Suzuki Spacia (MK32S)

2014 Suzuki Spacia

If you like the Daihatsu Tanto or the Honda N BOX, then Suzuki tries to lash out with its new model that some say this is the replacement to the five-year old Palette tall kei wagon. Uh-huh, this car is the replacement to the Suzuki Palette, it's called the Spacia.

The Spacia, hmmm...this is a tall kei car suitable for those who are housewives or midwives but a different kind of midwives that doesn't have the "Call the Midwife" taste and yes, even though it's just another kei car for these kinds of people, Suzuki claims that this is an all new model, a direct successor to the Palette. Yep, I said that much but how does it differ to the Palette it replaces? First of all, the Spacia uses an entirely new platform so that now...wheelbase is now 2,425mm, that's 25mm more than the Palette it replaces and with that added 25mm of wheelbase really does sums it up to the generous interior space it deserves.

2014 Suzuki Spacia interior

On the interior, it's typical Suzuki kei car interior here and on the new Spacia, like its predecessor the Palette, accommodates up to four people. Thing is though that when you make usog-usog with the rear seats pushing to the back, you might be accommodating about 170mm of legroom and that's also generous. There's one thing though on the front seat because on one seat lies a secret compartment that kinda reminds me of the time the current Mazda Premacy had when it had a secret compartment under the seats. In the Spacia, it's all that simple, find the rope and lift it up so you can find a secret compartment to put something inside and that's convenient if you're hiding a very important stuff from your peers. Kinda feels like there's about 20,000 leagues under the sofa but this isn't the sofa, it's the secret compartment from the Spacia's other front seat.

In a more expensive model, there's one feature that customers going to like and that's the satellite navigation system that integrates Bluetooth connectivity. Which means, that if you have an Apple iPhone with the Mapple Navi app on it and when connected via Bluetooth, this is a wondrous tech-savvy feature that you don't have to use your smartphone as a GPS. Only the Spacia's sat-nav connectivity does the magic for you if you want to go to the nearest grocery or the hospital or back to your work as a midwife.

2014 Suzuki Spacia

Of course, with Suzuki being the leader in fuel efficient cars because the Alto Eco, the Wagon R, and the MR Wagon being the top trumps, the Spacia can easily trump the Tanto and the N BOX alike with its record-high 29kmpl of fuel economy based on Japan's JC08 Mode standards and it comes courtesy of the same fuel-efficient feature that you've expect on the current Suzuki Wagon R. Yes, we're talking about Suzuki Green Technology, Suzuki's new low-fuel consumption technology that won last year's RJC Technology of the Year award.

The Spacia comes served with Ene-Charge, Suzuki's very own mild hybrid energy mechanism, and a new idling stop system. How Ene-Charge works you say? Let's have a recap from last year's Wagon R, okay? Ehem...You see, this Ene-Charge system, with the R06A engine combined with an electric motor and li-ion battery, ENE-CHARGE comes with an regenerative braking system and uses some level of power assist to the internal combustion engine while it can also run certain electrical equipment. So, 29kmpl, how's that feel for a taller kei car that is more fuel efficient than the Tanto or the N BOX? Don't ask me, ask Suzuki because they're the no.1 in fuel efficient cars in Japan right now.

The Spacia also comes with a turbocharged version of the R06A engine complete with Suzuki Green Technology that you get on the current Wagon R. Power is now 64PS and fuel economy for the turbocharged version is 26kmpl.

Available only in Japan this March 2013, the Spacia really knows how to trump the Daihatsu Tanto and the Honda N BOX in terms of fuel efficiency. Yep, Suzuki Motor Corporation still knows how to defend its title of being the only carmaker that makes the most fuel efficient cars on the market today. And if you're reading this from India or Pakistan, NO, THIS FUEL-EFFICIENT KEI-CAR'S NOT FOR YOU, INDIANS AND PAKISTANIS. THIS IS A JAPAN-ONLY CAR. Thank You.

Available colors: Forest Aqua Metallic, Candle Orange Metallic, Silky Silver Metallic, Fizz Blue Pearl Metallic, Innocent Pink Pearl Metallic, Bluish Black Pearl 3, Pearl White, Forest Aqua Metallic White Two Tone Roof, Fizz Blue Pearl Metallic White Two Tone Roof, Candle Orange Metallic White Two Tone Roof, and Innocent Pink Pearl Metallic White Two Tone Roof.

Photo: Suzuki Motor Corporation