By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

South Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia have created a successful formula for selling cars. Load up a sub-compact, compact or mid-sized car with a heap of amenities, throw in a 100-000-mile powertrain warranty, and sell for hundreds, perhaps even thousands less than the competition.

The price difference plus the peace of mind a long-term warranty gives a young cash-strapped family is hard to pass up. In Hyundai’s case, throw in steadily improving quality and you’ve got a winner.

Japanese automaker Suzuki, owned in part by General Motors, has emulated this formula with a couple of all-new vehicles for 2004 created for them in South Korean.

General Motors has plucked the new cars from the GM Daewoo Auto and Technology lineup, the new company created by the bankruptcy of the Korean automaker whose assets where purchased by GM. The vehicles are built in Korea and were first shown at the 2002 Seoul Motor Show.

The two cars fill some dramatic voids for Suzuki. The Verona is a European styled mid-size V6 sedan and the smaller Forenza, penned by Pininfarina studios in Italy, seem to cover the gaps. We recently drove the 2004 Suzuki Forenza.

The Forenza joins the rapidly expanding Suzuki lineup in one of the most hotly contest segments against such stalwarts as the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, Ford Focus, Nissan Sentra, Mazda3 and the Hyundai (Elantra) and Kia (Spectra) entries.

With the fierce competition, the Forenza, it would seem, is doomed to failure at the outset. But the South Korean formula might keep this new guy afloat until it can establish a reputation of its own.

Our top-of-the-line test Forenza, an EX model, came loaded with leather interior, power windows and locks, an impressive-sounding stereo and enough rear-seat legroom to make a mid-sized sedan proud for $16,000.

So, all things considered we concluded after a week behind the wheel that the Forenza has a fighting chance for survival.

Prices are extremely competitive with the base Forenza S starting at $12,499. The mid-level LX begins at $14,399 and the EX at $15,999.

The Forenza S is not a stripper. Standard equipment includes power windows and doorlocks, four-wheel disc brakes, eight-speaker stereo with CD and cassette players, steering wheel audio controls, air conditioning with micron air filtration, tilt steering wheel, rear-window defogger, variable intermittent windshield wipers and rear, child seat LATCH system.

Move up to the EX and features that are usually optional equipment in this segment are standard such as leather interior, leather-wrapped steering wheel, power sunroof, remote keyless entry, fog lamps, alloy wheels and cruise control.
 
As noted the styling is the work of Pininfarina, the highly respected Italian design studio. The arching roofline, short and slightly hiked-up tail, well-placed body side molding and modern wrap-around headlamps give the Forenza a modern stance. These cues aside, the car is conservative, as is the bent in this segment, but handsome.

The Forenza’s weakest link might be its engine. This is not to say that the
126-horsepower 2.0-liter 16-valve inline-4 is not adequate. We found it was capable of handling all situations mated to a 4-speed automatic. Although Forenza isn’t a performance champ its performance is small car reasonable.

Granted, we had to push the pedal close to the metal on a few occasions to gain the necessary grunt to move swiftly away from trouble. But the engine is comparable to the base engines in the Civic, Corolla, and Focus.

In this regard the Forenza may have more competition from within its own company. The homegrown Suzuki Aerio, introduced last year, is only slightly smaller than the Forenza and can be outfitted with a 155-horsepower engine.
And its starting price is only about $500 higher than the base Forenza.

In our increasingly gas conscience world, the Forenza offers 22 miles per gallon in city driving and 30 highway with the automatic transmission. Opt for the 5-speed manual, and mileage rises to 24 and 31.

We found the Forenza comfortable with steady, predictable handling. Parking lot maneuverability is excellent and the little 4-cylinder feels downright frisky in stoplight-to-stoplight city driving.

The interior is relatively quiet and the seats are generally comfortable, but not best in class. Gauges are well placed and the switchgear is handy and intuitive.
 
The Forenza reminded us how amazing the topsy-turvy world of automotive design has become. We jumped out of a $70,000 luxury vehicle where it takes hours of owner’s manual study to decipher all of the controls including basic stereo and climate functions and into the $16,000 Forenza where everything is right at hand and obvious.

That transition reinforced our belief that simple is always best.

An outstanding feature of the Forenza is its stereo system, which is standard across the lineup. We were impressed by the solid bass response and the overall sound quality. The Forenza system might be the best in the world in a car under $13,000. And as a bonus, it comes with steering wheel controls.

Another standout feature of the new Suzuki is its ample leg and hip room for rear-seat passengers. Four adults can survive long trips in this sedan.

The warranties we alluded to earlier include a 100,000-mile or 7-year powertrain coverage and a standard 3-year, 36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty that also includes roadside assistance.

The competition in this segment is fierce. There are many excellent products to choose from. But the new Suzuki has enough going for it including price, standard features and warranty to gain entry to the playing field.

In addition Suzuki has added a stylish 5-door hatchback (we call it a station wagon) to the Forenza segment, making it yet a formidable player on two fronts against the better-known brands.
 
If shoppers will take the time to stop at their nearest Suzuki store, they may be pleasantly surprised at how much money they can save without sacrificing style, quality or content.