Driven: Toyota Passo Sette! (Perodua Alza EZi)

A little imagination can do wonders. You could be having a bite at McDonald's right in downtown Kuala Lumpur's Golden Triangle (corner of Bukit Bintang and Sultan Ismail) and yet think you're in Tokyo's Shinjuku district. Pardon me for the inaccuracy in the title of this blogpost but it's deliberate.

"Why?" you may ask. Well, Perodua has got it so right in their product mix that their latest Alza, so much feels like a Toyota, looks like a Toyota, drives likes Toyota; but not a Toyota. (Hmmm...sounded like one famous lawyer's testimony on court recently) And in Bolehland context - pricing it cheaper than even the base model Toyota Vios J-spec - that can be a good thing, a very good thing. Though frankly, I am of the opinion that the Passo Sette clone should not have crossed the RM60k mark, even for this Ezi spec version - to make it a truly value-for-money buy for the rakyat. But we are not here to to debate about social service, are we?




Admittedly, my initial enthusiasm was lacking upon picking up this COTY tester from Perodua. However, that soon changed as I got bitten by the travel bug soon thereafter. Loaded with 3 adults, one almost-adult teenager and three kids, we soon headed up to Cameron Highlands. On the following day, back through to Ipoh and returning to KL. The 3SZ-VE doesn't disappoint, being adequately responsive with an eloquently paired 4A/T, which resulted in decent tractability and driveability. On the downside, the naturally aspirated 4-pot 1.5L lump were often caught thrumming a little too loud - somewhat hoarse - as you venture near 6000rpm for that little extra top-end grunt. The other pleasant little surprise was that its average fuel consumption worked out to about 12km/l over some 863 km travelled. (That's roughly 15- 16 sen per km, running on RON95 @ current retail price of RM1.80/litre) Win some, lose some.





In all, there isn't much to complain about the Alza, expect for maybe absence of 2nd row a/c vents. A passenger in the 2nd row was complaining of getting hot and bothered even with the a/c blower set to fan speed #"3" during an afternoon drive. A full blast to #"4" did cure things but it was a hurricane for both occupants up front! I was getting a bit flustered and bogged down with so much of TURBULENT cold air enveloping my cheeks and temple, even with the vents angled upwards and away.

Could Perodua please add a 2nd ceiling mounted blower for the 2nd row? While at it, can the 3rd row of seat backrest be spilt into a 50:50 fold down to enable 2+3+1 seating with a little more luggage hoarding capability?

Back to the climatic indices of thermal comfort, I am sure there is enough cold air-conditioner gasses for a small 2nd auxiliary cooler coil. Seeing that, no imagination will be able to execute cooling comfort for 2nd and especially 3rd row passengers. Not even Toyota, which at this very moment happens to be a goliath of an automotive company busy with its tagline "Moving Forward...Non Stop!".

Perodua Viva Elite

Today I shall get down-to-earth, back-to-basics with this car review. No other car epitomize this better than Perodua Viva Elite. It is by no means bargain-basement cheap, considering that Perodua is considered a national car maker and is afforded tariff exemption, special tax incentives et al.






Not paying much attention to this Perodua model initially, I was surprised at how decent this rebadged Daihatsu Charade (of previous generation) can be. Things that matter like ABS, twin SRS airbags are there. Even the wing mirrors are electrically foldfable. Hear this UMW Toyota: (well, they are of the same core business group anyway), where's the electric folding mirror action for the RM175k Toyota Prius?

Then there's also adjustable seatbelt anchorage points on the B-Pillars. Similar items in Toyota Avanza and even Nissan Grand Livina? No.

Though the seats are not the last word in comfort - its flanks support and backrest are a little thin/stingy but the thigh supports are surprisingly adequate (at least for my short stature) i.e. ant-posterior length-wise up to the mark. Once again, even the ever popular (D-segment!) Toyota Camry is a little shortchanged here. Serious.

Drive wise, there is nothing much to complain about. It's sprightly enough, light footed and willing on the move. There's even 4 -speed auto now, versus the Kancil 850 EZ which my better half owned 8 years ago. Idling vibrations is still noticeable, even though idling engine speed is pretty high at 1000rpm. The instruments panel are simple, clean and easily legible. something that the other 'major' national carmaker needs to learn for its Neo model or even its new Evora...er, I meant Exora.

The chassis gets a tad floaty as you breach our national highway speed limit but I guess flogging it to, say 130 km/h is much akin to wearing your Croc sandals to do snorkeling.

Funnily, the alloy wheels managed to look like wheel caps, which is something rather 'bizarre' considering that some good wheel caps can mimic otherwise these days!
In contention for a NST-Maybank COTY award 2009, whether the Viva Elite will present better value than the Hyundai i10 remains with the end-user. While the little Hyundai does handle better and has a better interior, the Viva's trump cards are its features.

At the end of the day, most motorists at this entry-level budget segment will likely emphasise on Viva's resale value in the future as a key consideration factor in their purchase.
Or perhaps another choice may be the newly relaunched, facelifted and renamed Naza (Kia) Picanto?

Perodua Nautica 4WD: Kembara's successor at RM89,800

Most of you would have reacted 'accordingly' by now to the relatively whopping sticker price of almost-RM90k for a compact SUV - rebadged as a Perodua - which is a short wheelbase version of the Toyota Rush, albeit with permanent 4WD.

The new Nautica 4WD is powered by a 1.5L DVVT engine (3SZ-VE) with a max output of 109bhp at 6,000rpm and 141Nm of torque at 4,400rpm. The same engine is likewise longitudinally mounted in the Toyota Rush 2WD and Toyota Avanza 1.5 budget MPV. As with both other cousins from Toyota stable, tranny of choice is 4-speed automatic. However, being a full-time 4WD with a centre differential lock differentiates it from its 'lesser' siblings.


Perodua doesn't pretend that the Nautica 4WD is an "affordable" (read: value-for-money) SUV for the masses like the Kembara before this, with the 2nd national car company setting a sales target of just 150 -200 units per month.

Related post:
http://for-wheels.blogspot.com/2008/04/perodua-nautica-4wd-is-kembaras.html

Perodua Nautica 4WD to be Kembara's imported successor model?

Perodua has announced that its upcoming SUV will be named Nautica, with permanent 4WD. This new vehicle, based on the Daihatsu Terios (think: Toyota Rush with short wheelbase) is expected sometime May 2008. To be positioned as a somewhat premium compact SUV - first for a Perodua - the Nautica will have a 1.5L DVVT (VVTi) engine and standard 4-speed automatic transmission. Indicative price is circa RM90k - RM95k as a fully imported (CBU) model from Japan, wearing a Perodua badge! The Nautica will come in colour choices of either Medallion Grey or Majestic Black. Those interested can place advance bookings at Perodua showrooms nationwide, from May 10 onwards.

The Daihatsu Terios on which the Perodua Nautica will likely be based upon.

Toyota Rush 7-seater midi-SUV to launch soon

The Malaysian midi-SUV/MPV market is about to get crowded very soon with the addition of Toyota Rush 7-seater aka Dahaitsu Be-Go/Terios long wheelbase version. Despite those junior RAV-4 SUV looks, don't be fooled thinking that it's a 4WD. Unlike Perodua Kembara (1st gen Daihatsu Terios), it's NOT a 4X4. All is not lost though, since 2WD may be a good thing - for better fuel efficiency - considering the spiralling fuel prices.

Available only in rear-wheel drive configuration, the 7-seater Rush will be in UMW Toyota showrooms nationwide by 1st February 2008. Indicative prices are from RM83k - RM95k for the 1.5L powered Indonesian import (initial stages?) available in G (5-speed manual and 4 A/T) and S spec (auto only).

Rather baffling is the omission of ABS for the G-spec Rush. Equally disappointing is the fitting of only driver's side airbag for the G-spec that's estimated to cost between RM83k-89k. In contrast, the sub-75k Toyota Avanza 1.5G has ABS and dual airbags.

Wither the Nissan Livina 1.6 and 1.8? I don't think so, not if the RM90k-95k 'target price' for the Rush 1.5S comes true...no?

New Perodua Viva

After much fanfare of spy-shots, scoops and media embargo, this is the final unveiled 'new' product coming from Perodua, Malaysia's second national car manufacturer. In the built up to the launch yesterday, it was much talked and claimed to be THE one-for-all replacemant model for its ultra-bargain basement 660cc, 850cc Kancil AND the 1,000cc Kelisa.

However - and dissapointingly so - Perodua too has taken the route of Proton in maintaining a super-ageing model, the Kancil to soldier as a true entry-level car - citing inablity to keep manufacturing cost low enough (even for a 660cc variant?) for the Viva to be super-affordable. The cheapest Kancil 660cc is about RM22k, last quoted at a dealer showroom. Gosh! That's about RM6k - or roughly 27% - hike for this super-base model! No wonder Perodua has been quick to add that Viva "isn't Kancil's replacement"...and cleverly so.

Truth be told, this is a rebadged model based on the LAST model Daihatsu Mira (read: predecessor) and not the real McCoy currently on sale in Japan.

Prices after the picture below, please judge for yourself whether this is a truly value-for-money national car, despite the seemingly low-ish price tags.

Variants and Prices (OTR with insurance):

Perodua Viva 660cc MT Solid: RM28,400
Perodua Viva 660cc MT Metallic: RM28,800
Perodua Viva 850cc MT Solid: RM32,500
Perodua Viva 850cc MT Metallic: RM32,900
Perodua Viva 1000cc MT Solid: RM36,800
Perodua Viva 1000cc MT Metallic: RM37,200
Perodua Viva 1000cc AT Solid: RM39,800
Perodua Viva 1000cc AT Metallic: RM40,200
Perodua Viva 1000cc Premium MT Solid: RM40,800
Perodua Viva 1000cc Premium MT Metallic: RM41,200
Perodua Viva 1000cc Premium AT Solid: RM43,800
Perodua Viva 1000cc Premium AT Metallic: RM44,200

*For more comprehensive infos, you are better off here:
http://paultan.org/archives/2007/05/11/new-perodua-viva-full-details-photos-and-price/
Or here:
http://www.motortrader.com.my/NUS/articles/article_932/page_m.asp

*Many motoring enthusiasts have complained to For Wheels about Perodua's website being inaccesible as of 11th May 2007.

New Perodua Viva in May 2007

Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua) is set to launch a brand new car model to replace both its Kancil and Kelisa mini cars in Malaysia. It is strongly rumoured to be named – rather globally – as Viva. Set to be offered with 660cc, 850cc as well as 1000cc engines, this is another model expected to be a hit, likely repeating the runaway success of its elder sibling, the Myvi.

Perodua’s managing director Hafiz Syed Abu Bakar has set a target of 7,000 units per month for this all-new offering from the second national auto maker. All variants will have DVVT (variable valve timing) and EFI (electronic fuel injection). Prices are expected to be ranging from RM28k to RM45k, depending on specs, trims and transmission options too.

Source: Business Times
Picture: Paultan.org Auto Forums