The Suzuki Spacia Custom is a little Kei car that pretends to be an Alphard

If there’s a word that best describe the Toyota Alphard’s front end, it would be menacing. The infamous breadbox on wheels has been terrorising highways with its recognisable snout transporting everyone who thinks they are qualified as "very important".

Such is the power of a VIP that there are many who aspire to be one day because of its much important title. For that, we would like to credit the tiny Suzuki Spacia Custom for mimicking the innocent childhood interpretation of a VIP.

The little Suzuki Kei car isn’t a brand-new model and was first introduced in 2013 with the second generation launched in December 2017. Since then, the second-gen Spacia has received multiple minor updates, most of them involving the tallboy’s appearance and additional features.

This latest update sees the Spacia Custom – the model’s ‘sporty’ variant – receiving a stonkingly large grille with patterns that resemble the Alphard’s mask. It’s like some child dressing up like they’re the President which seems cute and adorable to some.

But much like a kid who dresses up as their hero, the Spacia Custom can only look like an Alphard but will never catch up with it on the highway. Powered by a 660-cc mild-hybrid unit in either naturally-aspirated (52 PS/60 Nm) or turbocharged (64 PS/98 Nm) guises, the Spacia Custom would only intimidate but not hurt anyone.

As it is more accustomed to the tight Japanese streets, the Spacia Custom is friendlier than its menacing hero. The tall design makes it a hit among older Japanese buyers and young families who appreciate its practicality, visibility, and sliding doors.

Also read: Poor door choices are what killed off the Toyota Wish and Honda Stream

Just like many modern Japanese cars, the Spacia Custom comes with advanced safety features including ACC, lane departure assist, high beam assist, and AEB which are categorised under the Suzuki Safety Support ADAS suite.

Also read: Advanced Driver Assistance Systems ADAS, more harm than good?

If the Spacia Custom is a little too intimidating, buyers could choose the regular, cuter Spacia or the more adventurous-looking Spacia Gear. Prices for the Spacia Custom starts from JPY 1.67 million to 2 million (~RM 62,000 – 74,000).