After 22 years of establishment in Malaysia as a renowned national car brand that makes compact hatchbacks, Perodua has finally introduced its first ever sedan into its range of vehicles, the Perodua Bezza, which has its name derived from the Malay word ‘beza’ and means ‘different’, is a A-segment compact sedan that the company has designed and manufactured locally, the car is also the company’s 2nd transformation model after the hatchback Perodua Axia and is Energy Efficient Vehicle (EEV) certified.
The car comes in 5 variants with two engine displacements, there’s a 1.0L VVT-i manual and automatic transmission model, a 1.3L “Premium X” dual VVT-i automatic and manual transmission model, and finally an Advanced Version that comes with the 1.3L engine with a premium interior. In terms of engine specs, the 1.0L 1KR-VE VVT-i engine produces 78BHP with a 50kW maximum output at 6000rpm and 91Nm maximum torque at 4400rpm, while the 1.3L 1NR-VE Dual VVT-i engine produces 104BHP with a 70kW maximum power at 6000rpm and 121Nm maximum torque at 4000rpm. Both engines are paired to either a 5-speed manual transmission or 4-speed E-AT automatic transmission.
All variants will come with ABS with EBD, dual airbags and speed sensing wipers as its standard safety features, however the flagship Advanced Version comes with even more safety goodies, it is the first national car to come equipped with Vehicle Stability Control alongside with Break Assist and Traction Control, all of these features will help the driver control the car better on uneven roads and wet weather while reducing the possibility of skidding. Hill Start Assist is also made exclusive to the Advanced Version, which prevents the car from rolling back on slopes when the brakes are released.
Therefore, the Advanced variant gets a 5-star NCAP ASEAN rating for adult occupancy when crash tested while the rest of the variants get a 4-star rating, child seat protection is rated at 4-stars, not to forget to mention that all variants will come with two top tether latch at the rear passenger seats as standard for installing ISOFIX child seats.
In addition, all 1.3L variants of the Bezza comes with keyless smart entry with push start /stop button and features a dual-method boot release, which is a rather premium feature for an A-segment car, it also comes with a passenger friendly rear USB port with a 5V/2A output for charging smartphones. The Bezza Advanced Version in particular is a more techie car, as the multimedia system comes equipped with a Smart Link feature that is able to use certain Android apps by connecting your smartphone to its built-in USB port, Perodua has mentioned apps such as Google Maps and Waze are already supported, it is only functional when the car is idle, the multimedia system unfortunately will not support Apple’s CarPlay which Perodua has claimed integration challenges with the multimedia system, however drivers can still connect their iOS devices and play audio through Bluetooth and possibly make phone calls.
The Bezza’s interior is rather spacious for an A-segment sedan, it easily fits in four full sized adults with ample head and leg room, the rear seats can be flatten down to expand the already huge 508 litre boot space, it results in a 8+1 seating configuration while not sacrificing leg room, which makes it extremely flexible to transport huge items and is one of the unique selling points when compared to the rest of the competition.
In terms of fuel efficiency, the Perodua Bezza Advanced Version comes with Eco Idle, a feature that is unique to hybrid cars and automatically stops the engine when the car is idle, it then restarts upon the release of the brake, drivers who are concerned about the car’s alternator lifespan when using this feature need not worry about this as the Bezza will keep it fully charged when the brakes are applied, fuel consumption is rated at 22km/litre with this feature and a full tank could potentially allow the car to travel up to 792km when driving in moderate speeds. On the other hand, the Bezza has improved aerodynamics that offers a more stable ride when travelling at high speed.
The Perodua Bezza variants will come with features such as shark fin antenna, remote boot release, one-touch power window with jam protection, front and front corner sensors, reverse camera, reverse sensors and many more. The car will be officially launched on July 21st and Perodua showrooms are already accepting bookings with a mere RM300 booking fee, prices of the Perodua Bezza is listed as below:
Standard G 1.0L Manual – RM37,300 (Peninsular)/RM39,500 (East Malaysia)
Standard G 1.0L Auto – RM39,300 (Peninsular)/RM41,500 (East Malaysia)
Premium X 1.3L Manual – RM42,800 (Peninsular)/RM44,800 (East Malaysia)
Premium X 1.3L Automatic – RM44,800 (Peninsular)/RM47,000 (East Malaysia)
Advance 1.3L Automatic – RM50,800 (Peninsular)/RM53,000 (East Malaysia)
The car will be available in 6 different colours, the 1.3L variants will have exclusive colours of Sugar Brown and Ocean Blue, while other colours such as Lava Red, Ebony Black, Glittering Silver & Solid Ivory White are available in all variants. In addition, customers can also opt for the GearUp accessories package to make their ride a little more sporty, which is applicable for all variants of the Perodua Bezza.