The seven-seater compact MPV is set to be replaced after 14 long years
Having the capacity to produce compact family vehicles across not one, not two, but three segments, without having to face competition from Japan and Korea at that, has put Perodua at the top of sales chart in Malaysia for some time now.
Needless to say, Perodua’s journey wasn’t always smooth sailing, especially in its first few years of life. The country’s second national car manufacturer had some level of rivalry with Proton and Datsun, but with the former marred by engineering issues and the latter unable to compete on the price point (thanks to incentives given to Perodua and Proton), the compact car segment quickly became Perodua’s happy hunting ground.
With virtually no competition in sight, Perodua sales numbers rose to heights the company never imagined. One of the models responsible for that was the Alza, a no-frills seven-seater compact MPV, which never had a real competitor apart from the Nissan Grand Livina. But with the Nissan costing about 40% more due to import duties, buyers didn’t have to think twice about which car could get more bang for their ringgit.
Hence, the Alza became an instant and continued sales hit until today. Its popularity shot up further when ride-hailing was introduced in Malaysia circa 2012. Having a third row seating that can be folded down to provide more luggage space proved beneficial for the Alza as it became the vehicle of choice for ride-hailing drivers, especially those who were assigned to airport trips.
The Alza was first introduced back in November 2009 with a price range from RM55,940 to RM64,190, undercutting its closest competitor by quite some margin. It was powered by a naturally aspirated 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine with 104 hp and 136 Nm of torque, which proved to be sufficient for a vehicle weighing just over a tonne.
In January 2014, it was given a nip and tuck and then in September 2018, a major update saw the car receive a fresher look and other additional niceties. To date, Perodua has sold more than 370,000 units of the Alza.
So yes, the Alza is long in the tooth and a replacement is needed to ensure it remains the nation’s treasured compact MPV. As you may already know, a next-generation model is being lined up and it will be a reworked version of the Daihatsu Xenia, which was launched in Indonesia just a few months ago. As such, the upcoming Alza, which is given the codename D27A, will be based on the DNGA platform. It will have a larger footprint than the outgoing model, measuring 4,935 mm long, 1,730 mm wide and 1,700 mm tall.
Based on the leak brochure, the new model will be offered in three variants – X, H and AV – with all three powered by a 1.5-litre engine that is paired to a D-CVT. So, no turbo variant as previously rumoured. In terms of safety, Perodua Smart Drive Assist seems to be available across all three variants but features such as Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Centring Assist, Blind Spot Monitoring and Rear Cross Traffic Alert are reserved for the range-topping AV variant.
What’s more, the Alza will also be offered in two new colours, namely Vintage Brown (H and V only) and Elegant Black (X, H and AV). Other colour choices are Ivory White, Glittering Silver and Garnet Red.
