Tech Highlights: 998 cc 3-cylinder petrol engine with 4 valves per cylinder and variable valve timing, 67 ps, 90 Nm; 5-speed manual transmission or 4-speed electronic automatic transmission, torsion beam rear suspension, electric power steering
What is it?
Another compact hatchback from Perodua but developed with much more participation by the company’s own R&D division (as compared to earlier models where technical partner Daihatsu Motor was more significantly involved). The Axia can be considered a milestone in Perodua’s history because this is the first model where the upper body has been developed in Malaysia and not in Japan. Apart from the fact that it reflects the constantly-growing capabilities of Perodua’s own R&D, it was also timely that the capability existed because of the need to engineer the structure to meet tougher safety regulations in Malaysia.
While some people believe that the Axia is merely a ‘clone’ of a Daihatsu model produced and sold in Indonesia, there is an important difference and this is in the structural design. The Axia has additional engineering reinforcements and features which allow it to meet Malaysian safety regulations and at launch time, it was already confirmed to achieve a 4-star rating by ASEAN NCAP. The Indonesian model would not be able to meet the tough Malaysian standards and might also not get as many stars.
It is possible that the Axia could even get the maximum of 5 stars but ASEAN NCAP has made it a condition that to score the maximum rating, a model must also have an Electronic Stability Control (ESC) system. In this segment, ESC is still rare as its cost will have an impact on the retail price which has to be kept low. Nevertheless, in the same way that the cost of the ABS system has dropped over many decades so that it can now be incorporated in the Axia, perhaps ESC will also be cheap enough in future to be included.
The other notable point is that this model is the first one to be built at a brand new factory. The new factory has higher levels of automation which raise the assurance of build quality while also achieving greater efficiency and productivity which helps in lowering production cost. And of course, as the production cost is pushed down, the company can either make the car cheaper to sell or give more features or do both.
In otmodeare typically basic in equipment levels. As they have to be sold as cheaply as possible, the manufacturers can’t make much money so they put in the basic equipment. Customers buying such models accept that they are paying a low price so they do not expect a lot.
In Malaysia, it’s different as consumers are too used to high equipment levels and standards and expect power windows, air-conditioning, central locking, etc, even in the cheapest models. That’s a challenge for Perodua which has focussed on the entry-level segment because it has to provide equipment comparable to models a couple of notches higher – which would cost more – but must keep prices low.
What’s it like?
Perodua has always been pro-active about providing testcars for the media and do so very quickly after the launch. It’s what I would expect from a carmaker that manufactures cars in the country because, unlike other companies which assemble their models, there should be no difficulty allocating some units for the purpose. Furthermore, the company also understands that in order to appreciate the new car’s attributes, more than just a couple of days would be needed for testing as you need to ‘live’ with the car in various conditions.
Indeed, with a car like the Axia, you need to live with it a while and after a few days, I began to really like the car. In these days of increasing congestion on the roads and difficulties getting a parking space, the compact size was an advantage.
That the car sipped fuel was also a strong point because for a change, I could accelerate hard and drive fast knowing that the consumption was still not as high as my own car (which has a 2.3-litre engine). So you can have fun driving the Axia and fuel costs won’t burn a hole in your pocket.
The Axia is a big advancement over the Viva which it will eventually take over from at the bottom end of the Perodua range. It’s bigger and the cabin is more spacious (relatively speaking, of course). In fact, it’s more spacious than the earlier Perodua models where I remember that the front passenger was very close next to me. In the Axia, there’s a wider gap so the feeling is like being in a bigger car.
In the past, a 1-litre engine would have had limited power but with modern technology, the power output can be raised and with the light weight (850 kgs for the Advance version I tested), the performance is nippy. It accelerates quickly enough to allow merging with highway traffic and one of the things I like about such small engines is that you can drive within the powerband and have good control of the car’s movements. The only thing I dislike is the ‘motorboat sound’ of the 3-cylinder engine (which is typical for such engines).
The Viva and Kancil were light cars which didn’t give them particularly good driving dynamics. With the Axia, which is about 100 kgs heavier, the car feels more planted on the road. It still feels tall but body roll is well controlled. I was also impressed with the suspension as it took speedbumps very well with no ‘crashing’ characteristics.
Where fuel consumption is concerned, I had no difficulty getting the 20.1 to 21.6 kms/litre (5.0 to 4.6 litres/100 kms) which is claimed. Of course, the consumption is affected by various conditions like traffic, the speed you travel at and how you drive but on a long highway where I could maintain a steady speed of between 90 km/h to 100 km/h, the average fuel consumption even went up to 23 kms/litre (4.3 litres/100 kms).
The point here is that the higher the number that can be achieved means that even in conditions which are less helpful to economy, the consumption can still be pretty good. It was a nice feeling for a change not having to worry about fuel consumption.
For the first time on a Perodua, there’s a ECO indicator, something which I had thought would not be necessary in its models which have always had a reputation for fuel economy.
However, with the way petrol prices are going up and will go up some more, helping the driver get the best fuel consumption would be welcome. The ECO indicator comes one whenever the engine is running efficiently so the driver just needs to keep the light on as much as possible to get the best fuel economy.
But one thing I felt might affect fuel economy is that there is no lock between the top gear and the third gear of the automatic transmission. So when you are about to start off and you pull the lever downwards, it will often slot into the third gear. For some who are not observant, they may drive in that lower gear for some time which means higher revs and more fuel being used. Of course, having no lock is good for the times when you want to get some engine braking and it’s easy to just downshift but I think fuel economy would be of a greater concern.
These days, with people carrying devices with them, more storage spaces are needed and Perodua’s interior designers have provided them. There are the usual cupholders too but I found that the two under the dashboard, while being large, still had the same problem as another Perodua model. They’re too close together and if you inserted two cups in, they won’t be vertical. This is because the cups are usually wider at the top and the closeness of the cupholders only works if the cups have a consistent diameter.
I won’t grumble anymore about the absence of teh tarik hooks since finally, they are being provided as standard (it’s taken years to reach this stage!). But the anti-snatch hook deserves special mention as it is probably a world’s first although it is also an indication of how serious the smash-and-grab robberies are that a carmaker has to provide such a feature. This is like a large teh tarik hook but bolted onto the side of the front passenger’s seat. It has a spring-loaded lock and can secure a handbag so it cannot be pulled out when the window is broken. Hopefully, female drivers do make use of it…
Instrument panel is simple and has all the necessary information
but tachometer area on the left side is a bit dark
Boot is small but can still take quite a lot of groceries!
The Advance version comes with a large display screen and the multimedia features include a GPS route navigation system by Lockatoo, which has been supplying such systems to Perodua since the Alza was introduced. The Lockatoo system is pretty good and has a number of additional features which help the driver to locate places, eg a Yellow Pages search function. The 2DIN size also makes installing another unit easier compared to some models where the whole system is hidden behind the fascia. However, the factory-supplied system looks pretty good that I don’t think many people will need to change it.
Should you get one?
Cheap little cars may not appeal to enthusiasts who imagine they are boring to drive. But throughout my time with the Axia, I somehow felt happy driving it each time. I recall a time when I would have limited the time driving a car like this but with this car, I welcomed using it because it was so convenient to drive around town.
As I mentioned earlier, the equipment level for an entry-level model is generous and great value for money (especially in the Axia Advance). So those youngsters who are getting their first car are getting a much better deal than what their parents might have had. At the other end, the older folks who now want a simple small and economical car (because the children are grown up) will also find that they don’t lose much in terms of features or comfort (compared to their previous car which might have been bigger) with the Axia.
And for everyone else, the fuel-sipping nature of the engine will certainly be greatly appreciated each time the government pushes up pump prices.
