2019 Perodua Aruz: Which variant should you buy?

The all-new 2019 Perodua Aruz was launched in Malaysia in January of this year. It’s basically the local carmaker’s take on the more expensive Toyota Rush, thus making them doppelgangers of each other. While the Japanese car price starts at RM 93,000, its Malaysian counterpart can be yours from just under 73,000 ringgit, and that’s for the base 1.5X variant of the Aruz. The top-of-the-range 1.5AV trim, meanwhile, will only cost you 77,900 ringgit.

Even so, the Perodua Aruz still turns out to be significantly cheaper than the base trim of the Rush, which is one of its rivals. Its other prime competitor in the segment is none other than the Honda BR-V, which comes in at roughly RM 81,000. But the main question here is which variant of the Perodua Aruz should you park in your driveway? Before that’s answered, let’s get some of the basic bits out of the way…

Under the skin

As mentioned earlier, the Perodua Aruz is essentially a Toyota Rush underneath. This means it sits on the same body-on-frame platform as the latter and is fitted with independent MacPherson at the front but non-independent twist-beam at the back. Under the bonnet as well, the tale of similarities continues.

The Aruz is also powered by a 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated four-banger, but in Perodua, engineers have tweaked it a bit for better fuel economy. So now this unit develops 101 hp and 133 Nm of torque, which is slightly less than the Rush. However, this combined with the Aruz’s ‘eco idle’ engine stop-start technology means it can return up to 15.6 kmpl, compared to the Rush’s 12.5 kmpl figure. What remains untouched is the rear-wheel drive configuration and 4-speed automatic transmission. As for its performance numbers, you can expect to breach the tonne-mark in around 13 seconds or so, while top speed should be somewhere in the region of 175 kmph.

Externally, the Perodua Aruz looks almost like its Japanese cousin. That being said, the Aruz specs sheet features a slightly reformatted front grille and bumper - the latter being a little more conservative and less brash in its styling over the Rush’s. The 17-inch alloy wheels also bear a different design, and the same applies to the Aruz's rear bumper. Discount all the other over-the-top sporty touches found on the Rush’s exterior, and you’ll struggle to tell these two apart. It’s a completely different story on the inside; however, as this is where you can truly identify this as an Aruz. The Perodua features a restyled dashboard with matte silver inlays, a different head unit for the multimedia system, and the carmaker’s own HVAC control panel.

The most sensible choice

Both variants of the 2019 Perodua Aruz specs sheet include standard features like LED headlights, 17-inch alloy wheels, rear spoiler, keyless entry with push-button start, power-operated door mirrors, manual air-condition, multifunction steering wheel, and a touch-infotainment system. Meanwhile, you also get six airbags, ABS with EBD and braking assist, vehicle stability & traction control systems, and hill-start assist as standard fitment as well. However, spend an additional 5,000 ringgit, and you can have the fully-loaded Aruz 1.5AV trim. For that little extra cash, the Aruz becomes a little more posh and sophisticated. This is because it now comes equipped with automatic headlamps, front foglights, roof rails, some extra chrome and glossy black finish on the exterior, plus front & rear skid plates.

The top variant’s interior also feels better compared to that of the base vehicle. The standard fabric seats are replaced by leather-covered ones, while the top of the gear lever and steering wheel are also wrapped in leather. Additionally, the ‘90s era resistive touch panel of the infotainment display is replaced by a more modern capacitive screen which is also loaded with more features. It now gets Perodua’s ‘Smart Link’ smartphone mirroring function for Android devices and an HDMI input as well. Crucially, this variant also brings along with it some bonus safety gizmos such as a front-facing digital video recorder, and what Perodua calls ‘Advanced Safety Assist (ASA)’ package.

Nicked straight from the more expensive Toyota’s gadget bin, the ASA package includes Pre-Collision Warning (PCW) and Pre-Collision Braking (PCB) with pedestrian detection, Front Departure Alert (FDA), and also Pedal Misoperation Control (PMC) which prevents you from accidentally accelerating when you shouldn’t.

Offering more safety equipment, extra features, and tangibly better trim materials, the RM 77,900 Perodua Aruz 1.5AV is undoubtedly the best pick of the range. You can now go sign that cheque.