This Perodua Kelisa is going where most large, high technology 4×4 vehicles have gone
Here is a car and the proud owner that deserves a lot of credit. Coming from a joint venture with Daihatsu Motors and having a very loyal following in some parts of Malaysia (yes we also have a Kelisa in our garage) with many owners loving their compact, frugal and very reliable.
Here we have a Kelisa owner on a road trip across many countries and you can follow him on his Facebook to see his progress without any hitch from his Kelisa. We are happy to see his simple Kelisa (unmodified and its not a GINO model from Japan) taking the trip in all kinds of weather conditions and also road conditions.
Meanwhile, did you know that the Kelisa was launched by Perodua in August 2001 by the them Perodua Managing Director, Datuk Abdul Rahman Omar for a selling price from RM36,000 to RM39,000 and at the time this was quite a bit of money for lower middle class Malaysians to pay for a compact 1,000cc twin cam powered hatchback.
Perodua at the time targeted to sell 3,000 to 4,000 units a month (based on their factory capacity) and also export this Kelisa to United Kingdom. Prior to its 2001 launch, this Kelisa had 1,200 bookings and was a better buy over the 850cc single cam Kancil.
Today, a used Kelisa still commands good resale value despite its age as its reliability and good looks is appreciated by many Malaysians.
Sharing the same engine as the boxy and uninteresting Perodua Kenari, the 1000cc twin cam fuel injected engine does well around town and on the highway. Nippy and responsive, the Kelisa will cope well on the highways in the long distance balik kampung trips and also uphill to the hilltop resorts.
It will sip lesser fuel than the Kancil 850 and provide better all round performance.
For the ‘P’ student driver parallel parking will be no problem, and the handling will be ideal around town or twisty kampung roads. It should stick to the road better than its older sister, the Kancil, and corner more flatly.
The interior is miles better than the Kancil, however do not expect Lancer type legroom in a car this size. The average student will be satisfied with the interior headroom. The boot is bigger than the Kancil’s and is pleasantly spacious for a car so small, though it is still quite narrow.
Most used Kelisa’s come from good homes where it has been used for basic transportation like what you have in mind. Avoid modified units unless that is what you are looking for.
