In Cars, Local Car Launches, Local News, Perodua / By Danny Tan / 16 November 2017 6:12 pm / 72 comments

The all-new 2018 Perodua Myvi has been officially launched in Malaysia, with minister of international trade and industry Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed doing the honours in Putrajaya this evening. We’ve been as eager as you to see this story go live, having signed an embargo agreement with Perodua in order to have pre-launch access to the car. From that, we’ve prepared a first impressions test drive report, which you’ll see here later.

UPDATE: Read our review of the all-new 2018 Perodua Myvi, here.

Let’s get straight to it. The third-generation Myvi succeeds two very popular generations of the five-door B-segment hatch, the first of which appeared in May 2005.

Interestingly, the first Myvi was intended to be a niche model in what was then a sedan-dominated mainstream market, but shot straight to the top of the sales charts. It was Malaysia’s best selling car until the end of 2014, before Perodua’s own Axia took over the baton. The Axia will soon make it three years in a row at the top.

The second-generation D54T Myvi came on stream in mid-2011, while the facelifted car has held the fort from January 2015 till today. The Myvi reached the big one million units milestone in June this year, and Perodua has shifted 42,000 units of the outgoing car in the first three quarters of the year – not bad for a six-year old car.

Local effort, homegrown design

While the previous two Myvis were largely based on the Daihatsu Boon (or Sirion outside of Japan), this new one has an upper body and interior that was fully designed by Perodua. It may look similar from certain angles, but the new Myvi is not based on the C-segment Toyota Auris (or Corolla iM in the US), or even the Thai Toyota Yaris.

The previous Myvi’s platform has been worked on to the extent that it’s 70% new for this application – the D20N’s longer wheelbase and completely altered dimensions are proof. Perodua says that it has used 2.5 times more high-tensile steel than before, with additional bracing and reinforcements in strategic areas. The increased body rigidity has translated to improved driving stability and crash performance. An acoustic windshield reduces NVH levels.

Suspension enhancements include thicker front and rear stabiliser bars, a new lightweight front lower arm, stiffer rear beam structure with new curved design and a redesigned rear cross member for better rigidity.

“The all-new Myvi is a the first Perodua model to have an upper body designed completely in-house, without foreign input. Not only is this a testament to our technology partner Daihatsu’s confidence in our abilities. It also allows the car to be tailored to suit the needs and wants that are unique to Malaysians,” said Datuk Aminar Rashid Salleh, president and CEO of Perodua.

“This new model features technology that was before this only available in premium cars. It sets a benchmark for us in terms of quality, design and and overall offerings for our future models,” he added.

New shape, larger footprint

At 3,895 mm long and 1,735 mm wide, the new Myvi is 205 mm longer and 70 mm wider than the previous one. The much larger footprint combines with a 30 mm drop in height (to 1,515 mm) for more conventional hatchback proportions. The new car is more aerodynamic than before, at Cd 0.296 vs Cd 0.306. Besides the lower body, air spats, a semi-flush rear spoiler and “aeroslim” wipers contribute to the smoother shape.

The new car’s 2,500 mm wheelbase is 60 mm longer than before – this, together with greater tandem distance (937 mm between the front and rear passengers) and interior width translates to a more spacious cabin. The Myvi’s traditional top hat-accomodating head room is no more, but what’s left should still be adequate for most.

There’s more boot space than before – at 277 litres, the hold is 69 litres larger than before (Axia 260 litres). The rear seats can split fold 60:40 to reveal 832 litres of space, but the surface isn’t completely flat. Previously, the seat base can be tipped forward for the backrest to fold flush with the boot floor, but the seat base is fixed here. The seat back has a two-step recline and Perodua touts various seat configurations in the ‘8+1 flexible seating arrangement’.

Five variants are on offer, and they are the 1.3 Standard G MT (RM44,300), 1.3 Standard G AT (RM46,300), 1.3 Premium X (RM48,300), 1.5 High (RM51,800) and the range-topping 1.5 Advance (RM55,300). Prices are on-the-road excluding insurance. The factory warranty is five years or 150,000 km.

New Dual VVT-i engines

Two new engines are being offered, both from the current Toyota/Daihatsu NR family with DOHC and Dual VVT-i. The 1NR-VE 1.3 litre unit is as seen in the Bezza and Toyota Avanza, and it puts out 94 hp at 6,000 rpm and 121 Nm of torque at 4,000 rpm.

The base Myvi 1.3 Standard G gives the option of a five-speed manual gearbox, but otherwise it’s a four-speed E-AT automatic across the range. Eco Idle auto start-stop, which made its debut with the Bezza 1.3, is available on 1.3 Premium X and above variants.

Also found in the Toyota Vios, the 2NR-VE 1.5 litre engine makes 102 hp at 6,000 rpm and 136 Nm of torque at 4,200 rpm in the Myvi. Perodua claims a fuel economy of between 20.1 km/l (1.3 AT without Eco Idle, 1.5 AT with Eco Idle, 20.5 km/l for 1.3 MT) and 21.1 km/l (1.3 AT wth Eco Idle) for the new Myvi, which is classified as an Energy Efficient Vehicle (EEV). On average, the new Myvi is 32% more efficient, P2 says. Weight, ranging from 955 kg to 1,015 kg, is largely unchanged. The outgoing Myvi 1.5L AT was rated at 15.4 km/l, by the way.

Premium features, local inventions

Now to the features. All variants get LED headlamps with auto off and follow-me-home functions, LED tail lamps, keyless entry with push start, digital air-con controls with two memory settings, 60:40 split folding rear seats and reverse sensors. 1.3L variants get four airbags (front and side) ABS, EBD and Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) as standard. There’s also a seat belt reminder for all five seats. The smaller engine is paired with 14-inch wheels (175/65 Bridgestone Ecopia EP150). A full size spare tyre is found on all variants.

As mentioned, Eco Idle is available from the 1.3 Premium X, which also adds on Hill-start Assist, front foglamps, front parking sensors and power-retractable side mirrors. Both the exterior and cabin get additional chrome/metallic trim. Inside, the 2-DIN head unit adds on Bluetooth, there’s leather and buttons on the steering wheel, and the rear seats have adjustable headrests.

Moving up to the 1.5L variants nets one 15-inch dual-tone rims (185/55 Goodyear Assurance TripleMax), dual-tone front and side skirting, two-tone rear bumper, a rear spoiler and an integrated Touch n Go reader (insert your TnG card into the car and use Smart Tag lanes without the Smart Tag). Both 1.5L variants get six airbags – front, side and curtain.

To all the above, the 1.5 Advance adds on leather seats, a touchscreen head unit with navigation and SmartLink, reverse camera and security window tint. The range-topping Myvi’s headlining feature is Advanced Safety Assist (ASA). ASA is a suite of safety features that includes Pre-Collision Warning (PCW), Pre-Collision Braking (PCB), Front Departure Alert (FDA) and Pedal Misoperation Control (PMC).

Advanced Safety Assist

These are existing Daihatsu systems and they operate through a forward-facing stereo camera on the top of the windscreen. PCW warns you when a collision is about to happen, PCB is low-speed autonomous emergency braking, while FDA alerts you when the car in front has moved on (in a traffic jam), saving you from being honked by the car behind.

PMC detects an obstruction in front, and will not allow the car to accelerate. Full explanation on ASA and its functions here. The new Myvi has earned a five-star rating from ASEAN NCAP.

“These features are a first for this price segment. However safety is still in the hands of the driver and the system is only there to assist,” Aminar pointed out. The next cheapest cars to have AEB are the Hyundai Ioniq (RM114k), high-spec Mazda 3 (RM125k) and high-spec Peugeot 308 (RM128k).

On the topic of safety, Perodua has just included child safety seats into its Gear Up range of accessories, giving young parents the option of adding the cost of the essential item into the hire purchase loan. Click here for info and pics of the child seats. Full list of Gear Up packages and pricing below.

Six colours are available, and they are Lava Red, Mystical Purple, Glittering Silver, Ivory White, Granite Grey (1.5 only) and Peppermint Green (1.3 only). The latter two are new colours.

At a press conference earlier today, Perodua announced that it has received 5,000 bookings without customers seeing the car, and amazingly, 78% of bookings are for the 1.5 litre model. The company’s sales target is 6,000 units per month. We’ve compiled a spec summary according to variant, in point form below. There are also scans of the official brochure.

Perodua Myvi 1.3 Standard G – RM44,300 (MT), RM46,300 (AT)

Gets as standard:

Mechanicals

1.3 litre Dual VVT-i engine (1NR-VE)

1,329 cc, four-cylinder petrol

94 hp at 6,000 rpm, 121 Nm at 4,000 rpm

Five-speed manual or four-speed E-AT

36-litre fuel tank

3,895 mm long, 1,735 mm wide, 1,515 mm tall, 2,500 mm wheelbase

160 mm ground clearance

Electric power steering (EPS)

4.8-metre turning radius

Five-year/150,000 km warranty

Exterior

LED headlamps with auto off and follow-me-home functions

Manual headlight levelling

LED tail lamps with light guides

Electrically-adjustable side mirrors with turn signals

Aeroblade-type windscreen wipers

Reverse sensors

14-inch alloy wheels

175/65R14 Bridgestone Ecopia EP150 tyres

Full-size spare tyre

Interior

Keyless entry and start

Acoustic windscreen

Power windows, auto up/down for driver only

Double-din head unit with radio and USB input

Digital air-con controls (with two memory settings)

Polyurethane steering wheel with tilt adjustment

Height-adjustable driver’s seat

Flexible 8+1 seating configurations

Rear seats with integrated headrests

60:40 folding rear seats

277 litre boot (expandable to 832 litres with rear seats down)

Side pocket on front seat (for mobile phones)

Shopping hook and anti-snatch handbag hook

Safety

Four airbags (dual front, front sides)

ABS, EBD

Electronic stability control (VSC)

Traction control (TRC)

Emergency Stop Signal (ESS)

Five-star ASEAN NCAP crash test rating

Seat belt reminder for all seats (active front, passive rear)

Two Isofix anchors for rear seats

Aesthetics

Silver front grille

No front fog lamps – black covers

Body-coloured door handles

Shark-fin antenna

Black interior door handles

Black interior trim

Silver trim on air-con vents

Perodua Myvi 1.3 Premium X – RM48,300 (AT)

Adds on:

Mechanicals

Eco-idle automatic start-stop system

Hill-start Assist

Exterior

Front fog lights

Front parking sensors

Power-retractable side mirrors

Interior

Double-din head unit with radio, USB and Bluetooth

USB charger

Leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio, phone controls

Rear seats with adjustable headrests

Aesthetics

Chrome front grille

Chrome trim around front foglamps

Chrome door handles

Chrome interior door handles

Silver trim around window controls, steering wheel buttons, gear lever base

Chrome trim in instrument panel

Chrome trim on air-con vents

Colour options for Myvi 1.3

Ivory White (solid)

Glittering Silver (metallic)

Mystical Purple (metallic)

Lava Red (metallic)

Peppermint Green (metallic) – new, exclusive to 1.3 models

Perodua Myvi 1.5 High – RM51,800 (AT)

Adds on:

Mechanicals

1.5 litre Dual VVT-i engine (2NR-VE)

1,496 cc, four-cylinder petrol

102 hp at 6,000 rpm, 136 Nm at 4,200 rpm

Four-speed E-AT

Combined fuel economy of 20.1 km per litre

Exterior

15-inch dual-tone alloy wheels

185/55R15 Goodyear Assurance TripleMax tyres

Interior and safety

Built-in toll reader (integrated SmartTAG)

Six airbags (dual front, front sides, curtains)

Aesthetics

Front bodykit and side skirts (dual-tone)

Two-tone rear bumper

Rear spoiler

Perodua Myvi 1.5 Advance – RM55,300 (AT)

Adds on:

Interior

Leather upholstery

Touchscreen head unit with navigation and SmartLink

Reverse Camera

Security window tint film

Safety

Advanced Safety Assist (ASA)

Pre-collision Warning

Pre-collision Braking (low-speed autonomous emergency braking)

Front Departure Alert

Pedal Misoperation Control

Colour options for Myvi 1.5

Ivory White (solid)

Glittering Silver (metallic)

Mystical Purple (metallic)

Lava Red (metallic)

Granite Grey (metallic) – new, exclusive to 1.5 models

GearUp accessories – introductory prices until Feb 2018

Premium Package – RM1,250 (Myvi 1.5 only)

Additional chrome garnish for front grille, side mirror, window line, lower door moulding, back door and rear bumper

Chrome scuff plates

Rear skirtings (black)

Executive Package – RM900

Additional chrome garnish for front grille, side mirror, window line, lower door moulding, back door and rear bumper

Lifestyle Package – RM700

Additional chrome garnish for front grille, side mirror, lower door moulding and back door

Utility Package – RM320

Door visors

Coil mats

Luggage tray

Isofix child car seats

Infant seat – RM660

Toddler seat – RM780

You can compare the specifications of all the new Perodua Myvi variants at CarBase.my.













GALLERY: Perodua Myvi brochure

