2022 Perodua Myvi facelift launched – RM46k-RM59k, D-CVT, ASA 3.0, ACC, 5% better FC, 20% faster 0-100

After the short burst of announcements and teasers, the 2022 Perodua Myvi facelift is now officially launched. This is the mid-life refresh of the third generation of Malaysia’s best seller, and it comes four years after the “G3” Myvi surfaced in late 2017.

If you’re wondering how popular exactly is the Myvi, Perodua has sold some 1.3 million units of the five-door hatchback since May 2005. Of this total, the third-generation has contributed 277,329 units, or almost 70k a year. It wasn’t that long ago that carmakers insisted that Malaysians prefer sedans – look where we are now. Love of the nation indeed.

“The Myvi has struck all the right cords with Malaysians and has been widely accepted by the people. This new offering is to ensure that our valued customers are getting the best value as possible,” said Perodua president and CEO Datuk Zainal Abidin Ahmad, putting it lightly.

We don’t really realise it as consumers, but new products are planned way in advance, and this D51A project started back in February 2019, slightly more than a year after the third-gen’s launch. Since then, over 137,000 man hours have been poured into improving Malaysia’s best selling car, and the total project cost is a rather substantial RM50 million, especially for a facelift. You’ll see why in a bit.

Perodua has acquired a habit of raising the tech and features bar by some margin with every new product, and the Ativa, its latest model, debut earlier this year with driver assist and lighting tech that’s unprecedented for a RM100k car, never mind that the AV is just above RM70k.

The Rawang carmaker still regards the Myvi, a Malaysian icon, as its flagship model, and “Myvi can’t be left behind in terms of technology advancement,” the company says, in reference to the new bar set by the Ativa. So, although they could have got away with just some cosmetics (because it’s just a facelift, and B-segment cars from Proton are yet to catch up in safety and efficiency anyway), the Myvi gets a heavy update.

In fact, I don’t remember a more comprehensive facelift than this one in Perodua’s history. More than just a bumper swap, there’s plenty of new tech and equipment, colours and trim, as well as a major change in the powertrain department. Plenty to unpack, so let’s go.

LED DRLs, a Perodua first

It’s quite an anomaly that LED daytime running lights is making its debut on a Perodua, here and now. The Myvi G3 debut in 2017 with full LED headlamps across the range (a bigger deal than DRLs), while the Ativa raised the game with Audi Matrix LED-style Adaptive Driving Beam headlamps, replete with sequential signals. Fancy stuff only seen way above RM100k, but still no LED DRLs (the GearUp ‘Blaze’ kit had them, but as a cost option).

They’re here now, as vertical strips on the new bumper’s edges. The LED DRLs replace the old halogen fog lamps, and they’re automatically on during the day, when the headlamps are not turned on. When it gets dark and the headlamps are on, the DRLs are no longer needed – it’s a case of either or. LED DRLs are reserved for the top two trim levels, H and AV.

Just a note for future owners. There’s no way to manually turn on the DRLs at night, as all 1.5L models have auto headlamps, which detect that it’s dark and the headlamps should be on. The other manual stalk positions are for the position lamps and headlamps – there’s no “Off” position that would normally bring the DRLs out.

Fresh face with a big X

The facelift is no nip/tuck and the latest Myvi won’t be confused with the original G3, at least from the front. The swoopy wide face makes way for a strong X look. There’s a larger and deeper grille, with a slim chrome strip that runs under the Perodua badge and into the headlights. The front bumper features sharp contours around the downturned centre air intake, and is framed by the above-mentioned LED DRL strips.

The gloss black lip now has a silver centre section, which is almost like a skid plate-like trim on SUVs (H and AV). Look closely at the headlamps and you’ll notice that it has been “cut” at the end that meets the grille. The actual headlamps within are new, and so is the internal housing. New shape headlamps aren’t very common with facelifts, which generally seek to have a fresh look at minimal cost.

The rear bumper is new, and it sports vertical vents on the extremes to match the LED strips in front. There’s a two-tone look for the top variants – black around the license plate. The tail lamps have been carried over wholesale, along with the 15-inch alloys (185/55 tyres), which are already rather high spec with diamond cut and a two-tone finish. Like on the Ativa, all trim levels have black painted wing mirrors.

You better like red, or else…

You better like the colour red, a lot, if you’re eyeing the top AV. It’s not a sprinkle of red here and there, but the cabin is dominated by the bold colour. The air con vents have red bezels, and the new instrument panel has a sporty red theme, but it’s seats that make the red stand out so much here.

The AV’s leather seats have a red centre section that’s perforated, coupled with a red outline of the seat. Together, there’s more red than black, and the chosen tone is a rather bright red, lighter than the new signature exterior Cranberry Red hue and the red in Ativa AV. Not many would be asking for more red, but for the few, there’s no red stitching for the steering and gear area.

The other variants get new fabric seats, and they’re all dark. The H seats have an interesting scaly pattern that reminds me of snakeskin. No red theme for other variants, so the theme is black with some silver trim. No more chrome rings for the AC vents – it’s all silver now.

The steering wheel is new, taken from the Ativa. It looks nice and more modern, and the spokes have enough space for all of the D51A’s new safety features. Note that it’s not full, even on the AV – there are four blanks compared to the Ativa AV’s one – but really, no one should be complaining about kit, as the Myvi runs rings around the latest 2022 Iriz and Persona facelifts.

The side panel below the driver’s AC vent is full though, thanks to the Auto High Beam button. It contains a new wing mirror control panel, again from the Ativa.

The whole range gets new instrument panels, but the AV gets an exclusive red themed cluster, which sporty graphics remind us of the 2011 “Lagi Power, Lagi Best” Myvi SE cluster. Between the two glossy ringed dials is a full-height colour TFT multi-info display with a welcome graphic (date and the Myvi’s face) and instantaneous fuel consumption bar.

This new meter is of the Optitron style, which is always illuminated but looks blacked out when the car is off. The Myvi actually used electroluminescent gauges before, but it was phased out in the second-generation facelift in 2015.

The non-AV variants get simpler white-lit dials with a slightly smaller LCD MID. This is shared with the base Ativa X, the only variant of the SUV using analogue dials. To the left of that is a new head unit with a touchscreen size that has been expanded from 6.2 to 6.9 inches wide (H and AV). The user interface follows the revolving tiles look of the Ativa’s HU.

The air con panel looks identical at a glance, but look closely and you’ll notice that there’s just one memory button instead of two. That’s because one of the buttons is now an “Off” button – previously, to turn off the AC, one had to press the fan down button repeatedly, so this is an improvement. Don’t worry, it’s still capable of two memory settings, just jog through the “MEM” button.

The row of buttons above the AC panel is now full, thanks to seatbelt reminders for the three rear seats. Finally, the gear lever markers now have S and B modes that replace 3 and 2. This is because of the gearbox change from 4AT to CVT – S is the self-explanatory Sport, while B is for maximum engine braking, useful for downhill stretches.

Speaking of modes, there’s a new Power button on the steering wheel for 1.5L models. Like on the Ativa, pressing this gives you access to maximum engine power. It works the in both D and S gear modes. Lastly, the Myvi now has auto door lock, which engages at 20 km/h. The key fob has been changed to the Ativa’s.

All of the Myvi’s unique homegrown convenience features have been retained, including the integrated toll reader (built-in SmartTag), seat side USB charging port with phone pocket, handbag hook and tapau hooks integrated into the front seat backs. By the way, the Ativa gets none of the above (armrest takes up space between the seats), and you’ll only miss them when they’re gone.

Safety is the main priority

Level 2 autonomous driving and Adaptive Cruise Control on a Myvi that before this didn’t have regular cruise control – that’s the leap we’re seeing here. In truth, Perodua didn’t strictly need to upgrade this department as the pre-facelift Myvi is still unchallenged in the sub-RM60k national car arena, and then some.

Proton facelifted the Iriz and Persona this year and chose to “spend our money on more useful things for the customer” such as an expanded “Hi Proton” system instead of ADAS. Meanwhile, Perodua debuted its Advanced Safety Assist (ASA) in the Myvi in 2017, rolled out an improved ASA 2.0 in the Aruz in 2019 and introduced ASA 3.0 with the Ativa this year, a component under the new Perodua Smart Drive Assist (PSDA) umbrella.

The ASA suite – which includes Pre-collision Warning (PCW), Pre-collision Braking (PCB or AEB), Front Departure Alert (FDA) and Pedal Misoperation Control (PMC) – is standard across the 2022 Myvi range except for the base 1.3 G, which can be had with ASA, Auto High Beam and Lane Departure Warning/Prevention as an option pack.

ASA 3.0 updates include two-wheeled vehicle detection for PCW and PCB (pedestrian detection already added in 2.0), and an expanded operating range for PCW, now 4-120 km/h, up by 20 km/h. PCB or AEB can now be used for an unlimited amount of times. Previously, after three auto braking stops, the engine has to be restarted to reboot the system. ASA also works at night now, but only for cars and if their tail lamps are on.

All cars with ASA also come with Lane Departure Warning and Lane Departure Prevention, which detects road markers and warns you (audio and visual) if you’re veering off track. LDP will tug the steering and pull you back in line.

The Myvi AV goes semi-autonomous with the addition of Lane Keep Control (LKC) and Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC). Like on the Ativa, ACC works between 30 to 125 km/h with three levels of distance from the vehicle in front. It has no low-speed follow so it doesn’t work in traffic jams. The range topping variant is also the only one to come with Blind Spot Monitor (BSM, buzzer will sound if signal lamp activated, otherwise just the lamp) and Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA).

Auto High Beam (AHB) is available on all but the base non-ASA G. Reflector LED headlamps are standard across the Myvi range – as before – and if you turn AHB on, it will be active above 30 km/h, or when surroundings are very dark. The system will auto dip the high beam when it detects oncoming traffic, so you don’t have to manually flash the high beam. P2 has reserved the next level Audi Matrix LED-style Adaptive Driving Beam for the Ativa H and AV, which is fair.

Front corner parking sensors are available from the 1.5 H up, but the reverse camera and dashcam are exclusive to the AV. As for airbags, it’s four for the 1.3 G and 1.5 X, and six for the H and AV. VSA is of course standard.

4AT hands the baton to CVT

If the changes ended with the safety boost, it would have been a big facelift. But Perodua didn’t stop there, electing to improve on the efficiency of the powertrain by swapping the long-serving four-speed automatic gearbox for a CVT. Called D-CVT for Dual-Mode CVT, the stepless gearbox is the same unit that made its debut in the Ativa.

Interestingly, this is the first application of the D-CVT in a non-DNGA (Daihatsu New Global Architecture) car, and the Myvi now uses the Ativa’s electrical architecture to support all the latest functions.

D-CVT is the world’s first split gear CVT system. Basically, the unit combines belt drive with a gear drive for improved fuel efficiency, acceleration feel and quietness. From rest to low/medium speeds, the D-CVT functions like any other CVT, with the engine’s torque going through a torque converter (like Toyota and Honda CVTs, Proton’s Punch CVT uses a clutch pack) and into the input pulley, before being transferred to the output pulley via a belt and then to the wheels.

At higher speeds, the D-CVT shifts into its split mode, engaging the gear drive to provide more efficient power transmission (less energy loss), while the rotation to the belt drive is decreased significantly. In the Ativa, D-CVT gets a manual mode with seven virtual ratios, but that has been omitted here. More on the D-CVT here.

There’s good reason for the switch from 4AT to CVT. Even with unchanged engines, Perodua is touting 5% better fuel economy – the 1.3L now has a claimed combined FC figure of 22.2 km/l (from 21.1 km/l) while the 1.5L is good for 21.1 km/l (from 20.1 km/l). As usual, shave off a few km/l for real-world consumption – it’ll still be very good.

Perhaps you aren’t surprised by the FC gains; after all, CVTs are known for their efficiency. You’re more into performance, and you’re expecting a price to pay in that department. Sorry to disappoint, but the D-CVT-equipped Myvi is now a whopping 20% quicker in 0-100 km/h acceleration times – 11.5 seconds for the 1.3L and 10.2 seconds for the 1.5L. Doesn’t sound like much, but as most Malaysians know, the “king of the road” is no slow poke in the real world.

Improved FC and performance is a win-win, but here’s a bonus – with the CVT, the Myvi will now cruise at a lower rpm, which translates to lower sound levels.

The Dual VVT-i, DOHC NR engines are modern and current, and they carry on unchanged. The 1NR-VE 1.3 litre unit puts out 94 hp at 6,000 rpm and 121 Nm of torque at 4,000 rpm. The 2NR-VE 1.5 litre meanwhile makes 102 hp at 6,000 rpm and 136 Nm of torque at 4,200 rpm. Both have Eco Idle auto start-stop.

Colours, variants and pricing

There’s even a new colour to go along with all the changes. Cranberry Red is the hero colour here, reserved for the AV with its red interior.

Cranberry Red is a striking new colour that’s should be appealing to many – it’s “more red” than the Ativa’s sparkly Pearl Delima Red – which appears orangey in sunlight – and brighter than the Aruz’s new Passion Red. The existing Lava Red, which cannot be had with the AV, is a regular “Ferrari red” that looks like a solid colour.

Cranberry aside, the other colours are the 2020-onwards Electric Blue, Lava Red, Granite Grey, Glittering Silver and solid Ivory White. Granite Grey is not available on the base 1.3 G, but every other hue is fair game. I shudder to imagine an Electric Blue AV with that red interior…

Finally, variants and pricing. As revealed earlier, the base manual version has been discontinued (less than 1% of total Myvi G3 sales means it can’t be defended), so the 2022 Myvi facelift range starts from the 1.3 G without ASA/LDW/LDP/AHB for RM45,700. Like all the safety bits but don’t care for frills? The 1.3 G with ASA/LDW/LDP/AHB can be had at exactly RM2,000 more, at RM47,700.

If it was entirely up to Perodua, ASA would have been across the board, but they recognise that there are some who prefer maximum affordability. This group, and car modders, are expected to amount to no more than 5% of total buyers. The market leader thinks that Malaysians do care about safety kit, and are willing to pay for it if they can.

As the G is the sole 1.3L variant this time around, the next step up is the 1.5 X at RM49,900. Aside from the bigger engine, the entry 1.5L variant gets ASA/LDW/LDP/AHB, Power mode, auto headlamps, auto folding side mirrors (when car is locked/unlocked) and Bluetooth for the non-touchscreen head unit. All 1.5L cars roll on 15-inch wheels, an inch up on the 1.3L.

On the next rung is the RM53,900 1.5 H, which is the highest spec Myvi that those allergic to red can buy. The white example you see here has an exterior that’s identical to the AV, coming with the new LED DRLs, gloss black front grille, front lip, chrome door handles, two-tone side skirts, two-tone rear bumper and rear spoiler – this sporty appearance makes a big visual difference.

Inside, the H is the only Myvi variant to get honeycomb pattern fabric seats. This spec also receives the enlarged touchscreen head unit (USB, Bluetooth, SmartLink, HDMI, voice recognition), built-in toll reader, leather-wrapped steering, chrome door handles, adjustable/detachable rear headrests, solar/security window film. Safety wise, the H offers six airbags and front parking sensors.

Finally, the RM58,800 AV, which adds on the previously mentioned AV-exclusive interior bits (red leather seats, red AC rings, red-themed meter panel with TFT MID), reverse camera, dashcam and ACC/LKC/BSM/RCTA. If the Ativa AV broke new ground by offering this level of ADAS at just above RM70k, here’s the same for below RM60k, which is astonishing.

Click to enlarge spec sheet, price list

To recap, the range starts with the non-ASA 1.3 G at RM45,700. The 1.3 G with ASA/LDW/LDP/AHB is RM2k more at RM47,700. The 1.5L range starts with the X at RM49,900, while the 1.5 H – which has the AV’s exterior – is priced at RM53,900. The top dog AV with all the red bells and safety whistles is yours for RM58,800. Of course, there are GearUp accessories to be had as well, although there’s no bodykit, for now. Check out the add-on items in the gallery below, and in detail here.

Prices are on-the-road excluding insurance and sales tax; exemption for the latter has been extended to June 30, 2022. If you remove the discontinued 1.3 MT, the pre-facelift price range was from RM43,029 (1.3 G AT) to RM52,697 (AV), which means that there’s a price increase of a few thousand ringgit to go along with the new tech/features.

So, what do you think of the 2022 Perodua Myvi facelift, its new looks/features, and the overall package?