This year, we will not only celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Proton Waja, but it will also be the anniversary of one of the most “weird” Perodua models ever sold.
Before the famous Myvi in Malaysia, Perodua was often covered up by Proton. The fact is that Perodua and Proton did not compete directly. Perodua’s goal is to focus on normal driving with smaller engines in cities, which will not affect Proton’s sales.
At the same time, Perodua launched 3 “simple” cars in 2000. Kancil's target customers are still unfinished new drivers, Deer is used for general commercial purposes, and Kembara stands out for those who want non-off-road vehicles. Kelisa also showed up in 2001, with similar goals to Kancil, but with little success. Each model has its own goals and is not dizzying.
Perodua's initial introduction of this model Kenari caused many questions. This “tall” design hatchback was first released in June 2000 and is based on the Daihatsu Move L900. The reason why it can stand out is because the only Kenari competitor in Malaysia at the time was Hyundai Atos.
Kenari launched 3 different levels of equipment-EX, GX and EZ. The EX and GX models are equipped with a 5-speed manual transmission, while the EZ is the only automatic transmission with only one engine option available, namely the Daihatsu EJ-DE DOHC “Three Pot” 990ml.
The high-style Kenari is very practical and provides enough viewing space. The author's first car was the EZS, which really drove like sitting in an aquarium. Although the internal space is not as large as other cars, the movement inside the car is quite easy and does not cause much interference.
I chose this car because it is more than 175 cm high and very comfortable. Due to the narrow legroom, the steering wheel only needs to be changed to a smaller steering wheel.
Since it is a “multi-purpose vehicle”, Kenari's storage space can be maximized by lowering the rear seats, and its square body is also convenient for loading cargo. Walnut EZS is also the most “luxury” model, the seats, steering wheel and door linings are lined with leather.
However, the design of the box makes it less stable at high speeds. Since the body is also very tall, the “body rolling” is also very eye-catching. If you do not upgrade the engine yourself, Kenari can only drive at speeds below 100 km/h.
But Kenari has found a considerable “fan base”, which is a pretty good success for Perodua. A facelift was launched in 2005, called Aero Sport, and an RS model was provided in 2006.
Kenari ended production in 2009 and there is no substitute product. However, “tuners” like to turn Kenari into Daihatsu Move RS. It is reported that Perodua has performed some visual renderings of Kenari's appearance, but so far, Perodua has no official announcement.
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