Mobil Rakyat...new cars

[nosox]

5 into 3? I like when we get out of the toll booth as we close on Jakarta and it's 12 into 3
Also I miss my old Jag from Canada but can only imagine the rust, it was bad enough in arid Alberta

 

[jstar]

@nosox; Nice car but ya, esp. the XJS was rather prone to rusting, right?

Now I'm not convinced you would enjoy a car like that over here. A 4, 5 or even 6 liter engine is great of course, but what advantages would it offer here? You can never use its potential. And cars like that need to be driven on highways, also to prevent problems.

And engine overheating must be a real concern in this climate.

 

[nosox]

Thanks Jstar.Ya lots of nooks and crannies for rust and the V12 prone to overheating, it would be a nightmare here

 

[jstar]

@nosox: And I learned the hard way that those larger engines you can not really park and forget. They need to be driven, preferably on longer stretches. So if you consider to keep your darling in your home country, it might be quite a costly affair.

Talking about Jaguar, Tata (India) is doing a great job of course, also with Landrover. But the models don't really do so much for me anymore. It has become a bit more mainstream design; nice but not wow. Also, by implementing diesels, developing SUVs and stationcars they kind of lose that unique edge. But business is doing great yes, and that's what counts. I think that Geely is doing it even better with Volvo.

Volvo is very rare indeed. Larger Jaguars you see from time to time in Jakarta, I wonder if we will see the new SUV (F-Pace) a lot here. Of course that one is more in the league of an Audi Q5 and Porsche Macan, which sell quite well over here.

 

[nosox]

Indeed, owning a Jag requires your attention. I was fortunate enough to live where she could from time to time stretch her legs( at your own risk of course) Alberta cops like to keep you honest

 

[vocalneal]

Alberta cops like to keep you honest

Edmonton has police, Calgary has police but Alberta is policed by the RCMP (Gravel Road Cops). So technically there are no Alberta Police like there are OPP, they are an Alberta detachment of the national police Who historically were there before the settlers arrived!

 

[nosox]

I was all inclusive, city cops are also harsh

 

[jstar]

More and more new cars in the west are equiped with options as traffic sign recognition, and built-in webcams are even available.

Now the latter is very useful and avoids all the cables and crap of a DIY installation at your windscreen, but the former will prove to be completely rubbish of course.

Btw, I have seen that the blind spot recognition was disabled in many premium cars, just like the distance warning. It probably drove the owners crazy.

But the first thing I would have installed in a new car if it's not available, would be the rear parking camera. The weird thing is that many models which do have this standard in other countries, only have the beeping sensor in Indonesia.

 

[El_Goretto]

So today I stumbled upon a KIA Sedona and was pleasantly surprised to see that it's available in Indonesia. It looks like a good alternative to Alphard/Vellfire or the new Honda Odyssey. What do you think? Good car or what?

 

[jstar]

The Sedona will get a major facelift later this year (there are spy shots) so probably 6 months later in RI.

I feel the Koreans don't really have a competitive edge as in the west, since their price here is high (and an Odessey has become premium as an Alphard). But, the 5 year warranty is very interesting indeed (which is 7 years in other markets btw).

I think the car is called Grand Carnival here.

 

[El_Goretto]

I think the car is called Grand Carnival here.

Unclear. On the KIA Indonesia website, the car is listed as Grand Sedona but some other places it's called Grand Carnival. The badge itself says Sedona.

What I like about the car is how wide it is. It looks very comfortable while not as imposing as an Alphard.

And of course, the price: 487jt for the base version and 555jt for the top of the line. It's unclear if the car has as many features as the US model but if it does, it's a steal! Especially with that 3.3L V6 engine!

I'm just not sure about reliability and the resale value might be low due to it not being a Toyota or Honda. However, I do know that the Korean brands are getting better and better. I guess the cheap and cheerful image of Korean car manufacturers is hard to get rid of.

 

[jstar]

Talking about large and luxureous people movers (MPV's):

There is a new Toyota Alphard. Ibu[sup]2[/sup]'s favorite car to be driven around between shopping malls. (And I would know, M-i-l and older s-i-l have one each.)

If you thought it could not be more refined and lavish, you were wrong. Price is also getting crazier, 890 juta or 1,0 or 1,7 billion, depending on engine and trim.

There is a hybrid version, which is for sale for 1,4 milyar. As they say in Flemish; miljaardedju!

 

[vocalneal]

Hyundai H-1 diesel seems to be van de jour here. Replacing the VW Transporter as the posh van, as the palace uses VW or used to.

 

[El_Goretto]

@jstar yes the Alphards are nice, although I'm not a big fan of the front grill. I was quite shocked when it came out and it has grown on me a bit but I still prefer the previous generation's tyle (especially the Vellfire).

@vocalneal Those H1 are very comfortable but so huge, bigger than the Alphard I think.

However, the non-foldable 3rd row is a deal breaker. Huge car, unusable boot.

 

[jstar]

^
There we see a clear difference between locals and westerners.

For us there is not that much difference between these maxi-minivans. But over here there are definitely two perceived classes.

The H1 is really an 'expatcar', excusez le mot. Very popular in those circles, the Jakarta implementation of the soccer mom car to be used to bring the kids to school. The Carnival, Starex, Sedona iMax etc. are all more or less the same Korean siblings btw. Their resale value is (for local standards anyway) rather low, mainly since locals will not be that interested.

The thing is also (cf. the Nissan Evalia/NV200) that in many other countries the H1 is also used as transporter of goods. Compare it to a Ford Transit if you will. Or a Reanult Trafic / Vauxhall Vivaro if you were born after the sixties. Those cars can never really hide their heritage, even with a fancy leather interior.

And what many of us think as only being normal ("hey I'm not crazy, I want the biggest bang for the buck") is rather exceptional in this country. See for instance the popularity of the Koreans and also Dacia and Skoda in Europe, vs. here. So it is not a given, to buy a Korean with the same specs and longer warranty but a lower price. Hell, it often is not even considered. (I think they are crazy buying an Avanza if they can get a Xenia which is basically the same rebatched car for 20 juta less, but soit).

If you look in this price class, the locals prefer the Mazda Biante and Nissan Serena. And they see the Korean family also in that same class.

 

[jstar]

Talking about captain's seats: the luxurious Toyota Innova we talked about before, is for sale now.

It is called the (New) Venturer. It has 6 seats, count on paying between 380 and 460 million IDR.

So similar to what they did with the Avanza, of which they call the top model simply Veloz now, it seems the name Kijang Innova will not be used for this car.

 

[El_Goretto]

The Carnival, Starex, Sedona iMax etc. are all more or less the same Korean siblings btw. Their resale value is (for local standards anyway) rather low, mainly since locals will not be that interested.

This. First thing my f-i-l said when I told him how cool I thought the Sidona is: low re-sale value, expensive spare parts, nobody likes a big engine at that price point. All valid points. Maybe I could use it to my advantage and wait 2 or 3 years and pick one up with 30,000km for half price.

The Mazda 6 is an amazing car, it looks good, it's good quality, insane value when factoring all the gizmos and features. And we're already seeing 3 or 4 year old models with low km for just over 300jt. A car that was around 500jt at launch and now is close 600jt new.

If you look in this price class, the locals prefer the Mazda Biante and Nissan Serena. And they see the Korean family also in that same class.

The Serena is a car I like for purely practical reasons. It's spacious, great visibility, gets the job done. Ugly tho. But certainly on the list of cars I would consider buying.

 

[jstar]

This. First thing my f-i-l said ....., expensive spare parts...

That is an urban myth in Indonesia which is almost impossible to eradicate; people are convinced that only Toyota and Honda use original replacement parts. And that is an important reason they are better (and cheaper in repairs).

Besides the fact that this is not a given and depending on the workshop, it is also not necessarily a bad thing to source spare parts somewhere else. Consider the fact many car manufacturers have become car assembly companies, with only subcontractors, where the purchase department and logistics sourcing has become pivotal.

Very often the the more common replacements as brake pads, timing belts and shock absorbers come from third parties to begin with. The fact they put their logo on the box does not mean they produce them. Βosch for instance is both OEM and aftermarket supplier.

Last but not least there are replacements which are obviously better than the originals.

 

[nd_eric_77]

It blows my mind that the Alphard is $100k USD for a freaking Toyota minivan!!! That just would not fly in the US. It is a slightly more luxurious version of the the US Toyota Sienna:
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2017-toyota-sienna-first-drive-review

 

[Nasigan]

Talking about large and luxureous people movers (MPV's):

There is a new Toyota Alphard. Ibu[sup]2[/sup]'s favorite car to be driven around between shopping malls. (And I would know, M-i-l and older s-i-l have one each.)

If you thought it could not be more refined and lavish, you were wrong. Price is also getting crazier, 890 juta or 1,0 or 1,7 billion, depending on engine and trim.

There is a hybrid version, which is for sale for 1,4 milyar. As they say in Flemish; miljaardedju!

jstar, I give you a like because of this "miljaardedju"