Perodua Ativa
 (4/5)
expert rating
 (4/5)
owner rating
from RM 833.71 /month
from RM 62,500.00 to RM 72,600.00

Perodua Ativa D55L (2021-Present) Owner Review

Share your experiences with the Perodua Ativa - Write an owner review

Do you own the Perodua Ativa? As the owner, you have literally sat in the driver's seat and discovered the ups and downs as you go about your everyday life.

Share your experiences with the Perodua Ativa and help others in the market for a car like this.

10 Owner Reviews
Date Reviewed
20 June 2023
Performance
Ride & Handling
Comfort
Safety
Space
Value
Nazir
1.0 AV CVT (2021)
Bought new, Owned for 1 Year
Fuel Economy: 9.0 km/litre (11.1 L/100 km), RON95, Mileage: 700 km/month
    1. The Ativa is a pocket SUV that gets you from A to Z, through muddy puddles and KL floods and rough terrains going up to your favorite off-road cycling site. And it does it in comfort without rattling your bones or breaking a sweat.
    2. It has a tall roofline which gives a very roomy feel. This also has a psychological effect on occupants especially on long distance journeys such as your weekend drive to Raub for durian.
    3. The air conditioning is brilliant. Often reminds me of the first generation Proton Saga which left us kids freezing in the back seat.
    4. Fuel economy is subjective, depending pretty much on how far you push the pedal. It is acceptable for a mini SUV. I find fueling the car with RON97 does give it better mileage and obviously, a tad more power over the RON95.
    5. The digital dash has all the right displays at the right positions. Some may not like the horizontal disc shape RPM meter as some people - like me (oldies) prefer an analog looking digital RPM meter to remind us where the redline is.
    6. Seats are comfortable, it is of the right size and easy to maintain.
    1. Drive it uphill and it screams murder. The engine's scream can scare everyone, even for someone who is used to 8,500rpm civic FD2R owners
    2. Plasticky feel in the cabin, especially the side handle where guys like me would rest my knee on. There are some sharp edges that could have been molded better.
    3. You can hear almost anything and everything that happens underneath the car. I am guessing the noise cancellation is not superior to Myvi, which is priced cheaper.
    4. A miserable rear view camera reminds me of my earlier Nokia camera phone.
    5. Plastik bungkus hook is gone. I cannot "gantung" my teh ais bungkus.
    6. No DRLs as standard.
To Improve
1. DCT gearbox over the CVT. Better performance and perhaps better fuel consumption, albeit slightly more expensive.
2. Soft plastic would be nice in the cabin.
3. Improved sound insulation especially on the floorboard and doors
4. Surround cameras.
5. "Teh Ais Bungkus" plastic hook should make a comeback
6. DRLs on the top models should be standard and not an option with bodykit
Yes, I would recommend this car
Date Reviewed
20 June 2023
Performance
Ride & Handling
Comfort
Safety
Space
Value
Steven Goh
1.0 H CVT (2021)
Bought new, Owned for 3 Years
Fuel Economy: 14.0 km/litre (7.1 L/100 km), RON95, Mileage: 1,500 km/month
    - Very powerful car even without activating the PWR function. I've driven this car to Bentong and even up to Gunung Jerai whilst durian hunting and it doesn't show any lack of power or effort when it comes to hill climbing
    - The high view gives a commanding view over traffic where you can look-ahead
    - One if not the easiest car to park in tight and narrow parking lots
    - Reasonable NVH level
    - With ample safety features on a budget SUV which some luxury vehicles do not even include
    - Folded back seats provides even more space to already a big boot
    - Aircond cools down the car easily even when ferrying a fullload
    - Spare tyre size is the same as the 4 tyres used
    - The annual roadtax is even lower than the cheapest monthly mobile prepaid plan!
    - Backseats are too straight and cushions are unable to accommodate passengers with big backends
    - No tilting adjustment for the steering wheel
    - Hard-plastic material on the dashboard, boot and door panels attracts scratches and dust easily
    - Camera sensor is too sensitive and easily disables all safety features during heavy rain
    - Front grill is too big and foreign objects/materials can easily enter and damage critical engine components
    - Bootlight should have a manual switch rather than to leave it ON permanently
    - Entertainment system should support Android/Apple connectivity
    - The digital clocks on the entertainment system and MID should be synchronized
    - The USB ports for the rear passengers are positioned too low - passengers will have to bend low and can
    accidentally kick the connecting cables
    - Cup holders for the driver and front passenger rattles severely when driven at fast speeds
    - Fuel lid opener lever should be next to the front bonnet opener lever so that driver need not bend down
    low
    - Sun shade covers for the driver and front passenger feels cheap and very flimsy
    - Rear seat pockets of the driver and front passenger seats are too shallow
To Improve
- Install more NVH dampers to make fast driving more comfortable and less stressful
- Replace the entertainment speaker units to better speakers
- Improve the front and rear absorbers as it feels very bouncy when driven at fast speeds or on rough roads
- Install DRLs as standard on all models as this is a good safety feature
Yes, I would recommend this car
Date Reviewed
6 June 2023
Performance
Ride & Handling
Comfort
Safety
Space
Value
Kailaash
1.0 H CVT (2021)
Bought new, Owned for 1 Year
Fuel Economy: 20.0 km/litre (5.0 L/100 km), RON95, Mileage: 930 km/month
    -Very fuel saving car full tank is about RM60plus which can last more than a week, as I use this car for my daily work usage.
    -Seats are comfortable and for a midsized car to have this kind of seats its good.
    -Very impressed with the front lighting even Honda does not come with the auto headlight which ativa has, especially during night driving where you don't have street lights its very useful.
    -Smooth and soft suspension feels more comfortable.
    -Reasonably priced and you get more safety specs compared to other Japanese Brands for this kind of price.
    -When you need more pick up the car seems to scream so much.
    -Could have added some more insulation inside.
    -Very Light Plastic feel on the glove box & armrest.
    -Should place a armrest at the rear seat
    -Very bright LCD screen especially at night.
To Improve
-To add rear fog light, as the japan spec has fog light especially during rainy whether it will be helpful.
--To improve on Audio quality & sound.
Yes, I would recommend this car
Date Reviewed
2 June 2023
Performance
Ride & Handling
Comfort
Safety
Space
Value
Sudasan Ravichandran
1.0 AV CVT (2021)
Bought new, Owned for 2 Years
Fuel Economy: 13.0 km/litre (7.7 L/100 km), RON95, Mileage: 1,200 km/month
    Great acceleration and short turning radius. Amazing city car with decent height and back space
    Fuel consumption can be bad if driven fast most of the time and a lot of plastic parts everywhere
To Improve
The infotainment system should be better with latest Apple CarPlay or Android Auto plus low speed self driving can be an great option
Yes, I would recommend this car
Date Reviewed
30 May 2023
Performance
Ride & Handling
Comfort
Safety
Space
Value
Jun Chuah
1.0 AV CVT (2021)
Bought new, Owned for 3 Years
Fuel Economy: 12.0 km/litre (8.3 L/100 km), RON95, Mileage: 800 km/month
    Small and tall, easy to get around in the city. Despite the body roll, it is actually very fast and stable while driving on the highway. I love it as a daily use car in the city.
    The refinement of the engine and NVH. The engine noise can be quite bothersome while on high rev. I have to switch on the music to be loud enough to cover the noise. But then the wind noise coming into the cabin, mixing with the music, is just noisy.
To Improve
Sorry that I had to compared it with the 1.0 litre turbo on the Almera. It is so much more refine in terms of the engine and NVH. I thought the Daihatsu and Toyota are the king of Kei Car and they should be excel in small engine refinement. Perhaps they could regain their throne by doing a better job.
Yes, I would recommend this car
Date Reviewed
29 May 2023
Performance
Ride & Handling
Comfort
Safety
Space
Value
Esqandar
1.0 AV CVT (2022)
Bought new, Owned for 3 Years
Fuel Economy: 12.0 km/litre (8.3 L/100 km), RON95, Mileage: 2,000 km/month
    - Smooth shifting DCVT gearbox. Manual shifting up to 7th gear for decent highway cruising with low RPM
    - 1.0L engine with turbo adequate to climb Bukit Fraser and vibration is unnoticeable. Fuel consumption is averaged, urban driving usually 11.5-12.7km/L.
    - very high tech safety specification. front collision auto braking helps to avoid several collision. ADAS is enjoyable during highway cruising. 6 airbags.
    - AC cooler than other Perodua cars since i have owned Alza and Myvi.
    - confortable and adequate space for family up to 3 childrens
    - sportiest car made by Perodua
    - superb headlight for rural night driving
    - wobbling and bouncy suspension especially with full pax / luggage in the car.
    - shorter rear seat and cannot fully support thigh. Adult at 2nd row will feel not comfortable during long journey.
    - Lousy LCD head unit that has no Android/Apple car play, poor radio reception.
    - Thin body paint, chip stone can easily scratch the paint. even cat scratches can leave permanent mark on the body. Need at least fusso or ceramic coating for paint protection.
    - car seat pvc leather can leave torn marks
To Improve
- change to aftermarket LCD
- experiment with various fuel companies until you found your satisfying FC
- Perodua need to redesign second row seat; longer thigh support and more recline with body contour back rest
Yes, I would recommend this car
Date Reviewed
29 May 2023
Performance
Ride & Handling
Comfort
Safety
Space
Value
LY
1.0 AV CVT (2021)
Bought new, Owned for 2 Years
Fuel Economy: 15.0 km/litre (6.7 L/100 km), RON95, Mileage: 400 km/month
    The most OK car I've ever seen. Even more so than Myvi.
    - Comes with most necessary features a driver will ever need; Airbags, Steering controls, Infotainment
    - Pretty good fuel mileage for a boxy car (Averaged around 17kml for longer distances in town, ~20kml for interstate if drive steadily)
    - Good ground clearance, never worried about rainy days
    - Despite 1.0L Turbo, not slow or inadequate, perfectly usable
    - Perfect for 2-3 people in a family
    - No CarPlay, nor tactile buttons
    - Digital aircon controls, the buttons feel cheap
    - A bit pricey for what it is
    - Headlights are too bright, may blind cars in front or opposite the car
    - Fuel tank too small at 36L including reserve
    - Not very good NVH, some rattle in the cabin
To Improve
People complain about the handling of this car, but this car was never meant for that. This is a good city, interstate, and outstation car.
But there are some issues to be addressed, hopefully in the facelift:
- Cabin should reduce rattles, would improve perceived quality immensely
- CarPlay
- Rear vents
- Prefer dials for aircon rather than buttons
Yes, I would recommend this car
Date Reviewed
27 May 2023
Performance
Ride & Handling
Comfort
Safety
Space
Value
Ahmad
1.0 AV CVT (2022)
Bought new, Owned for 2 Years
Fuel Economy: 13.0 km/litre (7.7 L/100 km), RON95, Mileage: 300 km/month
    Fun to drive
    Steady on highway better than my wife (honda city)
    Very fuel economy (got 18km/l with speed below 110km/h) long distance
    Average fuel economy on city (13km/l)
    Weird noise inside dashboard (already sent to SC but can't solve it..already settled DIY)
    Blurry reverse camera ( already change HD camera)
To Improve
Facelift front grill
Yes, I would recommend this car
Date Reviewed
27 May 2023
Performance
Ride & Handling
Comfort
Safety
Space
Value
Zul
1.0 AV CVT (2022)
Bought new, Owned for 2 Years
Fuel Economy: 10.0 km/litre (10.0 L/100 km), RON95, Mileage: 600 km/month
    Good pickup for 1.0 turbo.
    Good safety pakage for this price range
    Keyless key is much appreciated.
    No android auto and apple carplay
    Car infotainment feel like cheap china brand.
    Fuel tank is very small can get about 400km range per full tank. Need frequent visit to petrol station.
    Front grill is too ugly compared to raize & rocky
To Improve
Car nowadays comes with android auto and apple carplay. If ativa comes with this feature sure nobody will complain. Now need to spend more money to upgrade the infotainment.
Smaller fuel tank should be upgraded too.
Yes, I would recommend this car
Date Reviewed
11 June 2021
Performance
Ride & Handling
Comfort
Safety
Space
Value
Ek Thai
1.0 AV CVT (2021)
Bought new, Owned for 1 Year
Fuel Economy: 10.0 km/litre (10.0 L/100 km), RON97, Mileage: 1,000 km/month
    - Compact size
    - Ample cubby holes
    - Decent grunt from the 1.0 turbo engine
    - Nice looks and imposing presence despite the smaller footprint vs the other P2 models
    - LED headlamps [very bright]
    - ASA safety features for a car in this price range is virtually unheard of
    - Finally auto-fold mirrors as standard
    - Decent fuel efficiency
    - Airbag count and passive safety features are a plus point
    - Bluetooth connectivity which makes answering calls whilst on the move very convenient
    - Decent # of USB charging points in the car
    - Aircon is cold and provides reasonable coolness in spite of our humid weather
    - Reasonable performance if pedal depressed harder when in need of power to overtake [PWR mode + Manual mode]
    - Could do with a mirror for driver's sun visor
    - More adjustability for driver's seat would be welcome - I'm struggling to find ample support for my thighs during drives and I'm not a particularly tall person
    - No Android Auto/Apple Carplay functionality!
    - Smart Link still seems cumbersome to use - not all phones are supported either
    - Gear Up Blaze package for full bodykits not to everyone's taste - should consider allowing customers to only select the roof spoiler
    - Reverse camera is quite blurry at times and not very clear
    - Rear space surprisingly limited and smaller vs the Myvi G3 - back seats may feel too upright
    - Omission of Smart Tag reader seems like a missed opportunity as not everyone has RFID
    - Noticeable lag when gas pedal is immediately depressed before car picks up speed vs conventional auto
    - Slight burning rubber smell is noticeable in the cabin & outside the car especially if driving above 100km/hr
To Improve
- Please give us Android Auto/Apple Carplay connectivity!
- Noise insulation for doors could be improved
- More colour options is more than welcome
- Please ensure all accessories in Gear Up catalog are ready. I've already received my car for close to 3 weeks and I've not received my luggage tray, net, door visors and vibratile padding.
Yes, I would recommend this car

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