Many are asking if the Toyota Veloz is worth the extra money over the new Perodua Alza.
We have been asked the question a few times this week by our readers and also some friends who are looking for a compact MPV that will not cost the ‘earth’ to maintain.
The Perodua Alza first arrived almost 13 years ago in November 2009 and since then there have been a number of very successful facelifts and product updates to keep it a popular seller.
At its launch there were four variants offered including a manual transmission. As you already know, Perodua is partially owned by Daihatsu and Toyota and so the powertrain technology, platform and also design language comes from Japan with a lot of input from the Perodua team in Malaysia as this is an ASEAN brand for local and also export sales.
It is interesting to note that over 13 years of being on sale, the Alza has had only one real rival which is the Toyota Avanza and now it seems that its direct sibling from Toyota has arrived in Malaysia. The Toyota Veloz is in many ways the all new 2023 Alza and it shares so many similarities, it confuses some Malaysian buyers.
A similar situation happened in very early 2019 when the Perodua Aruz 7-seater Crossover was launched from RM68k to RM73k. Just a few months earlier, UMW Toyota launched the Toyota RUSH which was a direct sibling, however without a ‘national car’ status, it was priced from RM93k and had some additional cabin features and small exterior differences.
Both the Aruz and the RUSH came from the same factory in Rawang, Malaysia, but with different intentions.
Now, with this all new Alza, the situation is very similar as the booking announcement for the Alza which was announced on June 23rd 2022 shares a price of RM62k to RM75k which is not that much more from the first launch price 13 years ago. Then, the Alza 1.5L was priced from RM58k (automatic) to RM64k (premium automatic).
Meanwhile, UMW Toyota announced the opening of bookings for the Toyota Veloz on June 25th 2022 with a selling price from RM95k.
Interestingly, this substantial RM20k price difference seems to be troubling some Malaysians on which brand to book, but we suggest it is best to just get the all new Alza as RM20k savings in this economic climate is smart.
But we are sure there will be many still wanting that Toyota badge and willing to make the added monthly payments just to be driving a Toyota.
So, what added features will the Toyota Veloz have over the all new Alza?
To start, the Veloz will have 17-inch alloy wheels, whereas the Alza will have 15 and 16-inch alloy wheels.
The Velox will be equipped with Qi wireless phone charging and Apple Carplay. There will also be ambient lighting in the Veloz cabin and the dashboard will be soft-touch like in the new Toyota models.
There will be some exterior differences like the headlamp, tail-lamp and grille. Plus, the Veloz will carry a different exterior colour range.
So, if you can afford the RM20k premium, go ahead and book the Veloz.
