Suzuki debuted sedan and wagon in 2002 and packed in lots of
extras for a low price

Mark Toljagic

Is Suzuki the new Subaru?

For years, Subaru fans resembled a secret cult, pulling hapless people aside at parties to tell them about their cars.
While their enthusiasm wasn't quite infectious, you had to admire their tenacity.

"I will never buy anything else until I die," blogged one, pessimistically.

Suzuki owners aren't nearly as rabid, but they are loyal and growing in number. Having suffered an inferiority complex
for years while driving Lilliputian Swifts and Sidekicks, they seem more vocal these days.

The Aerio debuted in 2002 as an '03 to replace the obscure Suzuki Esteem – an ironic nameplate if ever there was one.

Introduced in four-door sedan and wagon body styles, the front-wheel-drive Aerio was about the same size as the
subcompact Esteem. Its ungainly shape made it look like it had been reverse-engineered from a Tamagotchi.

While truncated, it was unusually tall, yielding lots of passenger space (thanks to upright chairs), loads of room for
Stetson-clad heads and a commanding view of the road.

The front buckets were firmly padded and shaped for enduring comfort, but covered in upholstery that attracted lint and dirt,
owners noted. Generous cargo space in both the wagon and sedan defied the car's lean dimensions outside.

The interior featured digital instruments – an extravagance at this low price point – although the display was apt to wash
out in direct sunlight. And the heater controls were mounted way too low in the centre stack.

Keen to make some noise in the highly competitive econobox market, Suzuki packed the Aerio with plenty of kit, including
air conditioning, power windows and mirrors, a tilt steering wheel, CD player and split-folding rear seats – all standard.

To further its cause, Suzuki specified an overachieving motor: an all-aluminum DOHC 2.0-litre four that made 141 hp
and 135 lb.-ft. of torque (upgraded to 145 hp halfway through the first model year).

Wretched excess for such a diminutive car? Not really, when you consider Suzuki's devious plan of offering optional
all-wheel-drive traction later in 2003 for slightly less than $20,000 (albeit only with the optional four-speed automatic transmission).
Standard was a slick-shifting five-speed manual gearbox.

The all-wheel-drive versions were the least expensive AWD models available in Canada, undercutting the
Subaru Impreza by thousands.

It's noteworthy to point out that the engine uses a timing chain instead of a replaceable timing belt.

The Aerio gained power for 2004, trading up the original 2.0-litre engine for a 2.3-litre four that generated 155 hp
and 152 lb.-ft. of grunt.

A new front bumper and grille, clear tail lamps, a revised dashboard with analogue gauges and standard front side
airbags completed the Aerio's mid-cycle freshening for 2005. Antilock brakes became standard the following year.

The Aerio wagon was kyboshed with the introduction of the sleek SX4 for 2007, although the sedan soldiered on for
one more year unchanged.

 
ON THE ROAD

Thanks to its Mighty Mouse motor – don't forget Suzuki makes some impressively powerful motorcycles – the Aerio is no slouch.
Zero to 96 km/h comes up in 8.8 seconds, a good half-second quicker than the Honda Civic, Ford Focus and most other competitors.

Stopping performance is nowhere near as good, requiring 64 metres to haul down from a speed of 112 km/h, and 0.70 g on a
circular skidpad is SUV territory in terms of road grip.

But the steering is light and responds promptly, highway cruising is cacophony-free and the ride quality is reasonably smooth,
especially with its low-profile tires.

 
WHAT OWNERS REPORTED

As quirky as the tallboy Aerio looks on the street, it dazzles with tight seams inside and out, a rigid structure and flawless
materials and assembly.

"I bought this car as it was coming off a rental fleet. Even after being beaten to death as a rental car, it is still holding up wonderfully,"
read a post by the owner of a '03 model.

The made-in-Japan Aerio has garnered lots of accolades by owners who have had no reason to visit their dealer for
warranty work.

"We were happily surprised to find an affordable AWD car to replace our daughter's A4," wrote a family with two Audis
in their driveway they characterized as unreliable.

In terms of Aerio headaches, about the only recurring reported repair had to do with failing air conditioners
– not an occurrence to look forward to since parts are costly and hard to find outside of the dealer, owners noted.

Beyond that, the Aerio is seemingly bulletproof – although it didn't stop owners from griping about other deficiencies,
including some interior rattles, short-lived factory tires and no sunroof as an option.

Overall, if you can see past the car's oddball proportions, you'll be rewarded with a stout and value-packed little car
that should serve you well.

And we'd have to agree with this owner's sentiments: "My only surprise is that I do not see more of them on the road."