Perodua Myvi

Overview

Being a successful flagship car for a mass oriented manufacturer is not an easy task. The Perodua Myvi has been doing this job pretty effectively. Originally born as a rebadged version of Daihatsu Boon back in 2005, the current version of the Perodua Myvi has entered into its third generation and went on sale in 2017. The B-segment hatchback has blended in modern necessities with Perodua’s key recipe of practicality of making its cars successful.

In its home turf of Malaysia, the Perodua Myvi is being offered with two petrol engine options – a 1.3-litre and a 1.5-litre engine. While the 1.3-litre engine is available with both manual and automatic transmissions, the 1.5-liter version gets only an automatic transmission. The Perodua Myvi is available in a total of five variants – 1.3 G manual, 1.3 G automatic, 1.3 X automatic, 1.5 H automatic, and 1.5 AV automatic. The prices for the Myvi start at RM 41,807 for the base variant and goes all the way up to RM 52,186 for the top-spec one. Color options being offered for the Perodua Myvi are Granite Grey, Peppermint Green, Lava Red, Mystical Purple, Glittering Silver, and Ivory White.

Interior & Features

The overall cabin is a far departure from the previous generation Myvi. As the interior now gets a plethora of comfort and convenience features as well as a nicely designed and ergonomic gears. The dashboard layout seeks some inspiration from the Honda cars of the present generation, with the centre console being slightly tilted towards the driver’s side.

The three-spoke steering wheel looks smart with silver accents for the spokes and tiny but handy mounted audio and Bluetooth controls. The smartness factor further extends for the large instrument console as well, which has a nice layout with a big sized MID screen. As said before, the centre console is slightly tilted towards the drive’s side and is quite large in appearance. You do get a premium looking silver bordering for the centre console, which engulfs a large 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system. The screen has displays for reverse camera and navigation as well. The buttons for the automatic climate control too are nicely laid out.

The Perodua Myvi has always been praised for the amount for space it has to offer, and with this third generation, it has only stepped up the game. With an increase in wheelbase and width, the legroom and shoulder room have gone up as well. The large side glass areas further add to the airy feel inside the cabin. Also, Perodua has provided a total of nine different seating configurations for the Myvi, with the rear seats having the 60:40 split ratio.

Exterior

Perodua’s cars are purely meant for the purpose of all go and no show. With very less focus on aesthetics which make its cars look pretty boring. However, with the Myvi, Perodua has made has extra effort to make its flagship hatchback a bit good looking. While it still can’t match the flamboyance of the likes of a Mazda 2 or a Ford Fiesta, the design lines still look contemporary and not dated.

At the front, the facelifted Perodua Myvi gets a sleek looking trapezoidal grille with a U-shaped chrome accent. However, what adds pizzazz to the front fascia are the full LED headlamps, which make the car look like a machine from the present. The wedge-shaped chrome accents around the fog lamps add some more premium touch, while the skirts below the front bumper bring in some sportiness too.

From the sides, there is nothing much to talk about, as Perodua has played safe with this profile of the car. The overall form looks a bit bland, with the only grace saving features being the machined alloy wheels and side underbody skirting. At the rear too, the Myvi happened to lose its first impression generated by the front fascia. As from the rear hatch looks a bit out of place in terms of design. The oddly-shaped tail lamps and bland rear boot lid make the Myvi look a bit disproportionate. However, the rear roof spoiler above the large curvy glass area and big-sized rear bumper add some muscle to the stance of the car.

Ride & Handling

All the variants of the Perodua Myvi get the conventional Macpherson struts at the front and a multi-link rear suspension, which are tuned on the softer side to make the ride quality plush for daily commutes. This does take a toll on its driving dynamics, as the overall handling is not as thrilling as say, a Ford Fiesta. Also, the steering too is very light for high-speed driving manners. But then, it is nowhere close to being bad, as this overall setting makes it a boon for a comfortable driving experience in the city peripherals.mm

Engine & Fuel Consumption

Apart from the space, the Perodua Myvi has always been preferred for its practical performance with good fuel efficiency. This new Myvi gets two engine options under its hood. The smaller 1.3-litre petrol engine generates 95 PS of maximum power and 121 Nm of maximum torque. Getting the options of either a 5-speed manual or a 5-speed automatic gearbox, the engine returns a fuel efficiency of 21.1 kmpl. On the other hand, the zestier 1.5-litre petrol engine develops a maximum power output of 104 PS and a peak torque output of 136 Nm. This engine gets paired to only the 5-speed automatic gearbox and squeezes out a fuel economy figure of 20.1 kmpl.

Braking & Safety

Being the flagship hatchback from Perodua, the Myvi gets a host of best-in-class safety features to make sure you don’t miss out on the feel of owning a premium hatchback. The Myvi is equipped with front, side and curtain airbags, ABS with EBD, reverse parking camera with sensors, front parking sensors, vehicle stability control, hill hold assist, traction control and ISOFIX mounts for child seats.

Verdict

If you are out for a car with envious looks and make others heads turn towards your ride, then the Perodua Myvi is not a car for you. With a boring design, the Myvi lacks the desirability of its more stylish rivals from international players. However, what it does offer is loads of practicality. With immense space, along with good number of comfort, convenience and safety features and supple ride quality, the Perodua Myvi scores very high on practicality. Adding to it, the best-in-class fuel efficiency figures further makes it the top choice for family oriented buyers. No wonders then, why it has been one of the highest selling models in the Malaysian market.