The Suzuki Palette was a kei car produced from January 2008 to February 2013. It had twin sliding rear doors and was designed to compete directly with the Daihatsu Tanto, the car that made the tall sliding-door kei format popular.
Suzuki Palette at a glance
| Production | January 2008 – February 2013 |
|---|---|
| Body | tall kei hatchback with twin sliding rear doors |
| Main rival | Daihatsu Tanto |
| Palette SW | added during 2009, with revised front design |
| Nissan twin | Roox, from 1 December 2009 |
| Nissan range-topper | Roox Highway Star, a rebadged Palette SW |
| Mazda twin | Flair Wagon, from 26 June 2012 |
| Replaced by | Suzuki Spacia, February 2013 |
History of the Suzuki Palette
A Tanto rival
The Palette arrived in January 2008 as Suzuki’s answer to the Daihatsu Tanto, a tall kei car with sliding rear doors on both sides. That layout gave the Palette a large, easy-to-reach cabin, and it sold steadily from the start.
The SW
During 2009 the higher-specification Palette S versions were replaced by a Palette SW, with a revised front design aimed squarely at the Daihatsu Tanto Custom. With the SW in the range the Palette generally performed well in the Japanese sales charts.
Rebadged versions
On 1 December 2009 Nissan launched the Roox, an OEM version of the Palette first shown at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show, with the Roox Highway Star being a rebadged Palette SW. On 26 June 2012 Mazda added the Flair Wagon, another OEM version of the same car.
Replacement
In February 2013 the Palette was replaced by the Suzuki Spacia, a new Mazda Flair Wagon appeared at the same time, and the Nissan Roox was dropped in favour of the Nissan Dayz Roox, developed with Mitsubishi. The Roox name returned only in 2020, based on the second-generation eK Space.
Design and features
- Twin sliding doors: easier access than conventional rear doors in a tight kei body.
- Kei practicality: a tall cabin in the Japanese light-car class.
- Three badges: sold as the Suzuki Palette, Nissan Roox and Mazda Flair Wagon.
- Sportier SW: a distinct front end for the top of the range.
Suzuki Palette versions
- Palette (2008): the original range with G, X and S grades.
- Palette SW (2009): revised front design replacing the S models.
- Nissan Roox (2009) and Roox Highway Star: OEM versions.
- Mazda Flair Wagon (2012): the Mazda OEM version.
The Palette was replaced by the Spacia, and its kei class is shared with the Kei and Alto Lapin. More Suzukis are in the Suzuki collection.
Video: Maruti Suzuki Palette Video Review from Auto Expo 2012 by CarToq.com
Video by CarToqVideos on YouTube.
Sources
- Suzuki Palette, English Wikipedia: dates, layout, twins, replacement
