By Sheldon Trollope

THIS TIME, IT’S no April Fool’s joke. The 1.6-litre Suzuki APV is scheduled to be launched locally in a matter of weeks.

Already sold in markets such as the Philippines and New Zealand, the APV (All Purpose Vehicle) builds on heritage and expertise that Suzuki has accumulated with small vans such as the Carry. According to Suzuki, the APV’s chassis and drivetrain have been adapted to suit the requirements of today’s people movers in terms of crash protection and car-like drivability.

Powered by a 1,590cc four-cylinder engine that’s good for 92bhp and 127Nm of torque, and mated to a four-speed automatic gearbox, Suzuki insiders CarBuyer spoke with are confident that the APV’s power unit can handle local multi-storey car parks and even the occasional jaunt up Mount Faber with eight adults on board or an equivalent 800kg payload.

Previewed at the 2004 Singapore Motor Show last November, a manager from Suzuki’s local distributor, Champion Motors, cites the “favourable response” from those who saw the APV as one of the reasons for deciding to bring in this unique car.

Also, Champion expects the APV to plug the gap that currently exists between two of the most affordable MPVs in the market, the 1.3-litre Daihatsu Extol Wagon and the 2.0-litre Kia Carens, both of which seat seven passengers. The fact that the APV goes one better compared to these two in the passenger stakes should help its case considerably.

As we went to print, no pricing details had been given. However, judging by the prices of the APV’s rivals from Kia and Daihatsu, which list at $43,000 without COE and $62,888 with COE respectively, we can reasonably expect the new car to be priced within this ballpark.