Suzuki Verona

cjsb

Thanks for the tip!

Our situation and considerations seem to be almost identical. I've looked at all the same cars you have and am drawing similar conclusions. I've narrowed it to the Accord and the Verona. Just can't get around the blandness of the Camry. Altima isn't aging well in my eyes, though I once really liked it. Admittedly these are completely superficial reasons to eliminate these otherwise fine vehicles, but what can I say?

I couldn't agree with you more about the comparison between the Acc/Ver. If I outfit the Honda the way I would want it, I'm looking at $4000 (CDN.) more than the Verona. I'm very mileage conscious (economically and environmentally) and like you, the front end savings with the Verona are just too much to let the mileage differance sway the sale.

Black, eh? Me to maybe.

rasup

Good luck on your choice. I was in similar situation some time ago. The price and features decided the matter for Verona. I bought it..not leased. They are giving 0 % for 3 yrs or 2.9% for 5. There are other colors like the Red and Blue. I got the blue. The ever popular Silver looked good. I have around 300 miles and theres no regret yet. The Car is getting better by the mile. Ultimately, its your decision. I am sure you guys will make the best decision for you. GOOD LUCK.

eus777

cjsb,Have you seen the Verona in person yet and have you driven one? What were your thoughts and impressions? I found it quieter than all of the cars we've discussed except the Toyota Camry. And even there I thought the Verona matched fairly evenly except during hard acceleration when there was quite a bit of engine noise. But I loved the speed sensitive steering. I loved the way you could turn a tight circle in the street. I thought everything on the dash well laid out and attractive, and the gauges beautifully lit at night. I have to agree with you on the looks of the other cars being bland. But I thought the Honda (4 door)even more so than the Camry. As you said, these are superficial reasons to eliminate a vehicle but there is no harm in being pleased with the look
especially considering the money spent. All things tallied up, I don't see how Suzuki can miss. Just as you did I found these other cars equally equipped were $4,500.00+ more, and in some cases STILL did not have all the options of the Verona. I don't know about Canada, but here in N.J. 4.5k will buy a LOT of gas. If I had un-limited resources maybe I'd get a Lexus. For now, I think this Verona is as close as I'm gonna get. And that's not a bad thing!

eus777

Thanks for the good luck wishes. I also liked the red and the blue. I preferred the darker colors. Adds to the sleek look I think. The silver is nice, but I swear, every other car around here is silver. Not that many black or dark blue ones. I didn't realize they were offering 0% on financing. I'll have to look into that, thanks. Keep us informed rasup, I'd like to get this deal done by the end of the month.

rasup

Yes, I can understand your excitement in thinking about the new car.But make sure you get a good dealer.Dealers just want you to drive out of the showroom..Becareful. Check out that the Car is spanking new...sometimes they have cars that have done too many test drives. Check for Price...There are deals in the local mailers..did you knowthat they have specials?...I got a good deal off on a special. Dealers dont tell you unless you ask for deals. Negotiate..after doing research on other dealers and also the net. Verona is already at a low price so there is not much as a difference. But even $100 saving is a great deal. They are supposed to fill a full tank of gas on a new car.Check that the mechanic has primed and cleaned the car for you. Beware of deals on interest rates. Usually companies have fixed rates and it depends on your credit rating. Make sure you have the right car...thats right..right car...many times the car chassis file is mixed up due to human error. Use calculators o auto sites to calculate installments prior to going to the show room. Watch OUT for 2003 yr end specials. Verona is very new in the market. There are few people even in the dealership having adequete knowledge about the car. Here's an example.. ASK the dealer if he knows what SSPS light on the dashboard means...Usually they would try to call the mechanic who is usually very busy. Verona comes with mats etc..so you dont need to buy anything extra. I bought rubber mats for snow.
ALL THE BEST VERONA BUYERS to be....

veronaowner

This is an article on buying an automobile, a little long, but some interesting points about the tactics used by car dealers. Maybe some have read it.

Title: Confessions of a Car Salesman
 
http://www.edmunds.com/advice/buying/articles/42962/article.html

anonymousposts

A $19,000 Corolla? I priced one on carsdirect and for a 04 LE automatic with leather, roof, and ABS and they are showing you can purchase it for $15,938.

cjsb

I have driven the Verona and the others we've mentioned. I agree the only car quiter is the Camry, and it's marginal. The interior is a really nice place to be as far as I'm concerned. The GLX (Canada) is optioned almost precisely the way I'd do it myself (16 inch alloys, sunroof, foglights, steering wheel audio controls, 6 speakers, abs etc.). Because it comes standard with all of this, it enables the car to be priced aggressively to say the least. A buyer not as keen on this feature set might not be as intrigued by the Verona as I am.

The lack of HP is noticeable, its just that I've never been too concerned with "power". It's enough for me.

As for Korean built. One of the cars I own now is a 2000 Hyundai with 109 000kms and dollar for dollar it's been the best value I've owned (everything from audi to pontiac). Only had to replace wiper linkage and the wheel bearings (last week), and that ain't bad considering the car is 4 years old this month and Canadian winters do bad things to cars. If after 60 000 miles the Verona is as reliable as the Hyundai, I'd be more than pleased.

I do have to tread cautiously in regards to the mileage issue. In the Toronto area we are paying $.65/Litre; equivalent to almost $2.50/gallon. And what will the prices be in 3 years? If history is any indication $3.00/gallon is almost a given. Gas is already that price (and more)on the east coast. What do you pay NJ?

Speaking of colour...Anybody see the results of that New Zealand study this week claiming silver cars are 50% less likely to be involved in accidents than any other colour? And here too, it seems every third car is silver.

rasup: thanks for the update, buying tips and your well wishes.

evergreen

When I mentioned a 19K Corolla I am talking MSRP. I am staring at a printout from a local Toyota dealer's website regarding a fully loaded Corolla with an MSRP of $19,990. Compared to the Verona, it is lighter and smaller with a smaller engine, etc. It also lacks 4 wheel disk brakes, automatic climate control, and a lot of other little niceties that the Verona has. The Corolla is a nice car but for the same money why not step up to a Verona.

evergreen

And on another point, I was told that it is very difficult to find a Corolla with leather. Apparently it doesn't come from the factory that way. I wasn't very excited about the cloth upholstery in the Corolla. It wasn't very attractive and it seemed to me it would show dirt quite easily. Even though I got leather on my Verona, I was very tempted to buy a less expensive model with the cloth upholstery because I liked the cloth so much. It is beautiful. Very rich looking.

anonymousposts

But who would pay MSRP for a Corolla? That's not really a fair comparison pricewise.

eus777

Gas here in New Jersey is around $1.65 per U.S. gallon, give or take a few cents either way. If I thought I'd be paying $3.00 per gallon any time soon, I'd DEFINITELY be looking at a Prius. Actually I test drove one of those too and while it was interesting, I wasn't that impressed with the car over all. Pretty bland inside and not particularly quiet with (I thought) a less comfortable ride.
How is it you're not going back to another new Hyundai? My son is trying to convince me to look at the new Elantra. Says he has a couple of friends that have them and love them. He says it reminds him of a Jaguar. I don't know that much about them but will probably take a look just to know I covered all the bases.

rctennis3811

FYI:Elantras haven't been that great in front impacts.

eus777

Sorry, didn't mean Elantra...meant Sonata

pat

Hey folks, could we try to stick to the subject here?

Most of you know we have discussions covering all of the other vehicles that keep coming up - the Make/Model search on the left side of the page is an easy way to find all of them. If anyone wants to start a serious comparison of the Verona to any other vehicle(s), please feel free to hop over to our Sedans Comparisons board and do so.

This discussion is specifically dedicated to the Verona, so we need to keep that in mind.

Thanks.

cjsb

eus777, i just don't like the exterior styling of the sonata, even though it does take its cues from jaguar...

damn i'm superficial!

on a more substantial note, i think the verona has the potential to be a better value than the sonata. in canada, hyundai is doing very well (much better than in U.S.), so I'm not likely to get the same deal/warranty you would on a sonata.

re: the mileage issue. $1.65/gallon in U.S. dollars is about the same as me spending $2.30/gallon, so we're not too far off.

i'm interested to know if you found the prius FAR more expensive?

of course our host, pat, is now thinking "GET THE HECK BACK ON TOPIC YOU NUTJOB" ...so i will.

the verona is a unique vehicle in its price range; 6 cyl., quiet, roomy, lots of features. everybody reading this knows this already. but is it a good buy? i'm going to go with "yes".

anonymousposts

I think it is priced adequately for the amount of features, safety, and performance that it offers.

eus777

cjsb, I agree with you on the Hyundai vs. the Verona. Researched it a little today and decided the Verona is 'THE ONE'. I think after Christmas I'll tell the dealer ok, and go for it.
As far as the Prius price goes, it was around $500. to $1000. more than the Verona and there is a 3 to 4 month wait AFTER you order it. Since Motor Trend named it "car of the year" I guess it's a pretty hot item. As I said, it's interesting, but no where near as pretty as the Verona or as comfortable or quiet, etc,etc,etc.
My apologies to our host Pat. I'll try to behave now. :>) Happy and safe Holidays to all..

lil302000

We have put over 6000 miles on our new Verona and all is well. The more we drive this car the better it is getting. I noticed that when we first bought this car the transmission would shift a little odd, but once there was some miles put under it it's shift patterns have changed. I have had no trouble passing slow traffic on two lane highways safely as well. One of my favorite features is the CD player turn it up to 6 and you don't hear the road or the engine, turn it up to 15 and you don't hear the wife. I love this car.

rasup

I am happy to know about verona's performance so far. It gives us inspiration to hear form you and I hope you keep us posted. I have 300 miles done so far and as you say the Car keeps getting better. I heard that after 2500 the car gets into its own. About the stereo I got to agree. Its a blast with 6 speakers. I have also added a compass (PNY tech) and a INside outside thermometer. Now I amat least having some features of an LX/EX. I have an S by the way.
This appears the best value Car for its class.

lil302000

Ours is an S as well rasup. We bought the car in October and it was the only S on the lot. When we bought it the dealer gave us the choice of $800 discount or a power sunroof so we took the sunroof. Our town and country has leather and we could live without it. Are you getting shocked when you wear wool shutting the door on egress? I so that will slow as well. I don't know if it is age or the use of scotch guard. Anyway the best of luck and enjoy your new Suzuki. To all on the board have a Happy Holiday.

rctennis3811

to hear that everyone's Veronas are doing GREAT!!

rasup

Thanks for the wishes lil302000. I would like to wish you and all on this forum Happy Holidays too. As far as static is concerned, I have felt it too...its may be due to the very plush fabric on the seats. Plush materials tend to produce more static in Winter.I have a netted lumbar support installed in the drivers seat now. It has a beaded seat and contoured net back rest. If its the plush fabric causing static, I will know by now as now there is additional netted support between the seat and my back. Happy Verona Driving!!!

lil302000

Your correct about the seats rasup. It don't happen as much now. I have found that if I just touch one of the kids on the ear it helps discharge it before I get out. Just kidding of course but it can hit you pretty good if you have a wool jacket on.

rasup

Just a question to Verona owners. Do you fill your Verona with 87 or 93 fuel. Please offer your views lil30200 and others. The manual recos fuel that has at least 87 OCT or Higher. The brochure also asks the user to check for MMT additives and avoid fuels with MMT (Blended).
Suggestions?.

rctennis3811

I own an 03 XL7 Limited 4X4. The manual also says 87 octane or higher, but we use premium. Why? I noticed that acceleration is slightly improved and you get a cleaner engine in the long-run. If premium is too expensive, go with plus. My words: regular may be cheap, but it's not as clean...

lil302000

I agree with rctennis, The car does seem to run better with higher octane. I like to put ultra 94 in sometimes as well. I have not put a pen to it but I drive 60 miles to and from work on a two lane highway and it seems that the gas gauge don't move as quickly.

veronaowner

Had the dealer tech check it out today and it is the sun roof that is the noise. It is the right side outer and inner cover. A part is missing -
broken that holds the the outer and inner covers together and the inner cover rattles. Parts were ordered.
So far I have used only the 87 octane as asked by "rasup". I try to use 87 octane Shell, but also buy 87 at WalMart gas station. I will try the mid 89 octane soon and then the 93 octane to compare the difference.
I enjoy driving the Verona more each time and have no problem keeping with the traffic flow.
Happy Holidays to All Posters at Suzuki Town Hall.
Ken

aristotle

I saw the 2004 Verona at a dealer showroom couple of days ago. The car looks very nice inside and out. Is there a plan to boost the horsepower of the engine in the near future? If the car had 210+ HP I would buy it immediately.

rasup

Thanks Guys for the fuel suggestions for Verona. I just added 93 on it yesterday. It seems that the Car is adjusting to the new Octane fuel. Some times at the traffic light I can hear the slight change in idling sound. Let me know if you found any change on adding 93 fuel. The Car is running as smooth as usual. Ofcourse I do a lot of city driving. Maybe a short journey on the interstate may do the car some good.
Keep everyone posted on Veronas performance and quirks if any.

Thanks and Merry Christmas.

rasup

Glad tohave you on the forum. I think if you are mileage conscious, Veronamay not be achamp. My Car is too new for me to comment and I do a lot of city driving. TheCar is almost as smooth as Maxima. I have a 93 maxima. Maxima is by far apremium car and comparing may not be proper. Verona is anexcellent value package for the maoney you pay. I dont know how much of the newmaxima has imported parts. I bought the Verona S without the climate control andleather...being budget conscious. So I saved more than 3000 in having theregular controls. Since we are touchy about the temp inside and also since eachone of us has a different comfort zone, I figured its better to manually adjustthe temp controls.
Trust I have helped you somewhat.

boughtaverona

I had an appointment with the dealer today to look into my check engine light which has been on for about a week. Mine was the first Verona back to the dealer for any kind of service. They had the hardware but not the software to read the computer in the car. Dealer spent the day unsuccessfully trying to call the Suzuki Tech Center to have them download the software. Now the Tech Center is closed until January 5th. No biggie for me. The car is running fine, but for anyone else making an appointment with a dealer you might want to ask first if they have the software loaded into their diagnostic equipment. Manual says bad gas or additives could cause this to happen. Maybe it's a Califonia issue where we use differently formulated gas. I'll post back when I finally get this looked at.

rasup

Your experience is enlightening. I got an impression that Suzuki dealers need advance prep on tech issues as well as financial issues. Perhaps a suggestion for training the dealers ( could even be online) on New Cars like the Verona may be a good idea. I hope some dealers might be reading this forum. It took my dealer 4 days to get the loan papers because Suzuki changed the finance co. Also did your dealer explain the finer points of the Car?. I am still figuring out the various faclities and buttons in the car. I got Verona because the Car is Good.
I read in the manual that for California the Car costs 500 more because of a more refined Catlytic converter for Calif. more stringent emisson norms. Be careful of blended fuels ( Like those having MMT etc). How do we know? Ask the gas station. By rule they should have a list of additives.Check for MMT. My Gas stn. did not have it and the owner had no idea of what I was saying.In cidentally I used 93 OCt fuel. Car runs with more pickup and very smoooth as usual.
Keep us posted Verona owner. Happy Holidays.

eus777

rasup,where in the U.S. are you located.? Just curious if I should start asking my 'not-so-local' Suzuki dealer alot more questions before I purchase a car from him. Are you by chance in New Jersey? I am about a 40 minute ride from my dealer. Don't want to have to keep going back there for one thing and another if I can help it. He didn't know there was an outside temp. read in the dash. I had to show him where it was. If they are going to sell these things they should be fully prepared. If I didn't know MY job I'd be fired, pronto!!! If they've had these cars since August or even September they should be more fimilar with them by now.

veronaowner

I agree with rasup that the dealer sales person should be more knowledgable about the Verona.
My sales person had to refer to the owners book for questions I had. Here is a couple of things they may not know. The anti thieft system is only audible and does not shut down the engine,
(no chip in the key) so any blank key cut for the ignition will work.
To check the alarm system, turn the ignition on, roll the drivers window down, turn ignition off get out of the car, shut the door and lock it with the remote, then reach in through the window opening, pull up the door lock stem and open the door and the alarm should sound. Push the lock/open button on the remote and the alarm should silence. My sales person called me with this info a couple hours after I asked. There is no dip stick to check the transmission fluid level, the auto tech at the dealer was the only one who knew this, even the service manager did not know this. The dealers are not well stocked on parts also. My dealer is only about 10 minutes away, so I go and talk to the sales person or tech and we exchange information about the car. Another thing I like is the full size spare tire. Not many cars have them.

rasup

I am in PA. Yes I agree with you that dealers need to be more well equipped.It would be a good idea for all verona owners to give feedback to their dealers and Suzuki so that they could streamline their system. I am surprised that there is no dip stick provided for checking the trans fluid levels as mentioned by "Veronaowner" Also Veronaowner's info about the anti theft alarm is informative. Thanks Verona owners. Keep news posted.

pat

The Verona was included in Edmunds' latest Family Sedan comparo - you can read it via the Helpful Links box on the left side of the page.

eus777

Cool, thanks for the info Pat.

veronaowner

My Grand daughter gave me a CD with the song "The way you look tonight" by Rod Stewart. That is the song used in the Suzuki Verona TV commerical
filmed at --I think-- Time Square. I like Rod Stewart as a singer and now I can check out the CD player in the Verona. That commerical got me interested enough to go look at the Verona and compare it with others. The rest is history.

rasup

The Ad was very catchy and classy. The animation and night scene reminded one of romantic days. Thanks fro the info Veronaowner.
On a different note I have question to Verona owners about the mileage. What is the initial mileage you get when the Car is yet to break in?. When does the mileage stabilize?.
I am using Octane 93 fuel with a dramatic improvement in the accelearation. The Car has now "adjusted" to the higher octane and runs great.
Please share your experiences. Verona is getting a lot of looks at Malls etc. Everyone seems to remark " Wow.. That is a BIG car". Many have complemented the design. Almost all I have met have praised the interior and exceptional smooth ride. I do wish Suzuki shaves off the dead weight of the Car in future. I think this will help in improving mileage and accelaration. Maybe a turbo charged version next?.

veronaowner

At about 800 miles on the car I got about 17 mp, all city driving. I now have about 900 on the car and I think it will be better on the next fillup. The Verona became the wife's car (she loves it) and it sits in the garage a lot --4-5-- days a week. I only drive it on the weekends. Another thing I like about it is the trunk space, which I think is very adequate for the size of the car.
Thanks for the info everyone posts on this board.

eus777

Does anyone else think the higher octane fuel helps the car in the acceleration department? As I understand it, the transmission "learns" driving patterns, could it be this that is improving the acceleration and not the fuel, or a combination of both? The sluggishness of the engine is the ONLY thing holding me back at this point, as almost all of my driving is on high speed highways where I MUST be able to pass and get on and off ramps safely. I've looked at EVERYTHING else in the Suzi's class and I find nothing else as attractive inside and out or with better visibility through all windows. Not for the Verona's price or $5 to $8 thousand more. I wish it had 'auto-on/off' headlights but for the money I just don't see anything better out there. Have those of you who already own Veronas' had any trouble (passing etc.) because of the weakness of the engine?

rasup

I have a question for verona owners.Do you know that there ar 2 recalls on the verona. If you check the NHTSA web site and key in your VIN..you know if your Car is scheduled for the recall. Question: Who is supposed to keep track on the recalls?. Does your dealer or Manufacturer inform you?. My dealer had no idea about the recall. Does anyone know the mechanism for recall?.
My verona is running very well . The performance gets better with use. Thanks

veronaowner

I received a notice on the driver side air bag recall add it requires a wiring harness to be installed. All went well at the dealer for that one. My notice came from Suzuki in California. There were a total of 4 service bulletins listed at this site http://www.suzukipitstop.com/.
Date Title
09043 Drivers seat belt buckle KA
09033 Tech 2PCMCIA card re flash up date
11033 Addition of air bag wiring harness KB
11213 Electrical noise on AM stations

On my Verona the first two were completed at the factory. The air bag was completed by the dealer and the noise on AM stations I have not received any information on.

veronaowner

Ref previous message. When one goes to the Suzuki pit stop site use the search for block and input Verona and it will bring up the tech service bulletins.

rasup

tHANKS FOR THE VALUEABLE INFO. i GUESS i HAVE TO WAIT FOR A LETTER FROM SUZUKI. AS FAR AS EUS777'S QUESTION: VERONA'S ENGINE CANT BE CLASSIFIED "WEAK" AS IT HAS ENOUGH TORQUE.IT COULD HAVE MORE HP FOR THE 6 CYLINDER SET UP,BUT ITS THE DEAD WT OF THE CAR THAT IS AFFECTING THE QUICKNESS OF PICKUP..THATS WHAT I FEEL.YOU DO FEEL THE SLIGHT INERTIA TO PULL THROUGH AT FIRST BUT OVER THE MILES I HAVE DONE THE CAR SEEMS TO "LEARN" THE PATTERNS FOR THE TRANS AND IS IMPROVING IN ACCEL.I HAVE HAD NO DIFFICULTY IN PASSING BUT NEED TO PLAN MY EXITS A LITTLE IN ADVANCE.ADDING OCT 93 FUEL HAS MADE QUITE A DIFF.IN ACCEL. MAYBE OTHERS VERONA OWNERS CAN SHARE THEIR INFO.

hsche

Hi all! I picked up my new Verona EX yesterday and LOVE IT. In the spirit of the holiday season, a few things I wish for.

I wish that it had auto-on lights (not just the auto off that they offer).

I wish that the keyless entry was programmable so that you could program to have the doors lock automatically (or not) upon entry, putting the car into drive etc. and unlock upon putting the car into park.

I wish that it had some retained accessory power.

Also, has anybody inquired about the "auto fold-in mirrors." The manual mentions that there is a button above the sideview mirror control that will automatically fold in the mirrors. I could not find this button and wonder if it actually exists.

Also, the manual mentions that if you turn your dashboard lights all the way up, the interior dome lights will go on. I could not get this to work.

I love the interior and the auto climate and steering wheel controls.

rasup

Congrats on your new Verona. I hope you enjoy the Car. I have the S version and so I can't compare and answer your questions. Maybe the dealer can point out the answers. As I had mentioned,the dealer should familiarize the various aspects of the car. Did he do that?. Where are you located hs?
Enjoy the ride and best of luck..

veronaowner

hsche. I hope you enjoy driving the car and it more that serves your purpose. I also own an EX. I checked the dash light control and it does not turn on the interior light either. I also do not have the mirror button. I thought the only option on the EX was the Traction Control System TCS, but I guess there are some that are not listed. The extra's I like most are the auto climate control, the sun roof, and the controls on the steering wheel.
How was your sales persons knowledge about the car?

rctennis3811

I got the chance to sit in a fully-loaded Verona EX today when I went to make a service appointment for our 03 XL7 (because of a recall). The Verona looks darn good inside, and the lights on the speedo look really great! Love the feel of the shifter and overall feel of the interior. I'm surprised Edmunds didn't notice a safety feature on the recent comparo: the whiplash headrests that move forward when hit in the back. I thought it was a very nice feature, especially for a car without side airbags. Many other thoughtful features looked appealing like the quality of the doors, the roof lining, the stereo system, etc. While I was making an appointment, a lady had already been there as she was purchasing her Verona EX. I overheard her say "Ooh, they really dazzled up that engine!" I guess it was the plastic, which looks great. The Verona looked awfully tempting, and I hope to get one next year..I guess an 05 model!