Perodua Alza and a long break...

pic source: Paultan.org

Wow, how long has it been since my last post.... Oh well, it's not like my blog is a hot spot anyway. ;p

Just got back from Perodua showroom to take a look at their new model, ALZA. They say it's an MPV. But from what I saw, it's more like a sedan with a 3rd row seat. And the the 3rd row seat doesn't even look like a seat. More like a plywood warped with a thin layer of nylon.

Ok, it does look sporty. But an MPV? Nah...

And I can't help but compared it with Proton Exora even though they are not in the same segment. Why? Because the price is almost the same. And I have to say, Exora is better if you are really looking for an MPV. But, if you are just looking for a sedan with a bigger space, then, Alza is for you.

One thing though, this Alza gives me a Perodua Viva-ish kinda feeling when I press its body. Yup, the body is quite thin. Maybe not as thin as Perodua Viva's but it sure is in the 'thin' category.

Anyway, it's still to early to draw any conclusion. Will it be good or not, time will tell.

By the way, Proton Exora is doing good. I wonder will Perodua Alza steal Proton Exora market...even though one is a wagon, the other is an MPV.

For a better review, go to PaulTan.org.

Ok, enough of that, maybe this would be my last post for this year since I'm going for a very long holiday back at my kampung in Sabah. There's no internet connection in my kampung. And also, my bachelor days will come to an end. Oh yeah...

Proton Exora...first look..

The official picture source

Proton Exora is finally out...I just came back from Proton show room and tasted how it feels to sat in one... And no, I didn't manage to took any pictures. I don't own a camera phone either. I wasn't even planning to see this MPV. It just happen to be that there is a Proton showroom in the Giant hypermarket that I went.

The one I sat in was the M-Line model. So it looks pretty 'normal'. Some might say 'cheap' or 'plastic-ish' but, it doesn't really bother me though. For me the interior is fine and tolerable.

I'm not going to review about the standard stuff about this MPV. For a complete review by a professional, visit Paultan.org.

I'm gonna rant on this from a different perspective. Ok..here goes.

- The first thing I imagine when seeing this MPV was driving it in Sabah. Can it perform well in a harsh terrain such as Sabah? Maybe, but with a huge maintenance bill to add. Sabah has a lot of up-hill/down-hill road, sharp corner, uneven road, gravel road and other bad road condition. Given the specifications for this MPV, the word 'Multi-Purpose Vehicle' (MPV) will have a tough beating in living up to its 'Multi-Purpose' title here in Sabah.

- With a CAMPRO CPS 4 cylinder, DOHC 16V engine, I wonder how will it perform at the Keningau-Tambunan-K.K road or the K.K-Kundasang road. Hope there will be a review on this in the future.

The odds for Proton Exora to meet this kind of road are high in Sabah. But if Perodua Rusa can go through, why can't Exora..right..hehe..

- What about the price? Can Sabahan afford it? Well, the price range here in West Malaysia are between RM69,548 to RM 75,998. In Sabah we have to add about RM3k to RM5k more...So...err..probably most Sabahan would rather buy a 4WD which is more or less the same price and more convenient if the road condition in Sabah are to be considered.

- There are also navigation system for the H-Line model which is a bit more expensive than the M-line model. And for me, this system is somewhat useless here inSabah. So most probably, Sabahan will go for the M-line model which are cheaper.

Err..Where is Ulu Tomani? pic source

- There are no manual transmission yet. This might be a let down since manual transmission are more convenient when driving in Sabah. Hope there will be a manual model soon.

- MPVs market are not that popular here in Sabah because they are too expensive plus 'not too practical' to be driven in Sabah terrain. Sabahan would rather buy a 4WD such as Storm, Hilux etc. These 4WD are also expensive but the praticality (for Sabah terrain) give them an upper hand compared to MPVs.

- So, will Proton Exora sell like hot cakes here in Sabah? Given to the unpopular MPV type vehicle in Sabah (since it is rare to see someone drive an MPV in Sabah), the sell might not be that hot but not cold either since compared to other MPV brand, Proton Exora is cheaper. So, (maybe) since Proton Exora is cheaper, it might sell.

Either way, the road condition in Sabah will be the main general factor that will be considered (and also the price tag) before any Sabahan decide on buying this first Proton MPV. Well, at least that's what I think.

Proton MPV "Exora"

Maybe this is a bit old news already, but the new proton MPV will be name Exora. There are some issues regarding the name. It was clearly stated that an entry “tidak diambil daripada” the name of flora or fauna. But as you can see, the name clearly resemble the flower Ixora.

Well, at least that's what peoples who didn't won this competition think. But what is done, done. What I'm looking foward now is this MPV. I went on browsing and this is what I found.

These was the first complete leak pictures

The newest leak pictures. It looks real. (or should I say the real thing)

The price might be under RM80,000. Available in 5 different colors. Genetic Silver, Tranquility Black, Blue Haze, Pyrite Brown and Gaia Blue.

Anyway, we'll see the real spec this April...