It’s the daily low speed ride on bad surfaces that could be better. I’m pleased with its high speed ride and stability – for me, the suspension strikes a good balance and is never boat-like soft, and there’s no occasional sideways rocking that some bigger SUVs exhibit. The Ativa’s ride comfort sits somewhere in between. Some things have continued to bug me five months on and some have faded into normalcy. I’ve just had a weekend with a RM1.35 million sex siren of a car and can’t recommend it without major caveats, so there you go. No car is perfect, and I do have a list of “if onlys” for my daily. Let’s start with what many are here for, the negatives. Snacks and water are provided, but a coffee machine would be nice. My car is always ready before the estimated wait time, too. ![]() I usually work there while waiting, and the decent WiFi is appreciated. P2 Sentral’s waiting lounge is spacious and comfortable, and the frontline staff professional. ![]() I covered the launch of this 4S centre back in 2015 and have been sending the Myvi there for servicing too – each time I leave impressed. I’m fortunate to be living just 6km away from Perodua Sentral, the brand’s flagship 4S centre in Petaling Jaya, and have made three visits with the Ativa so far (collection, 1,000 km inspection, countermeasure). As of January 31, the odometer reading is 6,889 km. I collected my Granite Grey AV in September 2021 and have been daily driving it for five months now. Perodua Sentral is a comfy place to work and wait (coffee is my own) click to see the Covid SOPs I also like the design, which is rather unique for an urban SUV – the exterior is more square-cut than the norm, while the interior is a little quirky with its sharp edges, geometric pattern and red accents. No one could have imagined a Perodua with a downsized turbo engine, safety/driver assist features that were unheard of below RM100k (this was before the Myvi G3 facelift) and Lexus-level Matrix LED lights. The Myvi served me well, but I wanted something better than base – right on cue Perodua launched the Ativa. The Iriz loses out to the Myvi on too many crucial areas to be viable. The Axia/Bezza I can’t do, the Saga is too slow and the Persona too ugly. It quickly became clear that the base Myvi is my personal base point – it’s the cheapest current car that I’m OK with. I experimented with a Myvi and King Unicorn (surely the G3 1.3L manual is rarer than Ferraris) was the perfect pandemic partner – eminently practical and fantastically frugal, while expertly blending into a sparse landscape (remember the early MCO days?), even in Peppermint Green. Without going into too much detail, priorities changed, my car life needed a reset, and the Ativa is a candidate that fulfils my current needs from a daily ride. Once again, these are personal views from a unique perspective and usage, and points raised may not apply to others. ![]() The daily routine has unearthed new points, too.Īs such, what I think of the Ativa today might differ from my first impressions, as well as Hafriz’s review. Living with a car for an extended period means that some initial observations are amplified with time, some become non-issues, some things matter more and some less. What’s annoying to me may be invisible to you, vice versa.Īlso, it’s my first time reviewing a car that I own, and I realise that it’s very different from the review of a test unit, which we typically borrow for a few days. It’s from a unique perspective – given where I’m coming from (pre-Covid, I had two manual coupes), my history (this is my first ever automatic), my status (no family, I don’t need more than two seats) and my job (despite all of the above, I’m familiar with SUVs) – so my notes might not be applicable to everyone. ![]() But here I am, five months into Perodua Ativa ownership and responding to the bosses’ request for an account. If you told me in 2019 that I’d be here writing an owner’s review of an SUV, never mind one that has a CVT, I’d have asked you to take a Himalayan hike. Cue Covid, which upended the world and its ways. Never straightforward, is it? Even if yours is as straight as an arrow, the universe will find a way to make it um, more interesting.
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