A Look At The 2023 Perodua Axia D74A
You’ve probably seen the uncovered photos of the all-new Perodua Axia on the internet, so the camouflaged ones posted here will be of no surprise. Due to this, Perodua also had decided to share a couple of official images ahead of its official launch scheduled for next week (14 February).
And as you would have noticed, the all-new 2023 Axia, codenamed D74A, looks very different to its predecessor which was introduced in 2014. The Axia is an important model for Perodua as it is the spiritual successor to the Kancil and the Viva. It is also the base used by Perodua to transform itself from rebadging Daihatsu models to designing and developing market-specific models. The Bezza, based on the Axia platform, was the company’s first effort, while the Myvi was the next. Incidentally, the Myvi was rebadged as the Daihatsu Sirion for Indonesia. The all-new Alza is also an effort by Perodua to differentiate itself from its Toyota and Daihatsu brethren.
With the D27A Axia, Perodua has further grown its R&D capability for full upper-body development. A team of nearly 50 from Perodua were stationed at Daihatsu to jointly develop a model flexible enough to be applied to multiple countries. One can always nitpick on the details such as the use of the Daihatsu New Global Architecture (DNGA) platform, the 1.0L 3-cylinder engine from the Toyota KR family, and the Daihatsu Dual Mode CVT (continuously variable transmission), but in this day and age, platform and powertrain sharing is common and makes financial sense. One would also find parts from the Ativa and Alza shared here.
Physically though, the all-new Axia is still an A-segment model (Myvi is a B-segment) which Perodua said was developed as a ‘cost-optimised’ model to target the younger buyers and first car owners. Built on the new DNGA platform with a longer wheelbase of 2,525 mm, the body is longer, taller, and more importantly, wider. The interior is designed to be more spacious and comfortable, with an improved driving position, and greater distance between shoulders. The longer wheelbase also enables a larger luggage space. And despite the size increase, the turning circle stays the same as the previous Axia i.e. 4.5 metres.
The new body is also more aerodynamic, with the drag coefficient reduced by 10%. Along with the use of low rolling resistance tyres, and pairing the Dual Mode CVT with the 1.0L 1KR-VE engine, the new Axia is more fuel efficient. The SE and AV variants with the Eco Idle system has a claimed fuel efficiency of 27.4 km/l. Those without this system has an efficiency of 25.3 km/l. These figures are obtained on the Malaysian Driving Cycle protocol which factors local road and driving conditions.
For extra comfort and driving stability, the Axia features a more rigid body, reworked suspension, new electric power steering, and optimised sound and vibration dampening. In our brief test drive on the roads with relatively light traffic, the car did feel more solid and planted though you may need to adapt your driving style for the D-CVT. Unlike in the Ativa and Alza, the D-CVT in the Axia doesn’t come with manual shift mode (+/-) but has an engine braking (B) mode which simulates low gear (L) in a conventional automatic. You do however, enjoy side bolsters in the front seats, and the handbag and teh tarik hooks carried over from the previous Axia.
Additionally, in its surveys, Perodua had found that flash flood worries is one of the major considerations. It reacted by sealing gaps and small holes between body panels as well as raising the engine air intake and giving it a labyrinth pathway to prevent water from entering the engine.
Furthermore, the Advanced Safety Assist 3.0 which includes Blind Spot Monitor, Auto High Beam, Lane Departure Warning & Prevention, and Rear Cross Traffic Alert is only available in the range-topping AV variant. Likewise for the 6 airbags, digital 7″ multi-info display, steering-mounted switches, semi-leather seats, and 9″ multimedia touchscreen (which is similar to the Alza H i.e. no Apple CarPlay & Android Auto). Also, only the top 2 variants use LED headlights but the tail light clusters for all use bulbs. Bear in mind that this car has been developed for a specific retail price range so there are some expectations to manage.
The official prices and more details will be available upon official launch, including details on the Gear Up accessories.
