12 February 2012

Perodua Alza SR - In Photos

Perodua Alza SR was introduced in early February 2011 as an effort to expand the Alza range downwards, encroaching a little in the dominating Myvi market. Selling circa 3000 units permonth, Alza sales is not as brisk in Perodua sales standard, judging by the fact that the Myvi and Viva are hammering the market at a rate of 7000 and 5000 units per month. This could also due to the revamped Exora from arch-rival Proton, who priced their base Exora sub RM60k, which managed to win quite significant amount of buyer for the lower end of the MPV market. Combined with the ever tightening legislation in disbursing the HP loan, a lower-priced model could be perceived as an attractive option for the buyer, particularly those who are cash-strapped in putting up a deposit. So there it goes, how much does the Alza SR loses anyway due to the price trimming?





The Equipment.
Not much really, especially if you based your judgement on the Standard Model. Since the Standard Model already loses much of the safety item (ABS, EBD, BA and Airbags), nothing has been further pared down on the SR. However, some of the convenience has been taken away such as the remote-operated side mirror, rear wiper and rear water nozzle. Other exterior addenda missing on the Standard Model like the rear spoiler and fog lamp has been carried over missing too. The projector type headlamp with 15"alloy wheels are retained though. 

The Interior.
A touch unique to the SR model is the split front seat for automatic variant instead of only for the manual with its floor-mounted gear lever. This essentially frees up some deformation space for the lower seat bolster so the lower back of the occupant can be accommodate comfier. With the inclusion of floor console, gone too is the foot operated parking brake, replaced by more conventional hand operated item, which is Alza manual-geared feature from the day one.

The silver painted interior accents ( steering wheel garnish, power window panel) is gone as the SR make do with the Standard Model material colored item. Chromed door inside handle is also absent, replaced by the material colored item as well. The meter binnacle and the audio system are as per the Standard Alza, with their amber lighting and incapable of streaming bluetooth and accepting USB. Seat fabric is of a different tone from the Premium Alza while the steering wheel ( a monotone with total lack of chromed badge) is not leather upholstered.

The floor console is lifted off from the new 2011 Myvi, which itself is a carry over from the 2005 Myvi. The gear lever hole is covered by the storage box like the auto-geared 2011 Myvi. More after the jump.


The Exterior.
As described above, nothing significant has been deleted. Alloys and projectors are still there. Fog lamp and spoiler continues to be missing , just like the previous-cheapest Alza variant. However, the deletion of the rear wiper and water nozzle couldn't any subtler. As depicted below, the rear license plate garnish (where rear wiper is previously mounted) has an empty boss on its surface. It will remind you everyday that once upon a time, there was a wiper mounted right there! Same story goes for the hole for water nozzle, which is crudely plugged by the highly visible plug hole.

The Ride.
MMN does not test drive the new Alza SR, as the changes from the current Alza is Zero in terms of chassis and driveline package. So this means that the Alza SR is quite a smoothie if one just moved out from the Myvi, where the car feels more refined and quiet. The space up front is abundance for the occupants to stretch out. However, depending on body shape, the lower panel of the IP is quite getting in the way of the driver knee, as the most optimum driving position hand-wise, is marred by the interference between the knee and the lower IP(dashboard) panel.

In the tight vicinity, Alza is a bit cumbersome to manoeuvre as there a plenty of unsighted edge. The movement locus is also the result of the wheel-at-each-corner stance. The suspension is smooth enough for flat city driving, however an encounter with speed bump which you happened to tackle diagonally does shake the body significantly. The suspension is also tuned for city driving, as the highway cruise is a bit unsettle especially if road undulation is present.

The Package.
The Alza SR represents a good value for those who are upgrading from the Myvi or Viva. Forget the permanent 7 seater status, as the 3rd row is only suitable for the legless adult. Take the extra length as the boot extension of your Myvi/Viva, then Alza will perform more convincingly. Alza also has been on the market for two and a half years now, so niggling issues such as elephant-sound rear brake and whispering-angel at front quarter glass pillar should be gone already. Throw in the competitive pricing, Alza SR does make a strong presence of itself, to the point of rendering the previous Standard Model irrelevant.

The price starts at RM 53,013.50 for the Solid Manual version and the range is topped at RM 56,513.50 for the metallic automatic version. For the detail of technical specification, refer to MMN launch review of the Alza SR.

More photos of Perodua Alza SR in small gallery below:






1 comment:

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