Gone are the days when cars in this price bracket were seen as rust buckets or death traps that needed careful handling and lots of patience.
Two decades ago, there were even premium European cars that did not have airbags.
Nowadays, even cars priced below RM100,000 are fitted with so much gadgetry and technology that buyers have a hard time understanding how they work.
CarSifu sheds some light on the features that car buyers would want to check out.
Airbags are standard in the Honda City.
1. Airbags
The airbag consists of a folded textile cushion designed to inflate quickly inside the vehicle immediately after a collision, says automotive safety systems producer Autoliv Inc.
Most airbags are inflated pyrotechnically and can only be deployed once. According to Autoliv, frontal airbags are deployed in less than 50 milliseconds.
Side airbags have to be fully inflated within 15 milliseconds, which is eight times faster than the blink of an eye.
Once an airbag deploys, deflation begins immediately as the gas escapes through vent holes in the fabric.
A frontal airbag is empty after one second.
There are four main parts in an airbag, which are an inflator that produces gas to inflate the folded bag, a textile cushion made of nylon or fabric, a housing for storing the folded bag and the inflator, and a cover that opens as the cushion inflates.
The airbag is controlled by a passive safety electronics unit.
This “electronic brain” decides if and when each of the airbags should be deployed, after receiving data from sensors such as accelerometers.
By measuring deceleration, accelerometers activate the airbag depending on the severity of the collision. Airbags are designed not to activate during sudden braking or while driving on rough or uneven pavement.
One of Iriz's selling point is that it is equipped with stability control.
2. Vehicle Stability Assist
Some automakers call it VSA (vehicle stability assist) while others use electronic stability programme (ESP).
Regardless of the term, the technology helps to stabilise the vehicle in corners or wet conditions.
According to Honda, its VSA technology will, during an understeer or oversteer condition, brake individual wheels and reduce engine power to help restore the intended course.
Should the car deviate from its correct path, VSA activates to bring the car back on track.
The system monitors the speed of the car as well as the relative speed of each wheel, the amount of turn on the steering wheel and the yaw and lateral G-forces on the vehicle.
Honda points out that when VSA activates, the driver might find that the engine does not respond to the accelerator in the same way it does at other times.
The Japanese automaker also emphasised that the VSA system cannot enhance the vehicle’s driving stability in all situations and does not control your vehicle’s entire braking system.
It is still the driver’s responsibility to move at reasonable speeds and allow a sufficient margin of safety.
The Mitsubishi Attrage throws in ABS for occupant safety.
3. Anti-lock braking system
When you brake hard and your wheels lock up on wet roads, you may lose traction and control, causing your vehicle to spin.
Anti-lock braking system (ABS), according to Mitsubishi Motors, prevents the wheels from locking up under heavy braking or while braking on slippery road surfaces, thereby allowing the driver to maintain steering control and avoid collisions.
The ABS lamp on the Mitsubishi Attrage’s instrument panel.
It should be noted that while ABS can help a driver prevent unsafe situations while braking, it is never a substitute for safe driving.
ABS does not always reduce stopping distances - the distance from the start of braking to the point where the vehicle stops completely.
Stopping distance can be influenced by many factors including road surface conditions and friction between the tyres and the road surface.
According to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, ABS works with your regular braking system by automatically pumping them.
In vehicles not equipped with ABS, the driver has to manually pump the brakes to prevent wheel lock up. In vehicles equipped with ABS, your foot should remain firmly planted on the brake pedal, while ABS pumps the brakes for you so you can concentrate on steering to safety.
More specifically, ABS automatically changes the brake fluid pressure at each wheel to maintain optimum brake performance just short of locking up the wheels.
4. Front parking sensors
Just like rear parking sensors, ultrasonic front sensors emit sound waves that bounce off solid surfaces.
The latest Perodua Myvi has front parking sensors.
As the car gets closer to an obstacle, a beeping noise is emitted, and the sound increases in intensity until it becomes a constant tone, to tell the driver to stop the car.
However, very few entry-level or B-segment cars in Malaysia, except for the Perodua Myvi Advanced, have front parking sensors.
Although such parking sensors are inexpensive, many automakers only offer them for the top spec variants rather than across the model line-up.
However, car owners should not discount the importance of front parking sensors as they can be helpful for judging the distance between the front bumper and an obstacle.
Even a minor dent or scrape can result in time wasted and money spent on a costly fix.
Start up the Kia Rio with the push of a button.
5. Keyless entry and push-start
Keyless entry and engine push-start buttons are getting more common in entry-level cars nowadays, as advanced electronic technology become more affordable due to mass production and economies of scale.
Keyless entry and push-start button in Kia Rio.
With the smart key in the pocket or handbag, the driver simply walks up to the car, pushes a button on the door handle to open the door, gets seated, presses the brake pedal and pushes a button to start the engine.
This is very convenient, as the driver does not need to search for the car key, or look for the slot to insert the key.
An example is Kia’s Smart Key system where the electronic key fob communicates with the car via radio waves to allow easy access.
The driver also has the option to use the buttons on the key fob to unlock the car door.
All 10 cars surveyed including the VW Polo Sedan had ISOFIX child seat points.
6. ISOFIX
Dedicated attachment points for child seats in vehicles, based on the ISOFIX (International Standards Organisation Fix) system, are found in most new cars today.
The Polo Sedan offers ISOFIX points to anchor a child seat safely in the cabin.
As Volkswagen explains, ISOFIX is an international standard designed to ensure your child’s car seat is fitted easily and securely.
The ISOFIX child seat fixes directly into compatible fittings in your car, creating a secure link without the need to use the adult seatbelts.
With ISOFIX, securing your child’s car seat properly is much easier, reducing the risk of injury in an accident.
According to Volkswagen, ISOFIX child seats can be used in all its models, including the Polo Sedan.
The child seat preparation has two mountings fixed to the body of the car.
The compatible child seat fits securely to these mountings by two support arms.
They are easy to fit and offer high levels of safety because they are fixed rigidly to the car body.
7. Rear luggage space
Malaysian car buyers tend to love sedans for their reasonably large storage capacity especially for shopping trips, outdoor activities and “balik kampung” holidays.
In recent years, automakers have catered to this demand by designing cars with increasingly larger boot space.
While the Nissan Almera leads in boot space, the Toyota Vios is second in line with 30 litres less.
For example, the Nissan Almera has a generous 490-litre boot that was designed to accommodate lots of luggage, and is capable of carrying up to four golf bags.
The Almera is also known to have a spacious cabin with generous leg and shoulder room.
8. Infotainment connectivity
For digitally savvy car buyers, in-car communication and connectivity are important aspects of a vehicle.
Honda City'a infotainment connectivity.
The in-car entertainment system, with touchscreen display, Bluetooth and USB connectivity as well as voice control, is a regular feature in many entry-level and B-segment cars.
The latest Honda City has been a best-seller, partly due to a top V Grade variant that has two USB sockets, Bluetooth sync for speed dial to make calls, a seven-inch touchscreen display, and a top-class eight-speaker audio system.
The City V Grade also offers iPhone connection via HDMI (Mirrorlink) and hands-free Bluetooth connection.
The Suzuki Swift can help you find your way around as it is GPS-equipped.
9. GPS navigation
In this high-tech era with satellite-based GPS (global positioning system), many car owners have stopped depending on paper maps or even asking strangers for directions when travelling in unfamiliar territory.
Toyota Vios' GPS navigation.
An in-car touchscreen GPS navigation system is rapidly becoming a familiar sight, even in entry-level cars.
For example, UMW Toyota Motor recently made a top-of-the-line infotainment system with GPS navigation as standard fare in selected models such as the top two Vios variants.
The Toyota Vios 1.5 TRD Sportivo and 1.5G now has a DVD-AVN (audio-video-navigation) system that includes a reverse camera, touchscreen display and a full range of connectivity options.
A reverse camera is available in the Mazdas2 sedan.
10. Reverse camera
A reverse or rear view camera is another useful device offered in entry-level or B-segment cars nowadays.
Mazda2's reverse camera.
It can eliminate blind spots behind the car, allow easier parking in tight spaces, and help to avoid accidents involving children or pets.
Cameras with a wide viewing angle are preferred.
A good example is the reverse camera system in the Mazda2, which is connected to a dashboard-mounted screen.
Drivers can take advantage of parking lines shown on the display screen, to squeeze into parking spots with confidence.
