Suzuki Aerio Wagon: MPG - Real World Numbers

PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
What kind of mileage are you getting on your Aerio wagon? Report your results here.

Comments

  • teets18teets18 Member Posts: 28
    My awd 03' sx with 2500 miles gets about 22/24 mpg at 3000 rpm doing 70 mph, and about 22 in the city. I live somewhat near the foothills of the appalachian mountains, so highways aren't exactly flat. I think it might get a little better though: the engine seems to be "breaking in" and getting a little "better" (maybe I'm nuts). Bye the way, what kind of engine rpms does a 5 speed get at 70 mph,.. anyone? I'd like to see my tach at 2 or 2.5 rather than 3 at 70 mph.
     Maybee economics will influence your car purchase decision. Consider this, i couldn't get Toyota to match or beat the monthly payments offered by Suzuki. Suzuki is offering rebates around $2500. Strike while the iron is hot.
  • 2005sx2005sx Member Posts: 3
    I recently purchased an 05 SX. We have drove it 1600 miles and have been disappointed in the gas mileage we have gotten. There has been a fair amount of variabilty up and down until our last 3 fillups which have been 23, 23 and 26mpg for the most recent. We don't vary our driving pattern much and drive mostly at speedlimits of 45 to 55 with few stop lights or stop signs. What has been the experience of others in terms of gas mileage? This is the main reason we got a new car was to get better gas mileage.

    Send replies to peace@copper.net
  • chrisducatichrisducati Member Posts: 394
    your mileage should improve after 5000 miles or so.
  • lngtonge18lngtonge18 Member Posts: 2,228
    I wouldn't expect much better mileage, though it will improve a little as you get past 5k. My former 03 SX got 27mpg in the city and a max of 30 on the highway, but that was with the smaller 2.0 liter engine and 5 speed manual. The new 2.3 is thirstier. Your mileage figures sound about right, especially if you have an automatic.
  • aeriofallingapaeriofallingap Member Posts: 14
    I have a 2003 SX fastback with 135,000 Kms (75,000 Miles) on it. Gas millage has been OK but not great.
    Lately its been fantastic!!!! The car uses very little gas sitting at the dealer waiting for major parts to be replaced.
  • jomay1jomay1 Member Posts: 5
    I own a 2003 Aerio SX AWD w/30,000 miles on it. I bought it with 23K on it. I had read a few reviews and also saw the EPA mileage rating and they all said you should get somewhere between 25-34mpg, thats one of the reasons I bought it. However, I get no where near that! I know AWD and the automatic trans may keep it lower than 30mpg, but I am getting 22.5mpg, consistanty. I dont accelerate hard, and most of my driving is highway. I decided to talk to Suzuki and they said bring it in (its still under warranty). They have never heard of anyone getting such low gas mileage. Anyone out there having similar problem?
  • jomay1jomay1 Member Posts: 5
    I own a 2003 Aerio SX AWD. I bought it used with 23K, now it has 30K. One of the reasons I bought it was that I needed AWD (live on small mtn.) but wanted good gas mileage, hence I opted out of getting SUV. I have been very disappointed with the gas mileage on this car. I only get 22.5 !! I check it regularly and its pretty consistant. I dont accelerate hard and most of my driving is highway. I finally asked Suzuki and they said bring it in (still under warranty). They have never heard of anyone getting that low MPG's. All the reviews and the EPA said it would get between 25-34mpg. It is an automatic and AWD, but still. Anyone else getting low gas mileage with their SX AWD? Please let me know.
  • jomay1jomay1 Member Posts: 5
    I, too, get very low gas mileage. I own a 2003 SX AWD. I read several reviews and saw that the EPA gives it 25-34mpg. I thought because of the automatic and the AWD that I would get the lower side of those stats, but I'm only getting 22.5mpg and I also drive mostly highway! I am very disappointed with this because I drive a lot and just sold my truck because I wanted better gas mileage. Now I have to go to Suzuki and see if they will check it out under warranty and see if there is a reason for such low gas mileage. Is yours AWD?
  • twaintwain Member Posts: 185
    I have a 2002 Aerio SX FWD 5sp and it gets between 28 and 32mpg. I'm sure your AWD and automatic would be less but 22 does seem low.
  • merksmerks Member Posts: 2
    My '03 Aerios SX AWD has been averaging around 26 mpg, but I am not entirely sure I calculated it right. My gas warning light comes around with three bars left on the digital screen. When I fill my tank, even with just one bar left on the gas tank, it is about 11 gallons. The tank is supposed to be 13 gallons, so I have no idea what is going on. I can usually drive close to 300 miles on 11 gallons though.

    My questions are :
    1) Anyone else have a high pitched squeak from their rear brake drums? It happens at low speeds, such as pulling up to an ATM. Dealer says it is normal.
    2) Has anyone purchased the mountain bike roof rack? What is your feedback about this?

    Thanks so much for your help! I just joined this forum today, and am loving it.
    :)
  • aeriofan95aeriofan95 Member Posts: 1
    I am also getting between 22-23 MPG on a brand-new SX AWD '05 and I don't push the engine hard. That's 22-23 with a few highway trips on the odometer! I am a bit disappointed in this-- luckily it's the only disappointment so far. According to aeriostyle.com posts, mileage should improve by 5000 miles. If not, they suggest having Suzuki look at it. Keep us updated!
  • jomay1jomay1 Member Posts: 5
    That is good to know. Thanks for feedback. I was wondering about the 5 sp. I wish they would put a 5sp on the AWD version!
  • jomay1jomay1 Member Posts: 5
    when you say "average", what kind of driving do you do? See, I live in mountainous area, yet I also live near several highways. Its unique. I do have to drive up about a 2.5 mile hill every day. I wonder if just driving up that hill would cause such a fluctuation or do you think driving at speeds of about 73 on the highway would ruin my mpg's?
  • phoneboy1phoneboy1 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2004 Aerio with automatic and 2 wheel drive. I get the same lousy mileage. I can't get more than 23 MPG on the average. I like the car, but it does seem strange for its size. :mad:
  • doohickiedoohickie Member Posts: 949
    Didn't they switch to the 2.3L engine during the 2004 model year? Maybe you just can't keep those 155 horses in check!
  • amentzrionaamentzriona Member Posts: 2
    Hey, I got the same problem with my 2005 Suzuki Aerio AWD. I brought it two weeks ago and it had only 36 miles on it. I have been driving for 1300 miles for the past 2 weeks, going out on a road trip. The car has really horrible gas mileage. I would say, 15-17 miles per gallon in city and 18-22 mpg in highway. I am getting the car in the dealership. I want to know if you got the problem fixed. ANybody else have this problem too?
  • doohickiedoohickie Member Posts: 949
    I've heard they have a fairly long breakin period (up to 5000 miles) and then things get better.
  • carthellcarthell Member Posts: 130
    I have a SX, no AWD. With mostly city driving, I get 22-25 mpg. When I take highway trips up to 100-200 miles, I manage to get 30 mpg.
  • elmerphuddelmerphudd Member Posts: 1
    2006 Aerio SX AWD 800 miles. The most I've got is 19.9 usualy 19.1-19.2 MPG I'm 56 years old and I'm not driving it hard. It's been to the dealer 4 times in 3 weeks because the emission light keeps coming on and staying on. :(
  • chrisducatichrisducati Member Posts: 394
    a friend of mine had her light come on a lot.. then she realized it was almost every time she filled the tank. Turns out the gas cap was not working correctly. It took a few times at the dealer because they said she was not tightening it right! I wonder if lack of pressure in the system could cause poor gas mileage. Also if the O2 sensor is not working it will set the light off and you will bet bad gas mileage. I had this problem on a chevy venture van we had. about once a year the O2 sensor would go out. The CEL would come on and gas mileage, which was already bad would fall out the bottom.
  • anthonyc1anthonyc1 Member Posts: 2
    if its stop and go that may not be too bad for a 4 wheel drive car. if its highway it isnt good . i have a new fwd and i seem to get around 25 or so mixed driving. it has 300 miles and isnt broke in yet. after the first oil change i will switch to synthetic oil. u may want to look into that , it could help a little with mileage and certainly protect the engine. good luck
  • 2005sx2005sx Member Posts: 3
    I have a 2005 Aerio SX and mine started out with low gas mileage. I suspect yours is very low due to being AWD. I have heard of this complaint from other Aerio AWD owners. My gas mileage kept getting better till I reached about 6,000. i also believe temperature has something to do with it. It seems to get better mileage in warmer weather. IT goes down when it is cold. I have gotten up to 33 on highway and average 25 to 28 around town. Mileage also dips one or two mpg for using AC.
  • spmrebelspmrebel Member Posts: 130
    Hi 2005sx,

    Thats great gas mileage you are getting with your SX. I had a 2003 SX FWD and the most I ever got was 30 mpg. I had heard that the 2.4L is a more fuel effecient engine than the 2.0L was. Anyway, mine was a great car and I got 57K trouble free miles until I sold it in June.

    Happy motoring
  • aeriohawaii1aeriohawaii1 Member Posts: 39
    I have a 2005 Aerio SX and I also started out with low MPG. It was running about 23 mpg, but that is the same that a Honda Accord gets with the same size engine, so I wasn't that disappointed. But as the engine broke in at 5,000 miles, I began averaging about 27.5 mpg and it has stabilized at this high level. I think that is not bad considering that a Scion Xa and Xb get only about 32 mpg, but with Alot smaller under powered engine and Alot less zip.
  • tjgcagtjgcag Member Posts: 2
    I had a 02 SX Hatch with a automatic no AWD.
    I averaged 35-38 overall city and highway. Loved the car. Traded it for a Vitara.BIG MISTAKE!!!
    I now have a 03 AWD Automatc Areo. Gas mileage is 25 city and about 32 highway.
  • kenboilerkenboiler Member Posts: 7
    I read what everybody says and it's mostly my experience. I just got back from 3,200 miles. If I don't drive aggressively and didn't have the AC on, I got 34.8 on the interstate. With AC and moving along I got 30.8. For the power, it seems like good mileage to me. It did take about 5,000 miles to break in.
  • brenbren Member Posts: 24
    I own a 2004 Suzuki Aerio SX AWD auto 2.3 liter.

    I bought it used with 9,000 miles and now it has 43,000.

    I very consistently get 21-22 mpg with a mix of city and highway (55-70 mph). Rarely I will actually reach 23! In harsh winter, I've had as low as 19 mpg.

    On the very first 100% highway trip I ever took, I got 26 mpg. The few exclusive highway trips after that I got the same measley 21-23.

    These cars, particularly the AWD models, really seem to suffer at higher speeds on the highway.

    My previous car was a 1998 Saturn SW2 (1.9 liter automatic with about 125 hp). In identical conditions, I used to average 26 mixed/30 hwy.

    I suppose if you subtract 1 mpg for each of the following reasons, my Suzuki doesn't seem quite so bad:

    1) Saturn was a few hundred pounds lighter
    2) Saturn was lower to the ground and probably more aerodynamic
    3) Suzuki has larger, more powerful engine
    4) Suzuki's AWD saps economy

    Thankfully, using the a/c a lot hardly affects the already 'modest' mpg's...
  • 8str8rollin8str8rollin Member Posts: 9
    Yes a loose gas cap can definitely cause all of the above! Poor gas mileage, gas odor or fumes, CEL light, etc.

    The gas cap must be tightened properly but turning the gas cap until it clicks atleast 3 times.

    With my previous Suzuki I bought a genuine Suzuki part Locking gas cap for it. From day 1 it would't seal correctly and I ended up with all those problems but didnt realise what was causing it. One I figured out what it was I purchased an aftermarket locking gas cap and that instantly fixed it.
  • 8str8rollin8str8rollin Member Posts: 9
    Ok first I will mention my car which is a 2006 Aerio SX 5-spd, Premium Package.
    I bought the car brand new with only 5 miles on it and I was shocked at my first tank of gas which only yielded 19 MPG! But I also realised that some cars take a while to break in. After about 1000 miles the MPG when up to about 22mpg but I still wasnt happy with that so I went talked to the dealer and they sent out a Suzuki Technition to talk to me about it. He said the following: Change the oil immediately, but just use normal dino oil not synthetic. Then when ever you get on the freeway, go to the on-ramp shoulder, come to a complete stop, then when the road is clear take off down the on-ramp and red-line your RPM's every shift until you get to freeway speed. He said keep doing this until you reach about 5k miles. He said that because of the engine design, these cars take an unusually long time to break in the engines and get the rings seated properly. He also said he has seen people that have 30k to 40k on their Aerio's already that are having some problems because they drove the car WAY to easy for the first 5k and the rigns didn't get a chance to seat properly before carbon started to build up in the groove. And because of this, they started having all kinds of problems such as gas mileage which never did get better or even got worse, engine ticking/pinging, and sometimes CEL issues. He said the solution is to drive the Aerio normal for the fist 500 miles, then get an oil change, and then begin the above break-in process in which you redline it on a regular basis until you reach 5k miles.
    Well I followed his advice, and sure enough...I could see the results happening progressively. Finally by the time I had 5k miles on the car, I was all the way up to 24 to 25 MPG in the City and around 32 MPG on the hwy.
    I was happy with the results but I then did a few more things which may be the reason why my MPG's have continued to improve or it may also be a combination of the other things I did with the engine continuing to break-in. What I did was every other oil change I would add in 1/4 to 1/2 a bottle of duralube. You can buy that at Walmart or G.I. Joes (now just called Joe's). Joe's had the best price but Walmart is only a couple bucks more.
    The other thing I did was increase the air pressure in my tires. I found that if I run between 35 to 40 psi, the car handles better and it seems to help with the MPG a little bit.
    So bottom line what did I end up with? After all this, the city mpgs were dependable 25 to 26 mpg,
    Hwy is dependable 35 mpg at 70 to 75 miles per hour. You gotta keep the RPM's below 3k!!!! For ever mile per hour that you exceed 75 you will see at least 1 mile per gallon decrease!
    Best MPG I get in my car and more than just once is 39mpg. I can get this when I do road trips where I'm on smaller hwy's that snake thru Washington state like Hwy-2 and Hwy-97 where i drive between 50 to 65 miles per hour. Each time I get 39 MPG when doing that trip (from Everett WA to Okanogan WA)
    The other common sense thing I do but I know a lot of people don't do this is when I'm doing city driving I aways shift at or BELOW 2K RPM. It's very easy to do once u get the hang of it.

    Ok on to my roomates car. He has a 2004 Aerio SX AWD. Obviously that makes it an automatic.
    He bought his car new also, and we kinda broke his car in the same way but not because we were told to at that point, we were just having fun driving it hard lol. But I guess that was a good thing because he gets good MPG's in his car too even though it's an automatic and it's AWD.
    In the city he gets between 22 to 24 mpg depending on how he drives. Most of the time it's more towards the 24 side unless he gets stuck in traffic and has the A/C running the whole time.
    On the hwy he gets between 30 to 32 MPG.
    At one point, he did notices a drop in MPG's around 57k miles. I suggested he put in 1.5 ounces of acetone in his fuel at every fill up for a a good 5 tanks or so. That fixed the problem and MPG's improved again. He also noticed the engine was smoother at idle with the acetone.
    Now he has 83k miles on the car and still getting good MPG's. No issues with the car other than A/C water drip on passenger side floor and noisy tension pulley after start up.
  • 8str8rollin8str8rollin Member Posts: 9
    Actually, the 2.3 engine gets slighty better MPG than the 2.0
  • TasieTasie Member Posts: 1
    I just purchased a 03 Aerio with 43,000 and i checked my mileage on my first tank of gas and only got around 17mpg. Yes it is AWD, yes 60% of that was in town, but still horribly disappointing. I know I need to check my tire pressure, but beyond that I really don't know. This car is very different than anything else I have ever owned and I don't even know how to begin to approach this terrible mileage. It of course was sold to me with no manual and I don't even know where to start. Fuel additive, oil change, air filter, fuel filter....what? I am just wondering if someone else has any insight on a particular issue that these may have so I have someplace to start.
  • oxyoxy Member Posts: 2
    Would getting a tire with a bigger diameter work? A 205/55R15 wheel rotates 16 times less per mile than the stock tire, so I assume the engine rpms would be reduced as well. Your speedo may be off by about 2% and indicate you're going slower than you actually are.
  • benshallbenshall Member Posts: 1
    Today on half tank...highway driving. ...I managed to get 39mpg on my 03 aerio sx. But I consistently get 30-34 mpg on full tank  with mixed city and hwy. I have 215k miles on my aerio. Aerio is awesome until it needs a ball joint replacement. 
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