First Driving Impression of The All New Myvi "Yellow Cili Padi"!!!

As I have mentioned on the previous post, I will update the first driving impression of this all new Myvi 1.5 Litre. On 13th of September, Perodua has invited the media to have the taste of this “Yellow Cili Padi” dubbed by Perodua at Cyberview Lodge and Spa where it is the same venue that I have tasted the all new Myvi 1.3 three months ago. My heart is jumping to be invited again for the media test drive as this 1.5 Myvi has been eagerly awaited by some many petrol heads out there.

During the media Q&A, Perodua MD has informed us that this all new Myvi is the first kind in this world where with its sibling the Daihatsu Boon and Toyota Passo in Japan only comes with 1.3 Litre engine. Knowing the facts that Malaysian loves to have an accelerated drive, Perodua finally comes out this all new Myvi 1.5. Great power comes with great responsibility, thus it has been iterated by Perodua MD, having a bigger engine cc does not mean you need to drive fast and getting hurt yourself by doing it. Drive sensibility with all the power given to you and obey the road rules as being stress by the Perodua MD. The introduction of this Myvi 1.5 provides a better driveability to the customer who wanted to opt for a better acceleration car, thus Perodua giving the opportunity for the customer to have a choice between power and good urban fuel efficient.

The engine for this car is powered by 3SZ-VE engine paired with a four speed automatic transmission that is currently being soldiered on the Perodua Alza. It is essentially the same engine and the same transmission even the gear ratio of this Myvi shared the same ratio with the Alza as stated by one of Perodua engine when I interviewed him. This chain driven engine does not required its chain to be replaced thus an overall saving to the maintenance bill for the cost of owning this car. This engine also has been equipped with a self-adjusting tensioner which is a norm to all modern engines now. The peak power for this engine is 76kW at 6,000 RPM and the max torque is 136Nm at 4,400RPM before the torque dives down upon reaching 4,600RPM. This engine is also equipped with DVVT (Dynamic Variable Valve Timing) and also EFI (Electronic Fuel Injection).

In terms of ecstatic appeal for this car, this Myvi 1.5 does differ from its older brother the 1.3 Litre where the Instrument Panel is now all black in colour as compared to the dual tone IP of the Myvi 1.3. Besides that, the centre console is now painted in metal accent and there is a silver accent surrounding the meter combi cluster which is new. Speaking of meter combi, the new Myvi 1.5 features a more sporty red illumination with white needle appearance as compared to turquoise colour meter combi for the 1.3 Elegance and amber illumination for 1.3 standard variant. Overall the ala Camry style meter combi does provide good illumination during driving and the colour is not too bright that can distract the driver during driving. The other changes to this new Myvi are the Sports Semi –bucket seat which is first of its kind being lineup in Perodua offering. To me the seat does provide quite a good hold on the bolster during hard cornering but the base seat is not deep enough to hold your butt during hard cornering, thus maybe Perodua can look more into this during the next improvement phase of this car. Speaking about the seat, the Myvi 1.5E now comes with fabric seat where else the Myvi Extreme comes with a leather seat as standard. Other than the seats, Perodua also now includes an audio control on the steering wheel which is now leather wrap in leather for touch of class. The rim of this steering is a bit chunkier but it’s does provide a good grip during driving.

As for the ICE for this car, the speaker configuration is still the same with four speaker system with flush type ICE for the standard Myvi 1.5 SE but with an extra of RM 1,500, buyer of Myvi SE Auto can opt for an optional 6” multimedia navigational system and for the Myvi Extreme this optional ICE is equipped as a standard accessory. This ICE plays DVD/ CD/MP3/WMA as well as the standard AM/FM radio. For an extra choice of connection, this ICE also includes an USB port and also Bluetooth connectivity and it is also capable of accepting call from its Bluetooth connectivity.

In terms of safety, the new Myvi comes with a standard dual SRS Airbags with 3 Point ELR for rear seat occupant and a standard driver seat belt with pre-tensioner. In terms of stopping power, the rear brakes still utilize drum brakes but it is equipped with ABS and EBD as standard fitment.

Other than what I have mentioned above, the Myvi 1.5 Extreme does comes with an extra features such as sportier body kit as compared to the Myvi SE and also an exclusive carpet mats design with screw pin type so that the carpet can be securely place. To keep the occupant cool, the Myvi Extreme comes with tinted film on all glass which cuts all the rays into the cabin. With all the extra features let’s see how this car drives on the road.

Luckily for this media test drive; Perodua has planned a longer route of slightly more than 10km as compared to a shorter drive during the 1.3 model media test drive. This route includes a long sweeping bend, straight road and also tight bend thus it provides a great mix of driving impression. In terms of steering feeling, I do feel the steering effort is a bit heavier during slow starts as compared to the Myvi 1.3, maybe it’s just my feeling as the steering ratio is the same as the 1.3 Myvi but the steering effort build up nicely when the car speed exceeding more than 80km/h. In terms of achieving the desired speed, this “Cili Padi” does bodes well with its name, the engine accelerate effortlessly with the gear ratio clogs at the right speed and the passing acceleration of this car is also great. Even when the car speed at 120km/h, a jap on the accelerator pedal still can provide an extra power push on demand to the driver thus this car truly lives by its name. The only grouse that I have with this engine is the engine noise, the engine does sound a bit noisier as compared to the standard 1.3, it’s not the sportier sound that we love but it’s just the noisier engine running sound, thus hopefully Perodua can improve this with a ticker sound insulator.

I have touched about the engine and its accelerating capability, but a great power does need a great handling too. Well on this part it does disappoint me to know that this car handles the same as the standard 1.3 Myvi. I know when you read other automotive blogs its stated the handling has been improved by a revise suspension and spring rate setup, but when I interviewed the Perodua engineer, not only one but three of them told me that suspension setup is basically the same as the Perodua Myvi 1.3. This is due to a more cost saving by having a greater economy of scale thus more power has been sacrifice with a so-so handling. When driving on a long sweep bend, at a steering angle of about 20 degree, I can feel that the body roll starts to lean on its side when the G-Force starts to play it’s role and this is more apparently when I put more steering angles thus a constant slight correctness to the steering is required to make the car stay in balance. Hopefully Perodua engineer do listen to my views as this is quite essential to have a better handling cars when we have a more powerful engine.

The message of Perodua MD does ring a bell in my head about driving the sensibly and not push the car without knowing it’s limits, thus my message to the potential owners of this new Myvi, do understand the capability of this car before pushing it hard. Luckily, the great power comes with a great set of brakes. The brake does provide a good stopping power with the brake respond and pedal progression is great, thus giving an assurance to the driver. Overall impression, this new Myvi is a great urban drive car where it can provide a great acceleration for its size, but on a longer stretch free road, do understand its limits and I’m sure you will love driving this “Cili Padi”.