Value for Money MPV

The perceived image of Value for Money MPV would certainly differ according to each  individual preference. An enthusiast driver would prefer for more performance aspects whilst the remaining driver would look further for enhanced functionality to suit her needs. When the requirement focuses on City MPV, the choices are consequently varied from one region to another.

In a relatively flat region with heavy congested section, the choice diminishes somewhat, no matter how enthusiast you are as a driver, a car performance is the last order priority. Many American drivers love to drag from one intersection to the next one despite of speed limit constraint; whereas their European counterparts do not mind to diesel along, as long as their rides are comfortable to suit the needs as well as being frugal.

Being nippy and easy to park may also come in handy. Small turning radius with huge volume of hauling capacity is a bonus. A high seating position with well commanding sight of traffic ahead could also be a help. Particularly for those stop and go, bumper to bumper traffic jam with the road as narrow as bicycle track.

Leisure Drive is privileged to sample hours of driving along this kind of traffic on four popular low budgets MPV, none however being either marketed to US soil or European continent. Three of which belong to the lower segment (under US$ 20K) where as another one from mid upper segment (US$ 35 grand).

In fact the lavished and comfortable Nissan Serena MPV serves much of country driving a mere 140kms from Jakarta to Bandung trip on almost every fortnight, the two out of three lower segmented MPV serve as daily commuter, Suzuki APV for work purpose whereas the Daihatsu Granmax is purely dedicated for school transportation. The other one the most sold MPV in Indonesia Toyota Avanza is used as the yardstick.

All MPV above are capable to haul 7 people at a time, occasionally more on both APV and Granmax, but less so on Serena which is equipped with twin captain style seats at mid row. The only lingering memory to this day which has similar or even more seating capacity is the rare Mercedes Benz 280GE, yet it is a four wheel drive beast that we used to have hauling people and cargo to our remote Villa out in the bewilder-ness 80kms away.

As the road that goes to our remote villa gets civilized and since the Cipularang toll road is available, our 'MPV need" matures along with growing family and new modus of Leisure time. The G-Wagen as it is commonly known at some region has heighten the knack of driving a solidly built with well mannered ride and comfort, in a way dictating certain level of driving enthusiasm, but not for daily city drive.

Size does matter here to encounter narrow, crowd and hectic city traffic. We are now accustomed to the swarm of motor bikes on any gap, every inch of our tiny road is fully occupied nonetheless, often one could not even walk in between with just a couple of inch from within one lane to another.

Most of today MPV offer well isolated cabin to the degree of a G-Wagen has; from noise, vibration and harshness coming from the engine and its drive train, yet suspension banging still protrude inside on the entire low segment MPV. Thanks to their relatively high and tall body the driver could easily afford the passive safety aspect of commanding view for the traffic ahead and surrounding, a bonus for our kind of traffic.

A two and half tones G-Wagen is relatively easy to mingle the traffic with its DOHC 2.8L engine, there is ample of power across its wide rpm as long as the traffic allows, unlike its sedan sibling the GE280 had been designed to attain optimum torque at lower revs. Today even the diminutive 1,200 cc Granmax with its VVTi technology could also easily attain torque rich band below 3,000 rpm in a much responsive time. This is the kind of power level that we mostly need to combat the stop and go motion.

Toyota owns portion of Daihatsu ownership, and when they need small city car platform they look no further than Daihatsu popular vehicles. Avanza is virtually identical to Daihatsu Xenia, the fact that engine technology sharing for cost cutting measure is mandatory, the Granmax gets similar high compression VVTi equipped engine.

The high tech engine offers torque rich bandwidth at relatively low rpm, but does not mind to rev higher in a well mannered behavior, albeit as satisfying as the screaming of DOHC out of our beloved GE280. There is neither hardly harshness nor boominess present on the higher models. Flooring the pedal is perhaps as addictive to the race out of one intersection to the next one. That is provided that the traffic would allow for as such.

Granmax being the most affordable MPV priced from US$ 10 grand has the least insulating material, and as the result there is a tendency for the engine noise to penetrate into the cabin. Likewise the heat coming from engine bay has easily reached into as well, particularly as the driver and front passenger are seating directly above. But the Suzuki engineers apparently have worked hard to encapsulate such heat problem protruding into so the APV cabin has more civilized environment.

In this comfort war it is certainly the Serena has more serene and quietness due to its impeccable sophisticated sound and heat insulation materials, its engine is located well away at front, a similar position on Avanza. Both Serena and APV are equipped with automatic transmission; either gear downshifting or up-shifting on Nissan Serena MPV is completely subdued. Aggressive shifting is almost impossible but has the consequences of delicate maneuver whenever an abrupt lane changing or overtaking is suddenly required.

Cruising at a steady 120kmh is a rarity on even our toll road, on most section is only drive-able well below this speed, though all our MPV are more than capable to attain as such level. Due to their rudimentary suspension set up at the rear both APV and Granmax are noisy and delivering very firm ride at such speed, it may reach to jarring point at some bad undulating road surface, but remarkably quite poised.

Our older APV unlike its latest version of Arena model has rigid leaf spring, yet it fortunately produces more stable and predictable manner in high speed pursuit. Powering down the curve is as confident as in GE280 literally. The rest of the pack is simply trailing behind with Serena right down at the bottom.

Though an automatic transmission is a necessity today it does have a hurdle on its own when it comes to climb an ascending road, as a yardstick you need to have your engine running beyond 3,000 rpm for the required torque to work uphill. Most people seem to forget that these new technology engines are engineered to be operating at its optimum torque at upper half of rpm bandwidth.

In a layman language the engine should get its chance to exercise such as human being too, and the only way to do that is to rev hard. This way it also enable for the combustion chamber to breathe properly, keeping those carbon deposit that is used to be clinging to valve ancillary out away and consequently guarding the tip top shape of the state of combustion cycle process.

None of these MPV has the stopping power of an Old Beginner Rally Car, let alone of any modern sedan braking performances. Caution is constantly given as not to tailgate beyond the stopping potential distance ahead, in fact twice the normal distance as compare to driving any sedan.

Getting a car breakdown is highly unlikely to any of these MPV, but certain glitches do occasionally occur. The second hand 10,000km mileage Serena has suffered few electronically malfunctions, but we do not know how well the MPV was maintained prior to our purchase.

Overall as the Reliability is concerned every MPV here is virtually bulletproof. The highest mileage being the APV at 70,000kms, it has subjected to replacement parts on its front pair disc brake shoes at 30,000 and one ignition coil just recently. The rest is pretty much standard; such as changing the plugs, replacing air filter and so forth. Though once under its manufacturing warranty a digital clock was claimed.

So which one has earned the title as the most Value for Money MPV do you reckoned?

Every MPV has its own advantages and minuses, some features that we love yet some we hate on its standard format. The sliding doors on both Serena and Granmax are quite handy for ease of access; they also provide lots of air coming in whenever both MPV are parking while awaiting for the kids do their own chores.

Despite of its cumbersome to climb aboard at front, for agility and driving confidence the APV wins the battle. As it is the tallest of all it also offer better commanding view for those a little safety edge passive precautions. But the addictive engine roaring at full throttle is got be the Grandmax as well as its ease of access into, and at twice the price the Serena also wins down on a relaxing manner for high speed cruising.

It’s a tough call indeed, but surely as you have finished reading the longest ever post at 1,600 words you would likely to get my drift!