Suzuki Verona

bmcclain · April 2004

The Suzuki area was busy at the Atlanta show when I went in March, particularly around the Verona, XL-7, and Aerio wagon. The design was striking inside and out. I could not find another car at the auto show that was more appealing for the price or size (I missed the Galant this time). Sure, the massaging rear seat equipped Lexus was on my choose any car list, but at nearly $60,000, I'll easily pass. The cloth in the Verona was nice to the touch, but I liked the way it looked. I did not like the manual climate control knobs (particularly the grips), so I would get the auto. I found all of the seat adjustments up front familiar, the rear seats were just right for me.

I'm glad that this car does not have a manual transmission, because it would probably be like the GM sourced manuals in the Forenza and other Daewoo cars. They are very vague. They don't have well defined patterns like the Subarus and Hondas I sat in (the Hondas otherwise were unimpressive to me for the price, particularly the Civic). I did not like the Nubira replacement Lacetti/Forenza in the Suzuki section. The climate controls in it are now completely manual instead of electronically controlled, so it's stiff. Cheap GM transmissions and engine. They must use them because they can be had for the lowest price. It was OK 6-7 years ago. This out weighs the nice spacious interior. Aerio for me. The Cobalt was locked away on a turntable. The interior seems impressive.

Overall the Verona was a very classy car (angry styling, pleasant interior), and I'm glad to hear that the transmission doesn't behave like other GM transmissions (whatever brand it may be). This was easily the best car in the GM half (Isuzu and Subaru were in the other side) of the autoshow, which was quite disappointing to me, considering the "revolution" going on. The Kalos/Aveo was nice and big for the inexpensive class, trouncing the Rio and not so much the Accent. Colorado and Canyon were way too cheap on the inside for the price. What they get for reengineering Isuzu design (the Isuzu Axiom was the other vehicle to catch my eye). The Malibu didn't impress me either.

rctennis3811 · April 2004

Yup, the Verona, Forenza, and XL7 were getting big crowds at the Dallas Auto Show in March. Seems to be a great value for the price!

mopar67 · April 2004

"Aerio for me" >>>>>>can you elaborate?

bmcclain · April 2004

Aerio: Big power and size, cool styling, and a digital dash for a low price with a good warranty. I like it better than the other cars in this price range.

rctennis3811 · April 2004

I like the Aerio, but the interior looks very cheap. Word is that the 05 Aerio will get the updated interior from the 04 JP Aerio.

2004 Suzuki Aerio 1.8 (Japan Edition)

anonymousposts · April 2004

We were at the Atlanta Auto Show this year on a Saturday and the Suzuki section was almost like a ghost town.

rctennis3811 · April 2004

Man, I feel bad for Suzuki in Atlanta then. The Forenza, XL7, and Verona were pulling in many people here at the Dallas Auto Show.

rctennis3811 · April 2004

Just finished watching Dateline Sunday on NBC and they had their usual segment of crash tests. This time it was the midsize side-impact crash test. Sadly, the Verona did poor but Suzuki said they are adding side-airbags to future models the make. Side-airbags are definitely going to be on the 2005 Forenza wagon and maybe the Verona. Let's hope so!

alpha01 · April 2004

Note, however, that despite the lack of any side impact airbags, the Verona achieved the same STRUCTURAL rating as other cars like the Accord and Mazda 6- Marginal, and did better than the likes of the Dodge Stratus- Poor. The Galant w/o side airbags, rated Poor overall, but scored the only Good for structure, with the Camry scoring Acceptable for structure.

~alpha

marvinlee · April 2004

My Verona has one feature different from all the other new cars of my past. Not one mechanical defect of any kind. I appreciate the reliability since the nearest dealer is an hour away. I find that the engine revs more easily now that the car has exceeded 3000 miles. The transmission "Hold" button locks out the first gear, but also adds a quick upshift feature for the remaining gears. I like it very much for certain kinds of driving.

If Suzuki wants a very high performance straight six they might talk to Mercury Marine. Their new 2.6 liter straight six outboard engine generates 275 horsepower in the most powerful version. Now there is real power. It is supercharged, and elegant in looks.

Does anyone have experience with quieter tires than the Hankook that comes standard?

rctennis3811 · April 2004

What is the HOLD feature? I've been wondering about that. Is that like a manual shift?

marvinlee: Interesting how you consider looking at marine engines for the Verona. Great idea! I hope that Suzuki uses the DF250 from their marine division in future in-house Suzuki products. It's the same engine as the XL7/Grand Vitara but it's 3.6L and it produces up to 250HP in high-output form. The regular form produces 200HP while the midrange-output form produces 225HP. Didn't know Suzuki could do that...

boughtaverona · April 2004

FYI. I received a recall notice in the mail today for an "improperly functioning on-board emission related diagnostic system component." Affected vehicles were sold in California, New York, Mass, Maine and Vermont. Several months ago I reported on the post that my emission light mysteriously came on for a couple weeks in my vehicle, then went off.

russm3 · April 2004

grand vitara on a verona ex man is suzuki dealing
if i wanted another color i would have to wait a few days but the black is nice guess i will be cleaning this alot. on the way home my wife said this car at a great price and 7-100,000 also wrapped it up with 5-75000 bumper to bumper and if you don't use it they give you your money back. chevy and ford wont do this.

chuck1 · April 2004

Please share the details of your transaction if you don't mind!!

rctennis3811 · April 2004

agh!!

What's the HOLD feature!?!

jkobty2 · April 2004

The hold features operates in 2 ways.
1. If you are stationary(starting from zero), then it starts the car in 3rd gear. This is very useful in slippery conditions and you avoid wheel spin when accelerating on icy roads.
2. When you are actually driving, if you press the hold button, first it downshifts, secondly it holds each gear a bit longer so you can accelerate better and get out of scary situations. Perfect if you have to overtake a truck or a slow moving vehicle suddenly.
A very useful feature that is found on all Daewoo cars with auto tranny. However, I did notice that it works better with the Aisin Warner tranny in the Leganza for example than it does with the GM tranny in the Nubira(Forenza).
I believe this might have been a feature found on the original Aisin Warner(Toyota) transmission and then Daewoo tried to implement it on all their cars. Now that ALL Daewoos built for GM and Suzuki use GM transmissions, it would be interesting to see if the Hold feature works as advertised.

marvinlee · April 2004

The Hold feature locks out first gear entirely. The transmission then shifts among the remaining gears. If one puts the range selector in fourth, then the transmission will shift among second, third, and fourth. Putting the selector in third, restricts the shifting range to second and third. But, more than the shifting range is affected. When the Hold button is pushed (a tiny little dashboard light goes on) the transmission becomes eager to upshift at a low RPM, and the transmission preferentially, but not exclusively, prefers to be in fourth gear. When driving in hilly terrain at highway speeds, for example, the transmission will be in fourth gear. Pressing on the accelerator will give less power, due to no downshift at highway speeds, but also no higher sound level caused by higher engine RPM. As to the economy effects of the Hold button, I have not checked. Using the Hold feature seems to make the engine more reliant on the torque converter as a means of multiplying torque. I think the primary intent of the Hold feature is to give better traction control on ice.

russm3 · April 2004

they have a 1500 rebate also 500 trade-in loyalty
they came down 1800.00 off sticker and 300.off rust proof paint protect and interior protect. I know there will be 4000 better deals out there but they seamed straight up with me. I hate to haggle its not my bag.
Hay jkobty how are you? still driving the woos?
I will say this gm sure made the ride in this car nice. You feel the road not the bumps. Take one for a drive Knowing you you will like it!

chuck1 · April 2004

If your happy-that is all that matters. There was one dealership here in So Cal-that was discounting ALL Verona "S" $3,000.00 off sticker, BEFORE THE REBATE WAS INCREASED AM ADDITIONAL $500.00!! This was not including Loyalty, military discount, etc. They are not selling well here in So. Cal at all. I am sorry you paid for the exterior and interior protectant package. This is where a dealer makes extra profit. This "package" amounts to a $7.00 bottle of "scotchguard" (or similar product) and a $8.00 bottle of polish for the outside. I am sure they were nice to you. They made a lot of money off you. Don't mean to be negative--it's just the truth.

rctennis3811 · April 2004

Thanks guys!

russm3 · April 2004

I wished I lived were you do in pa there getting hard to find in fact I wanted white and would have to weight a few days they were sold out of the lx and had 3 s left and 1 ex in gold. So if there giving them away in south ca buy one before
they move them out. Wow what a deal!

chuck1 · April 2004

There is a local Nissan dealer with a used Verona. It has 13,000 miles on it. Of course, the dealer is asking $16,999.00 which is about "retail sticker" for a brand new one. Dealers are idiots, they should know there is currently a $1,500.00 rebate on the new ones. I have checked Kelly Blue Book, it was no help-not even listed used. What should I offer for this car? Any suggestions?

chuck1 · April 2004

It is an "S" base model.

fwatson · April 2004

The dealer in Lake Wales Fl is advertising them NEW for that price. Allowing for the "Drove it off the lot" depreciation, it can't be worth more than about $3000 less than a new one.

This same thing happened with Mazda Millenias for a couple of years, and many of us bought them for $8000 or more below MSRP ($4000 below invoice).

russm3 · April 2004

hi chuck if you go to suzuki web site it promotes a s model for 15349.00 after rebate I would think the dealer on that used one is high. I also seen one on e-bay for 16999.00 but it was an ex with less than 1000 miles. also keep in mind if you buy a used one you still get the balance of the factory warranty this may keep the resale value of this auto a little better than some considering 3years 36000 bumper to bumper and 7-100000 drivetrain . I read that suzuki is only making 25000 for the us market this year and buy the size of the us its not alot of cars.

motorcity · April 2004

The hold button dose not start the car in third. If you engage hold from a standstill, it will hold that gear until YOU shift out of it,to the next gear. the same for second & third. the trans will not shift till you manually do it. On slippy surfaces you can start in second gear, but you must put the trans in second first, you can do this without using HOLD,unless you want to keep auto in second gear until you want to shift it out,then use HOLD. its simple to hold a gear and shift manually,put in hold.

chuck1 · April 2004

In the Los Angeles area you can get $2,000.00 off sticker with no problem. I qualify for BOTH the military rebate of $500.00(through my son)and the additional $500.00 loyalty rebate. So if you add it up it comes to....let see $4,500.00 off sticker inc. discounts and rebates. If the Nissan dealer wants $16,999.00, but it should go for around $13,000.00 used, if I factor in all rebates of $2,500.00 (if I were to purchase new), In my way of thinking I should be able to get it for $10,500. The question is...this car probably came from an auction...What did the dealer pay? Did the dealer pay too much for the car used since the new ones carry very aggressive rebates and discounts? Interesting.....

dkuhajda · April 2004

Go ask Terry at Real World Trade in values and see if they show up on any of his auction reports. Post the short bit about the incentives you get and post your buy price on a new one versus the asking price at the Nissan dealer.

rasup · April 2004

Now I am more than confused!!!. What Motocity says is not quite what Marvinlee and JKobty2 say. I drove the Verona using the Hold from Stop position. I found that the Car had less pulling power but ran smoother. The Trans shift was not perceptible and the engine seemed to be more silent.I drove in city conditions.
Can someone clear the concept?. The manual says that HOLD is useful in slippery conditions.

carrino · April 2004

HELLO ALL, 6500 MILES AND STILL GOING STRONG. LOVE THIS CAR. I AM BRINGING IN MY CAR FOR THE COMPUTOR RECALL, AND ALSO NOTICED THAT THE DRIVER FRONT HEADLIGHT FILLS UP WITH WATER. THEY ORDERED ME A NEW ONE. ANYONE ELSE HAVE THIS PROBLEM... THANKS

rasup · April 2004

Hi,
I am happy that your Verona is doing well. I have around 2000 miles and not a single problem so far. I think the computer engine light problem has been found in Veronas sold in CA and Western states. So far there is no water holding in any headlight or anywhere else. Anyone know whats the best way for cleaning rubber wiper blades?. I heard you could use rubbing alchohol and wipe the blades clean. The dirt and road-dust build up on these wipers is amazing and they really cause streaks on the wind shield. Do silicone based wipers help?.

marvinlee · April 2004

The hold button on our Verona EX apparently functions somewhat differently from yours. I wonder if this is connected to the different car reviews. One, Consumer Reports?, said that the transmission was slow to downshift, but another review said that the transmission downshifted too easily. Granted, these are not reviews of the hold button, but I wonder if Daewoo, the makers, have had different settings for the transmission. Sometimes car makers do make changes within the model year output.

fwatson · April 2004

Mazda Millenia also has a "Hold" on the shift lever. It functions much as was said above.

It "Holds" the transmission in the selected gear, in that it will not drop to a lower gear when the "Hold" light is on. That essentially locks it into Drive, or 3rd if you have the transmission in it's normal driving position, and engage "Hold" while you are stopped. That makes the car very lethargic from a stopped condition, but would prevent wheelspin on a slick surface such as ice.

The "Hold" feature is also handy as a "downshift and hold" if you do not want the car to shift back into overdrive as you pass on the highway. That is a very good trait for my use.

I have to admit that it is a little confusing, and seems to do different things depending on when it is engaged.

rasup · April 2004

Thanks Frank, the explanation has cleared the doubts. In the event of what you say, I see that the 4'th gear or Overdrive in the Verona activates somewhere after 40 MPH. Since the Verona is a 4 gear driven Car, the hold feature seems to be more useful in slower speeds or icy conditions or passing a slow vehicle while on an uphill curve. If I understand correctly, there is no greater benefit of having the hold button on while passing on a flat road while at high speed, since there in no fifth gear in the Verona.

Comments please!!

bmcclain · April 2004

At what engine rpm will the transmission shift into the next gear at full-tilt? My Nubira will not go over 6,000 rpm by itself, yet like the Verona the tach isn't red until 6,500. Does the Verona transmission allow the engine to rev to 6,500, or only 6,000? Perhaps HOLD will allow you to make 6,500 without shifting the selector...

The Nubira has a HOLD light, but no button. It shifts at 6,000, 6,000, 5,500 rpm with the POWER shift pattern on.

fwatson · April 2004

I can't find a good explanation for Verona, but here is one for Mazda 626. bmcclain, I don't know about the RPM redline, as I never redline my car.

--------------------------------------

What does the Hold function do?

"Hold" is a switch that changes the shift patterns of the transmission. Not all 626 models have it. Where Hold is offered, the normal shift pattern with Hold off is:

1, 2, 3, 4
    S: 1, 2, 3
    L: 1, 2

With Hold engaged, the shift pattern becomes:

2 (briefly), 3
S: 2
L: 1

rctennis3811 · April 2004

HOLD!!! LOL

motorcity · April 2004

Did you know the coin drawer just left of the steering wheel, when pulled out there is a business card holder also, for convinence. Just another little detail that makes owning the VERONA feel so goooood! I'm new to this board,so bare with me. When I sit in my VERONA I look around and i'm just amazed at how perfect the fit&finish is inside. Everywhere the seams,materials,trim,etc.is put together flawlessly.Where the door panels meet the dash, they line-up perfect,you won't fine that on most cars costing over twice as much. The same can be said for the fit of outside body & trim pieces,with panel seams being at as tight a tolerances as any cars out there. As I read someone else say, "It feels like I'm in a (more expensive)luxury car! ENJOY...MOTORCITY!

russm3 · April 2004

My cd player would not take all the cd's so i took it in for service and some cds are ok to use and some will not load even in other cars beside the suzuki he tried them in dodge and jeep. I guess some recordings just don't work and these were originals. I wonder if cdr's would work at all? Did anyone try?

russm3 · April 2004

Thanks for the tip with the card holder I'm always looking for a place to put them. In a way I think your right on the interior but during the 80's didn't the imports from japan give you this?
Now it seems to me that some of them are charging alot for it.In Suzuki's case I think they are trying to bring back the aminitys.

motorcity · April 2004

russm3, This is my first imported auto, so this level of build quality is new to me. Also the card holder I spoke of is actually a slot you will see once you pull open the coin drawer, the cards will automaticly pop up when the drawer is opened,very neat.

russm3 · April 2004

welcome to your first import I guess with a name like motorcity I should have guessed. haha. The verona interior is more ero than japan style it seems to me and the finish in my ex is really nice. I'm going to put a leather cond. on the seats this weekend when I get a chance to protect them from uv rays and cracking. Hope you have good luck with your verona. Happy Motoring

boughtaverona · May 2004

I suppose that card holder could be handy for distributing business cards to pedestrians at crosswalks or hitchhikers you picked up..... but what it's reaaally for is a place to store parking garage access cards. It is especially convienent for someone like me who drives to work and parks in an underground parking garage. When you drive from the bright sunlight into a dimly lit underground garage, it can be a hassle to be fumbling around looking for your access card to get past the automatic gate. When you pull open the drawer the card pops up within handy reach and it is located in close proximity to the switch for driver's power window .

motorcity · May 2004

I find it handy for my cards to pass out, and for those I collect from people at crosswalks,hitchikers,and let's not forget the streetwalkers. Being self-employed my business cards are most important. Parking garage tickets,dry cleaner slips,etc.,I stick them in the slot on the vanity mirror cover. RUSSM3 the uv protectant leather conditioner is right on,put extra care on the rear seat top and headrest,the sun hits that area hard. What do you use on the clear lens of the gauge cluster? THANK YOU.

lil302000 · May 2004

12000 miles and all is well. To bad I can't say the same for my computer. Thank god Microsoft don't make cars. Just something fun to try, go to the Honda web site and try to build an Accord four cylinder with the same options as the Verona S. I.E. auto trans, air conditioning, side body trim, floor mats, and so on. You have to calculate as you go because they want to hook you to a dealer to get the full price, but I think you might be surprised at what you can't get and the premium paid for a class leader. This lead me to believe that the Verona is not towards the bottom of the mid-size pack but at the top of the affordable mid-sized pack.

lil302000 · May 2004

I don't know if this has been answered yet, but you can play cds from a burner.

anonymousposts · May 2004

Go to suzuki.com and try to build a Verona with good crash test ratings, a fuel-efficient engine, and side airbags. You might want to wait for the next Verona beacause DaeWuki has no plans to offer any of these features in the near future.

lil302000 · May 2004

I'll think of that the next time a concrete sled slams into the side of my Suzuki. 2 of 13 cars received good ratings and one acceptable. I did say the price of class leadership in the above post, I think.

lil302000 · May 2004

Side air bags is another option on the base Accord that will have to be paid for. In defense the option is at least offered at a price. The national average for gas mileage is 20 miles per gallon my Verona is above that by 4 miles.

anonymousposts · May 2004

You will pay more for the class leaders there is no question about that. But with a 1 month old son the premium I paid for my car is well worth the piece of mind. And with millions of SUV's and large trucks sold you never know when a "concrete sled" might be headed your way. Heck, a Civic can do pretty good damage to a car it hits in the side. Just ask the owner of a Grand Am that pulled out in front of me.

Suzuki Verona

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