It is often joked that the typical Filipino family is composed of at least 7 people: the parents, the grandparents, 2 children and a yaya.  This has led to the rise of AUVs or Asian Utility Vehicles, since a 5-seater car can no longer suffice.  Even with the phasing out of AUVs in the early 2000’s, the clamor for an affordable family carrier continued and manufacturers have gone through varied routes trying to serve an every fickle market.  Of course, this has led to somewhat higher prices for these co-called ‘champions of the Filipino masses’.  What should have been a sub-million peso car has transformed itself into something well and truly a seven-digit purchase.  However, it seems that someone has forgotten to mention this to Suzuki and Toyota.

In response to a demand for a respectably loaded but affordable people carrier, both have gone the compact route.  Suzuki came up with the squared-off and decisively upright APV and Toyota, a shrunken Innova they dubbed Avanza.  Both offer surprisingly varied approaches but target the very same market.  Thus, pitting them against each other is all but a forgone conclusion.  Let the grudge match begin.

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and in this contest, there’s really no clear winner.  Some prefer the robotic look of the Suzuki APV while some love the softer contours of the Toyota Avanza.  In both cases though, they can’t hide the fact that they are taller than they are wider; and in the case of the APV, too tall—making it impossible for me to fit into my 1.75-meter vertical clearance underground parking (the APV actually measures in at 1.86-meters).

Like their respective body shells, the APV and the Avanza take things differently inside.  Those familiar with a Toyota cabin will feel welcome inside the Avanza down to the family switches, steering wheel, button positioning and ergonomics.  Everything’s easy to use and understand.  Quality’s generally alright save for the transmission tunnel and power window plastics which feel like they want to break off.  Compared to the Avanza, the APV feels more solid, albeit more plasticky.  There are absolutely no rattles in the APV test unit despite the fact that it has done around twice the mileage of the Avanza.  That comes as a pleasant surprise for me, who consider Toyota interiors better built than bank vaults.  Perhaps it’s not infallible after all.  That said the APV does suffer from a bus-like driving position because of its upright steering wheel, tall driver’s seat and oddly positioned pedals.  All of this stems from the fact that the APV has its engine underneath the front passengers as opposed to the Avanza’s front-mounted design.

Depending on the quantity of people you need to fit at any given time determines which is better suited to your family.  If five’s the norm and seven the exception (say weekend shopping), the Toyota Avanza is at the advantage.  The first two rows offer ample comfort even during the long rush hour traffic.  The third row’s best left as an emergency jump seat, but at least the occupants have their own headrests and seatbelts for both comfort and safety.  When not in use, it folds up revealing a vast loading bay.  On the other hand, the APV equalized the interior space between all three rows resulting in a more manageable third row (it actually seats more than the Avanza by 1 person).  And the Suzuki has a better, one-touch seat folding mechanism to boot.  Unfortunately, even occupants on the first two rows feel suffer from banged knees—not good if five people’s the batting average for you.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but we prefer the space-age look of the Suzuki APV to the mini-Innova design of the Avanza. Unfortunately, the APV proves to be too tall for some underground garages.

There's little to seperate these 2 in terms of interior quality or ergonomics. Toyota has the slight upper hand when it comes to a more comfortable driving position, but the APV's interior is better built.