2008 Suzuki Reno Review

The Suzuki Reno 2008 4 door hatchback car I drive is good for general driving. However, it does have some major flaws for me.

The Reno is a comfortable small car. On mine the seats adjust mechanically but it has lumbar back support. This is an advantage on long drives.

The car seems very reliable and strong. It even handles potholes well.

The gages are easily read and easy to control. The radio, CD and MP3 options all seem to work well - if you know how to use them. The instructions seem to be missing something on that.

The negatives - the gas mileage and the head rest! While some people may not think a headrest is a big deal - I think there is a very big problem with that. Since I am 5 feet 3 inches a head rest that can not be lowered enough is a major problem for me. The head rest keeps adjusting up. It is uncomfortable for me.

The gas mpg is suppose to be between 20 - 30 mpg. I think with local driving with the air conditioner on it may be even less miles-per-gallon. It also cost over $40.00 to fill the tank half full due to the $4.40 gas price in the area I live in. The mile-per-gallon is also a big disappointment for me since I do believe in protecting the environment from greenhouse gases.

Other consideration in terms of the environmental footprint of this car - It is a Asian car. This means it had to travel a long distance by ship to get here. That means a lot of minuses. The air conditioner I can not live without but I don't know if this one uses freon, still.

The coolant container doesn't have a lot of space, neither does the windshield washer container. Both containers are made of plastic. I found out with a previous car that plastic containers can lead in hot weather!

Overall, it is not a bad car. It was the car I needed at the time but not the car I wanted. The color is wrong. It is blue when the color should have been gold. They would not take the car back for that mistake - I know I did try.

I would really like to trade this car in for a 2009 Honda Fit Hybrid!