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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  Great Car, Bad Yokohama Tires - 2003 Suzuki Aerio
  By KenP - April 18 - 10:00 am

  This is a great car to drive but the tires by Yokohama are terrible! Factory default on tires with only 600 miles and Yokohama would not stand behind them, even though their factory authorized dealer stated the tire was defective with tread separation! I had to purchase and pay for new tire with no payment from Yokohama and no help from Suzuki!

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  Cold starts a problem - 2004 Suzuki Aerio
  By AngelE - April 6 - 2:00 am

  While overall an excellent vehicle, the Aerio Sedan has 2 problems, one of them major. Until the engine warms up (takes 5 minutes+) the automatic transmission will not shift from 3rd to 4th gear. This occurs even in warm weather until the engine itself is warm (not related to exterior temperature). Also, the cup holders are bloched by the gear selector.

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  High value, minor flaws - 2004 Suzuki Aerio
  By RichardE - April 6 - 2:00 am

  My fiance and I both purchased Aerios in October 03 (she purchased the sedan with an automatic, I purchased teh fastback with a 5 speed). Acceleration is EXCELLENT (I drive I- 95 daily).

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  What a fun little car!! - 2003 Suzuki Aerio
  By ACERANGER - April 2 - 10:23 am

  I purchased my Aerio with 67k miles on it and man what a great little car! Great price point and good gas mileage. It is fun to drive and as a bigger guy I found myself strangly comfortable in this car and not pressed up against the window like some other cars. Overall a great and dependable car. Only thing I did was get 15" rims and tires, which helped with road noise and turning performance.

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  Great AWD Car - 2004 Suzuki Aerio
  By my92rs - April 1 - 10:00 am

  Great car, price was great, fun to drive, good on gas, I am getting 29 miles to the gallon with the auto AWD. Very easy getting in and out of. Roomy inside,easy to park, great in traffic, all the options that come standard with this car. I got the car for 15,800, great value

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  Great Start Suzuki! - 2003 Suzuki Aerio
  By naima - March 7 - 10:00 am

  The small footprint makes it easier to park and to get around. Even though its small on the outside, theres ample leg and head room and plenty of space for hauling people and stuff inside. The engine is quite peppy. I have no problems merging on the highway or passing others. Some might find the digital dash a little distracting but its easy to get used to. All in all, I find my SX to be a GREAT car for the price. If youre in the market for a great vehicle with lot of standard options, awesome safety ratings and is inexpensive to boot, the Aerio SX is a fantastic buy. Its a nice for a new family too. Hopefully Ill be driving my Suzuki for years to come.

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  The Best Car I Have Ever Bought! - 2003 Suzuki Aerio
  By SeaKayakerBill - March 7 - 10:00 am

  The car has more interior room than you think. Everyone who has seen it is very impressed. I look for reasons to drive it because it is so much fun. At first I was concerened about the ground clearance but after a few rough roads out here in Colorado it did just fine

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  Best in Class - 2003 Suzuki Aerio
  By hankr - March 7 - 10:00 am

  Aerio beats the competition in comfort, roominess, power (esp low-end torque), offset crash tests, standard features, generous transferrable warranty and a low price. I cross-shopped many others and bought the Aerio; spent less, got more, with no regrets after 4 months. Dont be swayed by reviewers who simply dislike the styling &/or digital dash. This car is very competitive. It is what it is; an economy car. But see your way beyond Ford, Toyota and Honda when shopping in this class, and Suzuki has a very pleasant surprise for you; more car for much less money.

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  Love that Suzuki! - 2004 Suzuki Aerio
  By moondoggy - February 23 - 2:33 am

  I purchased my 2004 Aerio SX new in June of 2004 and I love the car. I drove it from Columbus, OH to Cincinnati, Dayton, Mansfield, and Indianapolis, IN as part of my job as a manufacturers rep until early 2009 and usually got 28 to 30 mpg on the highway. I have over 156,000 miles on the car and have had minimal problems (in fact the only one was the replacement of a catalytic converter), but I change the oil every 3K to 5K miles, and have had two or three brake jobs and one engine tune-up with new platinum plugs plus about three tire (all 4) changes. Even with all the miles it has had very reasonable maintainence costs. Too bad Suzuki dropped this model for a smaller version of it.

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  Sweet car for the price... - 2002 Suzuki Aerio
  By hawaiiankine - February 16 - 10:00 am

  If I remeber right, the sticker price on my Aerio was around $15,500. Well, I ended up walking away paying only $13,000. For the price I paid, I dont think I couldve gotten a better car. Almost every other car in its class is under-powered, suffers flimsy construction, and has poor styling. Not the Aerio. Thank god its made AND assembled in Japan...only place I trust to assemble a car. The engine revs pretty nicely, redlines around 6700 rpm.