Suzuki Esteem Midsize | Compact

Suzuki Esteem Midsize | Compact 

DESCRIPTION

The Esteem is offered as a four-door sedan or a four-door wagon with a 1.6-liter/95-hp 4 cylinder or a 1.8-liter/120-hp 4 cylinder. Choose between a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic. ABS is optional.

USER REVIEWS

Showing 11-20 of 52  
[Apr 23, 2003]
Donna E
Model Reviewed: /Esteem GLX

Strength:

Mileage is great. CD player great.

Weakness:

First year recall with exhaust system. Car computer part went out, car stopped completely (first year) had to be replaced. Now engine light on?? What next??

This car was not my choice. Car is too small and didn't any of you see the weight limit????? Like 800 lbs. total???? It does grow on you though. Not plenty of leg room for persons 5'10'' up. As you can see mixed emotions.

Similar Products Used:

none

OVERALL
RATING
2
VALUE
RATING
1
[Mar 03, 2003]
kfy1232
Model Reviewed: Suzuki Aerio GS sedan

Strength:

standard features (GS model loaded) ABS price paid (under $14,000) nice and roomy inside powertrain warranty (100,000 miles) comfortable and easy to drive good view of the road huge trunk, can carry alot of stuff looks good, nice alloy wheels compact size, easy to park and turn nice bright headlights and foglights nice standard CD player powerful speakers (no need to upgrade) good legroom for backseat passengers center armrest in backseat engine is very quiet, cruises nicely at high speeds on highway engine easy to maintain (no timing belt or spark plug wires!) 4 cupholders! go out and buy one now. you won't regret it !!

Weakness:

not many cubby spaces to put stuff maybe hard to park not being able to see front or rear bumper acceleration off the line kind of slow (not much torque) but once up to speed is fine long-term reliability is unpredicatable since these cars just came out last year

i love this car! okay i've only had it for a week but i'm very happy with this little car. it's an awesome value, for under 14g i have automatic transmission, a/c, CD player, power mirrors, windows, locks, cruise control, keyless entry, foglights, spoiler, intermittent wiper, tilt wheel and ABS. you can't even get ABS on a Civic unless you get the EX model which starts at 17g! it has a good engine too, 2.0 liter rated at 145 HP which comes with a 100k mile warranty. sweet! it looks small on the outside but is extremely roomy on the inside, tons of headroom, and even backseat passengers have good legroom. the backseat folds down 60/40 and there's even a center armrest in the back with a cupholder! there are 4 cupholders altogether of various sizes. the driver seat is 6-way adjustable. the seats are very comfortable with good support and both have headrests which are removable. also, i love the digital dash, those who grew up in the 80's like me will remember riding in cars when they were little and thinking how cool the digital dash was. the seating position is higher than a regular car so you feel like you are driving a minivan or something. you can see the the whole road much better this way and the windshield is huge so you can see everything. the car is about 61" tall which makes it look kind of funky but it works well. i think it looks pretty good, not the best looking car on the road but i didn't buy the car based on it's looks and performance. acceleration from a stop is slow but not too slow, you have to get on the gas pretty good if you want to get somewhere so yeah, it's no drag racer, but performance it adequate for the average person. it cruises nicely on the highway too at high speeds. this motor does not have alot of torque so to find any power you need to get the rpms up which is kind of hard to do in an automatic. i'm sure the 5 speed has better performance. i had to get auto so my wife can drive the car, so if you can, get the manual transmission. also, the trunk is huge for a car this size! i was moving stuff to my new house and you won't believe how much crap i could stuff into this car! the vent and heater controls are very easy to use, the standard CD player and radio are easy to use, don't even need to read the instruction manual. the car comes with daytime running lights which i had to get used to but it's cool.. i don't even turn on my headlights on anymore, at night i just make sure my parking lights are on and use the running lights as my headlights, but if you want to use the foglights you would probably have to turn the headlights on. i can't say enough good things about this car! anything bad you ask? yeah a few things... like there are not any cubby spaces or anything to put small stuff in but there is a storage tray which slides out from under the passenger seat. also because the rear end of the car is pretty high up sometimes it is hard to park cuz you're not sure where your rear bumper is at but you can guess since the front and rear overhang is nice and short. its the perfect size car for me anyway! i also love the color i picked. catseye blue. i still have yet to see a car looking exactly like mine which another good reason to buy this car. why drive a Civic or Corolla like everybody else in the world? nothing else looks like this car. i also like the 15" alloy wheels that come with the car, they look good enough that i won't even consider upgrading the rims like alot of people would. the headlights are nice and bright and light up the road real good. standard chrome exhaust tip looks good too. on the 2003 models you can get AWD as an option. i don't think sunroof is an option but i'm sure the dealer can install one for you if you really wanted it. also condsider the SX wagon, it is actually shorter than the sedan believe it or not, but the cargo space is unbelievable! there are even little compartments under the cover in the trunk to put your tools or whatever! okay i'm out of space here

Similar Products Used:

'94 Ford Probe (still driving) '93 Infiniti G20 (wife's car), this car is better '99 Hyundai Accent (traded in for this car) '87 Camaro IROC (fast but unreliable) '90 Geo Prism (slow but reliable)

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Feb 14, 2003]
wandarama
Model Reviewed: /Esteem

Strength:

great gas mileages low maintenance

Weakness:

you can only do 85 mph. That's it!!!

I can't say that I know a lot about cars but the one thing I can say about this car that it has served me well. I have over 133,000 miles on it and my maintenance costs have been manageable to affordable. I get great gas mileage (I drive 60 miles a day). For what I need it serves me well. I'm a girl who knows little about cars, I need something that is not going to be costing me an arm and a leg to maintain plus its not a bad looking car either!!

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
4
[Jan 09, 2003]
jmeltdown
Model Reviewed: Suzuki Aerio S sedan

Strength:

Best mechanical specs in its class-141 hp. Smooth manual trans. Super-tall cab, roomy, roomy, roomy! Fun ride and great warranty (and low interest loan)

Weakness:

Doesn't handle exactly like a sports car but come on!

I love this car! I didn't even consider buying a Suzuki until I saw one on the street purely by coincidence. I loved the styling immediately and ran to see what kind of a car it was. I was more than a little surprised! I tested many cars in its class (Sentra, Elantra, Protege, Focus) and this is definately the best! The car is also a MUST test-drive for anyone over 6 ft. tall. I am actually sitting up (instead of riding go-cart style) and there is plenty of head room (I am 6'4"). I think the sedan looks super-cute and modern (somewhat Jetta-like). Some reviewers have called the car strange-looking but they must be on drugs! The car cruises beautifully at 70 MPH and handles wonderfully. Yeah, it's not a sports car but I find it very responsive. I think the Aerio may be getting ho-hum press just because it's a Suzuki and not based on actual performance. For example, Car and Driver rated it ninth worst out of ten cars sampled. But if you read the review, you see that they admit the car is very well made and the mechanical specs best everything in its class. Their apparent prejudice was that they don't like its looks or the digital dash (By the way, I didn't like the idea of a digital dash either, at first. It seemed to 80's, like the old Z cars. But it is actually well-designed and easy to read, dude)(All the magazine reviews seem to pick the Ford Focus as their favorite bit I think they're off base. I have a friend who owns a 2001 Focus and it's a good car but it doesn't measure up to my Suzuki!) The stripped down version was plenty loaded for me! AC, power windows and CD player. I just bought the car so I can't attest to reliability yet but the warranty is as good as it gets so I feel pretty secure. Also, I haven't driven it in adverse conditions yet, no rain or snow. But I'm serious, check one of these out, espercially if you're tall. Don't freak because it's a Suzuki.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Dec 09, 2002]
Clyde Osterhout
Model Reviewed: Esteem GL Sedan,

Strength:

Roomy (for the size, especially the wagon) Maneuverable in town, stable on the highway. Reliable Comfortable (the wagon is far more comfortable than most SUVs)

Weakness:

Noisy motors (not that bad, just noisier than some other cars) Loses re-sale value quickly Jarring ride over frost heaves.

This is my second Esteem (My first is a 1999 GLX wagon). Both cars have been efficient, practical, and trouble free. They are not as "refined" as Hondas and Toyotas (ie: they are a bit noisier, and can be rough riding at times), but they are easier to drive (due to more power and torqure) and just as reliable. We love both of our Esteems!

Similar Products Used:

Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Geo Prism, Geo Metro, Suzuki Swift. Plymouth Sundance, Saturn SW1, Nissan Sentra

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
[Nov 19, 2002]
Roald Kringen

Strength:

None

Weakness:

The whole Car

This car was a lemmon A total of 67 Parts was replaced or repaired We was refused another vehicle from Suzuki.Even the car was falling apart they refused. We had to picket the dealer to get action. Never would we deal with Suzuki, nor recomend Suzuki for any of the products > The way we where treated was was just nearly criminal appaling is the word

Similar Products Used:

None Because of bad experience

OVERALL
RATING
1
VALUE
RATING
1
[Oct 23, 2002]
Tanya Stubbs

Strength:

Good mileage on gas

Weakness:

It is now seems to have a factory fault, the car acts like it has a seizure at times then really shakes and cuts off. This happens on occasion and noone seems to know why.

The car is efficient and nice for a family of 4.

OVERALL
RATING
3
VALUE
RATING
3
[Oct 01, 2002]
John Boetee
Model Reviewed: Esteem Wagon 1.8 GLX

Strength:

Styling, Comfort, Peppy 120 HP Engine, Reliability.

Weakness:

No tilt Steering Wheel,My Wife likes it so much I never get to drive it !!!

We have owned this vehicle since February of 2001. What a great car !!! Just turned 20,000 miles. No problems at all except a few interior problems which the dealer took care of. We just came back from a 1400 mile trip to Salt lake City, Utah and this little beast ran great. We had it purring along at a steady 85 mph for hours up and down mountains. Very comfortable even for a big guy like me. 6'2" 240 lbs. We have 2 kids and they are also very comfortable. I can't understand why Suzuki didn't sell more of these. I don't think they put enough marketing into this vehicle. I rarely saw it advertised anywhere !!! Too bad it been discontinued. I hope that doesn't cause parts problems in the future if I ever need them. Overall this is a great vehicle so far. I hope it continues to hold up. I guess only time will tell. Anyway if you get a chance to buy one of these beauties go for it you will be very happy. John

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Sep 12, 2002]
Suz Uki

Strength:

Cornering Balanced Power Sport suspension Good HWY MPG Nice styling Enough room for the wife and 2 kids Suzuki quality

Weakness:

Poor local MPG Slippery Steering Wheel Above average windshield glare Scary after 80 MPH Hard to get parts

The car is a Suzuki. They are tough quality cars that unfortunately have a poor reputation due to the trials of the Samurai. Which, by the way, I owned one and I have never had a better performing off road vehicle that the Samurai. Which led me to buy the Esteem as a second car.

Similar Products Used:

Nissan Sentra Mazda Protege

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
4
[Sep 01, 2002]
Jon
Model Reviewed: GL wagon

Strength:

Great on gas. Lots of room. Plenty of pickup in the 1.8 Great on gas. Turns on a dime. Great headlights. Roof rack is a plus. So far reliable.

Weakness:

None, for a $12,000 car you get alot. You can't expect it to be a volvo.

A great car. I have had my suzuki for 3 years and 53,000 mi. later I haven't had to do a thing to it. It has been reliable so far and still drives and handles as tightly as the day I drove it off the lot. It has been pretty durable also. I've driven some bumpy roads with it and although the muffler fell off it was quite expected.

Similar Products Used:

Mazda 323 hatchback

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
Showing 11-20 of 52  

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