Monday, September 25, 2006

Myvi on the highway

It's easy to get over-accustomed to sexy press shots of new cars. Ambient lighting, gleaming metalwork, sometimes even an elegant model draped over the bonnet... seen them all before, thanks.

myvimyvi 2myvi 3 Which is why it's always nice when a genuine shocker turns up - like this one from Perodua.

The Malaysian manufacturer spends millions developing and building a new car - in this case the Myvi supermini - another chunk of cash flagging up its presence in the motoring world... and then decides to advertise it with photos like these.

We're intrigued as to whether Perodua just sent the work-experience kid out with a 50-quid digital camera to get these press shots, or, even more worryingly, whether they just waited on the street for a Myvi to roll past and then stalked the poor driver.

We reckon the granny with a road sign lodged in her head in the first shot might know the answer.

Anyhow - on the technical side, the Myvi is powered by a 1.3-litre engine, which Perodua describes as 'lively'. We'll find that out when we try its 86bhp might for ourselves. Still, fuel economy of 58.8mpg is commendable.

All Myvis will come with air-conditioning, all-round electric windows and a CD player, so the spec sheet looks good. So it should, however, because Perodua has priced the Myvi to take on some of the best in class.

Prices start at £7,799 for the SXi model, rising to £8499 for the EZi with automatic gearbox.

But those with an aversion to paying this much for a Perodua will be glad to hear there's an instant £1,000 cashback deal on both models.

© Source: original article on topgear.com