Thanks to Toyota, Suzuki has another new MPV

Is the MPV dead? Well no. The body style may have lost out to the SUV in Europe, but elsewhere in the world the segment of the space giants in various shapes and sizes is still very much alive. In Japan, brands such as Honda and Toyota sell the Odyssey (in a different form in China) and Sienna, and in large parts of Asia, compact, medium and large MPVs are on the menu. In Japan, for example, Toyota has the Noah/Voxy and the Alphard/Vellfire in its range. The latter two – actually the same car but in a different package – compete against the Nissan Elgrand, among other things. The Noah and Voxy are two flavors of a smaller MPV that have the Nissan Serena as a major opponent. The first generation Serena and commercial vehicle version Vanette were also sold in the Netherlands. Suzuki has the Landy in the Serena segment. The Landy was always a Nissan Serena with its own logos, but is now a Toyota!

The first generation Nissan Serena was also delivered in the Netherlands. Only from 2007 came a Suzuki Landy from the third Serena.

When Nissan presented the third generation Serena in 2005, Suzuki did not come much later with its version of it: the Landy. Suzuki versions also came from the fourth and fifth generations of Serena, but the outgoing Landy is Suzuki’s last MPV with a Nissan base. The all-new sixth generation is based on the Toyota Noah. The Toyota Noah has the sportier design and with a more exuberant front endowed Voxy next to it, but there is no Landy version.

The last Suzuki Landy to be a Nissan Serena.

Suzuki has spent little energy on customizing the Toyota Noah. The Landy is therefore nothing more than a Toyota Noah with Suzuki badges on the nose and butt and on the wheels. Nothing changes in the interior, so here we see the Noah interior with a steering wheel that bears a Suzuki logo.

From now on, the Suzuki Landy is based on this Toyota Noah.

Like the Toyota Noah, the Suzuki Landy is 4.7 meters long. The space giant has two electrically operated sliding doors, sliding seats and can accommodate seven or eight passengers. Under the hood is a 170 hp naturally aspirated 2.0, but the Landy is also available with a 98 hp 1.8 that works together with a 95 hp electric motor. Both engine versions are available with four-wheel drive. In the case of the hybrid Landy, an extra electric motor is added, a 41 hp strong copy that drives the rear wheels.

In Japan, the Toyota Noah costs a minimum of €19,575. The Suzuki Landy costs at least €22,785 converted and is therefore a bit more expensive.

Toyota and Suzuki

The partnership between Toyota and Suzuki grows closer by the month. In the Netherlands you probably know the Suzuki Swace and the Across, successively a Toyota Corolla and a RAV4 with modified design elements. Toyota, in turn, borrows Suzuki’s Baleno for the Starlet and Glanza. Recently we were introduced to the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder, a new mild-hybrid and hybrid compact crossover of which there is also a Suzuki variant: the new Grand Vitara.