Deal Breakers: Perodua Myvi – Love the value proposition, not its seats

There is a good reason why the Perodua Myvi is Malaysia’s best-selling car, as no other segment rivals can beat its value-for-money proposition. Couple that with its stellar fuel economy and reputation for rock-solid reliability, it’s hard to topple the Myvi as the nation's best-selling car.

When it was introduced back in late-2017, it was the first sub-RM60k car to feature Perodua’s ASA ADAS suite, which includes Pre-Collision Warning and Braking, Front Departure Alert, and Pedal Misoperation Control.

Fast forward to 2020 and Perodua gave the Myvi a minor specs update. The upgraded ASA 2.0 is now available on a wider range of Myvi variants. Previously only available on the range topping 1.5 AV, ASA 2.0 is now also offered on lower variants such as the 1.5 H and 1.3 X.

It is also worth noting that Perodua has come a long way in terms of vehicle safety, as even the cheapest Myvi 1.3 G is fitted with stability control and four airbags - not the best, but accceptable for its asking price (from RM 41,292, without SST, valid until 31 Dec 2020).

Then there’s the Myvi’s fuel economy. Perodua claims that the 1.5-litre variants return 20.1 km/litre (4.97-litre/100 km), though most owners report fuel consumption figures closer to 17 km/litre – itself still an impressive figure.

Keep in mind that this fuel consumption figure is achievable even with a tried-and-tested four-speed automatic transmission and not a fancy CVT-type automatic.

As impressive as it may be, the Myvi’s seats are perhaps one of its biggest sore points.

The front seat base and seat back are rather short in length. As a result, the seats don’t provide enough thigh support and the seat back is only about three-quarter of the torso length of the average adult male adult, making the headrest more of a neckrest.

Although the rear legroom is rather generous, the rear seats share the same issue with the fronts – the bench is not long enough and the angle of the transitional part between the seat bench and seat back may be uncomfortable to some.

By comparison, the Myvi’s closest rival, the Proton Iriz, has more comfortable seats as the seat bases are long and the seat backs are better padded.

The flipside is that the Proton Iriz isn’t as fuel efficient as the Myvi, and it lacks AEB feature like the Myvi's ASA. Not to mention the Iriz’s very unrefined driving character CVT-type automatic is its Achilles heel.

In short, pick the Perodua Myvi for its value-for-money proposition, excellent fuel economy, and rock-solid reliability, but not for its comfort. The Myvi is not a car that you want to sit inside for many hours on a long distance journey.

That said, if you are looking for something that drives and handles better and don’t mind the poorer fuel economy, then the Proton Iriz makes for a rather compelling alternative.