Driving Impressions

The need to also limit exposure of the new model prior to the public launch often prevents a company from providing a more extensive driving session during a media preview so it’s understandable that the first impressions of the Alza had to be brief. The course was around the hill in Putrajaya where the palace is and this at least provided a chance to assess the question which people always ask about small MPVs – do they have enough power to cope with a full load?

The answer I would give is the same as that I gave for the Exora: the engineers have ensured that the performance will be acceptable to those who are really going to be owners of the Alza and who accept that a MPV is a family vehicle and you do not drive it like a sportscar. On one of the drives, I had a full load and the car could still make brisk progress up the slopes though dropping a gear gave extra zip. The engine smoothness and also the slick gearchanges were strong points which would be appreciated on long journeys.

It handles well for a small MPV and because the roof is not very high, stability is better in corners. Again, the sort of speeds at which a real owner would drive are unlikely to be very fast and as designed, the handling is fail-safe and also provides a good ride.

Accommodation-wise, the second row is very comfortable and if the seats can be set all the way back, there’s plenty of legroom. However, even when set forward, it’s not too bad and most people will be fine with the space. As for the third row, it is clearly not going to be ideal for large people but in a group of seven, there will surely be people of different sizes so those who are smaller can use the third row.

One thing which I found to be troublesome was getting into the rear seats. The second row can fold forward but the gap is still small and I can imagine an elderly person struggling to get in so maybe it would be better for him or her to be given a space on the second row. Let the young ones who are more nimble and have more supple bodies climb into the back!

Build quality in the test units was as good as we have come to expect of Perodua products. They work very hard on this aspect and during the visit to the plant, it was quite amazing to see the obsession they have with minimizing dust in the assembly areas. I’ve never seen such obsession even in Japanese plants and I feel sure that the same pursuit of high quality will be applied in every step of the production of the Alza.

Initial production is set at 4,100 units a month and at least 3,500 units are expected to be sold every month. From a source in Perodua, it was learnt that 1,800 orders were already received within the first 9 hours of bookings being accepted so the MPV is off to a good start.