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Car
Review
64 | FireFlyz
Which Compact SUV Should You
Buy This Year?
For those desiring a SUV, the reasons for purchasing seem to include a high driving
positiontoprevent roadbullying, beingableto lookfurtherahead inthicktraffic, traversing
monsoonfloodsinthecityandhavingbigtirestoclimboverKlangValleycurbsandpotholes
when needed. One must understand that the SUV started its life as a car with off road
technology. With runaway sales success, almost every car manufacturer has a SUV in
their stableusinga car platformwith4wheel drive (4WD) technologybuilt underneath.
W o r d s :
D a n i e l F e r n a n d e z
2
016
has just come and
many Malaysians are
ready to spend on a new
vehicle...primarily a new
compact SUV. There are
so many options in the
market today and we are
here to offer some advice.
Guide me
The current market favourite, the Honda
HR-V needs no introduction and needs
no two cents of mine as it continues to
outsell every segment rival. There are
some rivals that you should consider if
you do not want to wait in line (estimated
waiting period is between 4-5 months
at the time of writing this article) for
a 1.8-liter HR-V which is priced from
RM99,800.00 to RM118,800.00. Why
not look at the Renault Captur? This
turbocharged 1.2-liter compact SUV
is fully imported and comes in funky
colours and interior trim. It’s fun, lively
and inspiring. Priced at RM118,000.00,
this fully imported French product may
only have a 120bhp engine but it never
feels breathless or needy when pushed
on the highway. City driving is easy and
its company dimensions gives easy tight
city driving and parking.
The next offering is the just arrived
SKYACTIV powered Mazda CX-3 2-liter.
Fully imported from Japan and with very
high equipment in the cabin and under
the shiny stylish exterior, the CX-3 sells
for RM131,158.30. Why is this price very
close to the Mazda CX-5 SUV, which is
larger and sells for just RM125,000.00?
The reason is simple. The CX-5 is locally
assembled which means lower import
taxes and the CX-5 comes with less