It may not be the quintessential people’s car of Malaysia, but it definitely comes close. The Perodua Bezza has the honour of being the third best selling vehicle there, and only falls behind in sales volume to its Myvi and Axia stablemates.
I set out to try and work out why this car is so popular amongst the Malaysian car buying demographic (spoiler alert: it has something to do with its price tag), and to also see if this motoring journalist can actually live with such a stripped-down, bargain-basement machine.
Can Something Genuinely Be Cheap and Cheerful?
To be fair, I drive a lot of really flashy cars regularly. That happens to be one of the biggest perks about what I do for a living. When you’re used to being cosseted by the plushest of interiors and being propelled by drivetrains with enough firepower to move mountains, a 1.3 litre rental Perodua Bezza does sound a little…threadbare.
But I’m a professional car reviewer, and I am more than capable of maintaining my objectivity regardless of the subject matter presented. And if you understand the Bezza’s target audience, this is an affordable compact saloon that really makes a lot of sense for its intended market.
Basic, but Works Well
The Bezza is notable for one thing – it is the first Perodua to be designed, for the most part, almost fully in-house. The Malaysians have also developed its upper body structure, with some technical support from Daihatsu.
Visibility on the inside is excellent, with thin structural pillars holding up the roof. You might think that it may compromise the car’s structural integrity, but the engineering that has been put into the car clearly works well, for it scored the maximum five star crash test safety rating from ASEAN NCAP.
Headroom is actually very decent regardless of the seat you are in. The car isn’t the tallest vehicle around (it is only 1.5 metres from the ground to its highest point), so it appears that they’ve given you sufficient headroom by dropping the level of the seat bases.
You also have a fairly sizeable boot that is of a regular, rectangular shape. It stretches almost the width of the car, with barely any metal structure separating the cargo compartment from the external quarter panel. This translates into an impressive 508 litres. Or about enough to swallow pretty much everything bar the kitchen sink.
How Well Does It Drive?
And it doesn’t disappoint in the driving department too. Well, you’d be let down if you’re looking for brutish power and performance. Again, understand who the Bezza is targeted at, and you’d realise that it does an admirable job, especially at its price tag.
It does struggle to keep up with the really quick drivers on the North-South Highway, with our rental happiest sitting at speeds roughly at the legal posted limit. The car feels surprisingly robust, and is seemingly unbothered by the rough road conditions along certain stretches of Malaysia’s expressway network.
The suspension strikes the perfect balance between regulating body roll and absorbing imperfections in the road, making it a genuine jack-of-all-trades. One gripe I do have with the Bezza is its imprecise steering wheel. Finding dead centre can be tricky with the amount of play the car has in its rack (not sure if it’s a widespread Bezza issue, or that this rental car has been abused), though you have just enough feedback through the wheel that you do not have to take turns by muscle memory alone.
A 1.3 litre Daihatsu-sourced 1NR-VE four pot resides under the bonnet of the Bezza. It chucks out a whopping 94 bhp, and our rental has a four speed slushbox hanging off the side of the engine. This is perhaps one of Perodua’s best decisions, as a proper gearbox makes this a much better vehicle to drive than its closest Japanese CVT rival.
As long as you drive sensibly, and not squeeze the engine to within an inch of its life, this compact saloon doesn’t really drink a lot of fuel, averaging about 16 km/l despite a boot full of race and camera gear.
It Makes Sense…For Malaysia
Expectedly, this budget-oriented vehicle does not come with a lot of sound insulation. As a result, wind, tyre and engine noise does reverberate through the cabin. But again, it’s not at levels that are complete deal-breakers.
In fact, it makes perfect sense for Malaysia. My travel companion for this trip (a certain Mr Sean Loo of Ignition Labs fame), did some basic maths and worked out that there’s a financing option that will allow you to own this majestic compact car for just SGD$44 a month. Think about it – $44 for a set of wheels that’d afford you true independence.
In conclusion then, this flawed machine is mechanically adept enough that you’d be comfortable driving this daily. And it legitimately makes up for its shortcomings with its very affordable price tag. No wonder then, that Malaysians are buying this car in droves.
However, it makes less sense in a market like ours. Cars are saddled with exorbitant taxes, driving buyers away from sensible, affordable machines as they just aren’t good value. With good public transportation, car buyers in Singapore don’t buy with their heads – they buy with their hearts. And unfortunately for Perodua in Singapore, the Bezza just isn’t enough car for us Singaporeans.
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