You’d think that black is a popular car colour, but Perodua – which sells four out of 10 new cars in Malaysia – did not offer black in its range before this Aruz (Granite Grey is the darkest shade). Over at Proton, black is reserved for range-topping models and special editions, which is why you don’t see many black Protons on the road. A minor mystery.
Anyway, this is the Perodua Aruz in the new Elegant Black exterior colour. Announced last month, black joins Ivory White, Glittering Silver, Granite Grey, Electric Blue and Passion Red on the palette. The latter was introduced in 2021 as part of a minor update, replacing the Amazon Green launch colour. Black is available for both X and AV variants. We noticed that the pillars are now in gloss black (body colour, basically) without the matte black stickers for the other colours.
Some might not be aware of the 2021 update, which aside from the red colour option, brought on features such as side steps. The black items integrate well with the SUV-style body cladding, and there’s an Aruz badge on its rear section. Also new was auto door-locking, which kicks in above 20 km/h and auto unlocks in the event of an accident.
Other than that, the Aruz has remained unchanged since its launch in January 2019. The tall seven-seater is powered by a 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder engine with 102 PS and 133 Nm of torque at 4,200 rpm. The Dual VVT-i 2NR-VE sends drive to the rear wheels via a four-speed automatic transmission, and claimed fuel consumption is 15.6 km/l (6.4 litres per 100 km) with the Eco Idle system.
Safety wise, there are six airbags and the AV gets Perodua’s Advanced Safety Assist (ASA) 2.0 suite, which includes Pre-collision Warning, Pre-collision Braking, Front Departure Alert and Pedal Misoperation Control. The Aruz has a five-star ASEAN NCAP rating.
By the way, this Elegant Black Aruz wears front and rear bumper kits from Perodua’s GearUp accessories catalogue, which you can tell from the red ‘whiskers’ at both ends. This ‘Rugged Package’ is a RM1,292 option. The door visors you see here are also from GearUp, priced at RM180. Inside, the GearUp coil mats will cost you RM220.
The Aruz range starts with the X at RM72,900 on-the-road excluding insurance, rising to RM77,900 for the AV you see here, which aside from ASA, gains auto headlamps, fog lamps, roof rails, dashcam and leather seats.
Perodua is having a year-end promo that offers RM4,000 discount for the Aruz, which brings the starting price of this seven-seater to below RM70k. The deal is from now till December 31, 2024.
The Aruz isn’t the only three-row seven-seater in Perodua’s range – the Alza, launched in July 2022, is the more popular of the P2 MPVs. However, there’s a key difference between the two that keeps the Aruz relevant. It was a deliberate decision by Perodua to keep the Alza’s ground clearance to a car-like 160 mm. That’s a significant 60 mm lower than the Aruz’s 220 mm, and the GC difference is plainly visible. So, of the two, this is the better one to pass minor floods and go further off the tarmac. A better camping car too.
GALLERY: Perodua Aruz in Elegant Black, with GearUp Rugged Package
The post Perodua Aruz in new Elegant Black colour, full gallery – RM4,000 discount till Dec 31, 7-seater below RM70k appeared first on Paul Tan’s Automotive News.
