Overview & Reviews

Despite spending an impressive six years on the market -- and enjoying advantages like a roomy cabin and available all-wheel drive -- the compact Suzuki Aerio remained nearly invisible to most consumers. If you ask us, it probably had something to do with the Aerio's average-at-best overall report card. To use a football analogy, it was like a second- or third-string specialty player that Suzuki forced to suit up against several heavy-hitting, all-purpose first-stringers. This wasn't a game the Aerio was likely to win -- yet it was a better car than its sales numbers and anonymity would suggest.

Most Recent Suzuki Aerio

The compact Suzuki Aerio debuted in 2002 as a sedan and four-door hatchback wagon. Initially, there were S and GS (later called LS) trim levels for the sedan; the hatchback came in SX trim only. Later Aerios were offered in either base or Premium trims. Versatility was always a strong point for the hatchback -- with the rear seats folded down, it could carry an impressive 64 cubic feet of cargo.

Aerios were initially powered by a 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder engine; displacement was later bumped to 2.3 liters, with a commensurate increase in power. A five-speed manual transmission was standard on entry-level cars, while a four-speed automatic was optional on those models and standard on higher trim levels. The Aerio was available in either front-wheel or, beginning in 2003, all-wheel drive.

With either transmission, the Suzuki Aerio was sufficiently responsive for running errands around town or commuting. However, although the Aerio provided a soft, smooth ride on the highway, we found there was a penalty to be paid: excessive body roll around corners, which was exacerbated by the car's relatively tall, tippy stance. Opting for AWD settled things down a bit, and of course it improved the Aerio's traction in wet weather as well. Indeed, that optional all-weather capability was one of the few compelling features the Aerio had to offer.

Thanks to its high roof line, the Suzuki Aerio boasted a surprising amount of interior room for its size, and we found ingress and egress to be an all-around cinch. The Aerio offered a generous 14.6 cubic feet of trunk space, too. Unfortunately, interior plastics quality, execution and overall refinement were below average compared to the economy class leaders.

Some notable changes occurred after the Aerio's debut. In 2003, it received a slight power boost to 145 horsepower (from the initial 141 hp) and minor interior trim refinements; uplevel GS and SX models got a six-disc CD player and could be had with all-wheel-drive traction. The 2.0-liter engine was replaced by a 2.3-liter unit in 2004, and horsepower rose to a rather impressive 155. Suzuki added more standard features in 2005 and redesigned the instrument panel, which we had previously criticized as having hard-to-read gauges and a lack of storage compartments. The wagon was dropped for 2007, leaving the sedan to finish out the Aerio's production run by itself.

As a used car, the Suzuki Aerio does have a few things going for it. Its attractive price when new looks even better now that depreciation has taken its toll, and its peppy engine and optional all-wheel drive were pleasant qualities. But the Aerio was never particularly enjoyable to drive and generally came up short in terms of refinement and features.

User Reviews:

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  My Aerio - 2004 Suzuki Aerio
  By Unruly - October 7 - 2:00 am

  My SX exceeded my expectations for a small car.Suzuki gave me the extended warranty after purchase.The car performs w/pep w the 5 speed manual.It has suffcient power to pass at 75-80mph and has smoothly purred at 109 on a flat road on a hot sunny day.Even at high speed the car handled well with little roll and lower rpms than expected. The interior has room for such a small car, the AC kicks butt over the toyota matrix, vibe and honda civic - in Phoenix it is good to test drive in mid summer for back seat AC performance.Fully loaded at base it was the most logical decision to make over the competition.

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  wonderful - 2002 Suzuki Aerio
  By micky - October 6 - 10:00 am

  What a great car. I havent found anything I dont like about it. Quiet and quick and I love the digital dash!

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  I LOVE MY AERIO - 2004 Suzuki Aerio
  By BEVERLY HOLLOWAY - October 1 - 2:00 am

  I LOVE MY AERIO. IT IS FUN TO DRIVE AND I GET GREAT GAS MILAGE. EVERYONE LOOKS AT THE CAR. THERE IS ONE THING HOWEVER THAT I DONT LIKE BUT ITS NOTHING MAJOR I WAS TOLD. THAT IS THE RIGHT FRONT FEELING LIKE IT IS BOTTOMING OUT...AT FIRST WE THOUGHT IT WAS A STRUT BUT WHEN I TOOK IT IN THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT IS THE WAY SUZUKI MADE IT. I THINK SUZUKI SHOULD MAKE SOFTER RUBBER PIECE TO PUT ON THE ARM SO THIS DOESNT HAPPEN.

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  Luv tha Bannana Slug!! - 2003 Suzuki Aerio
  By SlabCab - October 1 - 2:00 am

  Im 28 years old and I bought my 03 Electric Yellow Aerio SX wagona because of price and economy. Traded in my problematic 94 Cadillac Eldorado that I loved so much. Oh well. The Suzuki has proved to be a reliable, fun, and practical car. Plenty of power even in an automatic and great gas mileage. Includes a long list of standard features and extras, plenty of room and cubby holes. Great for traveling or hauling all my friends for a party night in Seattle. I was and still am surprised at the amount of attention this car gets. A real head turner!

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  I luv this car!!! - 2002 Suzuki Aerio
  By Janice Henry - September 29 - 4:04 pm

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  Will Buy Another One... - 2005 Suzuki Aerio
  By Lynn - September 6 - 11:50 pm

  We bought this Suzuki Aerio for our college daughter who was not happy as she had been driving a Audi A4 quattro. We also have an A6 quattro. The Audis have been unreliable and expensive. We will never buy one again! We were happily surprised to find an affordable AWD car to replace our daughters A4. I only drove in the car when we first purchased it, from CT to FL. It has a super ride! Its roomy, comfy, and has nice dash controls w/great placement! The cloth seats are awesome! Our daughter thinks it is "cheap", but she was spoiled driving an Audi. She says that the AWD doesnt feel like it works, so I recommend you test drive the AWD in rain/snow if possible as I cant confirm daughters complaint. I do know that I want my own Aerio.

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  Exellent Car - 2005 Suzuki Aerio
  By dhenderson - September 5 - 10:36 pm

  My husband and I have owned two Aerios. The first we bought used, and bought the second when we traded in the used Aerio because we wanted some of the updated features it had. The Aerio has been nothing but reliable. It had great acceleration and is agile and superbly handles city and highway traffic. Its easy to back out and park like a small car but has almost the interior space of a touring sedan. Its more attractive than much of its competition and offers a comparable or better engine to boot.

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  Love this car (even after 94K miles) - 2003 Suzuki Aerio
  By Anonymous - September 4 - 1:50 pm

  This is the bang for your buck by far. The best purchase I have ever made. I purchased my slightly used 2003 4 door S trim sedan in 2004 for just under $10K. It now has 94,000 miles and Ive never had a problem with the engine. I have only had minor problems with the cd player and the piece of the bumper that detaches to minimize damage from towing. This car is incredibly reliable, has good pickup, and is safe and fun to drive. The cabin and trunk are very roomy despite the small appearance of the car. The height of the cabin is great for tall people.

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  Well Equipped for the Price - 2003 Suzuki Aerio
  By chilaxin - August 26 - 11:36 am

  The Suzuki Aerio has a lot of options for the price and its the only compact car you do not have to be a contortionist to drive.

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  Fun and economical - 2002 Suzuki Aerio
  By MGJ - August 7 - 2:53 pm

  I bought this car with 27k miles on it. I now have 115,000 0n it. So far the only major thing thats happened was I had to put a clutch kit in at about 87k. My daughter was trying to learn to drive a stick & I attributed that to her slipping the clutch so much. Before I retired I drove this car almost 1000 miles a week for 3 years. It gets between 28-35 mpg on highway and a little less in the city. It is roomier and peppier that the new Honda Fit which looks like the Aerio SX.