Perodua Axia: Which variant to buy?

In the Malaysian car market, the Perodua Axia enters the field with competition from the likes of the Kia Picanto and, to some extent, the Proton Iriz as well. The Perodua Axia is irrefutably one of the nation’s top-sellers and is the most affordable new car that can be bought from an actual showroom. The Axia shares much of its essential under-the-body architecture with its Bezza sedan stablemate and has been designed and developed for those who seek a near-basic, well priced, fuel efficient and relatively spacious city car.

This small hatchback is only available with one engine, though customers can choose between a regular stick shift and automatic transmission options. As for prices, a new Perodua Axia can cost you anywhere between RM 22,990 to RM 40,390, depending on the variant - of which, there are six in total. But, which one should you go for?

However, before we proceed with that, let’s get to know the Axia a little better…

The basics

The Perodua Axia specs show that it measures in at 3,640 mm in length, 1,620 mm in width, 1,510 mm in overall height, and has a wheelbase of 2,455mm. Meanwhile, the small space behind the rear bench can hold up to 260 litres of luggage or a few bags from your recent grocery shopping. As with many budget cars, the Axia is a lightweight - weighing just 840 kilograms, and is fitted with MacPherson struts at the front and a typical Twist beam setup at the rear. With high fuel efficiency and low costs being two of the Malaysian marque’s primary areas of focus on the Axia, less important factors such as outright performance and sporty driving dynamics have been cast aside.

Under the bonnet, the Perodua Axia comes powered by a one-litre, three-pot petrol motor that develops a modest 67 horsepower and 91 Nm of maximum torque. The tiny 1KR-VE engine is equipped with electronic fuel injection and variable valve timing, and when mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox, it’s capable of returning up to 22.5 kmpl. Meanwhile, the cars that fitted with the 4-speed automatic transmission, though not as frugal as the manual variants, can still manage a healthy figure of 21.6 kmpl. Of course, the Axia isn’t the car you would want to push too hard - it simply isn’t made for that. And while it can reach a maximum velocity of around 155 kmph, it sure takes its sweet time to do so.

As for the Axia’s design and styling, it certainly won’t be winning any beauty pageant awards, but it looks fairly decent for a budget city car. When Perodua performed a nip & tuck on the Axia a couple of years ago, they endowed it with a refreshed front fascia which now features new projector headlamps, and a redesigned bumper and grille. Otherwise, you still get the same 14-inch wheels, part-LED tail lamps, and on higher trims, fog lamps, rear spoiler, side skirts, chrome door handles etc. The carmaker claims that it has worked on improving the new Axia’s noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) levels to help improve comfort and reduce fatigue. The interior of the Axia, as can be expected, has its fair share of low-rent plastics and trim pieces. The build quality isn’t too great either, and the overall design and layout is just as basic. However, there’s plenty of space in the cabin and the seats are quite alright as well.

When it comes to the Perodua Axia’s features and equipment list, the fully-loaded Advance trim comes packing keyless entry with push-button start, semi-bucket leather seats, leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls, front & rear parking sensors, and a touchscreen head unit with built-in navigation and ‘Smart Link’ connectivity for Android phones. The Axia scored a 4-star crash safety rating at the ASEAN NCAP, and comes with dual front airbags and Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake-Force Distribution (EBD) as standard. Unfortunately, there’s still no stability control, and while a 4-star NCAP rating is satisfactory, it isn’t the same as cars that are awarded the full five stars.

The most sensible variant

One of the key factors to think about when buying a city car is the convenience of driving it in the urban landscape. And while the most affordable variant of the Perodua Axia (the Standard E trim) costs the least, it barely offers any equipment and ends up feeling really lacking as a result. On the other end of the spectrum, there’s the relatively feature-rich Advance trim. However, with its price tag approaching that of some cars in a higher segment, its value proposition is quite weak.

But, if all you really need in your budget purchase are some minimum features and the convenience of an automatic gearbox, the Axia Standard G variant should fit the bill. At RM 34,390, it won’t break your bank, but will surely provide you with some of the essential amenities which you’d use on the daily.