The Perodua Axia, has been given another update, and is now open for booking. The Viva-replacing Axia has been with us since September 2014, and it
received a midlife facelift in January 2017. For all its life, the Axia has had
two unique faces – a normal one and a sportier one for the SE and Advance. This
split is no more – now, all Axia variants share the same face, with trim
differences.
The outgoing Axia range had four trim levels (E, G,
SE, Advance) and two of those (G and SE) had manual or auto options (base E was
MT only, top Advance was AT only). In the 2019 Axia range, Perodua has added
two new variants, and deleted the manual option for the SE, which means that
other than the “driving school spec” E, all Axias come with a four-speed
automatic. The new range reads E, G, GXtra (new), Style (new) SE and Advance.
There’s demand for a manual E, which is still the
cheapest new car on sale in Malaysia, but little appetite for a stick shift
higher up the the range, Perodua says. Like before, the 5MT and 4AT are paired
with a 1.0 litre three-cylinder engine. The 1KR-VE VVT-i engine makes 67 hp and
91 Nm of torque at 4,400 rpm. Claimed FC is unchanged – 22.5 km/l for the MT
and 21.6 km/l for the AT. But why is the new Style variant rated lower at 20.8
km/l? More on that later.
We move on to equipment. Like before, all variants
above the E come with ABS and EBD, but Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) makes
its debut in the 2019 Axia. The active safety system, and P2’s anti-theft bag
hook are available from the GXtra up. That’s very welcome, but the big news
here is the introduction of the Advanced Safety Assist (ASA) 2.0 safety pack on
the range topping Axia Advance. First seen on the Myvi and then the Aruz (in 2.0 form), P2’s ASA
safety suite includes Pre-Collision Warning (PCW), Pre-Collision Braking (PCB),
Front Departure Alert (FDA) and Pedal Misoperation Control (PMC), all working
with the assistance of a stereo camera located at the top of the windscreen.
First seen on the Aruz SUV, ASA 2.0 adds on pedestrian
detection to the the original ASA (Myvi) set, along with improvements in
working range and parameters. The operational speed of PCW is now from from
four km/h to 100 km/h (was four km/h to 30 km/h), and it detects pedestrians as
well (from four km/h to 50 km/h, ASA was only for vehicles). Should the driver not respond to
the PCW’s audio visual warning by braking or steering away, PCB takes over by
automatically braking the car. Known in general as autonomous emergency braking
(AEB), the system provides two-stage braking intervention, first applying weak
primary braking and then hard braking as a collision is imminent.
The PCB operates from four km/h to 80 km/h for
vehicles and from four km/h to 50 km/h for pedestrians. Perodua says that at
speeds of up to 30 km/h (10 km/h higher than the Myvi), PCB will help prevent a
crash. At medium speeds (30 to 80 km/h for vehicles, 30 to 50 km/h for
pedestrians), the system would have trimmed enough speed to help lessen the
impact. Elsewhere, FDA and PMC are as per the Myvi – FDA informs you when the
car in front has departed in a traffic jam or queue by buzzing an alert, while
PMC provides an override of engine output in cases where the system detects an
object in front of the vehicle, within a four metre distance. It helps prevent
the accidental stepping of the wrong pedal (gas instead of brakes) in parking
situations.
The model’s airbag count remains at two, and the
Axia’s four-star ASEAN NCAP rating is maintained, but the addition of VSC and
ASA 2.0 is a big deal in this segment. Away from safety kit, the G spec
gets two speakers and 14-inch alloys. For many, the GXtra is where it really
starts – besides the above-mentioned VSC and anti-snatch bag hook, it adds on
front and rear parking sensors, driver’s seat height adjustment, electric side
mirrors with auto retract, and two rear speakers (for four in total).
As mentioned, going for the SE will no longer get
you a unique face, but it’s still the “sporty” variant in the range thanks to
chrome trim on the front grille, plus skirting on the front bumper and sides
with red accents. Other SE-onwards equipment include safety and solar window
tint, and keyless entry with push start. Like before, the top Advance is based
on the SE, but it adds on ASA 2.0 and a touchscreen head unit with reverse
camera.
Lastly, the bigger surprise than VSC/ASA. It’s not
often that one catches Perodua experimenting, but here’s an all-new variant
that hasn’t been done before on any of its model lines. The Axia Style gets
SUV-inspired looks, which brings to mind the Volkswagen CrossPolo, Hyundai i20
Active and Honda WR-V. All three examples are basically regular B-segment
hatchbacks dressed up as SUVs, and they have no more off-road ability than the
stock Polo, i20 and Jazz. The Axia Style is like that.
Like those global B-segment examples, the Style wears
SUV-style black plastic cladding around the lower body, with silver painted
sections at the lower front and rear bumpers that mimic skid plates. Adding to
the desired effect are black roof rails, although they’re merely decorative. The Style’s front end is slightly
different from the rest of the range, thanks to black carbon-textured stickers
around the “mouth”, giving it a face that reminds us of the blue-coloured
previous-gen Myvi SE. There’s also a unique dotted grille insert and an
exclusive Style colour – orange.
The Style also stands taller than other Axias, by 15
mm to be exact. This added height is not because of raised suspension, but only
from the 15-inch alloys (an inch up) and thicker tyres combo, plus the roof
rails. The result of this is slightly compromised fuel economy: 20.8 km/l vs
the standard car’s 21.6 km/l.
Inside, the Axia Style is unchanged save for unique
“denim” fabric for the seats, which have a “fish scale” pattern and contrast
stitching. The Style is actually not the range topper, and aside from its
unique “SUV bits,” equipment count is largely similar to the GXtra, with the
addition of keyless entry and push start. Perodua is expecting 20% to 25% of
total Axia sales – which are skewed towards women (in contrast, most Bezza
buyers are men) – to come from the Style. Lastly, pricing – the company has
revealed the estimated on-the-road prices (without insurance) for the 2019
Perodua Axia ahead of its arrival in showrooms – and they’re a couple of
thousand ringgit higher than before.
Here are the estimated prices of the six
variants in the Axia range:
- Axia Standard E – RM24,090
- Axia Standard G – RM33,490
- Axia GXtra – RM34,990
- Axia Style – RM38,890
- Axia SE – RM38,890
- Axia AV – RM43,190
