User Test Drive: 2021 Perodua Ativa, the cheapest turbocharged SUV with good safety specs

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Basic Information About The Car

Time of visit: 2.00 PM

Dealer Name: Setia Namus Automobile Sdn Bhd.

Dealer Location: Seremban

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price: RM 73, 180 without insurance (tested on AV)

Dealer’s Asking Price: As above

Discount: Not in the near future.

Vehicle Delivery Time: Less than a month for red and white. Granite grey approximately 2-3 months.

Purpose (Why did you make a visit to the dealer?)

It is a new car in the market, and I want to get the first dibs on feeling it to see what it is really like and to also get an idea of whether it is something that waiting customers of Proton X50 should go to as some of them have made that move, despite being in different segment altogether.

Exterior

Not going to lie, Perodua has this knack of making the least beautiful version of the trio of their model line up so I was expecting that the Ativa might be one of them. Thankfully to my eyes at least, Ativa falls in the middle. The Raize is still a winner for me in terms of the exteriors looks department, although when come to think of it, it’s only the front bumper that differs the 3 siblings altogether.

Look at it from a different angle and you might see some resemblance of Axia.

Still not that bad though. I am happy the side mirror gets a different design, though it does look like the car has some large ears. Visibility is amazing from the driver seat POV.

Another happier note is at the back. I guess the recipe if it works you don’t mess it applied well here. Just glad that Perodua retained the look instead of doing something different.

Overall the car looks well proportioned. No roof rails needed to make the aesthetics better. Oh, just don’t bother with the GearUp body kit. It looks out of place, the aftermarket DRLs that came with it looks cheap and tacky and don’t get me started at the rear fake integrated “tailpipes”. Can we at least have that twin mufflers like its Japanese siblings are getting?

Speaking of DRLs, this has been an interesting subject in Ativa’s WhatsApp group. There are quite a lot of whining parties lamenting Perodua on not integrating them in the headlamps.

Some news for you: we are not Europe. Our mornings are bright, and we don’t have a need for DRLs at all. Do you know most cars in Japan do not really have them? Most of the cars that we have here which have them DRLs are tuned to positioning lamps there. So, stop the whining and potential new Ativa owners, stop retrofitting one as well. Your (future) Ativa headlights are complex enough. Try to understand that instead of complaining about the lack of DRLs.

Interior

Stepping inside and I was preparing myself to be surrounded by hard plastics, as mentioned by some of the reviewers who have seen the car earlier. Put it this way, for a car that is priced at RM60k++, the plastics feel way better. Hard it is but it feels better, with nice smooth edges. The plastic bare steering on the X variant feels good as well and I don’t seem to mind that at all despite looking quite botak. *looks at Iriz and Persona*

The gear lever feels good to hold and I actually couldn’t stop myself caressing it, no puns intended. The X and H variant knobs don’t come with that “chrome” strip of the AV and I seem to prefer the former more. As most modern cars are ditching mechanical knobs for buttons, rotary knobs, shift by wire levers, or those short switch knobs, this will be sorely missed in the future.

For a small car, the lack of telescopic steering should not be a problem, but I could not help thinking that it would have indeed been a good addition here, but drivers would not have any issues getting a comfortable driving position here. Just one issue that I see in the driver seat: the rear-view mirror is tiny. Surely, they could have invested something larger no. The last I saw in a car that had these small ones are from my mom’s 1st gen Kancil!

The buttons! The haptic feels are just soft, and it feels expensive at this price range, and the power window switches feel nice to press, with such fluidity at every press. The aircon switches, on the other hand, are a disappointment. It looks out of place and cheapens the overall look of the dashboard. Should have maintained the ones from the Raize/Rocky siblings.

No complaints on the 9-inch infotainment screen. It doesn’t feel slow or laggy but it could at least be high resolution. The basic head unit on the X variant? Looks good feels good. Perodua did a good job maintaining the looks, despite a lack of screen there. It’s a basic model, after all, it should be bare-boned. At least Perodua didn’t skimp the safety kit in this spec: until several months back, BMW didn’t even equip the AEB on some of their models. The X1, X2, X3, 320i,330i, 520i missed that. Your base Ativa has that. Trust me, you would want to have AEB in your future ride. 

If I have to fault the car, it has to be that look seatbelt head which was so loose I felt it would just drop of after a few uses. Then again, 2021 and we still have many Malaysians who does not use a seatbelt or even using them properly and even bypassing them by putting in a separate buckle head, so I think they won’t “use’ this as much. After all, lacking
DRLs seems to be a bigger issue. And 6 airbags as standard across the range too! *looks at X50 Standard*

The drive

As an overall package, the Ativa has it all and I acknowledge by just that, the car is a winner.

Until I drove it. I have driven several modern cars with 3-cylinder engines powering them, and while the engine can never be as refined as a 4 potter, it is not that bad at all. The ones from the BMW Group are untouchable, while the one from Geely/Volvo is top-notch as well. Both are well refined to a point you would not need to upgrade to a 4-cylinder variant.

Ativa’s downfall would be the engine refinement. My test drive brought me to different corners and bumps and even a small hill and while the engine has enough power to pull itself around, it felt rough, to me at least. I was equally surprised, I expected that it would be no better than the X50 but not to a point that anyone should be comparing it at all. The Almera I test drove 2 weeks back would be something I would compare side by side on the power delivery and refinement and that actually felt miles better. Both have that 1000 cc capacity, with almost similar horsepower outputs but the Almera was a gem if compared to the Ativa. I would think potential owners would not be bothered by it but if you want a refined engine, the Ativa is not it.

The ride, however, is spot-on good. Grippy brakes, good handling, and decent NVH, despite being taller than its Japanese siblings, the car is not bouncy, and you won’t find yourself swaying around in the corners.

Summary

Pros

• Good looks and decent power
• Affordable price: you still pay below RM even with a 9-year loan and 10% down payment
• The safety kit is unmatched at the price point
• Decently large boot capacity

Cons

• Tilt steering only
• Tiny rear-view mirror
• Gruffy engine
• limited colour choices
• Loose parts on some areas

Aside from engine refinement, the Ativa is clearly a winner in its own segment. Perodua has equipped the car well, with a strong focus on safety, cheapest ownership to pseudo SUVs and turbocharged vehicle, and also access to the high end of active safety. Just keep in mind that while ownership may be cheap, the part replacement in the future might be not The LED headlights on the H and AV might be enough to give future owners a shock to replace them.

So the big question: would it sway potential X50 customers to change to this no thanks to Proton’s “low” supply? Probably, the Ativa has taken a few no thanks to that but if you want refinement and have the patience of a wall, go for the X50. Will it scare potential Almera customers? Also, no we Asians still love our sedans as much as SUVs/crossovers, and the Almera has better engine refinement and a boot space enough to fit your unwanted family members and cheapskate friends who don’t chip in fuel/toll money.

Another success story from Perodua? Yes in many ways, but still is no king.

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