Owner Review: All I need in a daily driver and more - My 2019 Perodua MyVi 1.3 X​

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Basic information about my car:

2019 Perodua MyVi 1.3 X

Reasons why I bought this car(purpose)

I was driving a 2003 Perodua Kancil 850 Ezi that was handed over to me from my sister during my second year in university. After I graduated in 2018 and had been working close to a year, the Kancil (which had clocked in about ~130,000KM on the odometer) was showing signs of needing to do major repairs (drive shaft, suspension and engine mounting according to my local workshop). Adding up the estimated repair cost for it, I decided that it's time to say goodbye to this easy going, loveable car. With some savings in the bank and calculations later, I decided that it was time to get a car of my own. Now, this car would be my daily driver of driving me to/from work, also going for errands and once in a while, journey back to my hometown in Kedah (460KM). Basically, the MyVi answered all those questions.

Car selection process

I have a budget of: RM 48,000.

Models that I have considered: Proton Iriz 1.3 & 1.6 Executive

Reasons why I chose this car

Coming from a Kancil, I wanted to look for a car that was bigger, could comfortably drive at highway speeds (Imagine driving at 110 KM/H in a Kancil lol) and light on the maintenance. I had driven my sister's Axia before and it was too underpowered to my liking and the Bezza wasn't a good looker. Thus I went for the MyVi. 

Selection:

At that point, I had already done research on both camps of Perodua and Proton for my new car and it came down to both the 1.3L and 1.5L/1.6L variants of MyVi and Iriz. The new Iriz caught my eye with its striking exterior but it was less practical than the MyVi due to the smaller boot space. Coming from a Japanese rebadged car, the Irizs continental style reversed signal/wiper stalk did catch me off guard (right hand muscle memory) and did not sit well with me. The signal tone on the Iriz was also a bit too 'loud' for me compared to the softer tone on the MyVi. There was also the fear with Proton after sales at the time after the partnership with Geely which had people in fear of availability of local parts, which was true to an extent. I was still servicing the Kancil at Perodua authorised workshops even after the warranty period and I'm happy to report that there hasn't been any issues on spare parts. Also being a rebadged Japanese car, you also have the freedom of choice of getting aftermarket parts from the likes of Denso and other 3rd party manufacturers. Thus solidifying my stand on getting a Perodua MyVi. 

User Experience

• I have already done：49,400 km.
• My average fuel consumption is: 15.7 km/l

Generally positive, it ticks all the  boxes of what I am looking for in an everyday car and the maintenance has been well kept according to the manufacturer. Since I am not a performance head of an owner, I have done mostly cosmetic modifications to make it my own like door handle covers and plastic wrap on the chrome panels (refer to pictures). I also did some changes to the interior especially for the in-car entertainment part where I changed the standard radio to an aftermarket head unit that supports Apple CarPlay and changed the speakers to bigger ones as well. However, there are some quality issues associated with Perodua like the fuel pump and transmission issue that I think needs to be addressed by the manufacturer and taken noted of from buyer as well. 

Pros and Cons

Pros of my car

1. Stylish exterior
2. Simple interior
3. Simple cockpit
4. Maintenance
5. Digital AC with memory
6. LED headlights
7. Full sized spare tire
8. Interior space (can comfortably fit in 4 adults with ample knee and head room)
9. Fuel saving
10. Can comfortably journey back to kampung with a full tank of fuel (460KM)

Cons 

1. Seats are less comfortable on long journeys (lack of thigh support especially)
2. Suspension is a bit too soft (speed bump hitting the undercarriage with 4 adults occupants)
3. Bluetooth on the standard radio seems to disconnect after a while of driving (replaced with 3rd party headunit with support for wireless Apple Carplay & wired Android Auto)
4. Eco Idle (It gets annoying if you forgot to turn it off)
5. Lack of cup holders (side doors cater to bottles more due to the angled base)
6. Lack of rear USB charger for passengers (fixed with 3rd party arm rest)
7. Coverage of side mirror view are a bit narrow (fixed with 3rd party side mirrors)
8. Chrome on dashboard reflects sun onto driver quite harshly (fixed with sticker wrap)
9. AC takes some time to cool down the cabin on a hot day
10. Door panel noise when driving on uneven surface (fixed with tape on the mounting studs)
11. High pitch noise when driving at highway speeds (reduced effect with sound insulation on the chassis and door)
12. Standard speakers are too soft (fixed with aftermarket speakers)

Ratings:

Total Score: 4

Performance: 3

Quality & Features: 3

Space: 5

Ride comfort: 3

Fuel Economy: 5

Price & cost: 4

Summary:

A no brainer daily car that lives up to the most popular car in Malaysia. I received the car on the 28th of June 2019 and after 2 years has passed and 49000 kilometers on the odometer, the car has grown more onto me more than ever. It ticks most of the boxes that a normal Malaysian look for in a car. Why not  all boxes you may ask? Well sometimes you have to spend a bit more to make it to your liking. It's your car, you decide what to do with it and not others. I also happen to join a local MyVi club where we  share the same passion for the car we love and go around on convoys from time to time and hang out (before COVID).

Interesting events:

I would like to add that I was lucky to participate in the K-Car Global event hosted by Perodua back in November 2019 at Sepang International Circuit (SIC) with this car. Driving around a world-class  racetrack such as Sepang has been a memorable experience and I would like to take the chance to  thank you Perodua for inviting their fans and hope to see more events like this after the pandemic has ended.

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