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. 

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.


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.

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 (RM 44,300), 1.3 Standard G AT (RM 46,300), 1.3 Premium X (RM 48,300), 1.5 High (RM 51,800) and the range-topping 1.5 Advance (RM 55,300). Prices are on-the-road excluding insurance. The factory warranty is five years or 150,000 km.

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.


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).


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. The new Myvi has earned a five-star rating from ASEAN NCAP.

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.


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.


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.