I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; life is all about expectations. People tend to be happy when expectations are met or exceeded and they are disappointed when expectations are not met. In automotive terms this is true as well, the odd thing is that whether or not a particular customer is happy with his/her purchase often has little to do with the actual quality of the car.

I once wrote a negative review of the 1999 Chevy Tracker (itself simply a re-badged Suzuki Vitara), a car I still firmly believe just does not measure up to even the most minimal standards of modern automobiles. Yet, I received email saying how I was “full of it,” and how the Tracker was one of the best cars the reader had ever driven. The reader was a young girl who had recently traded in her old Toyota Celica with over 100,000 miles on the clock. Well, compared to that, I suppose the Tracker would seem like a great car, but to the rest of us it is simply not good enough.

My expectations for the Aerio were quite low. Knowing the Esteem is an OK car, and knowing the Vitara is not to my liking, and knowing the now defunct Swift was even worse than the Vitara, I fully expected to dislike the Aerio. It was as if driving the car was just a formality – I already knew the thing would be a toad.

Surprise, Surprise! Not only was my pre-conceived notion of the Aerio wrong, but I found myself contemplating the purchase of said vehicle. Don’t get me wrong, the Aerio is not perfect, but for $16,000 you get a decently equipped car that has a much better than expected ride quality.

My wife, Carol drives a leased Camry XLE V6. Since last year, she’s been working from home, and we recently moved to the West side of Los Angeles where everything is crowded and close. A $30,000 mid-sized car loaded with leather, sunroof, V6, power seats and more made perfect sense when we lived in spacious Sacramento, but now the car just sits in the garage being utilized only for quick trips to the Post Office and grocery store. Talk about a waste of money! “Wouldn’t it be great to cut our lease payment in half?” I thought aloud. My wife agreed, plus she loved the edgy cuteness of the Aerio. Peppy, easy to park and roomy inside were among the other comments that came up during that discussion. All very keen observations on Carol’s part I might add- and she’s not a car person.

It is a different looking car. The tall, boxy profile combined with the pulled back headlights and “open-mouth” grille all give the Aerio a playful, spunky look. The bad thing about its exterior styling is that it is too Japanese “home market” looking. The streets of Tokyo are teeming with narrow yet tall wagons and sedans, some find it ugly, but the Aerio is only slightly funkier looking than the best-selling Ford Focus.

The benefit of that odd profile is more interior room than most people know what to do with. Headroom is plentiful, as is legroom. The rear seats are surprisingly accommodating, and seat comfort for those passengers is better than average as well. Front seats are also comfortable, and offer a height adjustment as standard equipment. This is no luxury tourer, but extended time behind the wheel never results in any discomfort. Because of the tall roofline, the driving position takes some getting used to. The Aerio feels like a mini SUV as the driver is provided with an impressive view and an elevated seating position. Some commented how much they enjoyed the ease of entry and exit, due also to the elevated seating position.

Despite the chopped-off look of the rear, the trunk is very spacious offering more room than most competitors. At 14.6 cubic feet of space, the Aerio offers more luggage room than the Honda Civic and Mazda Protege.

The quality of interior materials is less than thrilling with hard plastic surfaces just about everywhere you can imagine, even the door panels are as hard as a rock. There is nothing remarkable or fancy inside the Aerio, but then again this is a low-priced economy car. The digital instrument cluster is praised by some and maligned by many, it does however jazz up an otherwise lackluster interior. I’ve never been a big fan of digital dashboards, it’s always reminded me of an 80s GM car. The center pod configuration for the stereo and ventilation controls seems to work well, but feels a bit forced from a styling perspective. The perfectly square stereo seems to stand out among the other more round surfaces. Despite the odd angles and hard surfaces, the dash area somehow retains a clean an uncluttered look overall.

Another pleasant surprise is the quality of the sound system. Made by Clarion, the single CD player sounds excellent, and a 6-disc changer is an option. Bass response is sharp and lacks the muddy sound of other bargain priced systems. There is no mid-range adjustment, but the small buttons used for bass and treble are very responsive and helpful in finding just the right tone. Other, more expensive cars employ audio systems that are so flat you’d swear there is a busted speaker somewhere. Even though the stereo head unit is square and funky looking, it is easy to use and within easy reach of the driver.

The Aerio is powered by a 141 hp, 2.0-liter, inline 4. 141 hp may not sound like a lot, but the base Honda Civic, and VW New Beetle are rated at 115 hp, the Kia Spectra’s 1.8-liter engine makes 126 hp, and the Toyota Echo cranks out a mind-blowing 108 hp! Sarcasm aside, the little Aerio ranks quite high in terms of power, especially considering the entry-level competition. The similarly priced Hyundai Elantra virtually ties the Aerio’s output with 140 hp.

On the road, the Aerio feels quite peppy, and never underpowered. The transmission kicks down abruptly when the accelerator is really pressed, but this is typical of high-revving small engines. When the revs exceed 4000 or so, the little motor sounds quite noisy, but during normal driving and on the highway, the Aerio feels smooth, lacking the constant “buzz” of other 4-cylinder cars. Interior noise is further kept to a minimum with little road, or wind noise. Cruise control is a great feature on a budget car, but the indicator light is difficult to read during daylight hours – one more check in the “against” box when considering a car with a digital dash.

Handling is mildly sporty. The Aerio lacks the sharp cornering abilities of many in its class, but the slightly soft and compliant ride make it a worthwhile trade-off. There is significant body roll when cornering, but it’s hardly excessive. The front-wheel drive Aerio does tend to push a little in sharp corners, but one of the great things about this car is how easy it is to toss into a corner and dial in a little four-wheel drift. It seems odd, but the result can be quite fun. Brakes are adequate with pedal feel tending toward the firm. Rear brakes are drum on the GS sedan and other Aerio styles – what can you say, it’s a $14,000-16,000 car. 4-wheel discs would be nice but, that would raise the price.

All in all, the Aerio is good car; in fact, it is much better than expected and much better, in many respects, than several other cars in its class. The Aerio offers more horsepower, trunk space, interior volume, and standard features than many other cars in the same price range. The Clarion stereo sounds great, and the styling is, at the very least, unique. The bad news is that other cars with the same or slightly higher MSRP will actually end up costing less in the long run for the person who decides to buy their car. The resale value of a Suzuki Aerio will be much less than that of a same year, similarly equipped Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla – extra horsepower and a kickin’ stereo will not make up the fiscal deficit an Aerio owner will suffer.

Suzuki is offering a $199 per month lease on various Aerio styles, which is a fair deal knowing that a customer who leases a car can just turn it in when the lease is up without regard for resale value. Those ultra frugal customers who swear by Honda will not be swayed into buying an Aerio. Nevertheless, younger customers who grew up with import brands as the norm may want to drive something that says a little more than “I’m thrifty, and may have a high resale value.” Video gamers and rave kids who are turned off by the Ford Focus’ popularity and many recalls should find something to like about the Aerio’s styling and features. Those looking to make a statement with what they drive will likely find their own type of bargain in the curious looking little Aerio.


Amount Paid (US$): 16,000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2002
Model and Options: GS Sedan w A/T