A bit bigger, a lot dearer (from thestar.com.my)
A bit bigger, a lot dearer
By HONG BOON HOW
It may have a different name and beefier dimensions but consumers will inevitably make comparisons between Perodua’s new made-in-Japan Nautica and its predecessor, the Kembara.
WITH its large headlights and the gaping air grilles giving an impish grin, Perodua’s latest offering does have a playful air to it. One might even say it looks cheeky.
The name is Nautica but given Malaysian pronunciation, it would probably end up sounding more like “naughty car”, which doesn’t seem too out of tune with what’s on offer.
The Perodua Nautica shares the same styling genes as Toyota’s Rush and Daihatsu Terios, which Malaysians don’t get to see. (thestar.com.my)
Officially, the Nautica moniker was coined from the word nautical and is meant to give an association with sailing and adventure with unlimited boundaries.
Intended to replace the 1.3l Perodua Kembara that went out of production two years ago, the 1.5l Nautica is bigger, roomier, more powerful and more feature-packed.
Park the Nautica next to the Toyota Rush (launched earlier this year) and you’d also be forgiven for thinking you are seeing double.
In essence, both the Rush and Nautica trace their roots to the Daihatsu Terios but the Rush sold here is the long-wheelbase version, while the Nautica has a short wheelbase.
Viewed lengthwise, the Nautica seems to have the more pleasing proportions and definitely comes out the sassier one.
(The Kembara was based on the first generation Daihatsu Terios, and the Nautica on the current second generation.)
The Rush is an Indonesian-built seven-seater with three rows of seats while the Nautica is a five-seater.
The Nautica is the first Perodua vehicle to be fully imported and it comes from Japan.
Final touches, such as a shorter front bumper for a better approach angle – especially useful when going off the road – are done locally.
It’s also the most expensive Perodua to date, costing RM89,900, on the road, with insurance. The priciest version of the 1.3l Kembara was around RM60,000.
Get inside the Nautica and the first thing that catches one's attention is the elevated seating position which is always nice to have when driving in traffic.
The dashboard is an upgrade from the original Kembara’s, as is the shoulder room.
The interior does bear some styling resemblance to the Rush, especially the door handles, the many cup holders and pocket sills on all four passengers doors.
The dashboard looks more sophisticated compared to the original Kembara but what people would appreciate most is the extra shoulder space, even for what is essentially a compact SUV.
I seem to remember that two big buffaloes getting inside the old Kembara would either rub shoulders or brush elbows, especially when hooking up their seatbelts.
Although the Nautica is supposed to be a short wheelbase vehicle, the legroom for rear passengers is still adequate as the seats squabs are positioned higher from the floor.
On the whole, the interior is comfortable for four people but a slight squeeze if you take in another passenger. The rear seats are 60:40 split and fold down flat for a flushed cargo hold area.
The car also gets a higher road clearance of some 190mm for some light off-road fun.
The interior is a contrast of dark tones with splashes of silver on the door handles, three-dial centre console and instrument panel cowl.
It may have a shorter wheelbase than the Rush but it’s not short on rear passenger leg room.
Other Rush hints that you can expect on the Nautica are the similar 3D-type tail lights that tend to bulge out from the surrounding body panel to give more visibility, and the distinctive bulbous slant upwards projector headlight with integrated signal and running lights.
Under the bonnet is a peppy 1.5l twin-cam 3SZ-VE with DVVT (dynamic variable valve timing), similar to that found in the Rush, but the best part is that this Perodua upstart gets a full-time all-wheel drive system whereas Toyota's version makes do with power to the rear wheels only.
Although an off-roading driving trail was not included on our brief pre-launch media test drive at Genting Highlands last month, the 109bhp engine did quite a decent job of hauling the Nautica through winding slopes from the Gohtong Jaya roundabout to the Awana Resort, even with three persons on board.
If you are in a hurry, you will need to keep the revs up. The engine starts to get rough around 5,000rpm, although it still wasn’t offensive enough to our ears.
The gear shifter lever has an ON/OFF button to engage or disengage the overdrive.
The steering is light and has a bit of feel but taking corners requires more effort than a sedan.
The ride on the 16-inch/65 series tyres borders on the firm side but is compliant enough to allow us to take Genting’s larger-than-normal speedbumps in reasonable comfort.
The braking is good with progressive pedal feel although the front wheels use discs and while the rear gets drums.
Brake assist, anti-lock braking system with electronic brake force distribution and dual front airbags come as standard.
There is also a 4X4 wheel control button on the dashboard to lock up all four wheels for off-road use.
Perodua managing director Datuk Syed Hafiz Syed Abu Bakar says the Nautica is destined to be a niche product, selling between 100 to 200 units per month – rather insignificant if compared with the Myvi and Viva which rack up monthly sales of some 8,000 and 7,000 units, respectively.
“The Nautica is also for us to refresh our Perodua product offering. It gets a bit boring for our customers if they enter our showrooms and see the Myvi, the Viva and then the Myvi and the Viva again,” he said.
Offered with the Nautica is a manufacturer’s warranty of three years/100,000km which can be extended to another three years or additional 75,000km.
When it comes to colour, you get to choose between just two “introductory colours” – Medallion Grey and Majestic Black – but Perodua promises that additional hues are being considered.
Original From thestar.com.my
By HONG BOON HOW
It may have a different name and beefier dimensions but consumers will inevitably make comparisons between Perodua’s new made-in-Japan Nautica and its predecessor, the Kembara.
WITH its large headlights and the gaping air grilles giving an impish grin, Perodua’s latest offering does have a playful air to it. One might even say it looks cheeky.
The name is Nautica but given Malaysian pronunciation, it would probably end up sounding more like “naughty car”, which doesn’t seem too out of tune with what’s on offer.
The Perodua Nautica shares the same styling genes as Toyota’s Rush and Daihatsu Terios, which Malaysians don’t get to see. (thestar.com.my)
Officially, the Nautica moniker was coined from the word nautical and is meant to give an association with sailing and adventure with unlimited boundaries.
Intended to replace the 1.3l Perodua Kembara that went out of production two years ago, the 1.5l Nautica is bigger, roomier, more powerful and more feature-packed.
Park the Nautica next to the Toyota Rush (launched earlier this year) and you’d also be forgiven for thinking you are seeing double.
In essence, both the Rush and Nautica trace their roots to the Daihatsu Terios but the Rush sold here is the long-wheelbase version, while the Nautica has a short wheelbase.
Viewed lengthwise, the Nautica seems to have the more pleasing proportions and definitely comes out the sassier one.
(The Kembara was based on the first generation Daihatsu Terios, and the Nautica on the current second generation.)
The Rush is an Indonesian-built seven-seater with three rows of seats while the Nautica is a five-seater.
The Nautica is the first Perodua vehicle to be fully imported and it comes from Japan.
Final touches, such as a shorter front bumper for a better approach angle – especially useful when going off the road – are done locally.
It’s also the most expensive Perodua to date, costing RM89,900, on the road, with insurance. The priciest version of the 1.3l Kembara was around RM60,000.
Get inside the Nautica and the first thing that catches one's attention is the elevated seating position which is always nice to have when driving in traffic.
The dashboard is an upgrade from the original Kembara’s, as is the shoulder room.
The interior does bear some styling resemblance to the Rush, especially the door handles, the many cup holders and pocket sills on all four passengers doors.
The dashboard looks more sophisticated compared to the original Kembara but what people would appreciate most is the extra shoulder space, even for what is essentially a compact SUV.
I seem to remember that two big buffaloes getting inside the old Kembara would either rub shoulders or brush elbows, especially when hooking up their seatbelts.
Although the Nautica is supposed to be a short wheelbase vehicle, the legroom for rear passengers is still adequate as the seats squabs are positioned higher from the floor.
On the whole, the interior is comfortable for four people but a slight squeeze if you take in another passenger. The rear seats are 60:40 split and fold down flat for a flushed cargo hold area.
The car also gets a higher road clearance of some 190mm for some light off-road fun.
The interior is a contrast of dark tones with splashes of silver on the door handles, three-dial centre console and instrument panel cowl.
It may have a shorter wheelbase than the Rush but it’s not short on rear passenger leg room.
Other Rush hints that you can expect on the Nautica are the similar 3D-type tail lights that tend to bulge out from the surrounding body panel to give more visibility, and the distinctive bulbous slant upwards projector headlight with integrated signal and running lights.
Under the bonnet is a peppy 1.5l twin-cam 3SZ-VE with DVVT (dynamic variable valve timing), similar to that found in the Rush, but the best part is that this Perodua upstart gets a full-time all-wheel drive system whereas Toyota's version makes do with power to the rear wheels only.
Although an off-roading driving trail was not included on our brief pre-launch media test drive at Genting Highlands last month, the 109bhp engine did quite a decent job of hauling the Nautica through winding slopes from the Gohtong Jaya roundabout to the Awana Resort, even with three persons on board.
If you are in a hurry, you will need to keep the revs up. The engine starts to get rough around 5,000rpm, although it still wasn’t offensive enough to our ears.
The gear shifter lever has an ON/OFF button to engage or disengage the overdrive.
The steering is light and has a bit of feel but taking corners requires more effort than a sedan.
The ride on the 16-inch/65 series tyres borders on the firm side but is compliant enough to allow us to take Genting’s larger-than-normal speedbumps in reasonable comfort.
The braking is good with progressive pedal feel although the front wheels use discs and while the rear gets drums.
Brake assist, anti-lock braking system with electronic brake force distribution and dual front airbags come as standard.
There is also a 4X4 wheel control button on the dashboard to lock up all four wheels for off-road use.
Perodua managing director Datuk Syed Hafiz Syed Abu Bakar says the Nautica is destined to be a niche product, selling between 100 to 200 units per month – rather insignificant if compared with the Myvi and Viva which rack up monthly sales of some 8,000 and 7,000 units, respectively.
“The Nautica is also for us to refresh our Perodua product offering. It gets a bit boring for our customers if they enter our showrooms and see the Myvi, the Viva and then the Myvi and the Viva again,” he said.
Offered with the Nautica is a manufacturer’s warranty of three years/100,000km which can be extended to another three years or additional 75,000km.
When it comes to colour, you get to choose between just two “introductory colours” – Medallion Grey and Majestic Black – but Perodua promises that additional hues are being considered.
Original From thestar.com.my
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