At RM 66k, the Proton Exora is the cheapest MPV to feature ESC

Unexpected slide or skidding is not something the average driver would want to experience. Especially when there are 6 passengers in the car. The good news is the invention of Electronic Stability Control (ESC), which helps mitigate skidding and the cheapest MPV to have this feature is the Proton Exora Premium at RM 66,800.

If there’s anything worse than an unanticipated skid, it’s skidding with 7 person on board. While the professionals make it look easy to control a slide, the reality is that most of us are just not trained for it.

Correcting a slide requires finesse to not over-correct and it’s something almost everyone struggles with at first without training or practice. Plus, the natural instinct is to brake when things go wrong but in the case of sliding, it could exasperate the situation and push the car into a spin.

That is when ESC comes to the rescue. In simple terms, ESC helps point car where the driver intends to go. It applies brake individually to the wheel that requires it to set the car in the correct direction.

ESC is built on top of an anti-lock braking system (ABS) and uses a plethora of sensors to work, get ready for it – steering wheel angle sensor, yaw rate sensor, acceleration sensor, wheel speed sensor, and roll rate sensor.

These sensors send signals to the electronic control unit (ECU), which the brain, and it figures out how much braking or accelerating is needed to get the car out of trouble.

ESC is a generic term as carmakers often have their own names for stability control; Toyota calls it Vehicle Stability Control, Honda calls it Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), for BMW it is Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), etc. But they’re referring to the same feature.

Almost every model on sale today has a variant that features ESC, the exception being the Perodua Alza. We’d suggest going for the Proton Exora or if you can stretch it, go for the Perodua Aruz.