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Suzuki Aerio Wagon

1350 messages,  Last post on Jun 19, 2011 at 9:06 AM

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What is this discussion about? Suzuki Aerio, Wagon

Messages Page 95 of 136

#935 of 1350 AERIO FOR FRANK D'ANNA by frenchcar

Nov 03, 2003 (11:36 am)

Hi Frank, we have a 2002 Aerio SX with 18000 miles and no problems at all and love it more each day. We traded in a 2000 Ford Focus ZTS on it as we were tired of and afraid of all the Focus re-calls. (however the Focus does have one of the better suspensions around) When you stomp hard on the gas the Aerio engine does produce a fairly loud growl but I like it and even think it is tuned into the exhaust system on purpose to sort of match some of the aftermarket systems. Quiet when cruising. We changed to a different Yokohoma tire selection and carry a little more air pressure and find the steering to be quick and positive and the suspension to be firm but adequate. Came down a very steep twisty mountain road recently (12 miles long and no traffic) at above speedlimit speeds and it was a blast and very little lean. We think it is a practical fun car with lots of space, comfort and value and have owned other Suzuki products. We also checked out the Matrix, Vibe, Protege 5, VW Golf and Elantra before buying our Aerio. Took about 5000 miles to really feel broken in and have added a K & N air filter and Mobile One and they made a nice difference. Hope this helps. Try a couple of them out.

#936 of 1350 Thanks "frenchcar" by fdanna

Nov 03, 2003 (1:16 pm)

Thanks for the response. I have a 2001 Focus Zx3 now and my dilemma is directly related to your comment about "better suspensions around" AND all the recalls. I test drove a Carolla, Matrix and Civic. NONE of them drove like the Focus... I can whip around corners with such ease. My perfect car would be a Focus built by Honda.
 
I'm really for just one more damned thing to break on the Focus before I snap and get rid of it. When it's good, it's REALLY good, but when it's bad, I want to toss it off a cliff.

#937 of 1350 fdanna by lngtonge18

Nov 03, 2003 (5:05 pm)

You won't find Focus-like handling on the Aerio. The car stands high on small 15" wheels, giving it a tippy feeling, a good amount of lean, and average grip. The Matrix handled better imo, mostly due to the larger tires. Aftermarket performance products are hard to find for this car too. There just isn't much interest in a slow selling Suzuki.

#939 of 1350 aftermarket suspension upgrade by jontyrees

Nov 06, 2003 (2:15 pm)

Progress is a well respected manufacturer of aftermarket suspension pieces, and I think are about the only one that supply springs and rear sway bars specifically for the Aerio. I have a set of both, and they look lovely sitting in my garage. One day I will put them on! They drop the car 1.5 - 1.75" and I have heard from many Aerio owners that they really improve the handling. As it is, the car is a little "tippy" due to the high center of gravity, but compared to my previous car, a '99 Trooper, it's like an F1 Ferrari.

#940 of 1350 a few pix by wheelz4

Nov 07, 2003 (8:01 am)

May be similar to the ones already shown, but this site has a few pix of the slightly restyled Aerio with the analogue gauges.
http://www.auto-g.jp/news/200311/07/newcar03/index.html

#941 of 1350 re-style by wheelz4

Nov 07, 2003 (1:53 pm)

The re-style only affects the base versions of the Aerio, at least in Japan, which is the 1.5l
version. The 1.8 in both sedan and hatch (equivalent to our "SX") remains the same.I think it's a good move, as the base models here always looked a little funny....weak-kneed, if you like,
while the SX versions looked pretty good. All models get the new interior/analogue gauges, so it's only a matter of time before they show up here. I guess Suzuki was tired of listening to complaints from auto journalists. I certainly don't mind the digital ones and it's handy when going to the states and you can switch back and forth between miles and kms, but if I had my choice, I think the new gauges/interior look much classier.
(You can see this on the Japanese Suzuki website:
www.suzuki.co.jp

#942 of 1350 restyle by lngtonge18

Nov 08, 2003 (9:48 pm)

I love the new interior. Huge improvement imo! The plastics look to be of higher quality and the whole design just looks a lot classier. The exterior looks more refined as well. The grille gets rid of the slightly funky look of the front and the deletion of the lower door cladding is a welcome improvement. If this had been what the Aerio looked like from the beginning, I think the car would have been a bigger hit.

#943 of 1350 New Dash by chrisducati

Nov 09, 2003 (9:37 am)

I love the new look. Any clue when it will come to the U.S. The digital was the only thing keeping me from buying an SX.

#944 of 1350 2005 Aerio by rctennis3811

Nov 13, 2003 (1:38 pm)

just called my cousin in Japan, and he told me some of the facts of their freshened Aerio
 
just like our 2003-2004 XL7s, new interiors and styling updates are always "tested" in Japan first, to see how customers react to the new changes
 
some new changes for our 2005 Aerio:
-standard brushed aluminum
-electronic automatic climate control
-electroluminescent gauges (ala XL7/GV)
-new grill and foglights
-and bigger dashboard tweaters
-lights on dashboard (stereo, A/C) are in a reddish/orange color (like the current Aerio's stereo display)
 
those are just some of the things he mentioned..HOPE THIS HELPS!!

Messages Page 95 of 136

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