Plan to Upgrade My Wife's Car - Part 1

It's been a very busy year for me and that's for a good reason! =)

I've hundred of posts to share but time is never enough for me. Since I started my blog, my life improve substantially and I'm not sure if it's purely good economic drive of the country or I'm lucky or I'm dedicated to live my life fullest in committing to blogging. Either way, never regret I started it and I'm writing as long as I'm able.

Sharing my life this time that after a good six years of service from my wife's first car, the Perodua Myvi, I decided to change out her car and give her a good life for standing beside me all these whiles. With our financial stand, we draw out a budget of RM100,000 for her next car and we started hunting. Criteria is simple of following:

1. Good usable space in sedan body as transporter for our family.
2. Priority on safety system and good crash protection.
3. Good subsale value with minimum depreciation.
4. Problem free as it's for my wife =)

There are lots of choice for that budget range, and after a shortlisting arrangement, I summarised my findings below:

Honda City 1.5E - RM87,982.50 or Toyota Vios 1.5E - RM87,300.00
I group both of these here because it's actually the same car with 118/108bhp and 145/141Nm. The engine response is alright and there is no lagging. Power is sufficient but my favourite features in City of CVT, iDSL engine and Ultra Seats in the older version is all gone. The boot space is crazy big but interior space is not very good. For future expanding family, it's not that suitable, so we look for next ride.

Naza Forte 2.0SX - RM95,120.10
Hitting the town like storm, super value of Forte 2.0SX with 154bhp and 194Nm. A4 paper also cannot fill its feature list and it's incredible for value. The ride is comfortable but 1.6 is pathetic in power. 2.0 is the only way and the new 6-speed sweeten the deal. However, we are worry on the subsale value as all Korean cars sustain heavy depreciation last time, we never know, better be safe than sorry so we look on.

Chevrolet Cruze 1.8 - RM98,767.60
Good value but unfamous car in the soil of Malaysia. It comes with 140bhp and 176Nm. The ride is good, handsome looking as well. But you will seldom see it on the road, because it's not famous, meaning bad subsale value as well. Next.

Ford Fiesta 1.6 Hatchback Sport - RM80,598.50
Hot Hatch and although it doesnt fulfill our requirement of sedan, we still test drive the small car comes with 118bhp and 152Nm. Its mated to dual clutch gearbox and the transmission is seamless! Ride is good with good power and easily reach 160kmh in our test ride. However, the hatchback is really small! Much smaller than City, so it's out, especially the boot space is pathetic. Test car quality built is also disappointing.

Peugeot 308VTi 1.6 - RM97,156.50
A good premium hatch with 120bhp and 160Nm but the power is not as good. Body is heavy and but interior is spacious. Problem is hatchback and Peugeot is not famous for its reliability. As long as it's continental, electrical problem is unavoidable, so we got to pass on this one. Not to mention small boot space. If I'm interested, then I will only consider the turbo version, but it's out of budget.

Proton Inspira 2.0 Premium - RM89,397.10
Its a value for money for sure and at that price, the power is 148bhp and 197Nm. Same quality as the much more expensive sibling, the Lancer, it's a no brainer. Only problem, it's local brand. A friend once said, you buy the car to show off, the brand defeat the whole purpose! I hate to agree, but it's true most of the times. Spending so much on a car, you would want people to recognise it. Main turn off is my wife got enough of local brand, so not even a consideration for her. If you looking for maximum bang for your money, this is your only choice, no need to think further. A big discount of the incredible quality of model, but don't wait later. Heard they will changeout the parts to local source, bad.

Honda Insight Hybrid 1.3 - RM95,320.80
A premium model of City, same platform, same space and eco friendly. I love the idea but the space is a big turn off, it's just a premium model of City with Cruise Control and etc installed. Somemore I'm worried on the battery life, worried on the subsale value as well, as hybrid is new to Malaysia market. With the battery replacement in closing up to RM5,000 after 4-5 years, the cost savings in petrol does not justify the price actually. The air-condition that turn off at traffic light is stupid, yea you can overwrite it, but it's stupid thing to do.

Suzuki SX4 Sport Crossover - RM89,988.00
A hidden gem in my opinion, 101bhp and 140Nm. The ride is high as you can expect in crossover, and it has a very good usable space within. Problem is boot space is not as big but usable still. Rear seats are foldable and it functions like ultraseats in old City. Value for money and it's my choice for current time, as no other come close to it. Power is ok with comfortable ride. Problem might be subsale value later, but swift is bringing the brand up, shouldnt be a problem.

There are lots of choice, but majority couldn't even fulfill my basic requirements. Don't mistaken me, all the cars above are fabulous cars and just look at the volume sold, I'm sure all buyers are educated in choosing the right cars for their family. Just that it doesn't fit my family needs, really that stringent or I'm just picky?

My shortlisted car is only Suzuki SX4 Sport Crossover as I exhausted my list in the budget of RM100,000. What am I going to do? Stay tuned for part 2.