P2 Nautica

The original Perodua Kembara was one of the most affordable Sports Utility Vehicle in Malaysia and it had its fans. They were people who enjoyed the commanding driving position and the small size which made it nimble and easy to drive in urban areas.

The Nautica is the all-new replacement for the old workhorse, which has also been a favourite for people who need to go onto rough roads and construction areas.

The Nautica name is clearly a departure from the current Perodua naming system and it marks the start of their rebranding exercise which is expected to go full scale int he near future.

Everything from the chunky but modern font to the name itself indicates that the company wants to give owners a feeling of a premium brand.

Perodua Managing Director, Datuk Syed Hafiz is confident that the Nautica will help to reposition the brand. Well it will have to, since you wont get much change from RM90,000 if you buy P2’s fully imported new baby. This one is Made in Japan.

If the Nautica’s face is familiar, it’s because the model is developed as a shared Toyota-Daihatsu and you would have seen the same expression on the Toyota Rush.

This is not necessarily a bad thing since the design is pleasing, neat and modern. Inf act the shorter wheelbase of the Nautica gives it a more sporty stance. It looks younger than the Rush.

In fact, the details of the design are quite interesting, this swoopy combination rear light may have found inspiration from the RAV4 but the designers have modernised the look and made it feel bang up to date

The same goes for the front combination headlamp which follows the current trend of being slightly over-sized and curvaceous.

Details like this front foglamp may not look like much but they actually help to brighten up any car’s face and give it a more purposeful look.

The simple pull-style door handle helps to keep the lines of the Nautica clean, there are no chrome trim just to make the car more flashy here. Perodua went for the understated look.

While the understated look is fine, I do wish that they have a more aggressive wheel design as an option, just to give the Nautica a visual edge. After all it is still an SUV with full-time all wheel drive, it should at least have some aggression.

P2’s new chrome badge fits perfectly with the Nautica. One wonders what changes are in store for the badge when the rebranding comes. It would be hard for them to improve on this simplicity.

The side-opening rear door is a great feature for Urban SUVs because they are driven mostly by women and top-hinged doors may open too high and make it difficult for them to reach up and close it.

My pet peeve on any car is a spare tyre that hangs out in public. The Nautica has one…..aaarrghh

Move inside and you get a combination of something different and something familiar. The instrument binnacle is familiar, the centre console is different, door capping familiar, trim colour slightly different. Of course the steering design is a bit different.

The centre console looks more chunky than the Toyota version and this gives it a bit more character. Some may prefer a neater look but this is down to personal taste.

The Glove compartment is a decent size and has a small nook on top for storing small items, like toll cards or MP3 players.

Cabin space is decent, there are of course restrictions in terms of size because this is still a compact SUV. As you can see from this picture, there is ample knee room and headroom in the rear but things get a bit cosy if you put three large adults on the bench. Shoulder room is the issue here.

Door cappings are kept simple and the metal coloured finish helps to brighten up the otherwise designed-to-a-price cabin. That said fit and finish is excellent, as is expected from the world’s largest carmaker who built a reputation for peerless manufacturing capability.

The load area is quite big and even with all five seats occupied, you will have enough room for everyone’s long-weekend gear. Of coruse you can fold down the rear seats and start stuffing small furniture into the car.

VERDICT

The Nautica, is not expected to be a mass model because of ti’s price . If you compare it with the Rush it comes up short in terms of seating capacity but gains ground with the all-wheel drive system. The Rush wins on price but you get an Indon birth cert with it whereas the extra moolah you dish out for the Nautica gives you a Japanese birth cert.

The truth is, when you add things up, there is little difference between these two close cousins, both come with a reputation for faultless quality and good after sales service. It really is up to the preference of the individual and which badge they want to wear.

I am sure you will soon find people swapping badges for the Nautica.

Is the price too high? well it is not cheap but there are those who feel that the Japanese origin makes a whole world of difference and are willing to pay for it.