Now in its twelfth year of production, the Perodua Alza is one of the oldest new cars you can buy in Malaysia right now.

The Perodua Alza is a B-segment MPV that has no direct rivals. For a short period of time, the Alza competed against the Proton Ertiga, but the Ertiga was discontinued shortly after Geely came on-board with Proton.

It is priced from RM 49,944 for the base Alza 1.5 S manual, before topping out at RM 60,525 for the Alza 1.5 AV automatic variant. These prices are inclusive of the 10% SST Penjana stimulus package, which is set to expire on 30-June-2021.

Here’s a quick overview of the pros and cons of the Perodua Alza:

Pros

• Very affordable price for an MPV
• Better ride comfort than the Perodua Aruz
• Easy ingress and egress

Cons

• Ageing model
• Poor safety equipment
• Old powertrain

Let's dive in.

• Pros – Very affordable price for an MPV

With prices starting from just below the RM 50k mark, the Perodua Alza is the most affordable seven-seater MPV on the market today.

For comparison, the Alza is priced within the Perodua Myvi's price range, but offers two more seats, making it a no-brainer for those who really needs to transport more people.

Barring the now-discontinued Proton Ertiga, the other rival to the Perodua Alza is the much larger, C-segment Proton Exora.

Keep in mind that prices of the Proton Exora starts from the RM 60k mark, while the Alza’s prices tops out at the RM 60k mark, further emphasing on the Alza's affordability.

The next most affordable MPV in Malaysia would be the Toyota Avanza, which has a starting price of RM 80k - considerably more than the Alza or even the Exora. 

• Pros – Better ride comfort than the Perodua Aruz

Thanks to the Perodua Alza’s underpinnings that is derived from a stretched Perodua Myvi, ride comfort is considerably better than the Avanza-derived Perodua Aruz.

Because it’s based on a passenger car, the Alza is at least 150 kilograms lighter than the Aruz, which has a mix of monocoque and ladder frame construction, making it great for rough roads and gives it exceptional load carrying abilities, but compromises on ride comfort, handling, and fuel economy.

As a result, the Alza rides similarly like a Myvi, while the Aruz rides more like a jacked-up Avanza. 

• Pros – Easy ingress and egress

The Perodua Alza’s car-like underpinnings continue to show its advantage over the Avanza-based Aruz, as the Alza’s lower ride height is an advantage.

Here’s why.

Compared to the Avanza-based Perodua Aruz, the Perodua Alza’s lower ride height means that ingress and egress is much easier, especially for families with elder parents or younger children.

While the Aruz's taller ride height copes better with rougher roads and floods, getting in and out of the Aruz can be tedious for elderly family members or younger children.

• Cons – Ageing model

Twelve years old.

That's how old the Perodua Alza is, as it was launched in Malaysia way back in 2009, just one year after Proton unveiled the Exora.

Apart from making dual airbags, ABS, and ISOFIX standard across the range – which is good but it’s still below average when compared to a Myvi – and other upgrades in accessories, the Alza has been mechanically unchanged for more than 10 years.

• Cons – Poor safety equipment

Given that the Alza is a 12-year-old product, don’t expect to see modern safety features on it.

Never mind newer features like Perodua’s ASA 2.0 AEB suite, the Alza also lacks stability control, traction control, side, and curtain airbags.

For those who values safety equipment over ride comfort, the Perodua Aruz is a safer bet (excuse the pun) over the Alza, making the Aruz is one of the well-equipped seven-seaters on sale.

• Cons – Old powertrain

Although the Alza has the same engine capacity as a 1.5-litre Myvi, it’s not the same engine, as the current Myvi uses a newer 2NR-VE engine with Dual VVT-i, while the Alza is still using the previous-generation Myvi’s 3SZ-VE engine.

There is no meaningful difference in power output but the newer 2NR-VE is quieter and slightly more fuel efficient.

Conclusion

The Perodua Alza may be an ageing model by today’s standards, but for families looking for a low-cost, fuss-free people mover, there’s little to fault the Alza.

It is reasonably fuel efficient, spacious enough for a family of seven, and is backed by Perodua’s solid reputation for reliability.

While the current-generation Alza will soldier on for the time being, it is no secret that Perodua and Daihatsu are co-developing the next-generation model, which will likely see both the Alza and Avanza streamlined into one single model.

2021 is expected to be the year of the upcoming Perodua D55L, but Perodua could introduce a brand-new Alza as soon as late-2021 or early-2022.