16th Jun 2008, 16:42
** Update **
My Parents are still running the Myvi and are delighted with it. I now run two identical 2008 Daihatsu Sirion 1.0Ss (one for me, one for my wife!) so have written extensively comparing the Sirion and Myvi on this site on the 2008 Sirion page.
The Sirions have been absolutely without any fault, which is an improvement on the Myvi, which did arrive with a few issues which needed sorting.
The Myvi really has run in nicely, and is improving with age, with a super smooth transmission and very easy controls. Everything works easily and well, and the doors thud satisfyingly and the controls work effortlessly.
20,000 miles service carried out by the lovely Bridgnorth dealers, and they only charged £115 including coffee and courtesy car!! This is MUCH cheaper than Daihatsu who not only demand servicing at 9k not 10k intervals, but screw you in the process, being typically nearly TWICE as expensive as Perodua. I suppose this covers the cost of the better warranty package with the Daihatsu.
Issues:
Rear hatchback struts have failed again (glacially slow and lid sags down in cold weather) and so has the driver's door four way electric window control, so the dealer is waiting for parts, which have been approved by Perodua as a warranty claim.
I feel that the interior light and window switch issues are due to me demanding the seatbelt alarm module was doctored before delivery - they did warn me that it could cause problems, so we will see if switch sorts the issues.
I believe that the hatchback gas struts are not suitable for the UK climate, as they just do not work in the cold. The Daihatsu ones are different and very effective - an outward and obvious sign that the Daihatsu is better sorted through thorough testing for the UK market. I don't think the identical replacement struts will be any better, but we will have to see.
In all, the Myvi still impresses after 20,000 miles and can be recommended.
The Sirion is an overall better buy though, with a better warranty and backup - (five years warranty and breakdown), but does cost a bit more for the equivalent spec.
In hindsight, we are pleased we now have the Sirions for the spec and economy, but our similarly priced 1.0S base models we have miss out on some of the Myvi's kit, such as electric mirrors and rear audio speakers, plus the smoother and torquey 1.3 unit. I can live with this for the cheaper tax bracket (only £35pa, not £120pa) rortier sounding 1.0 engine, better economy and better safety kit and warranty.
I would seriously recommend the Myvi as a cheap used buy, as they depreciate heavily, and a 56 plate 2006 car can now be had with 5,000 miles for about £4,000, which is superb, and should be reliable for many years.
Geoff.
26th Jun 2008, 06:51
**Update**
I drove my old (now my Parents') Myvi 1.3 for 30 miles straight after driving my Sirion 1.0 and noted the following:
Myvi mirrors are exceptionally good - better than smaller mirrors fitted to the Sirion.
The instruments are set further back into the dash binnacle, and are harder to read than the Sirion's new dash pod.
The four speaker stereo is superb and has amazing sound quality - much more impressive than the two speaker set up on the similarly priced 1.0S base model Sirion, which also does without the electric mirrors. All other Sirions have the four speakers and electric mirrors, though.
Plush light grey seat trim and fabric door inserts look and feel nicer than Sirion, but front seats are set too low and the seat backs cannot be adjusted as upright as the Sirion's and this is annoying. Twin standard seatback pockets are useful though.
The Myvi looks smart with the LED rear light and the LED indicators in the mirrors, plus the rear end is better with the number plate on the bootlid, rather than on the bumper as on the Sirion.
The bootlid on the Myvi makes the car look less tall and gawky than the Sirion and works much better stylistically.
At the front, the lower front bumper with the integrated chin spoiler looks much more up to date-shame about the number plate aperture being too small and making the front registration plate look odd.
The Myvi looks very smart, but is let down by awful cheap looking wheel trims. The Sirion trims look much more stylish.
You can feel the quality difference between the Daihatsu and Perodua frequently, noticing where corners were cut to save costs with the Myvi-no ISOFIX, no rear headrests, no parcel shelf strings, no bootlight, no maplights, no side 'bags, no airbag cut-off switch, rough and loose trim-especially under the bonnet, cheap carpets and mats, no fuel economy display, NO CLOCK!!! The Sirion also has a galvanised bodyshell which is most impressive.
For two such similar looking cars, there are endless detail differences, and although the Myvi is highly impressive and looks better, the difference in equipment, build quality, warranty cover and safety equipment makes me glad to now have the Sirion.
I would strongly recommend a Myvi as an excellent budget secondhand buy between £4-5,000, but if buying new and spending £6800, the money is better spent on a base model Sirion; add £500 to get 1.0SE trim or £500 to get a 1.3S with the same engine as the Myvi.
After driving the both cars back-to-back, I would always choose the 1.0 engine over the 1.3, as it suits the car better, with rapid pick-up and cheaper taxation, insurance and fuel economy. There is very little power difference from tickover between the cars; the 1.3 (86BHP) is smoother and quieter, but the 1.0 (69BHP) pulls very well indeed (after being run-in for 2,000 miles+) with a much more vocal but snarling sounding engine with is satisfying to thrash.
I would not recommend the 1.3 over the 1.0 unless the car is mainly used for motorway work, as the 1.0 copes admirably at motorway speeds and is livelier, more urgent and peppier around town, A and B roads. The 1.0 power band cuts in directly over tickover, unlike the 1.3 which picks up at higher revs and can be a little more hesitant than the 1.0. Put best - the 1.0 is always on the boil, the 1.3 needs revs to bring in the power.
The gearboxes on both cars are fairly obstructive and hesitant though, and feel 20 years behind the technology of the Honda Jazz and Fiat Panda 'boxes, for example.
I think I have completed my lengthy essay now - hope it is useful!!
6th Jan 2008, 07:39
**Update**
Now at 12,000 miles and we are genuinely very impressed with the Myvi and the ownership experience; it's a really nice car to own with good kit levels, nice interior, great stereo, very light controls and a good ride and handling balance making it comfortable over long distances.
This is a very easy to live with car, with doors and boot that thud shut first time every time, responsive steering, superlight handbrake and clutch and responsive light pedals, plus well weighted controls throughout.
We honestly believe it is better than a Toyota Yaris; interestingly, the Myvi/Sirion is also sold as a Toyota Passo in certain markets-hence the quality.
After 12,000 miles it is simply just improving rather than wearing out, and we are delighted with the car.
The interior lightswitches are however proving an ongoing issue; after sorting the driver's door switch under warranty, the passenger door switch started to play up. I unbolted it, pulled off the rubber cover, cleaned it and refitted it tightly and it worked again fine for two days, then both it and one of the rear door switches failed. It is not hugely important, but will need to go in for warranty work again sometime, frustratingly.
We have also had a stone fly up and crack the nearside mirror mounted indicator lens, but as the crack is only 10mm long, we have sealed it with clear silicon to save the cost of replacing it.
The rest of the car is absolutely faultless and exudes a quality which is remarkable for the price.
Our only gripes are the lack of a clock (we have sat-nav clock) and parcel shelf string and the light switch issue, but at the price nothing will do the same job-let alone with this quality and kit.
P.S. We made our own parcel shelf string out of a light pullcord with a hook screwed into boot lid and hole drilled through parcel shelf with string knotted behind. It works well. If you are nervous about doing this yourself and want a professional looking job doing, a Suzuki Ignis string and clip (pushes in around the metal lip surrounding the rear window by the strut-there is a space on the Myvi for it) should fit, and costs about £8 from a Suzuki main dealer-just check the cord is long enough first. I fitted one to my 2006 Suzuki Swift DDiS in seconds (see report).
If you read that report, you will see how much I prefer the cheaper Myvi over the more expensive Swift.