Perodua Alza

Though the
new Perodua Alza is the same car as the Toyota Avanza/Veloz and Daihatsu Xenia,
the Perodua Alza’s design is unique to itself. The front grille and front
bumper are distinct, as are the rear bumpers, the headlamps and rear lights, as
well as the wheel design.

Perodua has
chosen to bring the Perodua Alza closer to the ground to give the 7-seater a
more car-like appearance, and compared to the Toyota Avanza, the Perodua Alza
is 45 mm closer to the ground. This makes the Perodua Alza rather sporty in
appearance. 

Due to the 205 mm increase in length and 35 mm increase in width relative
to the outgoing generation, the new second-generation Perodua Alza is roomier
inside and has more space for people and cargo. When the second row seats are
pushed all the way back, legroom is also increased by 115 mm more than the
previous Perodua Alza. Meanwhile, the opening of the rear door is 90 mm wider
than before as well, while the second row seats feature a one-touch-tumble
folding mechanism for easy access to the rear bench.

The Perodua Alza X, as the base variant, is purely bare and utilitarian
inside. Seats are finished in fabric, there are no buttons on the steering,
and the infotainment system unit feels like it has come from the 80s,
though it does have a USB port for additional media input. It doesn’t even have
a rear demister.

As for the Perodua Alza H, the demister makes a welcome return, and in the Perodua Alza AV, the cabin comes in a two-tone colourway, with a dark
red section that stretches across the dashboard to the doors. Seats in the
Perodua Alza AV are finished in two-tone semi-leather, and the steering is
complete with an array of buttons. 

In the safety department, every variant of the Perodua Alza comes with
ASA 3.0, which includes Pre-collision Warning, Pre-collision Braking, Front
Departure Alert, and Pedal Misoperation Control. Other ‘fancier’ safety
equipment are also standard, like the Lane Departure Warning and Prevention,
and six airbags.

The Perodua Alza AV gets semi-autonomous talents too, with the addition
of the Lane Keep Control, Adaptive Cruise Control, Blind-spot Monitor, and Rear
Cross Traffic Alert.

Lighting up the way for the Perodua Alza X are LED headlamps and Auto
High Beam, as well as Leaving Home and Follow Me Home functions, while every
light at the rear are LEDs. As for the Perodua Alza H and Perodua Alza AV, they
both have the additional Adaptive Driving Beam that is packaged with sequential
turn signals.

As the highest variant, the Perodua Alza AV also comes with an Electronic
Parking Brake with auto brake hold, and a 360-degree panoramic view monitor.

The 2NR-VE 1.5-litre 4-cylinder naturally aspirated engine
is found on every variant of the Perodua Alza, making 105 hp (106 PS) and 138
Nm of torque at 4,200 rpm. This dual VVT-i Euro 4-compliant powerplant is mated
to a D-CVT gearbox that was first seen in the Perodua Ativa, and is the world’s
first split-gear CVT.

There is no data available for the century sprint and top speed of the
new Perodua Alza. However, as the MPV is a people-mover, the ride and
suspension is tuned towards comfort, and not spirited drives.

Due to the increase in length and width over the previous generation,
going places in the new Perodua Alza is much more comfortable that the first
generation model. Boot space is 137 litres, and if the third row is folded,
cargo space goes up to 498 litres. What’s more, the second row can fold down for a fully-flat cargo bay, and the front passenger seat can fully recline
backwards to carry really long items.

All this makes the new Perodua Alza remarkably practical, not just to
carry people, but also to ferry cargo when the need arises.

The combination of the 1.5-litre engine and D-CVT gives the new Perodua
Alza a stated fuel consumption of 22 km/l, or 4.55 l/100km, on what Perodua is
calling the Malaysian Driving Cycle. On the more familiar NEDC, the rating is
18.9 km/l.

Since order books opened in late June, Perodua has taken 30,000 bookings
for the new Perodua Alza. It’s not surprising, as the second-generation Perodua
Alza is more advanced, safer, efficient, and is the most affordable new
7-seater available to the local market. Kudos to Perodua, especially on giving
the full suite of safety equipment even on the lowest X variant.