automaker from Japan points new products at the American market. Last year brought two new curvy four-door sedans -- Verona and Forenza -- featuring sensuous Italian styling and noteworthy standard equipment.

This year, Suzuki adds a five-door wagon version of Forenza plus a five-door compact hatchback called Reno. Suzuki's subcompact coupe and hatch return under the banner of Aero, and there are two sport-utility vehicles with the XL-7 and Grand Vitara.

Suzuki Verona
2005 Suzuki Verona

Suzuki's front-wheel-drive (FWD) flagship sedan fits in the mid-size class and supports a spacious five-seat cabin loaded with features for convenience and luxury. The Verona shows sleek exterior styling in the manner of premium European touring sedans with fog lamps in the bumper and twin-light halogen headlamps. The sensuous body sculpting was developed by Giorgetto Giugiaro's studio in Italy, while Porsche of Germany contributed to the design of the aluminum in-line six-cylinder engine, which has dual overhead cams and a 2.5-liter displacement. It produces 155 hp and mates with a four-speed adaptive automatic transmission with step-gate shifter.

Verona has three trims -- S, LX and EX -- with features building to the level of a luxury car. Standard equipment includes air conditioning, power windows and door locks, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, keyless entry system and cruise control, plus in-dash CD and cassette decks with six speakers. Options extend to an automatic climate system, leather upholstery, a power tilt-and-slide sunroof, four-wheel anti-lock brake system (ABS) with traction control system (TCS), eight-way power controls for the driver's bucket and 16-inch aluminum alloy wheels. All Veronas for 2005 carry new side-impact air bags and a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS).

Suzuki Forenza
2005 Suzuki Forenza

Pininfarina, the Italian design studio that has shaped some of the most beautiful cars in the world, worked out the exterior styling for Suzuki's compact-class car. It emerged in 2004 as a four-door notchback sedan but shows up in the 2005 line with a new five-door wagon variation. Both versions feature FWD orientation with a spacious five-seat passenger compartment filled with comfortable features. The sole powertrain is a thrifty four-cylinder engine constructed in Australia by Holden, a subsidiary of General Motors from Down Under. The dual-cam 2.0-liter plant achieves 126 hp and teams with a five-speed manual or four-speed-automatic transmission.

In the cabin two contoured bucket seats mount up front on either side of a padded console, while the rear bench, notched with seats for two but space for three, has a seatback that splits and folds in two sections. Three trim levels -- S, LX, EX -- increase the equipment load in stages. All contain standard gear like four-wheel disc brakes, speed-sensitive power steering, heated exterior mirrors, a tilt steering wheel, air conditioning, power windows and door locks, plus a stereo with CD and eight speakers. Suzuki adds options like a sunroof, ABS and leather upholstery.

 

Suzuki Reno
2005 Suzuki Forenza

The newest label from Suzuki -- a sleek compact-class hatchback with four doors for passengers and the rear hatch lid -- also shows the influence of sensuous body styling from Giugiaro's Italdesign studios. It rides on the same platform that underpins Forenza and carries the same mechanical equipment, including the 2.0-liter four-in-line engine. Trims are also similar with S, LX and EX. All roll on 15-inch aluminum alloy wheels linked to four-wheel disc brakes and all provide frontal as well as side-impact air bags, air conditioning, power windows and door locks with heated mirrors and a tilt steering wheel with integrated audio controls for the in-dash stereo system for CD/MP3.

Suzuki Aerio
2005 Suzuki Aerio

New body styling and a revised cabin design apply to Suzuki's subcompact Aerio, which comes in conventional sedan and unconventional four-door hatchback formats. Both sedan and hatch share a chassis, powertrain and mechanical hardware. The sedan skews to two trims, a price-leading base model Aerio S and deluxe Aerio LX, which has upgraded equipment similar to the sole hatchback, Aerio SX. The cabin layout includes a pair of bucket seats up front and a rear bench divided by a fold-down armrest.

All Aerios stock a twin-cam 2.3-liter four-pack engine that develops 155 hp. A short-stick manual five-speed stick is standard for the Aerio SX hatchback and Aerio S sedan, but an electronic automatic four-speed transaxle is available on LX and SX models. In addition, the Aerio LX sedan and SX hatchback with the automatic shifter offer Suzuki's QuadGrip all-wheel-drive (AWD) system for sticky traction on slick pavement. Advanced frontal and new side-impact air bags go to all issues, while Techno Blue is Aereo's latest paint shade.

Suzuki Grand Vitara
2005 Suzuki Grand Vitara

This four-door sport-utility vehicle in the compact class conforms for off-road forays with a body of high stance featuring front and rear overhangs angled acutely to make approaches and departures easy when climbing over the rough stuff. For traction on slippery trails, it packs an optional two-speed transfer case in the four-wheel-drive (4WD) device with shift-on-the-fly convenience.

Power stems from a 2.5-liter V6 engine which hits 165 hp. In the 2005 lineup, there are two trims, LX and EX. Cabin appointments range from air conditioning with automatic climate control to power windows, door locks and mirrors; cruise control; a CD deck in the dash with seven speakers; and a keyless remote entry system.

Suzuki XL-7
2005 Suzuki XL-7

Suzuki's largest SUV carries as many as seven riders on three rows of seats in a cabin that stretches about a foot longer than the Grand Vitara. The exterior design appears more sophisticated and serious, as interior appointments rise in tone and quality. Trim designations vary to denote the count of passengers. The LX is a five-seat version with five-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmission. The LX III offers the third-row seat option to raise the rider capacity to seven. The EX loads appointments in five-seat configuration, while the EX III does the same but brings the third-row choice. It also gets rear air conditioning and side-step running boards, with leather seats available. Power for all flows from a 2.7-liter V6 that produces 185 hp. A 4WD system is optional with push-button operation.

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