Owner Review: More than satisfied with it - My 2006 Naza Citra GS

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Basic information

2006 Naza Citra GS. Bought 2nd hand in year 2012 end

Reasons why I bought this car

I used to own a 7 seater MPV India made Mahindra Scorpio since 2005. That was the most sturdy solid body frame that I had ever owned. Unfortunately it ended in total loss after we met the car accident on our 3rd day after our marriage. Fortunately we were all safe and sound just minor brushed on my right arm.

Yet we still have our 2nd car, the Perodua Kenari which I initially bought for my wife. Unfortunately it was also met with an accident due to brake problems. It was quite a tense and frustrating period as we had to borrow a car from parents and siblings which caused distress for us.

After we came back from our honeymoon in Bali, we were eagerly looking for a suitable 7 seater family car that could accommodate 6 adults.

Car selection process

• I had a budget of: RM30,000
• Models that I have considered include: Proton Exora CPS 1.6, Nissan Serena 1.6, Nissan Livina 1.6

Reasons why I chose this car

We had decided to buy our targeted car, so with a limited budget of RM30,000,our options were very limited and of course definitely fall short for any new 7 seaters. Thus, we had browsed many online classified websites and visited many 2nd hand car dealers and finally spotted this lovely car. Back in 2010, Naza Citra was quite common on the road. I had heard from many people that this car is very fuel thirsty but hey since its 2000cc, what is more it can be saved? What I was looking for was a 7 seaters vehicle that has more than 170Nm torque, spare parts availability, cheap to own. Proton Exora CPS back then had many complaints for its underpowered issue as it is limited by 150Nm only. Furthermore its pvc leather seats were pretty  much clean and intact as well as equipped with a reverse camera while mileage was only hit 58k km for a 6 years old car!

User experience

I have already done 158740km.

This is truly a reliable working horse. For the past 9 years, it has ferried us to almost half of the Peninsular. Since my native is Johor Bahru while my wife's parents were from Tapah and Bandar Sunway, we had to frequently travel almost every month in the first few years after marriage until our son was born in 2014. Yes, this car if driven in the city it is sucking out the petrol quickly depends on how we play around with the braking but it was pretty less when driving on the highway. From Skudai toll plaza has a full tank, on average 120kmh, we can reach Bandar Sunway within 2.5 hours with 2 bars left. My useful tip used was, since the body is heavy so ideologically i just need to maintain a braking distance estimate about 20 meters with the front vehicles and just let off the accelerator pedal and let the car move on its momentum. Therefore I can avoid engaging the brakes unnecessarily.

After our son was born, we had initiated our own Kembara Johor tours to every district in Johor also frequently travelling to KL, Tapah, Cameron Highlands and also Genting Highlands once. We had never experienced the so underpowered driving experience as the car can easily hit up to 140kmh within 20-25 seconds with fully seated, which for a family car is adequate.

Talking about its driving experience, I feel it is quite spacious for a driver as I am 178cm tall and quite big. Its power steering is originally Kia's technology and the best i can tell. It is well controlled even in winding roads as well as corners, a very stable smooth cruiser.

Another notable feature that I like for this car that’s its sun-roof as well as full flat-able seats. That said, it is occasionally being used as a camper car whenever we want to have a short nap during a long journey or just parked at the beach camp site, open the sunroof and place the USB-power bank sourced ventilator fan. That is so accommodating!

Ratings

Total Score: 4
Performance: 4
Quality & Features: 4
Space: 3
Ride Comfort: 4
Fuel Economy: 3
Price & Cost: 4

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Powerful
• Very cooling air cond system
• Smooth driving
• Stable and controllable power steering
• Responsive ABS system
• Premium sound system

Cons

• Only single panel aircond blower
• No front sensor
• No stabilizer control
• Torque can be even higher
• Spare parts very expensive ever since its stop production
• Knock sensor problem
• Third seat is only accommodated for kids or petites.

Some interesting events

My most notable experience was once we were initially quite late to catch the ferry in Mersing town as I was waiting for my friend to arrive in Johor Bahru from Singapore. Our ferry scheduled at 9am but my friend was only reached at 7.30am. Surprisingly we managed to reach Mersing terminal within 1 hour 25 minutes! Despites its long winding roads plus the steering started to vibrate hardly whenever engaging brakes due to the road sand had contaminated the right front disc plate. Another unforgettable experience was that we managed to reach Kuala Terengganu from Skudai toll along Segamat - Gambang highway within 5 hour 46 minutes!

We had even driven off-road to Takah Pengkoi waterfalls which is located far in the forest near Bekok and only can be accessible by 4x4! Another experience was driving all the way to Kampung Peta National Park which had to drive through uneven palm oil muddy roads.

Summary

It is a very convenient family car for parents with small kids with grandparents. It is still the best budget 2000cc 7 seater with adequate acceleration. Unfortunately it's after sales services were very poor that its aftermarket spare parts are quite challenging to find. Fortunately there are few fan clubs as well as handy numbers of online and offline suppliers in Johor Bahru which keep the car moving smoothly.

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