The study presents the effects of blending a cationic gemini surfactant into cationic lipid bilayers and its impact towards plasmid DNA compaction and delivery process. Using nanoDSC, dynamic light scattering, zeta potential and electrophoretic mobility measurements, together with transfection (2D- and 3D-) and viability assays, we identified the main physicochemical parameters of the lipid bilayers, liposomes and lipoplexes that are affected by the gemini surfactant addition. We also correlated the cationic bilayer composition with the dynamics of the DNA compaction process, and with transfection efficiency, cytotoxicity and internalization mechanism of the resultant nucleic acid complexes. We found that blending of gemini surfactant into the cationic bilayers fluidized the supramolecular assemblies, reduced the amount of positive charge required to fully compact the plasmid DNA and, in certain cases, changed the internalization mechanism of the lipoplexes. Transfection efficiency of select ternary lipoplexes derived from cationic gemini surfactants and lipids was several times superior to transfection efficiency of corresponding binary lipoplexes, also surpassing standard transfection systems. The overall impact of gemini surfactants into the formation and dynamic of cationic bilayers was found to depend heavily on the presence of co-lipids, their nature and amount present into lipoplexes. The study confirmed the possibility of combining the specific properties of pyridinium gemini surfactants and cationic lipids synergistically for obtaining efficient synthetic transfection systems with negligible cytotoxicity useful for therapeutic gene delivery.