Full Road Test Perodua Myvi

Full Road Test

If you experience a sense of déjà vu when you see the Perodua Myvi, it's easily explained. No, you don't have extra-sensory powers to see into the future, but you are likely to have seen this car before - just with a different set of badges. The Myvi is Perodua's take on the Daihatsu Sirion, which itself shares the bulk of its bits with the Subaru Justy. To cap it all, all three are based on a pint-pot Toyota, though this model is not sold in Europe.

With those other companies in its credentials, there's no doubt the Myvi is the car to shake off Perodua's cheap and cheerless image in the UK. We've no doubt it will be a reliable helper when it comes to getting about, but it's a shame Perodua doesn't have quite the same confidence to endow it with anything more than a 36,000-mile, three-year warranty. This is all the stranger when Daihatsu and Subaru provide cover for 60,000 miles. Still, the Myvi is well put together, though some of the interior plastics are hard, shiny and missing the visual charm of several other rivals. Given how much Perodua charges for the Myvi, there are also no excuses on the grounds of this car being in the bargain-basement price range. For the same money as the Myvi, there are some brilliant city cars and superminis available, including the Fiat Panda and Ford Fiesta.

For the money, Perodua includes a fair amount of standard luxury gear, covering air-conditioning, CD stereo, electric windows all round, remote central locking, rear parking sensors, metallic paint and electrically adjusted door mirrors. Not on the menu, however, are side or curtain airbags, as only driver and passenger 'bags are fitted. There are also no alloy wheels on offer or sunroof of any description. On the upside, Perodua buyers can choose the EZi model to have a four-speed automatic gearbox instead of the SXi's five-speed manual. Unless you really cannot drive without the aid of an auto, we reckon you're much better off with the manual as the self-shifter dents performance, economy and emissions. The 1.3-litre petrol engine serves up reasonable performance when coupled to the manual gearbox and returns a decent, if unspectacular for the class, 48.7mpg combined economy. The EZi auto comes in at 44.1mpg, with 151g/km carbon dioxide emissions to the manual's 137g/km. Again, neither sets the class alight. It's much the same with how the Myvi drives. Around town, it has light steering and a good turning circle, which makes it a cinch to feed through narrow gaps and to park. The high-set driving position also gives a good view out and it's easy to judge where the car's extremities lie. Head beyond the city limits and the Myvi is much less at home. On the motorway, there's too much road, wind and engine noise for anyone but the most committed owner to contemplate a long journey, while country roads show up the dull handling. There's not too much body lean, but the Myvi misses the grip and balance of a Fiat Panda, and the Perodua's suspension soon looses its composure on rut-strewn roads.

Some compensation comes in the Myvi's surprisingly spacious cabin. Thanks to its tall sides and seats that put its occupants in a comfortable, upright position, there's good head and legroom. The steering wheel only adjusts for angle, but the driver's seat moves for height, so a good driving position is easily attained by most users. Rear seats space is good and the small boot is unhindered by intrusions to make the most of its 255-litre capacity. Fold the 60/40 split rear seats and you have up to 630 litres of cargo space. The Myvi also rewards with low running costs thanks to group 6 insurance and cheap servicing, but it must be remembered that it will not hold its value as dependably as some of its competition. Still, once you're over the feeling of déjà vu, you're not likely to encounter another Perodua Myvi on the road.

Perodua Myvi Specification and Price

Here’s what I gathered about the new Perodua Myvi. Since the media test drive, alot of things speculated about the Perodua Myvi has been answered by the team at Perodua themselves.

Engine

The 1 liter Myvi which is the Perodua Myvi 1.0SR will be using the EJ-VE 1 liter 3 cylinder DOHC engine, an upgraded version of the EJ-DE 1 liter 3 cylinder DOHC found in the Kenari/Kelisa. When I say upgraded, I mean it comes with DVVT variable valve timing. This EJ-VE DVVT engine is also found in export models of the Perodua Kelisa intended for the UK market.

As a comparison, the 1.3 Toyota Passo/Daihatsu Boon uses the same K3-VE as our 1.3 Perodua Myvi but the 1.0 Toyota Passo/Daihatsu Boon uses the 1KR-FE 1.0 engine with variable valve timing instead of the EJ-VE that our 1.0 Perodua Myvi has. This is probably an updated 1 liter engine design as compared to the EJ series that we’re still using.

The 1.3 liter Myvi, available in 4 trim levels (1.3SX, 1.3EZ, 1.3SXi, 1.3EZi) is using the K3-VE engine found in the Kembara DVVT, which has variable valve timing. I suspect YRV Turbo halfcuts with the K3-VET in them will be even more popular now

Power output for the 1 liter EJ-VE is 56hp and the 1.3 liter K3-VE produces 85hp. As a Comparison, the Honda Jazz 1.5 VTEC produces 110hp and the Jazz 1.5 i-DSI produces 87hp too. So you can see, the variable valve timing feature on the K3-VE really makes it comparable to 1.5 liter engines not equipped with any form of variable valve timing.

Transmission/Gearbox

There are manual and automatic transmission available. The manual is a 5-speed while the auto is a 4-speed with overdrive. This should help with the highway cruising fuel consumption.

Specifications/Trim Levels

There are four models available. The prices shown are including insurance.

Model	Specs	Price
Myvi 1.0SR	1.0, Manual	RM41,200
Myvi 1.3SX	1.3, Manual	RM44,755/RM45,300
Myvi 1.3EZ	1.3, Auto	RM47,781/RM48,300
Myvi 1.3SXi	1.3, Manual, Dual Airbags, ABS	RM47,781/RM48,300
Myvi 1.3EZi	1.3, Auto, Dual Airbags, ABS	RM50,781/RM51,300

Looks like the price for the 1.3SXi and the 1.3EZ is the same. If you could only afford that much and not the 1.3EZi, would you choose an automatic transmission or the dual airbags and ABS?

The 1.3 cars are available in all seven colours but the 1.0 is only available in black, gold and silver. All the 1.3 versions have 14 inch alloy rims while the 1.0 only has steel rims. Looks like the 1.0SR is the ultra-budget version of the Myvi.

Quality Control Standards

QC, or rather the lack of QC is the problem plaguing Malaysian car manufacturers. Perodua is definitely much better than Proton in terms of quality control. And with recently being commissioned to manufacture the Toyota Avanza for Toyota, it’s factory’s QC had been beefed up so that it matches Toyota’s standards. Defect rates are currently at 0.2, which means 2 defects per 10 cars. This is a huge improvement from the rate of 2 to 2.5 per car 10 years ago.

So here you go, everyone’s questions about the prices and the models available answered! Before I end this post, let me leave you with some spyshots.

The one on the left is the 1.3EZi or one of the 1.3 models I presume and the one on the right is the 1.0SX. You can see the exterior differences for the two models. The higher spec Myvi has foglamps on the bumper but the 1.0 model does not. The 1.0 model also has wheelcaps covering the ugly steel rims but the 1.3 model has proper alloy wheels. Oh yes, check out the side mirrors for the Myvi, they have signal lamps on them. Kind of cool Yes, yes, I’m easily amused okay!