6 little things we like about our Ativa – long term review #7

As we drive our Ativa for more than two weeks, the excitement of owning a brand-new car has worn out. We’ve started to see more Ativas on the road too, and Cik Tiva doesn’t attract as much attention as she used to in the first few days.

Worn out excitement aside, there are some little plus points that we find worth highlighting, in case the thought of buying an Ativa ever crossed your mind.

The subject matter of its decent powertrain and suspension have been discussed multiple times, so now, let’s have a look at the small details.

Do take note that I own a Perodua Axia, so the slightest hints of luxury are good points in my book.

1.    The cabin is easy to access

Despite being an SUV, the Ativa’s seats are no less accessible than a Myvi or an Axia for those of smaller stature (less than 160 cm). Even for elderly drivers, there is no need to climb or contort your body to get in and out of the Ativa.

How about taller passengers?  They have no problem too and there’s ample headroom and leg room for those in the regions of 180 to 190cm in height.

2.    Velcro-like surface keeps the floor mats neatly in place

This was something I only noticed when trying to clean the cabin of our Ativa. It’s a small thing, but the Velcro underneath all the floor mats help to keep them neatly in place all the time.

Gone are the days of misaligned floor mats and curled up floor mat corners.

The driver’s floor mat still comes with the two “locks” to hold it in place, but the Velcro-like surface itself already does a good job.

3.    The door lock button in the middle is handy

This can be a good or a bad thing, depending on how you see it. In my case, the missus always has to ask me to either lock or unlock the door depending on the situation.

As much as I love the missus, it still annoys me sometimes when I’m driving my Perodua Axia. With the buttons placed at the centre console of the Ativa, she doesn’t have to bother me at all about this.

4.    Care is taken to ensure you don’t scratch the full-sized spare

Prior to the launch of the Ativa, one point of concern was whether or not it came with a spare wheel. It turns out that the Ativa comes with a full-sized spare.

Coming from an Axia, what I appreciate is that the full-sized spare is not a steel wheel. Why does this matter you might wonder? Well, with the steel spare in the Axia, the screw to hold the wheel in place is only long enough to hold the steel wheel.

When you put the alloy wheels in the spare well, the screw is a just a little bit too short. And even if you do manage to screw the alloy wheel in place, there is a risk of scratching the alloy wheel even with the plastic handle of the screw.

And in cars that come with space savers, there’s usually no hope of holding the punctured tyre/wheel in place in the wheel well.

What’s nice about the Ativa is that the screw comes with a piece of cloth washer that protects your sport rims from scratches. It’s a small gesture, but works well to keep your wheels in good condition.

5.    Foldable tonneau cover

Usually when you take off the tonneau cover in a car, you also fold the rear seats down. The only reason to do this is to load large items in the car. On first impression, the foldable tonneau cover in the Ativa feels flimsy and cheap. As if it were a cost cutting measure.

But having used the car for a bit, I’ve changed my mind. It does a great job of saving space.

The hard parcel shelf/tonneau cover in my Axia may be sturdy, but it actually takes up space, even when you remove it from its original position. I usually put it on the rear seat floor when removed, but that means I’m sacrificing storage space over there.

6.    Sturdy and reusable clips with hex screws

So, I had look underneath the Ativa to see what sort of clip was used to hold the lower plastic bits at the front. The Ativa uses a hex screw and plastic clip combination that is actually quite handy for disassembly and reassembly purposes. 

The clips are quite sturdy compared to the usual “easy in, hard out”-type plastic clips that are usually good for one-time-use only. The hex head also serves as a good alternative in case the phillips head wears out.

The type of clip in the Ativa is likely to survive minor fender benders and can be reused.

Having a plastic clip also means the assembly is unlikely to seize due to rust. And if the clip eventually fails, you can just break it off with a cutter and reuse the screw. 

Conclusion

So, those are the six little things that we like about the Ativa so far. Yes, the turbo engine and CVT transmission are new to the Perodua line-up, but there are little things in the Ativa that are worth taking note of too.

Next up, we shall compare the engine vibrations of the Ativa and the Myvi. You’d be surprised to know how much (or how little) the Ativa actually vibrates.

Our Ativa’s fuel consumption rate so far (based on the car's fuel consumption meter):

* Car fuel consumption meter is reset after every fill up
More stories on our long-term review here.

Also Read: 

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