War of the MPVs with rear-seat entertainment!

Rear seat entertainment display is a luxury that many of us would perceive as a rich man’s toy.

Most of us would have the pleasure of pulling up next to a Toyota Alphard or a Vellfire spy a drop down screen behind the driver’s seat (more often than not playing cartoons) and a collective audience tentatively watching.

While rear seat entertainment is rather common as an after market accessory, cars like the Kia Grand Carnival and the Nissan Serena S-Hybrid come with one built-in from the factory.

Another car that comes complete with built-in rear seat entertainment screen is the Perodua Alza AV variant.

With a starting price tag of RM 62,690, the Alza is the cheapest car on the market that comes with the rear seat entertainment system.

Perodua’s best selling MPV made it’s debut in 2009, in the 10 years since the car went on sale Perodua has given it one major facelift 2014, which witness the debut of the rear seat entertainment unit and another round of refreshments in 2018.

The roof mounted monitor measures in at 9-inchess. It's not an individual system but instead connected to the front head unit. In other words, the rear monitor projects what is playing on the front head unit. 

Since it's connected to the front unit, file formating that the unit can display includes MPEG 2, MPEG 4, WMA, and MP3. 

As yet, there is still no competitor for the MPV. Measuring at 4,220 mm by 1695 mm, the size is perfect for those who don’t fancy a large MPV although the car’s third row seats are tight.

It’s not the most comfortable long distance cruiser but the Alza still a good fit for those of smaller stature or that short distance grocery trip to NSK.

Not even the newly introduced Perodua Aruz could hold a candle next to the Alza as the Aruz has a ladder frame chassis that makes it too bumpy to get comfortable.  

Many also prefer to opt for the Alza because of it’s lower fuel efficiency numbers compared to the Aruz and, it’s always a plus when a car is much easier to park.

So if you’re looking for a mini MPV to keep the younger ones entertained in the back seat without spending more on after market accessories, allow us to direct your attention to the Perodua Alza once again.