I know some of you who are thinking of buying the Perodua Myvi are now considering buying the top of the range Perodua Viva 1000cc Premium instead. So I’m going to do a little comparison here. If you have anything to add, please feel free to comment and contribute to the discussion.

Power

Interestingly, it seems that the same 1.0 liter DVVT EJ-VE engine in the Perodua Viva makes more torque than the Perodua Myvi’s 1.0 liter DVVT EJ-VE engine. The Viva claims to make 90Nm of torque at 3,600rpm, while the Myvi 1.0 liter only makes 88Nm at 3,600rpm - that’s a minor difference of only 2Nm though.

Since the Perodua Viva 1.0 liter would clearly beat the Myvi 1.0 in terms of power to weight ratio, so let’s compare the Myvi 1.3 to the Viva 1.0 Premium instead. The Myvi 1.3 weighs 955kg and puts out 86 horsepower. That’s a power to weight ratio of 0.09 horsepower per kg. As for the Perodua Viva 1000cc Premium, it weighs 800kg and puts out 60 horsepower - that gives it a power to weight ratio of 0.075 horsepower per kg.

So we can conclude that in a drag race, the Viva won’t be able to smoke it’s larger sibling in stock form. That doesn’t mean the Viva is terribly slow - in a previous supermini shootout done together with folks at NST Life & Times, I found that the Myvi effortlessly smoked other superminis with larger 1.5 liter engines.

Another thing to point out is the Perodua Myvi 1.3 liter uses a 4-cylinder engine, and 4-cylinder engines are alot smoother than 3-cylinder engines like the one found in the Perodua Viva. 3-cylinders have more vibration, which might end up being felt by you in the steering wheel and other points in the chassis.

Fuel Economy

According to Perodua’s own charts, the Perodua Viva 1000cc Premium can travel 17.5km per liter of petrol on a combined cycle which I suspect involves alot of light footed driving and highway cruising. This is for the manual transmission. The Myvi 1.3 manual is rated at 17.1km per liter of petrol. Very similar fuel consumption, however the people on the streets who actually own the Myvi 1.3 manual reports actual mileage of about 13 to 14 km per liter if driven frugally.

As for the auto transmission, Perodua says the Myvi 1.3 Auto can get 13.5 km per liter, however the average man on the street usually gets about 10 to 11 km per liter. Comparing it to the Viva 1.0 liter automatic, Perodua says it can get 15.1km per liter, so expect about 12km per liter in reality.

Thus we can assume the Viva automatic should be a little more frugal than the Perodua Myvi automatic, but for the manual transmission models actual fuel economy should prove to be about the same.

Space

The Perodua Viva is actually longer in the interior than the Perodua Myvi at 1845mm compared to the Perodua Myvis 1835mm, but a great margin narrower. Having a long interior is important, it ensures the rear passenger legroom is at comfortable levels, just like the Perodua Myvi’s. However, being narrower the downside is you can’t really fit 3 people in the rear bench comfortably, making the Perodua Viva more of a 4-seater than a 5-seater. The Viva’s boot is only 149 liters with the rear bench upright compared to the Myvi’s 255 liters, significantly smaller, however you can extend this size by dropping the rear passenger bench to create a 449 liter space.

Ride and Handling

Nothing much can be said about the Perodua Myvi’s handling abilities other than the fact that it’ll probably get you to work and back safely. From what I’ve heard from some journalists who’ve driven the car, I think I shouldn’t expect much of the Viva’s either. Which is a shame as the Kelisa was a somewhat fun drive. Many will miss the Kelisa’s zippy DNA which is reportedly missing in the new Viva. If you want a driver’s small car, go get the Proton Savvy.

Equipment levels

One thing I am concerned about is the lack of an integrated CD player head unit in the Perodua Viva, which means Viva owners will have to be careful about where they park their cars lest their mirrors get smashed and their head units stolen. However, this means the CD player can be easily swapped.

The equipment level of the Perodua Viva 1.0 liter standard is disappointing to be honest, not even proper alloy wheels are supplied, instead you are given steel wheels. This means a difference of roughly RM4k on average gets you airbags, ABS, proper alloy wheels, wing mirrors with signal lamps, roof spoiler, and etc. I’m really not sure if it’s worth it or not - I’ll leave it up to you.

The Perodua Myvi on the other hand has just about everything you need in the baseline 1.3 liter model. It also feels more premium because of an interior design that looks abit more higher grade, as well as Optitron-style meters which are self illuminating, unlike the backlit meter clusters of the Perodua Viva.

Safety

Both the Viva Premium and Myvi Premium have dual airbags, antilock brakes - the usual stuff. The Perodua Myvi’s Japanese cousin the 2005 Daihatsu Sirion scored a 4 star score in the Euro NCAP crash test for adult protection, while crash test results of the previous gen Daihatsu Mira that the Perodua Viva is based managed a 3 star rating.

Price

Perodua Viva 1000cc MT Solid: RM36,800
Perodua Viva 1000cc MT Metallic: RM37,200
Perodua Viva 1000cc AT Solid: RM39,800
Perodua Viva 1000cc AT Metallic: RM40,200
Perodua Viva 1000cc Premium MT Solid: RM40,800
Perodua Viva 1000cc Premium MT Metallic: RM41,200
Perodua Viva 1000cc Premium AT Solid: RM43,800
Perodua Viva 1000cc Premium AT Metallic: RM44,200

Perodua Myvi 1300cc MT Solid: RM43,007.60
Perodua Myvi 1300cc MT Metallic: RM43,530.80
Perodua Myvi 1300cc AT Solid: RM45,912.60
Perodua Myvi 1300cc AT Metallic: RM46,435.80
Perodua Myvi 1300cc Premium MT Solid: RM45,912.60
Perodua Myvi 1300cc Premium MT Metallic: RM46,435.80
Perodua Myvi 1300cc Premium AT Solid: RM48,792.60
Perodua Myvi 1300cc Premium AT Metallic: RM49,315.80

The differences between the non-Premium and Premium versions of the Perodua Viva is roughly about RM4,000, while in the Myvi it is only about RM2,900 or so.

So yeah, Perodua Viva 1000cc Premium Auto Metallic at RM44,200 or the Perodua Myvi 1300cc Premium AT Metallic at RM49,315.80? That’s a difference of about RM5,000 there for a bigger engine, slightly more performance, a minor decrease in fuel consumption frugalness, a wider interior space, and a bigger boot.

The boot space doesn’t matter to me - both boots are too small for serious usage unless you put the rear bench seats down.

Is that extra RM5,000 to go from A-segment to B-segment worth it, or would you rather save the money?

Related Posts:
New Perodua Viva Full Details, Photos and Price
Perodua Viva and Perodua Myvi Loan Comparison

Finally after a long wait full of anticipation speculation, the “mini Myvi” Kancil/Kelisa Replacement Model that used to be known as the Perodua D18D has been finally unveiled, and it’s name is Perodua Viva. This won’t come as much of a surprise to many people as the name had been leaked out for quite some time already, but now we get to know the Perodua Viva’s full specifications, details, features, clear non-spyshot photos as well as most importantly, how much it costs! More details after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of New Perodua Viva Full Details, Photos and Price!

I spotted this black GEN2 in Taman Tun Dr. Ismail after lunch today, sporting some pretty good looking LED Brake Lights that in my opinion look alot better than the stock crop circle whitened out design. In fact, if I didn’t already know how the GEN2 looked like in stock form, I would feel this rear brake light cluster looks more “original” and suited to the car, and the crop circle whitened out brake lights are a modification!

Whoever designed this LED rear light cluster certainly has good taste, and the owner of the car has good taste too in “fixing” one of the GEN2’s small aesthetic flaws.

The results of the 2007 International Engine Of The Year awards are out. The question everyone will be asking is - will the BMW 5.0 liter V10 be able to persevere and continue it’s reign as the award winner for the third time consecutively this year? Or will it be out-triumphed by a rival from another manufacturer, or perhaps another engine from BMW’s own stables? We find out what the results are after the jump!

Click here to read the rest of International Engine Of The Year 2007 Results

Volvo has added a new variant to it’s line-up of the Volvo S80 - the Volvo S80 T6 Turbo AWD. The T6 Turbo engine variant is slotted in between the normally aspirated 3.2 liter inline-6 aluminium engine and the 4.4 liter normally aspirated Yamaha V8 engine.

With a displacement of 3.0 liters, it makes 285 horsepower and 400Nm of torque from as low as 1,500rpm, remaining constant throughout the rev range. This is thanks to a twin-scroll turbo, fed by two streams of exhaust gas from two banks of 3-cylinders each. It is less complicated than a twin turbo setup but offers similar benefits.

All Wheel Drive comes standard with this new S80 variant, using an electronically controlled hydraulic clutch to distribute drive between the front and rear wheels. The AWD system features something Volvo calls Instant Traction, which shifts power at lightning speed from the front to the rear wheels when starting on a slippery or loose surface.

Click here to read the rest of New Volvo S80 T6 AWD

Perodua XX06 Concept

[ UPDATE: The Perodua Viva has been launched! Click here for full details on specifications and pricing, as well as many clear photos of both exterior and interior! ]

Be sure to tune in to NTV7’s Thursday Night Live segment at 9pm tomorrow night (10th May 2007) for the launch of the new A-segment model Perodua D18D, or Perodua Viva as everyone has been calling it.

The Perodua D18D is rumored to cost between RM28,000 to RM43,000. Though some are saying the most expensive Viva will cost about RM46,000, I think this is highly unlikely as it causes some price segment overlapping and does not make sense from a product planning perspective.

Full details will be known by all of us tomorrow night, so stay tuned! In the meanwhile, have a look at all the previous blog posts in this blog covering the topic of the Perodua Viva. There are plenty of spyshots for you to have a preview of how it will look like.

Related Posts:
Perodua Viva Headlamp Teaser
Perodua D18D to launch on 10th May 2007
Perodua Viva Teaser Ads are up!
Perodua Viva to launch in May 2007
Perodua Viva Photos on Forum
Perodua Viva to be unveiled mid-2007
New Daihatsu Mira launched in Japan
Kancil Replacement Model (Perodua Viva) sighted in Mines
Kancil Replacement Model (Perodua Viva) spotted!
Kancil and Kelisa Replacements in first half 2007 (Perodua Viva)
Upcoming Perodua Kelisa replacement?
Could this be a Kancil Replacement Model?
New Perodua Kancil / Kelisa coming down our alley?

More teaser images of the new 3rd generation Renault Laguna III are available now. The shots are mostly of the interior, however two photos of both the front and rear light clusters are also available. In case you haven’t seen the teaser image shot in Malaysia, have a look at the related posts links. 35 days to go until the launch of the new Laguna! Look for the images after the jump.

Related Laguna III Posts:
Unidentified car on test (Renault Laguna)
2007 Renault Laguna Artist’s Impression
Upcoming Renault Laguna Spy Video
Renault puts up new Renault Laguna teaser site

Click here to read the rest of More Renault Laguna III Teaser Images

Honda Malaysia organised a 2-day Safety Driving Course at the Asia Pacific Auction Centre Subang in appreciation to customers continuous support. 30 lucky people got to participate - 15 customers and 15 guests of customers, and everyone were given the opportunity to learn safety techniques in both theory and practical applications. There was ample instructors around - one instructor per two participants to ensure everyone got the attention they needed. The trainers were from Bukit Batok Driving Centre (BBDC).

They learnt new techniques and identified the six adverse conditions that lead to the cause of traffic conditions. By learning to understand the relationships between the driver and vehicle limitations, they now know what to avoid and what to adopt. The main concepts like blind spots, driving posture, steering wheel control, braking & avoidance, speed & cornering and etc. were covered thoroughly to ensure participants grasp the importance of practical that can save their lives on the road. Such a course is a priceless lesson that most drivers take for granted.

The vehicles available for drive during the session were all of the local Honda offerings, however the customers also got to try out the Integra Type-R, Honda Legend and the Honda MDX, cars that not many Malaysian can say they’ve driven.

“Many drivers think they have all the practice and skills equipped to avoid accidents. Always go back to the basics where you keep reminding yourself to be cautious. Frequent drivers have their own habitual manner of driving and it makes them less defensive on the road,” said Chief Trainer Jonathan Tang.

“This course is refreshing and it is a useful bonding session with my mom. I find it very beneficial especially for female drivers to learn more on safety skills. The course has opened our eyes in identifying the threats of safety and I will apply the practical training Ive learnt from now onwards!” said Shirl from Cheras, who owns a 2006 Honda Civic.

More photos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Honda Malaysia 2 day Safety Driving Course

Volkswagen’s Iroc Concept shows us a preview of how the new Volkswagen Scirocco Golf-based Coupe will look like, although we can probably discard it now since Volkswagen is going back to the drawing board to develop a new corporate nose instead of sticking with the Audi-ish single frame look. Anyway, that won’t stop us from enjoying this video of the Volkswagen Iroc in motion right? Video after jump.

Related Posts:
Volkswagen Iroc Concept

Click here to read the rest of Volkswagen IROC Video

Shots of this clay model concept known as the Proton PM5 Concept has been surfacing in forums lately. Some say it is a future model that Proton has been developing together with Lotus, and others are of the opinion that it is an old design concept for the recently launched Lotus Europa. Anyone know more about this concept? There are some hints of Aston Martin design cues especially on the rear end.

Related Posts:
Group Lotus 5-year Turnaround Plan
Proton and Lotus plan new low-end Lotus
More details on Lotus 5-year turnaround plan