Styling aside there's much to woo potential buyers. Inside, my top-of-the-line SX test car is wonderfully comfortable and very well put together. Like its exterior the interior design is different, with a triangular digital gauge package that has caused a little controversy of its own among the automotive journalists I know. That said I find it works well enough and, once again, offers a little personality that many of its competitors lack.
One thing's for sure, few will complain about interior headroom. There's inner space enough for an NBA player or four, but five might be a squeeze. With all the seats in place 364 L (12.9 cu ft) of cargo capacity is available while 603 (21.3 cu ft) can be had by folding the 60/40 split seatbacks forward.
But a car's not all about practicality. What about having a little fun once in a while? Suzuki has answered the call by delivering a standard engine more powerful than most upgrades in this class. Up from last year's 141-hp 2.0-L 4-cylinder, the 2003 version with the same configuration puts out an impressive 145-hp. Mated to the AWD's standard 4-speed automatic gearbox it's quite zippy, making me wish a 5-speed manual was available. Only in front-wheel drive Aerios unfortunately. On the positive the engine is smooth at idle, revs freely and isn't too noisy. If driven moderately 9.8 / 8.4 L/100 Km is possible, pretty good fuel economy considering its AWD configuration.