Small Van With Big Value

MANILA, Philippines — Is small the new chic? If you were to ask any person off the street, they might very well say yes. After all, everything is shrinking these days from cell phones, to computers, to some clothing items and even dogs. Even the car market is not immune to this trend with more subcompacts winning over car buyers’ hearts with their fuel efficiency, value for money and great design. 

Many brands are still new to this trend and their efforts in creating small show that there’s still some homework to be done. Others like Suzuki are already veterans in this field. And their latest offering shows that they got the design right early on. All it needs now is to be “kaizen” it in true Japanese fashion. 

The APV Type II was Suzuki’s answer to more passengers without taking up more space than your average subcompact car. This MPV does some patent bending by moving the front and rear axles to the corners and fitting the engine underneath the front seats. Sliding passenger doors are replaced with proper lever-type doors while the nose is protruded forward to give passengers more peace of mind when it comes to safety. The result is a modern and sensible MPV. 

Inside, the driver has a towering view over the road, thanks to the APV’s body over chassis construction. A warm beige interior splashed with black and silver accents greets passengers. The two dial instrument cluster features vital speed and rev readouts with temperature, fuel and gear display relegated to the center. The center console features a new 2-DIN touch-screen LCD that integrates entertainment and navigation systems into one unit. Air condition controls are easily adjustable while a cavern underneath lets one store small items like glasses and small change. 

The tricks aren’t all in front as the second row features captain chairs that can be folded flat once the headrests are removed to meet with the third row and make a bed. The third row, in turn, folds and tumbles forward to grant more cargo space at the back. 

The protruding hood may seem to house a miniscule engine but you’ll be disappointed once you open it. It only reveals the radiator, brake cylinder, fuse box and jack. To get to the engine, you need to slide up the carpeting beneath the front seats to find latches that secure the engine cover. Reclining the seat and swinging it up reveals the 1.6 liter engine mated to a four speed automatic. This combination delivers 91 horsepower and 94 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels. 

With the APV, a lot of things are not what they seem and that also extends to the driving experience. You’d think that such a tall and top-heavy vehicle would be prone to body roll, but the Type II keeps the leaning in check. The little engine delivers a lot of torque and makes short work of stoplight to stoplight dashes. The ride has been much improved and the air conditioning quickly cools the cabin. Passengers behind get their own controls and vents, allowing them to adjust their own climate. 

Of course what really makes the APV a more enticing vehicle is the addition of new high-tech features like the all-in one entertainment and navigation system. The dash-mounted touchscreen connects to any iPod or MP3 player allowing the user to play their own choice of music or even video. This is then displayed on the center LCD as well as two headrest mounted monitors. 

The addition of navigation gives one all the more reason to take the APV around town with turn-by-turn guidance and even pictures of where to go on particularly confusing intersections with multiple flyovers. 

It’s not out of tricks yet as that entertainment system can hook up with your phone via Bluetooth, automatically muting music and streaming calls into the car’s speakers for hands-free driving. It even makes parking easier as the LCD doubles as a display screen for the backup camera, allowing you to make the most of the car’s small dimensions especially when parking.

All these qualities make the APV great for the city. On the highway however, the wind noise can be a bit intrusive. The short gearing that makes for quick acceleration also makes the car consume a bit more on the highway. Finally, passengers behind will enjoy a bounty of legroom but the front wheels will eat deep into the front foot wells.

All told, the APV is a synergy of both modern and old. It faithfully salutes to the compact flat-nosed vans of yore while incorporating the flexibility expected of modern MPVs. It may tangent some ways from the typical MPV mold, but having compact dimensions, flexible seating and high clearance will certainly fit our cities’ unique conditions. There might be better and more conformist alternatives out there, but Suzuki’s youthful and unique answer definitely gives you something to think about.