Suzuki Aerio Wagon

frenchcar

We purchased a nice dash cover from Dash Designs in Arizona and that solved all the bothersome windshield reflections that drove us nuts if we were driving into the sunny side. They didnt have the Aerio dash pattern yet so I bugged them and they went to a dealer and made one. Turned out much nicer than the last one they made for us in another fabric. We ordered black but it looks more like Charcoal Gray and looks sharp.

artdecho

Thanks Tom, we'll have to look into it here to see if anything similar is offered. The reflection just seems to come from the corners of the dash where the side window defroster vent is, and appears on the inside-half of the side-view mirrors. The dash doesn't appear to be overly shiny but the reflections were bothersome just the same. The only options we got were a roof rack, the tinted windows and an alarm. Still less money than almost anything on the market so well equipped. Drilled a tiny hole through the base of the antenna and put a small screw in to discourage any antenna theives. What tire pressures are people using? Manual says 30 psi all round......mine varied from 29.5 to 33....I'll even them out tonight.

lngtonge18

Is your Aerio SX a manual or automatic? Did you order it from the factory or do a dealer trade?

suzukidlr

Everybody needs to go to www.suzukisportusa.com
It has an aftermarket turbo that goes on the SX.
Plus they really pimp an Aerio SX out. They also put 17" on it. Check it out

wenb

I like the SX Aerio looks. I noticed that Suzuki is offering two other alloy wheel styles as accesosories on their web site.They look good.Does anyone know what the rim width or weights of these wheel options are.I don't have a problem whith the 15" size. I think from a performance standpoint. the engineers did the best they could. Less weight, more speed easier on suspension and brakes. Looks ain't everything.

suzukidlr

I work at a Suzuki Dealer wenb and the rims on the web page are 15". I could not tell yo the weight of them though. Anything else I can answer for you let me know.

marco18

I had to purchase the automatic for my wife. That is the only thing killing me. I would of loved the 5 spd. The dealer had to order my car from the factory. He told me that had I come a couple of weeks later, he would not have been able to get me the exact car i wanted because Suzuki did not make enough of them for the demand.

ashdad

Congrats Marco. I ordered mine on May 28 and am still waiting. The dealer knows the color now--gray, my first choice--but still can't tell me where it is or when it might come in. If its not here by July 1st I lose my 3.9% financing and go up to 6.9%.

Artdecho, did you get a Suzuki roof rack? I've been told they are not available yet--despite the pictures on the Suzuki site. Thule and Yakima also say they do not have racks available for the Aerio yet. The Suzuki site also lists a 65 pound weight limit. Is this the rack or a roof limit?

marco18

Hang in there man, I'm sure you will be driving out of there soon. I was very close to cancelling the deal and looking at the P5 again. But fortunately it arrived this week. My dealer had three SX's delivered to him along with mine. A red, black, and yellow with abs. I do admit that my dealer really got on the ball with it and promised that he would get me the car I wanted by the end of the month and he did. Try putting pressure on the guy...or why don't you go to another dealership (unless he is the only one in your area??) How does he know what your apr will be?? at first they offered me 6.9. I told them no. They finally offered me 5.9% and I got a great deal on the car!! You should come to Brooklyn NY, my guy will get you the car in no time,,lol

good luck!!

artdecho

Ashdad........got the Suzuki rack.....no availability problem in Canada but maybe it's because the rack is made by "SportRack" (based on their "Mondial" model) who, I think, are based here in Canada. Did notice the 65lb (30kg) weight limit.....assume it applies to the rack...seems a bit low but they probably err on the safe side, as it is a tall car and they don't want to shift the centre of gravity too high. Dealers here are apparently getting only 4 SX's/month, so they're selling out pretty fast. Not great for bargaining but at least they're offering 0% financing for 3 years.

ashdad

My salesman just called to say mine is not in yet, but he got a black 5 speed in today. They got in two automatic transmissions last week. I am on my way down to look at it. I don't mind the color, but I am not exited about the light relection and heat absorbtion. At least I will get to drive a five speed and I may tell him I will close on it at the end of next week to see if the gray comes in in the meantime.

There is only one Suzuki dealer in the Albany area.

The 6.9% was the first offer I got too, marco. I said, "what about the 3.9% Suzuki says they are offering," and the finance guy said, "oh, I guess you qualify for that." I must say I am not happy with the finance department. I bought my sidekick from the same dealer, and I am quite happy with the sales and service departments.

marco18

Hey, I say go for it....but only if you are going to be happy with it. Test drive it, look at and ask yourself if you can see yourself in that car for the next few years and be content. If yes then do it. I saw a nice black sx with lightly tinted windows and it looked hot!! Plus it's a five spd. Not too many of those. Good Luck and let us know what happened.

ashdad

I drove it and I wanted it. I haven't driven a car that was this much fun since my 87 Mazda 626. The five speed makes all the difference. So, I am picking it up tomorrow. Now, I can't wait!

Apparently the 3.9% financinng ended before the end of the month because Suzuki Auto Credit changed banks. They will be offering 0% for up to 60 months starting tomorrow. But, my dealer is taking away all dealer incentives to get the 0%. In my case, that meant $1400 off of my trade-in. I got them to add back on $200 to get the payment below what it would have been with the original allowance and the 3.9% financing, so I am breaking even with the change--provided, of course, that I don't decide to dump the car before its paid for. Btw, the finance guy who neglected to tell me about the 3.9% incentive and offered me 6.9% when I should have gotten 5.9% even without the incentive is no longer at the dealer. He apparently had problems with other customers too. This restores a little of my faith in the dealership.

I am really looking forward to the new car.

imacumac

Hi all ! I am new to this and was wondering if you guys would truly recommned this car. My friend used to work in the suzuki dealership and said that these things are having some issues reagarding rattles and other things like a weird knock sound from the wheel (cv joint issues?)

I reallly realllly like this car and have test-driven it and have fallin in love for it its silver and has auto transmission.
It has everything i want and then the amazing cargo room.
I am upgrading from a 86 nova so i guess that tells you my amazement in this cars handling, power, everything.

So far i have gotten a qoute for about $ 14324.00 w/o taxes (but w/ taxes and a 1500 down payment it would be 13999!!)

I was looking into having him reduce the price hopefuuly by 200 bucks, but thats proabably wishful thinking.

Any thoughts on so far reliabilty? Is My Price Good?

THANKS IN ADVANCE!!!!!<<<< ROB

marco18

That's a very good price. Is it with ABS? That knock and rattle you mentioned, can you find out exactly what the problem is....because sometimes, I do hear a knock from one of my tires when I am parallel parking and turning the wheel. Does anyone else have this problem?

frenchcar

I have had my Aerio SX for 2 months and have no knocks or rattles and have had no problems at all. I have had 3 previous Suzuki products and mechanically they have been super. The old Sidekicks had cheap bodies with rattles but they were still good values. The Aerio has been on the road in Japan and Europe for about 18 months now but with smaller engines. The bugs should be worked out. The North American models were first tested last year and were revised two or three times and even with help and suggestions from J.D. Powers Assoc. before we got the finished product in March. Get one and enjoy it. Your price is great.

imacumac

WOW, thanks, that has helped reassure me,

i did notice to that many of the people who experienced the knock or the tick have had ABS, but my car isnt equipped with it. I really hope it won't give me problmes, im taking summer college courses and working and the schedule is pretty grueling ).

Thanks Again everyone.... im gonna test drive in about another 1.5 hrs again to see if it has any quirks i don't like.

imacumac

my friend said he heard a knock or rattle of some sort, when he was a mechamic at the dealership.... i myself have not heard this during my test-drive.
It maybe the abs or something possibly the power steering?? i know that sometimes when you turn the wheel of a car alot then you hear a slight whine but i think that is very common and normal

hope this helps.

artdecho

We've had ours 5 days now, put on about 400 km and are very pleased with our purchase. Rock solid, no rattles, clicks or what-have-you. Went to Home Depot and picked up 6 bags of top soil, 3 bags of triple mix and 3 bags of cedar mulch and they all fit in the back without even folding the seats........had to remove the luggage cover but they didn't go any higher than the top of the rear seatbacks. Compliments from everyone who's seen it and a lot of curiousity too.

ashdad

I picked up the black SX 5 speed today. I am starting to like the color better than the silky silver that I originally ordered. The style is also growing on me. I think I now prefer it to the matrix style. Sort of reminds me of some of the really old Nash Wagons--ok, not the front end, just the rear.

It drives beautifully--much quieter than I would have expected from the reviews, peppy, handles well, smooth transmission, comfortable (I am 6' 2" and most full size American cars are not). What's not to like about it?

marco18

Well, I had enough from the rattling sound and knock from my wheel. I made an appointment for next Friday to have them checked out. The rattling sound got worse. But it only occurs when I have the a/c on and I am idling on drive. My friend and I checked it out and it appears to be maybe a loose or missing exhaust clamp from where the headers begin. I hope it's only that. The knock I hear is definitely not a power steering squeal. It's sounds more like a knock from an axle or cv joint. I think it has to do with the abs brakes. I am bummed out. My wife is now nagging me for getting the Suzuki. I tried to reassure her that it's probably nothing major...I hope.

wenb

Hi. sorry to here about the problem with your car.
there is a service on the web alldata.com that sells technical service bulletins to consumers and auto shops as well. I belive they charge about 25.00 per year.This service may come in handy if you ever wonder if some issue with your car has been logged in to the dealer as a known issue and what course of actiion the dealer should take. It cost nothing to check out the site. Hope your noise problem is caught soon.Remember there is no car at any price from any where that can,t have a problem.It is way to early to panic. Fix the noise and enjoy your Aerio.

frenchcar

If this happens sitting still in the driveway then I doubt it is an axle or cv joint. If it only happens with the A/C on then it is narrowed down to a clamp or bolt missing or belt tension or a fan blade hitting or loose fan mounting. Does it do it in Park but disappear when you put it in Drive or Reverse while sitting in the driveway? Does it last as long as you idle in the driveway or go away after a minute? Put the hood up and have your wife start the car while you listen under the hood and then have her put the A/C on and try and pin point where the noise comes from. Is it by the fan or down by the compressor? Could even be a loose heat shield over the exhaust header or manifold (play with that when it is still cold). Explain everything carefully to the service department. Im sure it can be fixed easily and tell your wife not to worry, you bought a great car. Let us know what they find, Im curious. If you have someone sit in the car with the engine running and the A/C on and their foot on the brake (like at a stop light) and then take a 3 foot long stick or yard stick or piece of 1X2 and use it as a listening rod. Put one end to your ear and touch different parts under the hood and you might locate the knocking part.

lngtonge18

Does the knock only happen when turning the wheel or also when sitting still? If it happens while sitting still, it more then likely is the AC compressor cycling on and off. I have noticed that since cars have been getting quieter and quieter, you can hear (when radio is off) and even sometimes feel a loud knock/clunk everytime the AC compressor turns on. It is completely normal. I have a feeling this is the noise you are hearing if it happens when sitting still.

lngtonge18

I should find out by the end of this week whether I have a permanent job. If I do, I will be buying an Aerio SX manual tranny real soon! I can't wait!! Wish me luck

ashdad

Good luck Intonge!

And good luck Marco! I hope the noise turns out to be a minor irritation that is easily fixed.

marco18

I want to thank you all for the advise you have graciously given me. To clear a few things up. The rattle and knock are from two totally separate things. The least concerning being the rattle. It only occurs when I have the a/c on, I am in drive but with the car stopped and my foot on the brake. When the car is on park with the a/c, it is not as loud. when the a/c is off, the rattling dissapears. It appears to come from right underneath the fan or from where the headers are. I don't think it's too big of a deal. But it kind of stinks when you are at a red light and people are looking at your brand new car and all you hear is "cling cling cling". I'm like yeah, check out my new ride...ignore the rattle, please. LOL
Now the knock. The knock occurs wen I am turning the wheel to make a complete turn or when I am parallel parking and again have to turn the wheel completely to back up. Of course the noise occurs when the wheels are in motion. The knock is not very loud but loud enough that I hear it and feel it. It usually only knocks one time when I initially turn the wheel and then it goes away until the next time it happens. Well I will keep everyone posted as to what happens. Thanks again.

frenchcar

Funny you should describe the rattle as a clinging sound. A few days after we got ours we would hear a loud clinging sound that would last 30 seconds to one minute everytime we shut the engine off. We swore the noise was under the hood but with the hood up we suddenly realized it was from the rear or back seat area. The next time it happened I crawled part way under the back end by the rear wheel. The noise appeared to be coming from the exhaust system. There is a cheap tin or aluminum heat shield over the rear muffler or converter. I think it was hot metal cooling down at different expansion and contraction rates that was making the cling, cling or ding, ding sound but at first we swore it was up front but we only heard it when we shut it off. GUESS WHAT? After a few weeks it went away and I had forgotten about it until now. I really wonder about that front heat shield over your exhaust manifold and down pipes. It is fairly common to hear some kind of noise {a squeal or whine or knock} when turning the steering wheel all the way to the left or right as it hits the bump stop or limit of the steering set up but it shouldnt do it on a partial turn. Now Im really curious to see what they find. With 5000 parts in a car it amazes me they turn out as good as they do. Years ago I worked on the assembly line at Cadillac and later at Lincoln. They were not perfect as we couldnt keep up with the line speed.

firestick420

If anyone is experiencing a knock from front, mostly when turning at low speeds in forward or reverse. There is a known issue with the spindle, hub and bearing assembly, this hase nothing to do with brakes. Suzuki is aware of this. Bring vehicle to dealer for repairs. They should be replacing the spindle, hub and bearing on both sides to rectify the concern.

otto_matic

Just purchased the SX Aerio. Bought it at Cottonwood Suzuki in Cottonwood Arizona. It was the last one they had. Fortunately they had the color, (silver) that I desired. Purchased it for $14,432 (invoice minus $1,000, or so they say). They also gave me the option of a low finance rate, I think 1.9%, but I opted for the rebate. My only complaint about the dealership is that they told me that they had taken it to get aligned, (I noticed it pulling to the right on my test drive), actually they had only put an extra 5lbs of air in the front right tire. When I found this out they agreed to pay for an alignment. It's still not as straight as an arrow going down a straight away road, but it is better than when they put in extra air in the tire.
Except for the dealer experience, I am happy overall. Drives great, good pick-up speed. My only complaint is that they don't include a front middle armrest. I had to buy this as an accessory, they gave me dealer cost of $138, or so they say!

frenchcar

I am in Tucson and I am glad to have another Arizonian on board this site. I too got what amounted to a $1000 discount or rebate in lieu of the cheaper financing. Mine tracks straight as long as the road is perfectly smooth and no wind. The tires are really sensitive to road irregularities. I might be up your way in a few months to take the Verde Valley Train from Clarksdale to Perkinsville. Enjoy your SX. Is your Suzuki dealer in with some other car franchise??

lngtonge18

Is this an actual rebate you guys got or just a discount? I only see 3.9% for 5 years, which ends July 1. My dealer wants full sticker for the SX, which I think is fair since there is only about $500 between invoice and MSRP. However, I do plan on getting them to throw in some accessories. What do you guys think? How willingly did your dealers offer the discount?

frenchcar

I cant really prove if I got either a rebate or discount as there was a trade in involved. I fully expected tp pay the full price since I got mine shortly after they came out. With a trade the only thing that matters is the difference and that came out right where I thought it would. When they wrote it up for the second or third time they made the new car $1,100 less than list but the trade in was $1,000 less than anticipated as they came up with a Kelley Blue Book price print out that was an even $1,000 less than the one I had printed. It all seemed to fall into place when I said forget the 3.9% for 60 months if you can discount it some. I was not financing very much so it didnt matter much if I paid 6.9% at the credit union or their bank connection. I suspect they got 3% from the factory. Confusing but it went fast and we were happy and ended up where we thought it was going to. We almost bought a VW for about the same price with an identical trade in price (quite a coincidence) but the payment they quoted was $40 per month more and their final offer was $20 more so I know they were misquoting interest rates or lying about a discount I insisted on. Tricky business. Glad we got the Suzuki.

smoothride3

I also been having this ticking noise across the dask. It only happens when I accelerate from the range of 5 to 45mph. You could only hear it when you have all your windows closed and the radio off. I took it to the dealer twice, and they said something is lose, so they scroll them tight. But it was BS, because they noise is still there. They probably didn't do anything. I
just hope this is not related to mechanical errors and get worst as it go out of warrenties. BTW, the kept my car for 2 days, and did not find anything. I am in San Grabriel, CA.

I have had my car for 2 months already, drove over 1k miles. It's great in turns of performance with it's class.

jmmg

I also took advantage of the 3.9% for 60 ms, seem to be work out right on the final price!
The second Aerio that I got is running fine, doesn't find any noise or rattle, the engine run very smooth, although I haven't push it yet cause it still only have 400Km on it. I have also changed all the factory standard speakers today to Infinity 6 1/2" all around. the sound is superb now!

marco18

Thanks alot for the info. I am going to print out your message and show it to Suzuki. I just hope they can do the repairs over the weekend. My appt. is for next Friday night. I have not even told my wife about the knock yet. She was very upset at the rattle alone. I think I will have her sit in the waiting lounge while I discuss things with the mechanic and occassionally give her the thumbs up to let her know things are ok...LOL

otto_matic

I, also, am not sure if was a discount or rebate. However I suspect that the dealers have a choice between giving the low finance rate or $1,000 below invoice. Before I purchased my vehicle in Cottonwood I called several dealers in Phoenix to see if I could get a better deal. However none of the dealers in Phoenix new much about either the special finance rates or rebates. All I know is that I think I got a pretty good deal. Go to the web site carsdirect.com and it will give you a good idea at the bottom line price and this will include any rebates. I just looked up the price for the Aerio SX automatic and it showed a price of $14,479. Which is about $1,000 lower than invoice. One other factor is the demand, 2 of the dealers I called didn't have any in stock, the other 2 had 1 or 2. One of the dealers told me they were only allowed 4 per month. Good Luck.
Also to French, thanks for the welcome. I'm not sure if this dealership is owned by some other dealership. I wouldn't be surprised if they were though.
I hope you make the train trip. I have been contemplating the trip but thought it was a little pricey. Let me know what you think if you do take it.
Best regards,
Otto

imacumac

Hi guys, nobody's been on here lately.
Is there anybody here who is a college student who owns one of these and can tell me what the monthly payment situation is like, my dealer says now that he will give me the low apr and the 1750 he took off the list.

I was hoping to stay true to myself and say i won;t spend anymore than 150 but this car is tempting, but then again i probably won;t be able to afford much after this.

anymore rattles out there????

frenchcar

Twice now we have been caught in a stiff cross wind while at high speeds on the Interstate. Somewhat difficult to keep it going straight while fighting the wind gusts. High winds are fairly common here in the southwest. Flat slab sided vehicles (like my SX) are usually more prone to this than sedans are. Has anyone else noticed this problem?? I wrote to Suzuki to tell them they needed a stiffer front sway bar or perhaps there is another fix for this? Curious.

marco18

Well wouldn't you know it. Tomorrow is my appointment at the shop and all of a sudden the rattle has dissapeared!! I guess you were right Frenchcar. It has been so hot up here in New York that I have not even bothered to roll down my window to hear if it was still there the last few days. So I don't even know exactly when it dissapeared. I am still going to have the knock checked out though. I will keep everyone informed.

artdecho

Well, we just got back from our first camping trip and our little Aerio performed admirably. Only got about 30 mpg but car was loaded down (almost looked like a lowered "tuner" car plus we had the roof rack and a long roof box on top & four people + gear inside. (and only 700km...less than 500 miles on the odo when we started out). Good power despite all the weight and A/C was running all the time as it was incredibly hot here this week. BTW, not too much noise from the roof rack/roof box combo....i was quite impressed.
Wish the cargo cover was a bit higher...up to the top of the rear seats for example....we ended up leaving it at home, as even our cooler was too high to fit under it. Looking forward to more driving......hoping the mileage will improve to about 40 mpg as the car gets more broken in. Cheers.

marco18

Just got back from the repair shop. The rattle and knock were due to a missing bolt on the cat. converter, causing the exhaust to rattle and somehow make the knock sound whenever turning. A new bolt was put in place and both problems appear to have been solved. Thank God it was something very minor. I was in and out of there in 45 min.

imacumac

awesome marco im glad to hear the problem is solved........

im still shopping guys, was wondering have any of you test-driven the matrix or a lancer oz rally....

im probably not going to test drive or buy the matrix but i was thinking the whole 0/0/0 financing thing at mitsubishi was good (but i think the zero interest is for 36 months)

but now SUZUKI HAS ZERO FINANCING AND 0 Down on there website so i think the aerio sx is still a better deal....

Marco what color is yours... im thinking maybe a silver or red one ))

npaladin2000

They're offering that deal to unload any 2002s that are left. Not gonna get me to buy one that way...the 03s get AWD as an option. So depending on whether or not you'd like that, you might want to wait.

lngtonge18

I have test driven the Matrix and I own a Lancer OZ, so I think I can help you out. The Matrix looks awesome on the outside and is very roomy inside. However, it has some issues. The red gauges are a little hard to read in certain light conditions. The chrome gauge rings reflect light into your eyes and produce annoying glare on the windshield. Worst of all was the driving position. In order to reach the steering wheel and console mounted shifter (I'm a short 5'6"), I ended up scrunched against the pedals with very little leg room. The steering wheel is mounted too close to the dash to find a comfortable seating position. I also heard an annoying rattle emanating from the dash during the test drive; a total turn off on such a new car.
As for the Lancer OZ, I love it. I have 8700 trouble free miles on it. Excellent car. No rattles or build quality issues whatsoever. Very sporty and very roomy. Offset impact results were excellent. The ride is very comfortable and composed, steering response is quick, and handling is good. Check to make sure the seats are comfortable to you. It has pronounced lumbar support that you can't adjust which annoys me (the Aerio has much more comfortable seats). I have the automatic and power is adequate (actually quite peppy, more so then the 120 horses would make you think), though fuel economy in pure city driving is 23-24 mpg. I do get between 31-33 mpg on the highway. Overall, I highly recommend the Lancer. I see no reason why the Civic or Corolla is a better car. The Lancer is my partner's daily driver, not mine, so I still plan on buying an Aerio SX for myself. Anyway, hope this info helps.

muffin_man

How was the crash testing on your Accent, intonge?

imacumac

THANKS ALL FOR YOUR HELP!
I think im gonna try to learn the manual transmission to get the most out of the power and to take off 1000 bucks (Im Cheap lol

marco18

Thanks IMACUMAC. I have a silver one, I just need to get the windows tinted and I'll be set. Get the 5 spd. How I wish my wife would have known how to drive stick!!

Another color that I really liked was the blue. I saw one yesterday at the dealer and it looked HOT!! But the red one also looks sharp and sporty. Go with whatever you like man, and definately take advantage of the new financing. Good Luck!!

lngtonge18

Though it's not really relevant in this forum, I'll answer your question. The Accent received 4 stars for both front passengers in the head on collision, beating some larger cars. It got 3 stars for the driver and 2 stars for the rear passenger in the side impact test. In other words, the driver is safer in a side impact in an Accent then he would be in the new 02 Camry. Not the safest car on the road, but not bad considering its cheap price and small size. However, it no longer matters to me as I sold my Accent last weekend.

vocus

You sold the Accent eh? So what are you going to get now? And you gave your brand new Lancer to your partner? Shame on you! Always keep the new car for yourself, everyone knows that. Just kidding.