COMFORTABLE, AFFORDABLE PEOPLE-MOVER

APART from the continuous growth of sport utility vehicle (SUV) ownership, 2019 will be an interesting year as it witnesses the return of multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) as people-mover.

Why am I mentioning about MPV in this review? Some of you might get the idea.

Perodua launched the Aruz recently and this is highly significant for two main reasons; the return of SUV in the carmaker’s lineup after Nautica, and Perodua offering the most affordable SUV in Malaysia.

Aruz is priced from RM72,900 and for the 1.5 Advance, it is RM77,900. This is a marginal discount from Toyota Rush, its “sibling”. But that’s another story for another day.

You see, Perodua (and Toyota and Daihatsu) marketed the Aruz (and Rush and Terios) as SUV. To get to my initial question earlier, the Aruz in my very personal opinion is not a proper SUV.

The styling and technical approaches are also supporting this premise. It’s quite narrow, although it sits high, but does not have the silhouette of an SUV. The Aruz is also purely rear-wheel drive, contrasting modern SUVs that are commonly available in front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive option.

A rugged MPV. Yes, that is my personal take on this car. It’s more like an elongated Avanza or a more rugged version of the Innova.

Nevertheless, I quite like the appearance of the Aruz. As a Perodua, the car looks modern and dynamic. There are character lines on the sides and on the hood to give the car more strength in this respect.

I also particularly like how Perodua has given the Aruz its distinctive touches on the exterior and interior styling.

There’s LED headlights for both variants (auto for the Advance) with follow-me-home function, front fog lights, rear LED combination lights, roof rails, tailgate spoiler and a pretty stylish two-tone 17inch wheels.

Inside, the Aruz 1.5 Advance is decently-equipped with leatherwrapped steering wheel, leather seats, touchscreen multimedia unit with navigation and Smart Link, six speakers, digital front airconditioning as well as rear air-con vents (manual).

Ergonomics wise, the driver’s seat offered good amounts of support. However, the steering wheel adjustment still lacked telescopic adjustment and only the angle can be adjusted. This is a common thing for vehicles in this segment.

What I am trying to say is some drivers might struggle to find the optimum driving posture, thus inducing fatigue over long drives.

The rest of the cabin is comfortable and very family-oriented. The