I have been busy with a whole lot of things these past few weeks. My family affairs, work and other pet peeves have taken some precedent over writing. I managed to take time in between these various activities to look at new car launches and test drives though. On the higher end of things, I spent some time poking about in the interior of a Mercedes Benz S400 Hybrid and it is everything a Chairman, a CEO or even a Towkay would want in a car. Its interior is so darn impressive that it would give any Bentley a run for its money in terms of ambiance as well as tactility.
The buttons and knobs are full of feel (very tactile and very important to me personally as if you drive, the switchgear are the things you hold, feel and prod most of the time). The mood lighting, which can be adjusted brings soothing colours to the aluminium, wood and leather trimmed interior. Coupled with its NAP EEV tax breaks, it comes in under RM600,000 with all the bells and whistles, making it a steal for multi-millionaires here in Malaysia. Remember, the previous V221 S300L came in at around RM700,000. As this translated to over RM100,000 worth of savings (equivalent to about four Rolex Submariner or two Hermes Birkin handbags (with some change) these days), it is now fully sold out till the next EEV policy announcement in 2016. So even if you have RM600,000 you can't get a S400 Hybrid from the authorised dealer unless someone lets you take his or her S400. Yup, a RM600,000 hot cake due to its 'value for money'.
On the more sensible side of the spectrum, we have the Perodua Axia. This is Perodua's replacement for the Perodua Viva. It may be a replacement for the Viva but the car isn't built to the Japanese 'Kei' or super compact car standard anymore. It is a proper sized citycar much the likes of the Hyundai i10, Kia Picanto, Suzuki Alto and the MItsubishi Mirage/ Attrage sedan. It is actually as large (or larger) as the largest of the class, the Mirage and unlike the fully imported, over RM60,000 Mirage, it is sold between RM24,900 to slightly over RM42,000. This makes it super value for what it is offering.
The Perodua Axia is a rebadged Daihatsu Ayla /Toyota Agya. All variants come in a 1.0liter 3 cylinder engine coupled to either a 5 speed manual or a 4 speed automatic transmission. The engine produces 66bhp and 90Nm torque at 3,600rpm. It also qualifies under the NAP's Energy Efficient Vehicle (EEV) like the S-Class mentioned earlier. It is longer, wider but lower than the outgoing Viva and if you compare it to the larger Perodua Myvi, not that far off from it in terms of size. In fact, it has more legroom than the Myvi and only loses out on headroom and interior width. It really is a proper car unlike the Viva where to chubby people in the front seats would actually rub shoulders or support each other during hard cornering.
And when you drive this now not so tiny Perodua, it actually feels like you are actually driving a car instead of a motorised trolley like before. The variant I had a go in was the Axia Advanced, which has all the bells and whistles, including GPS and leather seats (these two items differentiate it from the Axia SE which also gets the sportier big gaping mouth bodykit and different wheels from the base E and G models). Speaking about the bodykit, the front end has a very very very very very big grille / mouth. It looks alright in the promotional photos, but in the metal, or plastic, that front end gapes a whole lot. Some may like it. I find it alright as if I am driving the Axia I don't get to see it unless one passes by on the opposite side of the road. And knowing that Perodua has secured over 15,000 bookings on its launch, we shall be seeing a lot of it soon. Anyway, if you can live without the bodykit, leather seats and GPS, you can buy the normal E (totally basic spec sans radio, central locking, alarm, park sensors and other basic stuff) or the G spec which gets you the usual goodies like radio, alloy wheels and more.
So what's it like to drive?
As mentioned above, it drives so much more like a proper car than the Viva. In the Viva you know you're driving a shopping trolley. It is so short, narrow and tall, and this somehow dominates its driving experience. You understeer early, the ride is choppy and you get body roll as well as you holding on to the steering for dear life during hard cornering. With the Axia you get none of that rubbish. The car still rolls but its 175/65/14 tyre and wheel combo suits it fine and does not feel undertyred like the Myvi (which uses the same tyre size). Fact is, the Axia's nose feels more alert than even the Myvi and is more willing to turn in during cornering.
The new to Perodua 66bhp 1.0liter engine and the 4 speed automatic is actually very zesty for its small capacity. You floor the accelerator and the car just moves off the line easily. Kickdown when you are cruising at around 50km/h and the gearbox quickly drops down a gear (or two) and you're gaining some speed. The gearbox itself is pretty smooth and changes smoothly too. If you compare this with its actual 1.0/1.1 liter competitors like the Suzuki Alto or even the Mitsubishi Mirage the car is more responsive than both mentioned. The Alto has a good engine but the gearbox isn't tuned like this and it more likely to hold its gears longer than it should whereas the Mirage's CVT (and extra body weight) is draggy. The Axia weighs around 850kg and this actually helps performance a lot. The Alto and the Mirage are at least 60kgs heavier minimum. In small capacity cars, this makes a difference.
The Axia also does have quite a good ride over bumps and crests. It handles them quite well and does not have that firm and crashy ride of the Myvi. There is more compliance here due to it being softly sprung (which is why it rolls a bit) but the Axia makes up for being comfortable on most roads around Petaling Jaya (which somehow isn't as properly maintained considering it is supposed to be one of the prime areas in the Klang Valley). So coupled with the perky engine and transmission as well as having good ride with nippy handling, the Perodua Axia is a fun car to drive. I dare say that the Axia feels like it is the most fun to drive car in Perodua's line up today (fun to drive does not always equate to performance, think original Mini - and no...this still does not come close to that car's character)
As for NVH, you can't ask for much for a car this light. Soundproofing is pared down but it is definitely quieter than the Viva. You can still hear more road noise than you would like as well as the engine noise if you indulge more than necessary. The good thing about 3 cylinder engines is that they actually sound less frantic at certain engine RPM. So at normal 90-100km/h cruising speeds feel actually smoother than some small capacity 4 cylinder cars.I would say that the Myvi, Suzuki Alto and Mirage are all slightly quieter than the Axia but it isn't by much and there are no irritating sounds that could stress you out on a slightly longer journey. I think if you drove the Axia to Terengganu it would be able to cope better than even the Suzuki Alto as even though the Alto is quieter, it is more spacious and the whole car is nippier (fun to drive factor about the same though but the feel is slightly different). The Mirage? Duller than both.
In short, I tested the full monty Axia Advance and it is as fast and as nice a compact city car can be. I suggest people to get the G spec Axia (around RM30,000+- for the manual and RM32,000+- for the automatic).Of course, if you want the big mouth, bodykit and other goodies, you could get the RM40,000 SE or the RM42,000 Advance. I would opt for the simpler G spec and save up the RM10,000 as the G spec will do whatever you want a compact city car to do. At slightly over RM30,000, the Axia is super value for money.
I personally think that as a second or third car for the family it would do nicely. I like it for this purpose better than I would like the Myvi. It is more economical (Perodua claims over 20km/l for both automatic and manual), almost as large, rides better and the only thing it does worse is the performance (1.3 vs 1.0 - of course) and space (Axia is A segment vs B segment for the Myvi). The Axia also looks decent, so I do imagine myself keeping my other cars at home and taking this baby out for the daily commutes in and around the Klang Valley. If I had a S400 Hybrid I still see myself driving the Axia around the neighbourhood as well as short drives and keep the S400 for times when I am chauffeur driven around or for power meetings.
Yes. The Axia works for me and it should work for you too.
6 comments:
Test driven this car, the Advanced version to be exact. I would agree with most of the point that u mention. Besides I feel it's NVH is miles better than my 1st gen Myvi 1.3. The ride is so comfortable and I think it is comparable to my 2nd gen vios. Of course it is not as nippy as my Myvi or Vios, but heck, it is not underpowered as well. One thing to note is the rpm tends to go very low, it's always hovering below 2K rpm. With the similar force that I apply on the throttle, my Myvi would be certainly above 2.5Krpm (being the more aggressive one) and my Vios would be at least 2.2K rpm. So I guess this car would really be quite fuel efficient and you won't accidentally rev the engine too much in daily commute. Actually in view of the solid chassis this car is having, I would very much love to see a performance version of the Axia (maybe fit in a 1.3 with VVT, please...) and I reckon this would elevate the fun factor of this car even further. (Doesn't matter if perodua keep the 14" rim, I would upgrade myself... :P)
I have to admit this car is much better than I thought it would be. I've driven cars such as fiat uno, peugeot 306 and 307, and ford focuses extensively, so I know what a good handling car is. The Axia is one.
Now, honestly it's not the Axia that I now own, rather the Daihatsu Ayla (yes, i'm Indonesian,) but they are related enough that should have the same dynamics. In fact, considering the Ayla is less than 800kg (50kg lighter than Axia,) it should be better.
1st thing to note the ride. It's good. It's not as smooth as a fiesta or Sirion, but although road imperfections are transmitted to your butts they are not annoying, let alone make you uncomfortable. The signals actually informs you more of the road surface more than the fiesta and for me it makes the Ayla more involving. And, when driving over bigger bumps I prefer the Ayla.
Then there's the steering feel. Surprisingly better than the artificial fiesta, or near lifeless Sirion. Like the ride it gives more information of the road surface than many cars on its segment, and when cornering the weighting is delightful. It is slower than the fiesta or Sirion and a little heavier too, but that doesnt bother me.
Next is the handling. It does roll a bit more than the fiesta or sirion, but that does not affect its stability or agility during cornering. On some corners the sirion actually understeers earlier. Mid corner bumps does not unsettle its composure. And, although ultimately it has less grip than the fiesta, it reacts quicker at turn in. I guess because it is so light, the tyres arent as loaded as on bigger cars.
All in all this cars handling and ride is definitely better than the Sirion, and somehow I think it is a bit more fun than the fiesta. Although the fiesta is still more competent at high speed.
Other surprising aspects are the performance. Up to 100kph, it will keep up with any 1.3l, and the engine has more will than the Sirions, and quiter at high speed too. Wont keep up with the dual clutch fiesta though (i guess no one expected it to.)
Practicality is as good as the Sirion or fiesta or Yaris. They all has about the same amount of room. But surprisingly there's more room in the footwell. My left foot is not as crooked on the Ayla as much as on the Yaris or Sirion.
Now the cons. It is noisy at speed. Mostly wind and road noise. Engine is amazingly quiet. Fuel consumption is only better than bigger engines if you are driving ecologically, otherwise no better than a 1.3l. And finally the built quality is a bit worrying. It feels like you wont survive crashes that you will on a sirion.
So, not perfect, but I like my cars good to drive, and this car is one of the best in that term.
I think they should keep the 3 cyl 1.0, but turbocharged it lightly to around 100HP, give it a bit lower, sportier suspension, slightly bigger brakes, and you are looking at a true modern mini Cooper.��
It's a decent car for the price. You cannot go wrong with that especially in S.E.A where cars are either very expensive or the currency of the country is low that purchasing power suffers.
Just read your review on the Axia -I'm an owner of the first gen Axia (1.0 engine, not VVT model) but opted for the manual transmission- and boy am I a happy customer. It's super. The clutch is super light, gears mesh easily, the car moves smoothly, revs build up happily, and as a town cruiser, it's really unbeatable.
Yes the metal is thin, but there's a whole lot of car for money paid. This is my second car, and I drive it more than my first. It's huge inside, the all black interior wears well, it's high ride height helps a lot going over poor Malaysian roads, it returns good fuel economy, I'm amazed.
And I also tested the Ayla in Jogjakarta before buying the Axia here - that was the basis of my purchase, and I'm glad I made the right choice.
Now if only Perodua engineers plonked a turbocharged engine into this car and supped up the necessary fitments - man this car will outsell many other cars here.
Thank you for reading my thoughts; and thank you for having such an interesting page. Live to Drive...
Hello,
Thank you for visiting and posting here. I do agree with your view on the Axia. Yes, it is tinny, BUT it is a car built to a budget and for the city. You cannot go wrong as in tightly pack urban areas a small car like this makes perfect sense. Turbocharging the Axia would be nice. But it is affordable mobility, which is actually Perodua's philosophy. A turbocharger would be fun, but pricey. And you're gonna see more Malaysians flying off the road. You know how fab some of our countrymen's road manners are...
Regards,
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