Why are so many Malaysians prepared to spend extra for a Toyota Veloz today.
The Toyota Veloz arrives as an altogether more premium, larger and more modern product. It’s a no-brainer for many Malaysian families looking for a safe and roomy people mover. However, it does go up against its rival from Perodua, which carries a much lower price tag.
Despite this, the Veloz continues to garner significant demand. More than 6,000 bookings were collected before the Veloz was even launched.
Here are some of the reasons why people are getting in line to pay the premium for the Toyota.
1.The first reason why the Veloz is worth getting is the upgrades in relation to in-cabin technology and convenience. The Veloz has support for wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which is often only found in premium vehicles. Plus, the car also has a Qi Wireless Charger, meaning you don’t have to clutter your cabin with a bunch of ugly and distracting cables.
Just think about how much more convenient the experience of owning a Veloz is. Get in, start the car and your phone’s navigation and music software boots up automatically. If the battery’s low, just leave the phone on the charging tray and drive away.
Another little convenience that’s worth mentioning here: functionally roof rails. These allow you to add another 75kg of external luggage carrying capacity to the car, meaning you don’t have to compromise on passenger room at all for long trips.
2. The second reason is that many people prefer the look and feel of the Toyota’s interior. This is, after all, where you spend the majority of your time with the car. It’s true that many parts of this vehicle are shared with Perodua. However, Toyota and Perodua have two very different design philosophies and it is clear as soon as you step into the Veloz that it was shaped by different hands.
Inside the Veloz, most of the chrome has been replaced by satinised metallic trim, climate controls have a matte finish and tactile feel to them, door cards have grab handles for better ergonomics, and there’s even ambient lighting for a more upmarket feel at night.
Three other very important improvements are the telescoping steering adjustment, the automatic climate control function and the keyless entry sensor on the outer door handle. Finally, the Veloz features leather seat covers, instead of the mix of fabric and leather found on its chief rival.
All of these differences are relatively minor, but taken together they make for a significantly different experience.
3. Another subjective reason people may opt for the Veloz is aesthetics. We’re not just talking about being seen in something with a ‘Toyota’ badge. What we mean is that the Veloz actually has significant styling differences.
You can’t just bumper-swap a Perodua Alza to make it a Veloz. The integrated daytime running lights, the chrome strip along the sides of the hood, the chrome strip connecting the headlamps, the entire shape of the grille… even the ride height is significantly different.
Toyota has also fitted the Veloz with larger 17” dual-tone alloy wheels with a unique design that fits its more mature overall design language. Around back, the differences are a little less dramatic, but they are there. Toyota puts the ‘Veloz’ badge above the licence plate holder and connects the taillamps with a reflector strip. They’ve also redesigned the bumpers.
Most significant of all is the option to order the Veloz with a dual-tone paint job with the roof in black and the body in either Blue Metallic or Silver Metallic. This is not an option on the Perodua Alza.
4. Finally, there’s a very important consideration for high mileage users with regard to the warranty. Toyota is distinguishing its compact MPV offering with a 5-year, UNLIMITED MILEAGE warranty. If you plan to pack on some serious mileage and retain complete peace of mind.
The Veloz also comes with other value-added features from Toyota such as the Toyota Vehicle Telematics System, which can help you recover your vehicle if it gets stolen, amongst other useful features.
All in all, RM20,000 for this many differentiating factors does make sense. Of course, the Perodua Alza itself is a great value-for-money product. But now you can see more clearly how Toyota added value to its offering in the market.
