New 2012 Avanza Tested in East Malaysia
I had to go to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, on a mission, and since I was going to do quite a bit of driving, it was a little like killing two birds with one stone, by asking my friends in UMW Toyota if I could get an Avanza for a test – and they were kind enough to oblige, even though it was at very short notice.
Upon landing at Kota Kinabalu, it was a short taxi ride to the UMW Toyota showroom in Inanam to collect the vehicle from the staff, and it was off to Mount Kinabalu immediately.
The drive to the mountain was uneventful, except that I found the tyre pressures a little on the high side – as a result, I found the handling a little skitterish, and the vehicle was a little bouncy – not a problem – a short stop to reduce the tyre pressures to the correct level, and after that, the Avanza was definitely a lot better. Around the twisty road to Mount Kinabalu, it handled quite well – not like a sedan, but I was able to maintain a steady clip all the time. It struggles a little on the uphill bit, especially when the transmission kicks down, but there is enough power to carry it through.
As the owner of a 7-year old Toyota Avanza, I can attest to its reliability – as a family, we have used the trusty MPV, a 1.3 litre automatic since March 2005, and we have used it for our small business and as a daily run-about. The odometer, at the last check, was 198,000 kilometres, and it has travelled the length and breadth of the country countless times.
Despite the heavy usage, not once has it broken down on us, except for once when the front radiator fan motor failed, and that cost under a hundred ringgit to fix – even then, the Avanza was not immobilized, as the vehicle could still be driven. We changed all the hoses and belts at around 100,000 kilometres, and we changed two rear absorbers, not because they had failed, but because I felt that they were just a little on the soft side. The headlight covers are a little faded due to ultra-violet degradation, and we have a new coat of paint on it. Throughout this period of ownership, we have gone through three batteries, maybe five or six air filter elements, three sets of wiper blades, four sets of tyres, and four sets of brake pads, all of which are maintenance items, but other than that, the Avanza has been trouble-free. We service it once every ten thousand kilometres, changing both the engine oil and filter, and change the other fluids every six months. In a nutshell, you can say that we have had a pleasant ownership experience.
As a family run-about, it is the preferred vehicle because it can seat seven or eight without any fuss, and it really is my wife’s favourite vehicle. What she likes about it is that it is so easy to drive, easy to get in and out of, and has a high seating position that enables her to see her surroundings easily. What she really appreciates is the very small turning circle which allows her to make a u-turn almost anywhere, and the compact size which makes it easy to manoeuvre. For her trips to the market and to the supermarket, the huge rear compartment is a boon. You can even go to Ikea and buy furniture and the Avanza will take most of the long and bulky stuff you might want to pick up.
The new Avanza is a worthy replacement of the existing. I am not much into cosmetics, although I must admit the new shape does make it look a little better. There is a new front mask – if you ask me if it makes the Avanza more attractive, I would venture to say that it does – however, to me, it is a great workhorse vehicle, so looks do not count that much to me. The rear lights are smaller, which is an effort to keep the costs down, but to me, it also means the replacement cost would probably be lower, if you ever need to replace the tail lights.
What is important is that the design team has studied customer feedback and also gone through the outgoing model, and what they have done is to make thoughtful improvements in areas that were seen to be lacking in it. An example would be a little thing like adding door handle on the tailgate which makes loading and unloading easy. Next would be a 50-50 split third row seat, also a thoughtful gesture that does not cost much, but makes the Avanza even more versatile. My old unit has a single bench seat – which means you have to have it fully up or fully down. With two halves, you have more options.
It is the little things that make up the whole – electric power steering for better fuel economy, additional welds on the front lower arms for more robustness, scuff plates on the door kick panels, additional recesses to hold drinks, and even an AUX jack and USB port. In addition, UMW Toyota has announced that the final drive gear ratios have been modified to lower the engine rpm at high speeds – however, upon driving an old unit also in Kota Kinabalu, I couldn’t see or feel any difference. For the record, the test unit and the other unit I tested was the 1.5 litre model.
The dashboard is new, and the main improvement here is larger air-conditioner vents other than the cosmetic differences. The overall cabin looks more pleasant.
On the whole, the new Avanza continues to be a great family vehicle or workhorse. In addition, it now comes with a three-year or 100,000 kilometre warranty, and at the prices of between RM64, 590 and RM77, 290 for four variants, it is hard to beat. Finally, the construction of the new Avanza is not much different from the old one, which means it will be just as reliable, as all Toyotas are known to be.
