Don't throw your money away!
Engine piston and gasket blew at 71000 miles.
Warranty is impossible to comply with. They want all oil change records. I only can come up with like 70% of them because one of the places I went to went under.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 17th February, 2010
It was a great car for the price
My Verona has been rear ended twice, the last time by a car going 55mph, and it survived both times with minimal damage and replacement of the rear bumper.
The check engine light came on at 89,000 miles and we had a tune up and filter changes. This worked for a week and the light came back on. This time we brought it to the dealer and he blew out carbon deposits. He said if that didn't work, we should replace the catalytic converter. Well we didn't bring it back when the light came back on a few days later. I guessed, rightly, that switching to hi-test gas might work and it did after a couple of tank fulls. We tried going back to regular, then regular plus, and the light would come back on. Switching back to hi test always corrected the problem.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 16th August, 2008
Great for long distance trips, not for the city
The car has a few small problems, but nothing too serious. On my most recent trip the battery died on me and I had to change it out.
The audio controls on the steering wheel don't work very well, so I don't use them.
The rear shocks squeak when it gets cold outside.
I have to special order the oil filter.
The gas mileage is great on the highway (29), but only 20 in the city. It is pretty comfortable on the many long distance trips that I have taken.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 29th June, 2008
Unreliable
At approximately 14000 miles, the engine had to be replaced because the head was cracked. I hope I am properly describing the repair. The top half of the engine is what was replaced. The car was with the dealer for almost 1 month and the dealer did not provide loaner/rental vehicle. The first day I went to drive the vehicle after picking up from the dealer I had a huge pool of oil in my driveway. I had to have the vehicle again towed to the dealership. THe Dealership has not been unpleasant, but I have no faith in this car. A blown engine with only 14000 miles on the car is a bit ridiculous. I called Suzuki, and they really do not care. I may try to contact an attorney. I live in Alabama, and we do have a lemon law. I have completely lost confidence in this vehicle.
Angela - Wetumpka, AL.
Lots of options - reasonble price.
Unreliable.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 8th March, 2007
Good value if purchased. Parts may be hard other than at the dealership
Just a problem with the engine stumbling when cold. This was fixed with re-programming the engine engine computer. Covered by the factory warranty. No other issues so far.
Very good looking car, very comfortable and a great value when purchased used. The Verona gets OK fuel mileage (averaging 21 MPG) in mixed driving and get about 25 to 26 MPG at on the highway.
Performance from the 2.5 I-6 is OK, but not a rocket ship due to the vehicle's weight. The engine has good torque and is quite smooth. The transmission is not perfectly suited for the engine and often shifts roughly. Not a perfect car, but great for the low $$$ investment.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 8th March, 2006
Just one additional note: The only parts I have needed to purchase have been oil filters. I have not found any after market oil filters listed in the oil filter catalogs for the Verona (although I am sure I could match one up if I had to), so I have had to purchase them from the dealership. Not a big deal for me. One more thing, the engine takes approximately 7 quarts of oil (with filter change)
The other name this car goes by in North America is the Chevrolet Epica. That one got a little bit more reach, because I think they sold it in South American markets too, while only North America had these Suzuki-deprecating Daewukis. The engine is, unfortunately, unique. GM Korea designed it with assistance from Porsche, so it has a simple sounding design made of complicated engineering, and it was only used on these cars, so parts are always going to be hard to find. That's probably why I see less and less of these cars all the time. It's not a terrible engine, but being a new design from a new (at the time) company, it's got more than a few faults. The Suzuki Verona version is so rare already that I can't recall ever seeing one.
8th Mar 2006, 13:53
I wrote the original review on the 2004 Verona LX... I am not sure why it posted a sad face instead of a "neutral" or "happy" face. I am generally happy with the vehicle and would buy another Suzuki. As a matter of fact we own 2 more Suzuki's (both 2005 Forenza Wagons). Also want to correct one more thing I messed up: The car is a good value if purchased USED. That is what I was trying to say at the start of the original review. Sorry for all of the confusion...