Perodua ‘Myvi Style’ rendition by Theophilus Chin

The latest model to emerge from Perodua is the Ativa, and in terms of size, it tends to draw comparison with the brand’s perennial bestseller, the Myvi. In fact, we have drawn some comparisons of our own with the Proton X50 thrown into the mix, and although the latter isn’t exactly a like-for-like rival, its mention in the context of SUVs from Malaysian brands is inevitable.

What if the bestselling Myvi drew upon design cues from within Perodua’s own pre-Ativa inventory? Step forward, Axia Style, your bigger sibling would like to try on your clothes. Visually, at least, courtesy of graphics rendering maestro Theophilus Chin.

A lifted ride height is a must for the crossover with rough-roading ambitions, and so Theophilus has given the B-segment hatch a taller stance to go with it restyled kit. Grey cladding features on this Myvi rendition at its foglamp surrounds, front bumper lip and central section, in line with following the Axia Style’s cues, as does the inclusion of the metal-look faux skid plates at the base of the front bumper extension.

Grey cladding also applies here to its side sills to bridge the similarly-clothed wheelarches while roof rails have been added, and it appears that Theophilus has given this Myvi Style a bit more of its own flair with two-tone exterior mirror covers, as opposed to the single-tone, gloss black items on the Axia Style. The wheel design from the Axia Style has been carried over to the Myvi rendition here.

The rear end of the Myvi Style also receives the Axia Style-esque redesign applied to the front end, namely the arrow-shaped grey inserts as on the smaller model, the lower bumper lip cladding and faux skid plate like on the front, finished with clear tail lamp lenses.

Should this be a styling exercise that Perodua takes on for real, a wholesale carry-over of Myvi powertrain is likely the easiest place start, which means the use of either the 1.3 litre, 84 hp/121 Nm 1NR-VE or the 1.5 litre, 102 hp/136 Nm 2NR-VE engine. By contrast, the Perodua Ativa uses forced induction courtesy of its 1.0 litre 1KR-VET turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine with 98 PS and 140 Nm of torque.

So, dear readers, if dreaming is free, which of these two will it be – a ‘Myvi Style’, or the already-real Ativa?

GALLERY: 2019 Perodua Axia Style