Perodua Alza has been Perodua’s budget friendly people mover for the past 13 years, and most Malaysians would have sat in one before. And finally in 2022, Perodua unveiled the latest generation Perodua Alza that was co-developed in partnership with Daihatsu. This latest Perodua Alza will be built on the all-new Daihatsu New Global Architecture (DNGA), and it’s expected to come with a few new features that were never seen on any Perodua previously. This time round, I’ll be checking out the latest generation Perodua Alza, and see how much it has improved over the previous generation model.
For the latest generation Alza, Perodua has made it look and feel more mature than before. At the front, the Alza comes with a rather large grille that is painted in gloss black to give the MPV a very distinctive look. Beside the large grille, the Alza is fitted with a set of full LED headlights that features the sequential turn signals and automatic high beam. The front of the Alza does have a slight hint of Toyota’s larger MPV, which is not a bad thing as those vehicles do look upmarket for some people. 
While the wheelbase remains the same, the latest generation Alza is 205mm longer than the outgoing model. This is to create more comfortable seats for the 3rd row occupants, and also better cargo carrying capability with all the seats up. As for the rear, the Alza reminds me of the Toyota RAV4, especially the way the LED taillights are being designed. Lastly, the latest generation Alza is now fitted with a set of larger 16-inch dual tone rims, and it’s being wrapped in 195/60 R16 tyres to make it look more upmarket. 
Inside, the Alza now comes with a more conventional dashboard design with the instrument cluster located directly in front of the driver. This new dashboard design looks modern, but the storage solution around the dashboard is quite lacking. I think Perodua is going for a cleaner looking dashboard, as the cup holder has also been relocated to the front of the AC vents. Personally, I really like having the cup holders in front of the AC vents, as it keeps my drinks chilled while I’m driving. 
Coming back to the instrument cluster, the Alza now comes with a 7-inch TFT multi info display that was first seen on the Ativa. This display is easy to read, and most of the driving assistant systems are being controlled through the instrument cluster. And at the center of the dashboard, there is a large 9-inch infotainment screen, which makes it the largest infotainment screen that is available on any Perodua. With this larger infotainment screen, this is also the 1st time we see Android Auto and Apple CarPlay available in any locally made vehicle. This will greatly enhance the usability of the infotainment screen, as most drivers will now have an additional connectivity solution to keep them connected while driving. 
Getting behind the wheel, the 1st thing that I’ll usually do is to move the driver seat to as low as possible. At its lowest setting, the driver seat in the all new Alza still feels too tall for my liking. Even with the steering wheel at the highest position, I still can’t get into a comfortable driving posture. I thought Perodua had already solved this in the Ativa, but sad to say, this is not the case in the latest Alza. 
Being a MPV, the Alza not only needs to be comfortable, it has to be versatile as well. With all the seats up, the Alza does have sufficient space for the 2nd row and 3rd row passengers to seat comfortably over long distances. While it may not be luxurious, at least it doesn’t feel claustrophobic even for someone who is about 175cm tall sitting in the 3rd row. With all the seats up, the Alza only gets about 137L of boot space, which is a tight squeeze if you want to travel with 7 people together along with their luggages. On the other hand, if the 3rd row is being stowed away, the Alza does get a generous 498L of carrying capacity. 
In terms of powertrain, the Alza is now powered by the same 1.5L naturally aspirated engine found on the Myvi. This engine now comes with Dual VVT-i, and it is being mated to a Continuous Variable Transmission (CVT). This engine has the ability to produce 105 hp at 6,000 rpm of maximum output, and a peak torque of 138 Nm at 4,200 rpm. 
Even with the larger body of an Alza, the MPV still feels light on its foot especially when getting off the line. Perodua achieved this by giving the Alza a rather short 1st gear, and it made the vehicle feel more powerful than what the number suggests. Once the Alza reaches the highway speed, the engine performance slowly tapers away. On the flip side, at least Perodua still gives the Alza a tall final drive, keeping the engine rpm low to achieve an impressive fuel economy. But be prepared when you’re driving uphill, as the transmission will start hunting for gears just to make sure that the engine is within its powerband. This behavior from the transmission can make driving smoothly tricky, as it will downshift when you didn’t want it to.
Over bumps and uneven roads, the Alza rides in a comfortable and stable manner. While it may not feel sophisticated, the suspension is still decent for a vehicle in this price bracket. Additionally, the body roll is evident around the bends due to the soft suspension. And as for handling, don’t expect too much from the Perodua Alza. The steering wheel on the Alza may not be precise, but it still provides sufficient feedback from the steering to know how much grip is left in the front tyres.
As for the brakes, this is the 1st time that a Perodua is equipped with disc brakes at the rear. The main reason that the Alza comes with rear disc brakes, is to allow the MPV to be fitted with an electronic parking brake, which is also another 1st for a Perodua. With the all wheel disc brakes setup, the Alza feels even more stable under heavy braking. Safety wise, this Alza will feature a long list of safety and driver assistance systems onboard. The driver assistance system on the Alza is the latest generation system, and it improves on the previous system found on the Ativa and the Myvi. The most obvious upgrade is on the adaptive cruise control, where it now features the stop and go function that allows the Alza to crawl in a traffic jam.
The safety systems available on the 2022 Perodua Alza include 6 Airbags, Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake force Distributor (EBD), Brake Assist, Traction Control (TRC), Emergency Stop Signal (ESS), and Hill-start Assist (HSA). On top of that, the driver assistance systems found on the Alza also include Pre-Collision Warning, Pre-Collision Braking, Pedal Misoperation Control, Front Departure Alert, Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) with Auto Brake Hold, Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Lane Departure Prevention (LDP), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Lane Keep Control (LKC), Blind Spot Monitor (BSM), Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA), and Adaptive Driving Beam (ADB). 
Priced at RM 75,500.00, the Alza is worth every penny you spent on it. While it may not be the perfect vehicle for everyone, the Alza will still appeal to a wide variety of customers that want to just ferry people around. I personally may not be a fan of the driving position in the Alza, but if you’re looking for a MPV at this price point, you will definitely not go wrong by choosing the Alza.
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