skeito

Here it is – the new Perodua Alza! We’ve been following the development of this MPV ever since we first got news of its existence back in early 2008, where it was reported that Toyota and Daihatsu were going to build a new MPV and produce it in Indonesia. When the Daihatsu Luxio MPV came out we all got a shock – that more of a van so we waited patiently until Christmas last year when the Toyota Passo Sette was finally unveiled in Japan. Nearly a year later, the Perodua-badged model with a new front, rear and interior is here. Read the full details after the jump.

Alot of people that are casually (not urgent) in the market for an MPV will have probably been waiting for the D46T project to be launched for a long time now. After all, the majority of the country can only afford either a Proton or a Perodua, and you really have to wonder why it took them so long to serve this market niche when all of its competitors have been priced out of affordability.

The national MPVs should have come sooner so that consumers who have big families would not have needed to stuff their 5-seaters to the brim whenever they needed to balik kampung.

I have to say that with the Myvi, the Japanese Passo looked better, but with the Alza I feel our own Malaysian design team has trumped the Japanese guys. The Passo Sette had this slightly bulgy-eyed look while the Alza looks far more sleeker. I don’t see any reason why anyone would want to ‘convert’ their Alza back to a Passo Sette but then again design is a subjective personal thing.

As for the name Alza, it actually means ‘to rise’ in Spanish. Probably symbolises Perodua rising up the product segments once again – its cars are getting bigger and bigger.

The Perodua MPV finds winning ways to give motorists what they want.

IT sells some 7,000 units every month, is relatively cheap and has ample room for five passengers. It has a preppy engine and looks smart. It’s not expensive to maintain and retains its resale value. It’s not surprising therefore that the Perodua Myvi is the best-selling car in the country.

But what the Myvi lacks is decent rear boot space – which is particularly felt during the balik kampung ride during the festive season, or as the kids in the family grow bigger and bigger.

The Perodua Alza’s headlamps also come with projector lenses for the main beam across the entire line-up. I’m not saying you should be doing this but for those that want to retrofit HID bulbs to the Alza, the projector lenses will result in a relatively cleaner and nicer looking light beam.

On the rear you get LED tail lamps and for the Premium version you also get a spoiler. There is a bee sting antenna located towards the rear of the roof but towards the left rear instead of being positioned smack in the middle. Perodua says this is so that the owner will be able to flip the antenna down when required easily as compared to if it was in the middle. There are a few colours to choose from but personally I’m digging the Classy Purple, which is a new colour.

How much is the new Perodua Alza?

So anyway, here we are finally, the Perodua Alza. The smaller MPV also comes with a smaller price tag, though Proton has worked to introduce the Exora Basic as well. Perodua says the Alza project first started off as the D46T about 3 years ago. The Japanese version was unveiled on Christmas day last year.

It’s cheaper than the Exora though technically it isn’t the cheapest in the market. Changan-Berjaya sells their Chana Era CM8 “van” at prices starting from under RM40k.

Would making a bigger Myvi be a step in the right direction?

Absolutely, say the people at Perodua, who feel they have a found winning formula in the Alza, a multi-purpose vehicle launched on Monday.

Looking much like a stretched, raised and pumped up Myvi, the new MPV has three rows of seats and can seat seven – its key attraction.

Alza, which is Spanish for “rise”, is also synonymous with “amplify, enhance and heighten”. The vehicle is slightly higher than the Myvi and has been stretched by 455mm, Its wheelbase is also longer by 310mm; in fact, it is close to the Toyota Camry – a good indication of its interior space.

Perodua managing director Datuk Syed Hafiz Syed Abu Bakar says the Alza, with its flexible seating configuration, can be turned into a car with a big boot when you don’t need the extra back seats for seven passengers.

“It’s like Superman. It becomes that when you need it,” Syed Hafiz said at a media preview of the MPV in Putrajaya earlier this month.

The introduction of the Alza is part of the second national carmaker’s dynamic move to offer vehicles that meet current motoring trends.

With the average size of most Malaysian families shrinking to four from six, Syed Hafiz says the majority of its potential customers don’t actually need a huge MPV.

“It just has to be a vehicle with the right amount of interior space. A size that is too large will also make the MPV clumsy and difficult to drive on narrow roads,” he says.

The Alza shares its underpinnings with the Daihatsu Boon Luminas and Toyota Passo Sette seven-seaters. Under the bonnet is a twin camshaft with dynamic variable valve timing (DVVT) 1.5-litre engine code named 3SZ-VE, similar to the type in the Toyota Avanza and Perodua Nautica.

Tuned for fuel economy, the Azla’s power is rated at 104bhp at 6,000rpm or five horses short of the Avanza and Nautica’s 109bhp. However, its maximum torque of 136Nm is the same as that of theirs.

“As the Alza is not too heavy at 1.1 tonne, its power-to-weight ratio with a 1.5-litre engine is pretty good,” says Syed Hafiz.

Transmission options are the four-speed automatic and five-speed manual while trim levels are the Standard and Premium. Front and rear brake set-ups are discs and drums, respectively, on both grades.

Front suspension is the MacPherson type while the rear uses the torsion beam with stabiliser bar.

Inside, the Alza comes in grey and light grey, with a centrally located instrument cluster that features a trip computer with readouts of average fuel consumption and how far you can go before the tank empties.

The temperature gauge is missing but the fuel gauge, speedometer and tachometer are still there.

With its higher roofline, the Alza gets more headroom for an airier feel.

The gearshift for the automatic is console-mounted, while that for the manual is located on the floor between the driver and front passenger. This arrangement allows the automatic variant to come with bench-type front seats with a 60:40 split, a feature rarely found in locally available MPVs.

In essence, the front passenger can slide over to the driver’s seat without having to get out of the MPV – useful when taking over the wheel after dropping someone off.

In our opinion, the third row seats are more suitable for children although adults can squeeze in there.

The second row seats are fitted on rails and can slide forward by 150mm to provide more legroom for third row passengers.

What’s more, the three rows of seats can be folded for a flat configuration.

Cup and bottle holders are scattered around the MPV, on the door pockets and armrests.

Although not equipped with air-conditioner vents for the second and third row seats, Perodua claims that the Alza has a more powerful cooling coil and blower fan than the Myvi.

“We have conducted tests and can say that third-row passengers will have enough cool air, even on hot days,” says Perodua Sales Sdn Bhd operation director Ahmad Suhaimi Mohd Anuar.

In addition, the Alza gets all-round ultraviolet protected glass that cuts down UV rays by 91%.

At the media preview, we get to try out both automatic and manual variants at Putrajaya. With four persons on board, performance on an uphill slope is still adequate but one has to remember that this is an MPV, and the engine needs to be revved a bit more.

Once speed has built up, however, little effort is needed to keep the vehicle on the move. The five-speed manual gives us a gutsier performance since the better spaced gear ratios allow for better use of the engine powerband.

The clutch pedal is not heavy and we reckon it won’t tire out our left foot when inching through a traffic jam.

According to Perodua, the Alza with automatic transmission promises a low fuel consumption of 12.7km per litre of petrol or roughly 14 sen per km on RON95 fuel. The manual variant is even more frugal – 15.5km per litre of fuel.

Available features across the Standard and Premium grades are headlights with projector elements, grille with chrome garnishing, LED tail lights and 185/55/R15 tyres.

The Premium variant has additional features like dual front air bags, anti-lock braking system with electronic brake force distribution and brake assist, fog lights, tail spoiler, audio system with Bluetooth/USB support and leather steering wheel with audio controls.

The trunk comes with a luggage lamp, an item that is sorely lacking in Myvis.

Available colours are solid Ivory White and metallic Medallion Grey, Glittering Silver, Ebony Black and Pearl White. The Premium variant gets the additional metallic Classy Purple.

Prices on the road start at RM56,000 for the Standard manual to RM64,000 for the Premium automatic.

The Advanced variant – delivery of which starts in March – will cost RM6,000 over the Premium version and will feature additional goodies such as body kits, leather seats, tinted windows, a satellite navigation system and reverse camera.

What a hideous name for a car. ALZA! Of all the car names, be it Kancil, Kelisa, Kenari, Viva, Myvi, Nautica… I personally felt Alza was a total turn off. I knew about the name a few days before, but I didn’t want to say anything, because I thought that they might eventually have a change in mind, and rename the MPV to something nicer..

Yes, I know, Rusa sounds equally bad, but I would argue that Rusa at least has Malaysia written all over it.

Sure, I know that this 1.5cc MPV’s name means ‘To rise‘ in Spanish, but when ever I hear the name ‘ALZA’, I have this complete negative vibe. I really thought that Perodua was starting to name cars the right way, especially with the Myvi , Nautica and Viva which sounds ultimately modern and complex. Naahhhh.. I don’t care Jeremy Clark calling the MyVi a MeeVeee…

Is there enough power?

When we drove the Alza under a load of 4 to 5 people it was quite possible to drive in a relaxed manner, though pace was rather hampered. Driving it in a “youthful” manner with hurried progress called for the engine to be revved into the upper boundaries of the rev range most of the time. What made it worse is the fact that the engines did not seem to be run in properly, and most of us in the same car agreed.

Veteran journo Leeps (who went ahead and bought one after the media preview drive) described it as being kinda ‘tight’, while to me the sensation was of an inconsistent torque curve (also reflected in RPM needle progress) that kept dipping randomly. It’s really quite a bummer as whttp://sitebuilder.yola.com/en/ide/index.jsp?siteid=8a49866b306b947601306d7f392d2a4a#hen things like this happens it does not reflect the car’s actual performance (just like the Mazda 3 review unit earlier this year), leaving a big blank question mark in my review expectations. So watch out for another review later, as this is pretty much just a preview drive in a circle around the Shangrila Putrajaya, though there was some very nice curves and uphills and downhills.

With regards to the revviness, you really can’t run away from this kind of engine behaviour if you try to drive it like a sports car under heavy loads. The engine has no problems taking the car around gently. I really wouldn’t consider it a significant improvement over the Exora but I found throttle response to be zipper compared to the Campro CPS. Thankfully the sound insulation for the Alza preview drive units (and the Exora) are sufficient to supress any excessive vibrations. The Alza’s engine remained sounding refined up to the redline, despite the inconsistent power delivery issues.

How big is the Alza on the inside?

When I saw the specs list it looked promising as the Alza has got a wheelbase of 2,750mm which is even longer than the Exora’s. But it really depends on how you package the vehicle together so a longer wheelbase may not translate to a longer interior space. Perodua has provided some data on the Alza’s interior dimensions.

The first row is great. The seats can go back as much as I want it to and the ergonomics for the manual transmission gear lever seems better than the Myvi as I didn’t feel it was too far up front. The automatic transmission model’s shift lever is positioned at the dashboard while the handbrake is actually a foot brake. This frees up the space in between the front two seats, but instead of leaving it empty Perodua decided to extend the driver seat leftwards to fill up the space.

But that space cannot really be used as a seat because the part of the dashboard with the air cond panel and the gear lever juts out too much. I also like the armrest that you can fold down – it feels quite soft.

I did not like the fact that the manual model had no arm rests so I suggested to the Perodua engineers that accompanied us during the drive that perhaps they should add a seat-mounted armrest like the Honda CRV’s to the manual model. They took note of it.

The center meter panel is lit up with blue and white illumination with the Premium model while the regular model gets amber illumination, though both are of the self-illuminating Optitron type. There is only manual air conditioning controls available and they look like the same parts used in the Vios.

The second row has the ability to slide back and forth. In a sliding mechanism there is less space freed up for third row passengers to get proper footing on the way out compared to a tumble-fold mechanism so there is a short overslide where you can slide it little extra towards the front to help the third row passengers get out.

Because of the low roof and the generally tight space it’s not easy to get into the back. And while I could sit in the third row of the Exora without my knee touching the second row (albeit a little uncomfortably due to not so optimum leg angles), sitting in the third row of the Alza resulted in my knee pushing against the second row seat back. A good thing the seat back is made of a soft material. But then again I am 181cm so please head on to the showroom to check out the Alza to see if it fits your space requirements. BTW, the third row is a single bench with no split. 

and then there is also the issue of an awkward exit for an adult in the second row when you have set the position of the second row to allow for someone to sit comfortably in the third row. Your feet will actually be positioned way in front of the B pillar, so you’ll have to make awkward maneuvers with your leg in order to get out properly.

There’s no issue in exiting the second row when you have the second row pushed far back, but you can’t do that when there are people in the third row waiting for you to get out of the car so they can get out themselves! So there’s really no solution for the awkward 2nd row exit and its an ergonomic flaw.

If I were to buy an Alza I would just great it as a 5 seater and leave the third row permanently down. Then I would slide the second row all the way to the back so that all four to five passengers in the car can get good legroom. To me, this isn’t an Exora competitor but more of a Persona/Waja competitor.

The Alza is best used as wagon substitute for a sedan. The same space as a sedan (perhaps even better) and a more flexible storage area. When you turn it into an MPV, somehow there are just too many compromises to be made, unless you are talking about children only for the third row. In that situation it would probably work great!

If you’re worried about not getting used to the foot brake initially and always leaving it activated while you drive off, according to the specs list there’s supposed to be a little buzzer that warns you about it although I did not try it myself.

take a look at my gallery.. really nice there let the pic talk and tell u how good is Perodua Alza.