The Suzuki Liana is a subcompact car introduced in 2001 as a replacement for the Esteem and Baleno. It was sold as the Aerio in North America and Japan, and its name stands for Life In A New Age.
Suzuki Liana at a glance
| Introduced | 2001 |
|---|---|
| Replaced | Suzuki Esteem and Baleno |
| Bodies | tall five-door hatchback, four-door sedan |
| Engines outside America | 1.3 and 1.6-litre petrol, 1.4 HDi diesel |
| US engine | 2.0-litre, 145 hp; 2.3-litre, 155 hp from 2004 |
| Gearboxes | five-speed manual, four-speed automatic |
| Drive | front-wheel drive, all-wheel drive with the automatic |
| Facelift | 2004 in Europe, 2005 inside in America |
| Production ended | 2007, replaced by the SX4 |
| Continued | Pakistan until 2014, China until 2019 |
History of the Suzuki Liana
A tall hatchback
The Liana and Aerio arrived in 2001 to replace the Esteem and Baleno. The range had a tall five-door SX hatchback, designed for maximum interior room, and a four-door sedan. Outside North America it used new-generation Suzuki M engines of 1.3 and 1.6 litres, the larger with optional all-wheel drive and 125 PS in its home-market tune.
American Aerio
In North America the car was the Aerio, with a larger 2.0-litre engine of 145 hp, a five-speed manual as standard and a four-speed automatic as an option; all-wheel drive came only with the automatic. Trims ran from S and GS in 2002–2004 to S and SX in 2005 and Base and Premium in 2006–2007. A 2.3-litre 155 hp engine arrived in 2004, the 2005 model got a major styling and interior refresh that replaced the digital instruments with analogue ones, and anti-lock brakes became standard in 2006. Only the sedan was left for 2007 before the SX4 took over. Throughout its run the Aerio was the most affordable car in America with all-wheel drive.
Europe and beyond
In Europe the Liana was pitched as an affordable alternative to small family cars and mini MPVs, using the 1.3 and 1.6 M engines. A 2004 restyle brought it closer to the Japanese version and added a 1.4-litre HDi diesel from PSA Peugeot Citroën with 92 PS, common-rail injection and a variable-geometry turbocharger. Production in Pakistan continued in 1.3 and 1.6 forms until 2014, and Changhe-Suzuki in China kept building the Liana, including a 1.4 Liana a+ from 2010 and a China-only facelift in 2013, until 2019.
Star in a Reasonably Priced Car
The Liana is probably best remembered as the Reasonably Priced Car on Top Gear, in which celebrity guests set lap times in a standard saloon. The cars were kept stock apart from a roll cage and racing seats. Over three years the main car covered 1,600 laps, needed 100 sets of tyres and brakes, six clutches and two each of hubs, driveshafts, wishbones, struts and gear linkages, and was replaced by a Chevrolet Lacetti in 2006. In 2001 Suzuki also built spaceframe Aerio P950 Pikes Peak specials for Nobuhiro Tajima.
Design and features
- Tall packaging: the five-door SX was designed for interior room rather than looks.
- Affordable all-wheel drive: the cheapest car in America to offer it.
- Wide engine choice: from a 1.3 petrol to a 2.3 in America and a PSA diesel in Europe.
- Top Gear fame: three years as the Reasonably Priced Car.
Suzuki Liana versions
- Liana hatchback and sedan: European and Asian models with 1.3 and 1.6 engines.
- Aerio (North America): 2.0, later 2.3-litre engines.
- HDi diesel (2004): PSA 1.4 with 92 PS.
- Changhe-Suzuki Liana a+ (2010): Chinese 1.4 hatchback.
The Liana replaced the Baleno and was replaced by the SX4; its engines belong to the Swift era of Suzuki small cars. More Suzukis are in the Suzuki collection.
Video: Обзор Сузуки Лиана (Suzuki Liana) 2004г. Автомат.
Video by DIMONSK54 on YouTube.
Sources
- Suzuki Aerio, English Wikipedia: history, engines, markets, Top Gear, Pikes Peak
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