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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  Little Car, Many Annoyances - 2003 Suzuki Aerio
  By Handy Dude - August 2 - 2:00 am

  The car is fun to drive especially around the city. Being small it isnt comfortable on long trips. The interior storage is well thought out. It has never stranded me fortunately, but I dont trust the car much. Its annoying and costly to own. It goes through tires every 20,000 miles max, even with alignments and rotation; the rear alignment lacks a key adjustment; brake rotators warp easily and brakes need replacing often; fuel economy of a big V8, and the AC belt tensioner is hard to replace and doesnt last long before it gets really noisy. The interior clock light goes off when the headlights are turned on and there other annoyances. The black velor door panels are hard to keep clean.

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  Buyer Beware - 2004 Suzuki Aerio
  By Calais, ME - July 14 - 1:36 pm

  Purchased as a "Program Car" with 15,000 miles. The vehicle now has a total of 34,150 miles. Under 20,000 miles the heater and blower went. With 30,000 miles the front end suspension and struts needed to be replaced. With 33,000 miles two engine rotors, belts and brakes needed to be repolaced. The front bumper is easliy dislodged with any hint of snow. The 10 year warranty is a scam. Costs of parts and repairs are outrageous

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  Lots of Up Keep - 2005 Suzuki Aerio
  By aggirl - June 9 - 11:40 am

  My car eats my tires. 6 new tires in 2 years! I have to rotate them about every 2,000 miles or they will shred in no time. I have had to replace the brakes twice, both after only 8-10,000 miles, last time I paid up and replaced them outside of the dealership for big money and that seems to be helping. It feels unreliable, I wont drive it long distances as I dont trust my tires on road trips. Needed a new belt at 15, 000 miles and the paint chips off super easy. I would love to love this car because it is so super comfy, tons of room and easy to drive, but it has drained my wallet, it takes more to keep it running than its worth. Perhaps I got lemon.

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  What a mistake! - 2005 Suzuki Aerio
  By mesx - February 8 - 8:26 pm

  I bought my Aerio brand new, a year ago and have done nothing but repair this piece of junk since. Its front sway bar bushings came out of the mounting brackets four times, I have replaced six tires because they kept being destroyed by a mechenical defect, Ive had had three alignments done (the dealer took it to a body shop last time, maybe they had to straighten the frame), the power door locks failed, I had the front lower control arm bolts almost fall out, had styrofoam fall off the rear bumper (under painted plastic cover), and the heat shield for the exhaust manifold and the hood were lose and rattling the day I drove it off the lot. This was my first new car and it has given me more problems than my last five used Hondas combined.

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  Not impressed - 2004 Suzuki Aerio
  By lugster - January 17 - 10:00 am

  This was my first new car purchase.6 months later,started having problems w/ transmission.1st-Replaced parts,2nd- entire trans.assembly,& on way the way home from service dept.had problems w/ 5th gear(all under warranty).Dont know if problems are Suzuki related or service dept. related,b/c service dept.is not reliable and provides the worst customer service I have ever experienced--have not contacted us in 3 months with issues we have brought 2 their attention(the service manager drove the car w/5th gear prob.!)Think the interior plastic is very poor quality & scratches easily.Feel like if keep the car long-term, it will fall apart very early.