A Long Term Review of Perodua Bezza

Since the Bezza was launched, my dad was fixated to the car and had made his decision. Hence, we had gotten the Bezza in 1.3 X guise and it had been through a lot with us ever since.

Credits: Trapo Car Mat Malaysia

Exterior

The 2016 Bezza tried to be as sporty as possible. I love the aggressive looks of the front end but the same cannot be said for the rear side as I find it a bit too high for my liking and hope this can be rectify with the upcoming second-generation Bezza which will be due in the near future.

Interior (Features)

In my opinion, the interior is decent enough for a car that costs RM43k. Nothing much can be commented about the feels and looks but some features are definitely well thought with the average Malaysian consumer in mind.

Firstly, it comes with a “handbag hook”, which was carried over from the Perodua Axia. This is definitely well loved by the ladies and also not to forget about the “Teh Tarik” hook, which comes in quite handy when you want to “tapau” your drinks for on-the-go sip.

Additionally, it comes with a front parking sensor. This is handy as I find it worry-reducing during parking in tight spaces and usually was only found on cars that are at least twice the price of the Bezza.

Another feature that I love about the car is Bluetooth Connectivity. This allows me to connect my phone to the car’s audio system so I can listen to my favourite songs anywhere, anytime. Additionally, such connectivity allows me to pick up calls while driving.

Interior (Space)

The Bezza definitely shines with the cabin’s ample space. The front passenger side is a comfortable place to be in whenever my brother is driving. The airiness means you won’t feel constricted in such limited space and reading over long journey proves to be relaxing. However, the same cannot be said for the Proton Saga, which felt smaller and more cramped than the Bezza I am driving.

As for the rear compartment, there is nothing to be complained because it feels ample. A 100kg and 170cm person like me can fits in there well without much constraints and it still allows me to cross my legs while sitting in it. Another feature I love about the car is the seatbelt in the middle seat which allows better protection and safety due to its upright design as compared to the horizontal seatbelt design in other cars.

Engine and Driving Dynamics

Being powered by a 1.3-liter petrol engine, the Bezza generates 94hp at 6,000rpm, similar to that of the 2016 Proton Saga’s output on paper. It is adequate for smooth point A to B driving, however, it is sluggish when overtaking. For drivers who wants to overtake especially on narrow B-roads, you might want to think twice before overtaking.

Handling wise, the car performed decently as a daily mobile. However, if you want to do some spirited drive up the hills in it, you might want to forget about it as the suspension of Bezza was on the softer side and it wobbles if you enter a corner at slightly higher speeds.

However, the Bezza compensates on the shortcomings mentioned above by being a fuel-saver. Although not able to reach the acclaimed 21km/l, I still managed an impressive 14km/l and this roughly translates into a 400km journey for a full tank.

High Speed Stability

I have driven this car at high speed for most of the time. Whenever I am driving alone, I didn’t dare to push up to 160km/h due to the inherent lightness of the car and high-speed instability. However, on my trips back hometown with the trunk being filled to the brim, I can bring it at 160km/h without any issue but constant attention to the road condition is a must at such drive and this means I will be tired after such intense driving.

Maintenance

The Bezza is definitely an affordable car to run where normal services (change of air filter and oil filter) usually won’t cost more than RM200. However, due to recent services which involves me changing spark plugs, brake disc skimming and replacement of other wear and tear parts, the bill ballooned up to a range of between RM500 to RM900 in the past three maintenance rendered.

Besides the above mentioned efforts done, this car had its gearbox being changed due to jerking issues during reverse which leads to a stall. Fortunately, this problem was gone once the gearbox was changed and it did not costs me a single penny on the parts itself.

Conclusion

In my opinion, the Bezza did its job as a daily commuter. However, I hope that Perodua can slightly re-tuned the engine to give more responsiveness we need in overtaking occasions. Furthermore, I hope to see that Perodua equips their car with ESC as standard in the future.