Owner Review: A daily driver with great fuel economy - My 2020 Perodua Bezza 1.3 X in Malaysia

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Basic information

2020 Perodua Bezza 1.3 X

The reason why I bought this car

There are a few key points. Space, economy, and reliability. As I started a new venture, I would need a low running cost operation. Perodua Bezza seems to fit the major requirement. Agility, small turning radius, good fuel economy, and generally low maintenance.  

Car selection process

• I had a budget of RM 50K
• Models that I have considered include Alza, Exora, Saga, and few other models. It was a tough choice as it is very competitive. Be it for family or business. 

Reasons why I chose this car:

We settled for Bezza as it is the plus point, including the designs (which influence the space inside the boot as well as the rear seat, with a smaller “tyre hump” it has more usable space, reasonable door opening angle (easy for me to load/unload, almost flat floor. Key points, it has better fuel economy and low maintenance (based on Perodua’s service schedule).

User Experience

• I have already done 38,000 km
• My average fuel consumption is 15 km/L  (or ~7L/100 km)

It has been good. I just added the window tint, as it is important to keep the vehicle as cool as possible. In ensuring comfort from the scorching weather. It did come with a factory fit, but I still added a stronger tint on my own. My main concern was the “fixed steering”, as never had one where the steering is non-adjustable. However, I am surprised as it fits well. 

From the outside, it looks small, and it is small. But once inside, the space is reasonably good. Legroom and headroom for front and rear passengers are adequate. There is an Isofix hook and two hooks for the rear. A good feature. Additionally, there is a “handbag” hook for the ladies!

The dashboard is simple, easy to reach. Air conditioning is adequate, but with room for improvement. Dials are simple to simple to reach and meters are simple to read. 
Loved the side turning signal on the rear mirror. As well as the additional compartment in the spare tyre area. Good to keep emergency tools there (jumper, water). 
The vehicle has the required power for town use but starts to have difficulty when it’s hilly. The fuel economy is really good. But suffers from stability, at anything above 100 km/h. Wind noise is horrendous, think there is no soundproofing. The door closes with a hollow sound.
Performance-wise, it’s not.

It can hit the national speed limit effortlessly. However, the strain does come in on hilly roads. This is where one needs to exercise the feet more. The gear ratio between is ted a little “big” and this will push the RPM high, especially when you need the “power”. Overtaking gear drop is not instant, thus this is where it will struggle a little. Nevertheless, it’s not a performance vehicle.

Honestly, Bezza is NOT cheap. With the price, others can opt for Proton Saga (which is approx. 4 / 5digit cheaper) or even Proton Persona! For this, perhaps Perodua could seriously consider having better roof insulation and soundproofing on the panels/door, in improving heat from penetrating excessively into the cabin. The sole winning point (in my opinion) is just the fuel consumption. 

Pros & Cons

Pros

a)  Very good fuel economy
b)  Good boot space
c)  Small turning radius
d)  LED headlights 

Cons

a)  No DRL
b)  Poor noise insulation
c)  Poor roof insulation
c)  Cold start! Amazing (Even a German/Japanese/Romanian made engine does not have this issue despite leaving the vehicle for 2/3 weeks)
d)  High body roll, not stable.
e)  No armrest.
f)  No temp meter. In a scorching hot Malaysia, it would be lovely to have the Temperature meter.

Ratings:

Total Score: 4
Performance: 3.5
Quality & Features: 4
Space: 3.5
Ride Comfort: 4
Fuel Economy: 4.5
Price & Cost: 4

This is a basic vehicle. Not bad, but for the price paid, it could have better - noise insulation, thicker seat padding. Nevertheless, their forte is on fuel economy.

It’s the cold starts that were a shock initially. Never encountered a similar incidence before in other vehicles made/produced overseas. Nevertheless, it gets the job done. Took it for outstation once, for the sake of trying. 
The fuel economy is good. Maintenance is cheap. But if compared to other popular brands, the service cost difference is marginal (The service cost of Jazz is just two digits different).  I am not a modified kaki, so everything is per factory fitted, with the exception of the dashcam.  

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