Hi guys, any Mazda cx 8 or alphard sc user here ?

My 3RD baby is coming soon, and I’m not a car person. Pls let me know which car is better for my needs

1. Current children are 3 and 2 years old. Newborn is coming next year march .

2. My main concern is which car can put 3 baby car seats and my wife can still comfortably move around / jaga the baby .


Also, which car is better to drive ? Which car is more powerful ?

Is Mazda better in terms of pick up since it has turbo ?

Cx8 2.5 litre turbo charge

Alfat is really annoying to drive to be honest. Huge and chunky

Did u drive alphard b4?

I always recommend ppl to test drive both car. Cx8 turbo is more powerful but fuel consumption is crazy. For me, ill take alphard anytime

Ya, go test drive both of them. Do take into consideration trunk space since you'll need to put stroller and stuff.

Yes that’s why I say is damn annoying

Big and chunky and if road is wavy your balls kinda shrink

Serena, voxy

U are the first i hear from. All alphard owners i know are pretty satisfied with theirs.

convenience = alpat

cx8 turbo = better to drive.

if you have a baby, i assume you will be carrying a stroller. a proper mpv will be much better in this aspect.
cx8 is superb to drive. however, the turbo variant comes with a centre console in the 2nd row so your wife will have difficulty to move around while the car is moving. only the High variant (2.5 N/A) comes with captain seats and walkway.

Is it possible to buy the 2.5 turbo but comes with walkway instead ?

I definitely need A walkway .

Not from the factory. Alternatively, take a look at sorento 2.2d with 6 seater walkway option.
Oh.. then there is proton X90 flagship.

This post has been edited by overfloe: Aug 20 2023, 12:37 PM

Main point is wan put 3 car seat & still wan hav space to move around, doubt the cx8 can do tis better than alfard

Neither. Go for this instead.

thanks for the suggestion, i think i have made up my mind, will go for ALphard.

Wait Jan 2024, hopefully will lower by 20-30k by then

FYI, Mazda cx8 doesnt have 3rd row air-cond. Afternoon will feel very very stuffy on the 3rd row like no air reaching the back. worst on the 7 seater model.

Recon market doesn’t work that way. Used, Toyota’s don’t depreciate that much relative to others like BMW.

For your purpose the alphard is a good choice. Auto sliding doors for the win. Accessibility to third row without sliding doors is just retarded.

if you are looking for new CX8 or Alphard, why don't you give Kia Grand Carnival a try? it's best of both worlds. FC is superb, handling is good enough, comfortable enough and enough power ..

This post has been edited by babisotong: Aug 21 2023, 08:09 AM

if your wife can handle big car ok one, but the baby at the last row, how to take care?

smaller car should be better :X

If want to fetch people especially kids or family, MPV will always be the better choice in term of practicality and comfort. Between the 2 i will pick Alphad/Vellfire anytime.

BTW Kia Grand Carnival 2.2D is a good option also, the diesel engine really is a reliable workhorse & more modern interior & exterior offerings from the Koreans.

2.5 turbo your fuel consumption is going to be super high.

drives much better than the usual jap van. i wish the carnival is a bit shorter though.. it is too long for daily drive in malaysia.

Shorter later people complain of small interior space pulak..

Another option from Toyota is Toyota Granace, but the design really kek..

Between Toyota Alphard and Mazda CX-8 are both different segment cars. It all goes down to what you need. If you need the sliding doors then definitely go for Alphard.

How is the driving dynamic of this car? So far I've heard that Kia Carnival's driving dynamic is better compared to Alphard/Vellfire.

Thanks for the suggestion! I did not know about this car, looks good. Will check it out this weekend

Btw, I have had bad experience with kia when I was young. My dad used to own a kia (at least 15 - 20 years ago) and it was horrendous !! I remember it keeps break down and fuel consumption was high .

How is the kia doing now ? I am a big fan of Toyota as my family owns at least 7-8 Toyota cars for the past 10 years and none of them cause any issue or breakdown. Hence I find it really reliable. And I not a car person, that’s why I tend to avoid any cars or brand that will cause issues

Kia/Hyundai 2.2D turbo diesel is one of the most reliable engine from the Korean side, from their previous Sorento/ Hyundai Sante Fe/Starex this engine been pass down few generation without much issue. Those petrol engine since 10~20 years back can put in grave already.

that's old story bro. Kia / Hyundai improved leaps and bounds since 10 years ago. You just compared Kia "(at least 15 - 20 years ago)" to "7-8 Toyota cars for the past 10 years".

Kia Elantra MD onwards/Sonata/Optima/Cerato ages line fine wine same goes for Hyundai lineup.

Kia / Hyundai car kinda spicy nowadays, especially their EV and N division lineup, Same goes for Genesis.

This post has been edited by babisotong: Aug 21 2023, 04:46 PM

agreed...alphard is so far the best and most satisfyinng car (or van) for famili use...

Have been a Sorento 2.2D user for 5 years, only 1 minor issue. Selling my 5 years old sorento away this week, and purchase a new Sorento 2.2D

Yes, like the rest have said, Kia / Hyundai make very reliable diesel engines.

mpv better, more spacious

Just tried the kia carnival.
PROS
1) better driving experience
2) lebih canggih, everything more IN.
3) cheaper


CONS
1) i dont know why ppl say the interior is better.. it looks very ugly to me. ( i asked the salesperson whether the seat colour can be changed, no)
2) not as comfortable as alphard and those seats are no where near alphard ....
3) many usb port but .... WHY NOT USB 3.0?? who still using the old type usb !?


Anyways, the price is really tempting. Will consider either A;phard or Carnival. Still prefer Alphard for now.

the carnival dashboard is super nice.. is just that the color combination, especially the seats are a bit off. it doesnt give the 'atas' look and feel.

the seats also strange. if you go for an extended drive, you might feel something wrong with the seats - i kept adjusting myself.

in term of driving, yes it is better than the usual alphard/vellfire as the kia feels more european.

You are right. The 7 seater “pilot” seats are very weird. The sales guy keep adjusting for me to lay back.. not smooth at all.

Let me make it clear.
Alphard wasnt meant for family usage. Its meant to show off. Its a limo. (No , not those Hollywood Limo or Perdana Limo)
Its meant to chauffeur CEO or those who wants business class seats, hence the 2 captain seats in the middle and a bench behind. Not suitable for family usage. In fact it wasnt designed for family in mind.

Its not meant to be driven by yourself. Its like driving a cruise ship.
So if you want power, forget about the 2.5L.
Its meant to cruise, not to do 100M sprints and win drag races, although some will use it to tailgate .

So if you want a MPV, get a proper MPV. Alphard is not a family-friendly MPV despite its fat ass size. I dont care what others disagree with me, but thats my view and experience.

Enough said.

I owned a Vellfire ZG. When my friend wanted to buy MPV I suggested him the Kia Carnival, and I went test drive with him.

When I drove it and his wife and him sat behind, I drive smooth and slow like a driver would, and they were getting dizzy. I however, felt okay but it was definitely not as plush as the Vellfire ZG in the drivers seat. Did not feel lacking in power. But simply not as comfortable. When he drove and I sat behind, I felt the same, when cornering it simply felt dizzy for me, I assume it is because it is not plush enough. It was not jarring but just not comfortable. You should go try and if you and your family feel it’s ok, then great.

My friend tested the Serena, he said it felt like a tin kosong, Myvi feeling. End up he bought the Alphard, cause he preferred its mature look vs the Vellfire sporty look.

On paper, the Kia Carnival looks good, in practice I will choose a Vellfire/Alphard every single time. The 2.5L coupled with the CVT is not powerful, but it can cruise highway smoothly. More importantly, comfort above all. With that van, I don’t care about power, just chill only. Fetching family how fast you want to go?

Oh ya I still think Toyota is boring uncle brand, with the exception of the GRs and the Z4upra.

TS if u love ur passenger, Alphard it is. Ride for 1 week with Alphard as passenger cz working, now I know why all Dato love own this and hire drivers. Comfy.

hi TS, same number of kids here and with addition of a maid, I use vellfire and no complains at all, esp now with kids getting into kindy and primary school, that sliding door is heaven, u can jst stop and they hop on hop off (except for the kindy one)

also when they were younger and bound to car seats, it was easy putting them in and out. I used to have aa harrier and let it go the moment my 3rd child came simply for ease of movement and the pain of putting car seat in and out was too much of a hassle in SUV

You should also ask for the 8 seater model to test, for me the 7 seater pilot seat is not very practical.
For the 8-seater model only, the 2nd row seat can be removed and turned to face the 3rd row seat.
Or turn and fold the center seat only to create a shared table.

Regarding the color combination, this is quite subjective. For me If really dont like, can go out and ask for leather shop to customize it. Compare to like handling features/chassis/mechanical/safety stuff is hard to mod aftermarket compare to those inner interior stuff.

This post has been edited by littlefire: Aug 24 2023, 09:03 AM

If you have small kids and you need maneuverability in the car, go for alphard. You can consider and SUV when you kids are older, when they need less attention. I'm sharing based on my opinion, I was tempted with 2.2 G.Karnival too.. after test drive, still choose to upgrade my old vellfire to alphard sc. Just dont spend too much on upgrades etc, the 'van' is good as it is.

Thank you everyone for your input.

Have decided to buy Alphard . Family comfort is more important than my driving experience.

out of topic, just ordered CKD 8 seater carnival, anyone can advise on waiting period? told by SA no confirmation date on when next batch CKD delivery date. loan approved.

I had same consideration as u too. but after i decided not to keep 2 car for work and family, i pass alphard and pick carnival.

Alphard here is recond? Or is it the new RM500,000 one?

Recon SE full spec. 2022 year, condition good.

RM319k .. (havent finish nego)

How i wish i can afford the new 500k alphard.. inside upgrade are so tempting.. but come to think of it, i am not enjoying those features, so no point buying too (if i can afford)

This post has been edited by FirstNoob: Aug 24 2023, 10:47 AM

Dear all,

I received confirmation my car is arriving next week. Need to get some advice for the car tint.

Since the car come with the car tint, is their heat rejection? Based on the SA, they advised owner to replace / add a better heat rejection for windscreen.

Apart from the tint, what else should I take note?

Many thanks in advance.

TS, congrats to your car purchase and new family addition

if you don't mind sharing, what is your loan interest rate and grhure, amount

you must be in the T5 to be able to afford this car

i assume it is cx-8?

yes, the sides and rear are good. only the front windscreen tint is terrible. most owners change the fws to something better. the stock front tint spec lol:
Total Solar Energy Rejection | 34%
Infrared Rejection | 55%

also inspect the paint (look for paint chips), this will help if you plan to ppf your car.

accessories: tools in red bag, tire pump & two cushions.

also, the coolant level.

@cfa28, HP rate is 2.59% for 9 years, RM 100k
@overfloe, thanks for the information. Will ask the SA to do it before handover the car.

I am not going to PPF the car, the car most of the time park in door. Daily drive within Klang Valley only.

For dashcam and TPMS, i am using back from my old car. Get it install after take the car.

thanks for sharing on the loan details

Alphard, u will appreciate the convenience of sliding power door. Making in out baby seat a breeze. U will appreciate how comfortable the car is for passenger n driver. And alphard is n looks more atas than cx8.
I had previous Anh20 and then agh30 current vellfire. Similarly ferrying my 2 kids, wife n mother in laws happily.

cx8 is just a joke compare alphard

which part is the funny part?

#error404jokenotfound

Toyota Alphard . 3.5L V6 start from RM454k
CX8 start from RM255k

except CX8 price is lower.

from the standpoint of a Family car

how can you compare these 2? is totally different league.

is like compare LZJ and Dato LCW.
how to compare???


Alphard drive butter smooth.
extremely comfort.

That sliding door already beat CX8.
back seat setting, versatility... many...

I wonder Did he use a real family car before.

except price/road tax CX8 win
i Dont see how 1 can compared a madza suv with legandary Alphard.
i dont fancy toyota cars. but this Alphard is legend.

Serena. Can walk to back

bruh. any suv cannot compare with proper mpv (though kia EV9 may beat mpv). it can be an alternative for those who do not like the look of a mpv (moving fridge).

most mpvs are a joke to drive though, except kia carnival.

Seconded this, only KC is superb to drive despite it is full size MPV. Just now ferrying 10 full adults, 5 of them is over 120kg for lunch effortlessly even ride on hilly road without effort. No regret and feel so worth the money. CBU 11 seater lowest spec Kia Carnival 2022 BTW.

This post has been edited by busta_dude: Sep 11 2023, 02:55 PM

Owned a CX-8 before switching over to the Alphard.

Trust me you did the right choice. Alphard is totally on another different level in terms of comfort and NVH, which is expected since they cost so much more. Hope you score the model with JBL and 360 camera (360 is dealer option at JDM land). Only thing that confuse me is why Mazda auto high beam works so much better and brighter. If you manage to score one with JBL, prepare to shop for JBL SD Card at shopee, when battery dies the headunit will reset itself and need that SD card. Or you can just borrow from people or 3rd party people with minimum cost.

And no it does not drive like a boat. Drives pretty damn good for what its intended purpose is.

Side note 3rd row seat does not comes with ISOFix as per claim got by nearly all sales agent.