New Perodua MPV

Tested this new MPV twice over the weekend and overall, this Alza is going to sell well even though I have some reservation on certain aspect of the car.

Firstly, most people would have concern on the Alza’s air conditioner (a/c) ability to cool down the entire car with only one blower and 4 a/c outlet in front. Based on the test car, the a/c is impressive compared to other Perodua models and cooled air is able to easily reach and cool down the passengers at the 2nd row. Not sure about the 3rd row as nobody was sitting there to give feedback but I’ve tested the fan speed at 4, the wind was really strong but a bit noisy. The sales person claimed that the cooled air would be able to reach the 3rd row at speed 3. The interior dimension is just nice for my family, the 2nd row is more like 2+1 instead of able to fit 3 adults, the 3rd row is definitely for children only. With the 3rd row up, there is very little space left for storage at the back, probably just a few bags of groceries, does not seem to be able to store a mini stroller. The 2nd row is slideable instead of tumble forward like the Avanza or Exora, which means that there is flexibility to allocate more legroom for the 3rd row passenger if need be. However, once the 2nd row is slided forward, one would need to slide it back or the feet of the 2nd row passenger will be obstructed by the B pillar when alighting. For the automatic transmission model, the front row comes with a bench type seat while the hand brake is being made activated by foot located beside the brake pedal. The dashboard meter is made at the center similar to MPVs like Estima, in blue or amber colour. I find that the numbers in the speedometer was too closed to each other and not easy to read at one glance. No coolant temperature gauge available, will only be alerted by a warning light. The digital gauge has a few functions and not just an odometer. The interior plastic is not acceptable for a car of such price, which I believe will also be the flagship model of Perodua. The lower part of the dashboard and door trim are grey plastic, reminiscent of those ancient Korean cars interior and also my previous Kancil. Fortunately, the leather wrapped steering, some silver cubic printing and chrome handle give some upmarket feel for the premium model but still could have done better. Although not an issue to me, my wife doesn’t find the seat fabric appealing while the seats are not so comfortable compared to the Kenari. A few things have been removed from the original Japanese version for the interior, specifically, the head rest for the middle 2nd row passenger and no gated and shiftronic gear shift. The passenger side glove box is not spacious and could be better with some interior glove box lighting provided in some higher end MPVs. The throttle pedal is being made significantly lower than the brake pedal, this is probably intended to prevent a lethargic ankle after long distance drive as this car will not come with cruise control in any variants.

The engine is similar to the one used in Avanza 1.5, but with a slightly lower power and torque rating, could be due to different mapping / tuning used in the ECU. Acceleration from rest is not really impressive, just enough for such MPV, I would rate it at slightly better than Exora but still not as good as the Livina 1.6 or the Chery Eastar. But above all, the biggest qualm I have is the steering feel, it’s quite light and lack of feel, more suitable for woman but definitely does not inspire any confident when taking high speed corner, certainly this car is not intended to be driven so. However, body roll is well kept at the minimum compared to my Kenari while the ride comfort is still satisfactory. The brake pedal is also soft and lack of feel, does not really give me an indication of how much the brake has bitten. All these will take time for new owners to get used to. The engine sounded a bit noisy above 2500 rpm but not coarse. The automatic gearbox was quite impressive as it was so smooth that I don’t really feel any upshift or kickdown jerk at all.

Overall, this car should meet my requirement although there are some exceptions here and there, most importantly, the interior dimension and fuel consumption are my main concern. Due to my small family, I don’t expect to ferry 7 adults at all and this 5+2 mpv would suffice. Now comes the hard part, whether to get this Alza at RM64,000 or the Avanza with similar equipment level at RM72,000. The Nissan Grand Livina (NGL) is another car that can be considered but the pricing at RM84,000 is really too high. Although a dated model, the Avanza has several advantage over the Alza as follow:
- Separate a/c blower for the 2nd row passenger
- Better quality interior plastic
- Smaller turning radius
- Spacious 3rd row seats
- Bigger tyre overall diameter

I have not considered other MPV like Exora, Rondo, Eastar or Ria as I do not need such a big mpv and I’ll be driving the mpv everyday into the city. Hence, fuel consumption is also my concern apart from having the sufficient space to meet my requirement.