Wanted - a small car for city driving in Malaysia

Wanted a small, affordable second car for city driving in Malaysia.
The maximum budget is RM 40K (approx £7298).

If I had that budget here in the UK, I would probably go for a second hand car and would have several options.

However, in Malaysia there are only 2 options available, namely the Perodua ViVA (Yes! That is how the name is written) with prices starting from RM 24,936.45 (for the ViVA 660 BX - Manual, solid white colour) and the Proton Saga with prices from RM 33,426 (for the Saga SV Manual, solid white colour). The SV stands for Super Value.

Dimension wise, the Perodua ViVA (3575 x 1475 x 1530) is slightly smaller but taller than the Proton Saga (4278 x 1680 x 1520).

Looking at the websites of the two Malaysian car companies, I am quite impressed with the information provided from engine specs in detail to the various accessories available.

Though there is nearly RM 8000 difference in prices between the two cars, the Viva seems quite underpowered even for a city car with an engine displacement of only 659 cc. If I choose the ViVA 850 - Manual (847cc), prices goes up to RM 32,756.45.

I am not too concerned about the maximum speed but I am definitely interested in the fuel efficiency.

The Perodua website does not tell us anything about the fuel efficiency, other than mentioning that the cars have been equipped with "Dynamic Variable Valve Timing (DVVT), Double Overhead Camshaft (DOHC) and Electronic Fuel Injection  (EFI)".

The Proton Saga has a CamPro IAFM, 4-cylinder, DOHC 16V 1332cc engine and according to their website, the fuel consumption at @ 90km/h (approx. 56m/h) is 5.7 litres.

So if you had RM 40000 to spend on a car, I would definitely recommend the Proton Saga.

Perodua Viva just a poor copy of Mira

Learned about the launch of the new Perodua Viva on the 10th of this month, from Xcarz who left a comment on my blog.

This new model is a replacement for the Kelisa and is based on the Daihatsu Mira (also known as the Cuore, Domino or Charade outside Japan). In fact it is almost identical to the Mira externally. Internally however, it is a different matter all together. Malaysians have been handed down the old tired design. Take a look at Paul Tan's blog post here to see what I mean.

Prices range from RM 28,400 (for the Solid color 660cc EX Manual) to RM 44,200 (for the 1000cc Metallic paint Automatic Premium) - these are on the road prices.

FYI, Perodua is short for Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd.

UPDATE: Learned from Azwan that the 660cc and 850cc versions of Viva don't have power steering.