To kick off the new decade, Perodua has rolled out a substantially updated range of their popular Bezza. Armed with a refreshed front and rear design as well as some very important safety feature additions, the new 4-door saloon aims to improve upon its already rampant presence on Malaysian roads. The automaker says over 184,000 units have been sold since its 2016 debut.
Prices now start from RM34,580 for the baseline 1.0 G with a 5-speed manual transmission and extends to RM49,980 for the range-topping 1.3 AV with a 4-speed automatic. Overall prices have indeed been raised which has also led to last year’s Bezza Premium X MT being discontinued. However, the 2020 Bezza range does its best to justify this Ringgit bump with some fancy newness.
There’s plenty new going on with the front and back with a generally wider and more boldly contoured bumper on both ends. We’ll let you judge the aesthetic merits for yourself, but we reckon it’s an overall improvement – despite the fascia adopting large faux side intakes that make it resemble the original Toyota Mirai.
At the rear, the reworked bumper does wonders to resolve its predecessor’s exposed undercarriage, though the volume of grey cladding and fake air vents could be seen as a touch excessive.
Colour options include Ivory White, Glittering Silver, Ocean Blue, Sugar Brown, and Granite Grey. New for 2020, though, is a Garnet Red shade that’s only available on 1.3-litre variants. It’s definitely sportier and what may be termed as ‘bolder’ regardless of which variant you choose, and can be augmented even further by Perodua’s GearUp accessory package. The ‘Stylish Package’ with all the GearUp options will set you back RM2,120.
The most obvious visual differentiator between the 1.0-litre and 1.3-litre variants are the front fog lamps, which are halogens just like the daytime running lights. Main illuminators, however, are standard LED headlights. Secondly, the 1.3 receives larger 15-inch two-tone alloys over the 1.0’s 14-inchers.
Speaking of the engines, both options are unchanged carry-overs, with the 1.0-litre three-cylinder producing 67hp and 91Nm while 94hp and 121Nm is produced by the larger 1.3-litre four-pot, the latter of which has Dual VVT-i and Idle Start-Stop to further improve fuel efficiency.
Inside, the dashboard is almost entirely carried over from the 2019 version save for minor changes in material finishing. Also, there’s a horizontal trim bar that flows into a more graceful frame for the radio or 2-DIN infotainment unit equipped in the Bezza AV.
Perodua’s Advanced Safety Assist (ASA) 2.0 is a headline feature of this 2020 revision and completes its availability across the brand’s current portfolio, though restricted to the highest-end AV variant. The suite made its debut in the third-generation Myvi and its inclusion here makes potentially lifesaving active safety features such as Autonomous Emergency Braking even more accessible to Malaysians.
Other abilities include Pre-Collision Warning (up to 100km/h), Pre-Collision Braking (for speeds not above 80km/h), and Pedestrian Detection (up to 50km/h). The mid-range Bezza X also gains Vehicle Stability Control in addition to the traction control already included.
Keyword: Perodua Launches 2020 Bezza - Sharper Looks, ASA 2.0 Drops In