Different strokes for different folks. It depends on what your priorities are, but what’s good for others might not be the best fit for you. The ‘others’ in this case seems to be everyone else, because the Perodua Myvi is Malaysia’s best selling car and it has been so for well over a decade now.
The Proton Iriz was launched back in 2014 and pundits fell over themselves to call it the “Myvi killer”. Well, no one got injured and the only surprise is that Proton hasn’t killed the Iriz due to slow sales yet – the hatchback is still alive after receiving a facelift and a new (and rather cool-looking) SUV-inspired Active variant last year. Despite that, it ended up tenth in the 2021 sales chart by model.
Who buys the Iriz then? One of us did, and here’s Hafriz Shah’s long-term owner review of the Iriz. His is a rare breed – this silver unit is the 2019 facelift with a manual gearbox (1.3 Standard MT) and our man bought it because of the stick shift, which has since been discontinued. Before you shout why, check your own porch – have you put your verbal support for the manual transmission into action?
In this video review, Hafriz walks us through the 2019 Iriz’s design (this version was a big shift, introducing the “Ethereal Bow” grille and the black strip with Proton script on the hatch), practicality and interior features.
We had the latest 2021 facelift in Active guise alongside, and the new car’s revamped interior made him “such a jealous Iriz owner”. Somehow, Proton came up with a better dashboard in both design/looks and ergonomics despite having had to use the same bones.
A big chunk of the review is on the drive, as that’s the Iriz’s specialty and the only department where it betters the Myvi. Proton’s former tagline was “It’s in the drive” and the Iriz is probably the best current model to embody that motto. I still remember the fun I had test driving the Iriz back in the day, even with the terrible CVT, and that ride and handling brilliance is at our man’s disposal everyday, with the bonus of a stick.
Caveats? The Iriz isn’t his only car. It isn’t even his secondary car. It has just over 11,000 km on the odo over two years and “it’s just a car I drive once in awhile to have a bit of fun,” which is why the focus here is mainly on the driving. As a toy, the Iriz has a specific remit, and that is to deliver satisfaction when the owner needs to lepas gian. I’m guessing that the Proton would fare differently if it had to fulfil daily duties, which cars in this price range are generally bought for. Then, more factors will come into play.
So, the Iriz may not be for all, but clearly, it has its charms, as explained in the video above. Check it out, and while you’re at it, put our review of the latest 2022 Iriz/Persona facelift in the queue.
GALLERY: 2019 Proton Iriz 1.3 Standard MT
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Myvi > All
Tak payah fikir2, tak nak pening kepala, beli jer.
Enuff said.
Buying Myvi is like buying beer, no need braincells.
Buying Iriz is like buying wine, for the discerning customers.
Going for Iriz is making a choice using brains.
Not using brain and still making the right choice
vs
Using brain, yet making the wrong choice.
If you not use brain, how do you know its the right choice?
If you had use brain, how is it the wrong choice?
Imagine caring too much about what car to drive and MUH MAINTENANCE CHEAPERINOS. People like you is the reason why we can’t have nice things.
Copy paste: “Hafriz: The Iriz is just that much better in pretty much all aspects”
I said that in the context of ride and handling only.
I have made my order since last year, haven’t get yet. and yet since Jan2022 they haven’t even allocate cars to the northern side. booking for new vehicles is still quite healthy? Its been months since the flood, and their excuse is still due to flood problem. lol.
Next month not coming Imma switching to Iriz.
Membeli kereta tanpa berfikir kerana tak mahu pening, budaya konsumer baru? Ini mesti sebab dulu dah gagal peperiksaan sekolah ni.
“Myvi”
Meh
Myyi is used for transportation from point A to point B.
Iriz is used to drive a car.
The best iriz is the 1.6 manual…
The ugly butt rear design is a major turn off.
Sack the designer.
Funny how P2 fanboys whack the only thing their Myvi is well known for, an ugly butt. Try again fanboy.
Talking about ugly rear, have you seen the new Axia.
Hardcore Proton supporter rupanya. No wonder every nut and screw in X50 launching requires an article.
Copy paste: “Hafriz: I’d supposed you would think I’d a lot to complain about in terms of interior rattles or whatnot. BUT UNFORTUNATELY, I have very little to report”
Copy paste: “Hafriz: The whole aftersales service… I’ve got to say I’ve got ZERO complaints, I’ve been EXTREMELY PLEASED with the entire service. Pretty much the only time I ever had a problem was during the whole flood situation 2 months ago, where they had to proritise flood damage vehicles and rightly so.”
One thing for sure, Proton & consumers have a lot of love for the intrepid & diehard Iriz. Every time a doomsayer heralds the end of it, Iriz comes back refreshed better than ever and throws another punch like a Rocky Balboa. You can clearly see that each iteration buyers will fawn over the newly released, even Hafriz is mightily impressed by how far the much maligned CVT have come and it is now a viable daily drivers car. As an older car, it retains the tall hatch profile that Myvi ditched, giving it a leg up for easier entry & exit. Those who own 1st & 2nd gen Myvi can vouch when comparison with their 3rd gen sibling. If you have senior citizens to drive around, it is a godsend compared to Myvi today. Overall, the above is some of the reasons I think why the plucky ducky Iriz is still bought by discerning customers who know exactly what they want and not just follow the crowd and popular voices.
i think maybe Hafriz tried a little too hard to justify his purchase in the video. that part wasn’t very enjoyable and it doesn’t really matter why he bought it (different drivers have different taste), the article should just be about the car. anyway it sure is true about the Iriz’s comfort and handling being better than the Myvi.
I prefer Iriz.
Funny thing is that “Ethereal Bow” design grille looks like those metal hanger we consumer use to dry laundry. Yes, agree this is the worst front design ever on Iriz
Okaaaaaaaay..what’s next? Emgrand?
or totally new, ground up from our local talents?
P2 are like fresh fruit. Gr8 at start but goes rotten soon enough.
P1 are like wine. Not good at 1st but ages well with time.
Not a “Myvi killer”, but an alternative worth looking at. Even “the terrible CVT” works better than implied in most situations, namely at speeds above 30km/h. If you spend most of the time standing in traffic jams, go and buy a Myvi.
If standing still in jams is a regular thing, don’t buy Myvi. Buy motor better, at least it still moves.
Apa yg nak dibanggakan dgn mivy…?? Engine pun Engine org lain….hampir 80/90 % technology Daihatsu n ciplak dari part Toyota….Ringgit Malaysia byk mengalir keluar….Iriz sekurang2nya guna Engine yg didisign sendiri oleh Proton R&D…ciptaan ank malaysia….dan kebanyakan part juga didisign sendiri oleh proton….kalau nak sebut mivy kereta nasional sbnrnya agak memalukan jer…sendiri mau ingat laa
Dude hafriz is a rich dude.. have so many cars and buying them like a shirt.. kudos to you dude hafriz .Still hoping to ride with you your C200 coupe if I’m not mistaken.
Loud aircond fan/ compressor noise is not only obvious in Proton but also locally assembled Peugeot, VW Polo, KIA…Perhaps the technology upgrade should be look into in total instead of only facelist or some electronics updates.
Proton’s loud AC is contra’ed by having the best AC in the business. You can freeze in a Proton.
Thanks for the review. It’s a perspective of people who loves and knows about car……, and have many to buy other expensive cars.
For those who really loves driving, you will agree Iriz is better choice. Properly engineered in that area. Intangible item that hard to describe…jump from those car… immediately feels the different.
However, for those who only can buy 1 car, probably myvi is the better choice..for majority… if U do not have anything high expectation with driving pleasure.
Plus.. some bad reputation of proton previous year, still lot people ‘serik’.
Proud Iriz 2019 owner
Copy paste: “Hafriz: I’d supposed you would think I’d a lot to complain about in terms of interior rattles or whatnot. BUT UNFORTUNATELY, I have very little to report”
I’m planning to get a used Iriz next year. Why used? Because they are dirt cheap in the used market.
I will buy it for my wife to use and the Iriz will replaced my faithful BLM.
I agree the Myvi is a better built and better equipped car(latest version).
Why Iriz?
Like i said above, the resale value is so bad that makes it an excellent buy. I will drive it once a while so the ride and handling will satisfy me (i already have a decent handling C segment sedan). And….fc is never a consideration point in this purchase. Above all, i choose the Iriz because i need parking space for a new 2 wheeler with slightly more hp. Wife is happy for getting a ‘new’ ride and i will be even happier getting a bigger engine between my legs.
I hate the Iriz that I feel like I need to get one in the future. Myvi is a good buy entirely, but so boring that I am starting to hate it.
I hope 2nd hand Iriz will be dirty cheap so that I can buy it lol
It took me a long 6 months to get delivery of Iriz 1.6.. No wonder its not selling well..?