Perodua Aruz - Fact file

What’s good-

Design:

Perodua Aruz features a sporty and attractive design. Its sleek LED headlights, chrome and glossy front grille, and sporty front bumper give it a rugged and bold appearance. Thanks to the big 17-inch alloy wheels, sporty roof rails, and subtle character lines, the Aruz’s side profile is well maintained. At the rear, there’s a pair of large LED combination lamps and roof-mounted rear spoiler. Perodua Aruz has five eye-catching colour options - Electric Blue, Ivory White, Glittering Silver Metallic, Granite Grey, and Amazon Green.

Exterior features:

Perodua has provided the Aruz with a good number of exterior features that contribute to the car’s overall appeal and value. Some of those features are auto-levelling headlamps, LED headlights with follow-me-home function, power wing mirrors with folding function, silver diffuser, etc.

Passenger comfort:

The Aruz is a big car and thus has plenty of space on the inside which is always a welcoming feature. Also, Perodua has taken certain measures to ensure maximum passenger comfort. The front semi-bucket seats provide a good amount of support and comfort. The driver seat can be adjusted for height and the steering wheel is adjustable as well. The rear seats are well-bolstered too. There are AC vents for the rear passengers

Interior features:

There is a bunch of handy and convenient interior features that enhance the overall user experience. The Aruz specs sheet includes a digital AC controls, integrated driving video recorder, auto light control, power outlets for all rows, built-in toll reader, large touchscreen display, navigation, smartphone integration via Smart Link for Android devices, and much more.

Best-in-class mileage:

Powering the Aruz is a 1.5-litre petrol engine which churns out 105 PS at 6000 revs and 133 Nm at 4200 revs. It is mated to a 4-speed automatic transmission. This is an EVV engine and also features an Eco Idle system that reduces fuel consumption and emission. As per Perodua, the Aruz has the best-in-class mileage of 15.6 km/l.

Impressive safety features:

Perodua didn’t hold back in the safety department. The Aruz comes with impressive safety features like 6 airbags, vehicle stability control, traction control, hill-start assist, ABS with EBD and BA, etc. Perodua is also known for its Advanced Safety Assist safety feature which includes a bunch of active safety aids like a pre-collision warning, pre-collision braking, front departure alert, and pedal misoperation control. No wonder the Aruz has secured a perfect 5-star ASEAN NCAP safety rating.

What’s bad-

Familiar style:

There is no denying that the Perodua Aruz is Toyota Rush from underneath. Perodua manufactures Rush for Toyota. In fact, both of them are manufactured in the same facility, so you can guess the similarities between the two. Now, this might work against the Aruz because it is just a rebadged Rush.

Connectivity:

With the available Smart Link feature, only Android devices can be connected with the car. The Aruz lacks Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity options.

Gearbox:

While the 1.5-litre engine has decent power and torque figures, the 4-speed automatic gearbox tends to keep the revs high while cruising at triple-digit speeds. This would impact the car’s fuel economy.

Interior quality:

Perodua Aruz price starts at RM 72,900 for its base 1.5X variant whereas its range-topping 1.5AV trim retails at RM 77,900. And for that price range, Perodua offers a decent list of features. However, we feel like the interior quality could have been better.

Handling:

With a ground clearance of 220 mm, the Aruz can handle most of the undulations without breaking a sweat. However, being a 7-seater, it has large dimensions which impact its handling. After all, it isn’t built for breaking lap records, right?

To buy or not to buy-

For the asking price, the Aruz seems to be a good package. It comes with a decent list of features and seating for seven people. It also has a good and fuel-efficient engine and a 5-star ASEAN NCAP safety rating. If you are fine with the fact that your Aruz looks similar to the Rush, and you need to have a 7-seater in a budget, then the Aruz would be a good choice.

Also Read: Perodua Aruz - Top alternatives