This Suzuki kei car looks like a mini Alphard

Suzuki Spacia Custom gets a bold grille for its 2022 facelift

Whenever we see a Toyota Alphard out on the road, we immediately gravitate toward its massive grille. Love it or loathe it, its unapologetically large snout has become one of the vehicle's defining features. Perhaps the only other vehicle that can match the Alphard's bold look is the Lexus LM, featuring one of the biggest spindle grilles to date.

But did you know that Suzuki also builds a kei-car that looks like a mini Alphard? It's called the Spacia Custom, and the pint-sized minivan recently received a facelift for the 2022 model year.

While the Spacia Custom is significantly smaller than the Alphard, it does have a massive front grille. Thanks to the redesign, the Spacia Custom's front end now looks similar to Toyota's fancy minivan. Combined with its sleek headlights, generous touches of chrome, and slab-sided appearance, the Spacia Custom looks both cute and stately.

While the Suzuki kei-car looks like an Alphard, don't expect to find three rows of seats inside the vehicle. Instead, it only comes with two rows of seats that can only accommodate four people in total. What it lacks in size, the Spacia Custom makes up for with its packaging and stylish cabin.

It gets a huge touchscreen at the center (with navigation), a dash-mounted gear selector that frees up cabin space, a cleverly-designed glovebox with top and bottom storage spaces, as well as rear sliding doors that make for easier ingress/egress.

While it may only have two seats at the back, these can fully fold flat, allowing the Spacia Custom to carry more cargo. The front seats can also be folded to meet with the rear seats, resulting in a lounge-like interior. This is perfect when you want to treat the Spacia as a glamping vehicle when you want to enjoy the outdoors.

True to its kei car roots, the Spacia Custom is powered by a 0.6-liter (660cc) three-cylinder engine. It benefits from an integrated starter generator and a dedicated lithium-ion battery pack – making the minivan a mild hybrid vehicle. The total system output is a humble 52 PS with 60 Nm of torque. If you prefer more oomph, it's available with a turbocharger that increases output to 64 PS and 98 Nm of torque. Power is then sent to the front wheels via a CVT.

To ensure the Spacia Custom can keep occupants safe while on the road, it's equipped with the Suzuki Advanced Driver Assist (ADAS) system. This gives the minivan intelligent safety features such as adaptive cruise control, lane-departure assist, high-beam assist, and forward-collision warning with automatic emergency braking.

With kei cars exclusive only to Japan, there's no chance of it being available in the Philippines. But should Suzuki decide to sell kei cars to other markets, the Suzuki Spacia Custom could become a popular model locally thanks to its Alphard-like looks and funky cabin.