Perodua Kelisa Range : CHEAP THRILLS

Expert Rating:

The cheapest just got cheaper. Andy Enright reports on Perodua's bargain basement Kelisa.

Friday afternoons at this office are a time of high drama. The jockeying for position begins early and by 5pm it's all done and dusted. You will have the keys to your weekend's transport clutched in your sweaty paw. Having attended a press event, I returned to the office to find one vehicle left for me by my considerate colleagues. The Porsche Boxster had gone, the Mercedes SLK was nowhere to be seen and the Alfa 147 had been similarly bagged. My heart sunk through my shoes when, with the prospect of a 300 mile weekend ahead of me, I saw the Perodua keyfob and realised I had been well and truly stiffed. Things, however, didn't quite turn out that way.

The car I'd been left with was the Perodua Kelisa and, if the shape looks familiar to you, it's because it's a Malaysian take on Daihatsu's old Cuore - though that's not important. What's significant is that it's much cheaper than that car ever was (prices now start from £4,499) and has been restyled slightly. The facelift runs to a redesigned rear end, bumper and a honeycomb grille as well as a few trim and equipment upgrades. What is more significant is that Britain's cheapest car just got cheaper again. The even better news is that the Kelisa is an absolute hoot to drive. Yes, you did read that correctly. The weekend I spent in the Kelisa was one of the most fun I've had in a long while. There's something hugely entertaining about driving a vehicle that costs about as much as a leather interior option on some cars. As you may suspect, it's not hugely sophisticated but it's spunky enough to put a big smile on your face. With prices from £4,812, the value proposition is simply unarguable and compared to the Kelisa, the entry level Toyota Aygo looks pretty ostentatious at close to £7,000. The entry-level Kelisa EX gets Olympus upholstery with an option of metallic paint - although at £200 this represents nearly five per cent of the car's entire cost! Move up to the Kelisa GXi and you'll find improved upholstery plus protective side mouldings, while the range-topping Ezi automatic model comes with all this and colour-keyed mirrors and exterior door handles. There's also a far wider range of colours available.

"The Kelisa is an absolute hoot to drive"

The Kelisa is virtually as affordable as the car it originally replaced, the Nippa. This best-forgotten little runabout was notable only for the fact that at less than £5,000, it was the cheapest car you could buy in the UK. Not that this honour helped it much. Perodua had trouble shifting more than 1,500 units a year. The Kelisa just about retains the cheapest car title but it crucially also has the potential to appeal on criteria other than price. Yes, for much the same kind of cash as the Nippa, the Kelisa is a much better bet. Instead of being fundamentally based on a design (the Daihatsu Mira) which hailed back to the Eighties, its Cuore fundamentals mean it feels far more up to date. Or as up to date as a car based on something introduced in 1998 ever can be. Under the bonnet lies a three cylinder twin-cam 12-valve 989cc powerplant, the very same not only as used by the Cuore but also Daihatsu's larger Sirion supermini. It develops a decent 54bhp, good enough to push the Kelisa to sixty in 14.8s on the way to a less impressive maximum of 88mph. More importantly however, it's reasonably frugal: expect to manage a combined figure of over 55mpg. On the road, you should find the whole package quite brisk enough to keep up with the traffic flow, and the strident engine note encourages foot to the floor progress. The gearchange on the manual cars is none too slick and there's a huge amount of body roll around corners but this only adds to the car's charm. All models come with the same 1.0-litre petrol engine and (unlike the Cuore) feature the same five-door bodyshape (no three-door option is currently planned). All also come fitted with twin front airbags, an engine immobiliser, power steering (crucial for a car like this) and a rear wash/wipe. Stretch to the GXi and you also get electric windows, central locking, metallic paint and cupholders. The automatic-only Ezi, as we've said, provides the full works in terms of equipment. As with many cheap little cars, the best advice is to save your money and go for the entry-level model. To be frank, the quality of fit and finish, though adequate, is hardly of the best and plushing it up defeats the point to a certain extent. With an overall length and width of 3480mm and 1490mm respectively, the Kelisa is more compact and narrower than the three door-only Ford Ka, a plus which makes it an ideal city car. Even better news comes in the form of a turning circle of just 8.6 metres, which means that parking spaces can be accessed with ease. Moreover, that high `Toytown'-style roofline means that headroom is great and visibility impressive. Careful design ensures that four adults can travel in reasonable comfort with adequate legroom and headroom, making even longer journeys viable. Wide-opening doors allow for easy access. You can even swallow a deceptively large amount of baggage should the need arise. Load volumes range from 155 litres VDA with the rear seats in place to 428 litres VDA with the bench folded. Unfortunately, a 50/50 split rear seat is not available. Running costs will be crucial to potential buyers of a car like this and here again, the Perodua doesn't disappoint. The old Nippa was the cheapest car to run in the UK over 60,000 miles according to CAP independent research and this one should prove to be equally wallet-friendly. A low 3A insurance rating and extended 10,000 mile service intervals should also help in this regard. If all you're after is a cheap city runabout, the Kelisa makes a good deal of sense. It even has enough about it to suit those who are looking for a little fun behind the wheel. For a student or as a first car the Kelisa is an inexpensive solution. Me? Put it this way. I was the one wearing the biggest smile on my face come Monday morning.

Facts At A Glance
CAR: Perodua Kelisa range
PRICE: £4,812-£6,526 - on the road
CO2 EMISSIONS: 121g/km
INSURANCE GROUP: 3
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 14.8s / Max speed 88mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 44.1mpg / (extra urban) 64.2mpg / (combined) 55.4mpg
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Widthmm 3480/1490mm