The 2022 Myvi Facelift Comes With PSDA, But What Is It And How Does It Do It?

Now that the 2022 Myvi facelift is finally upon us let's talk a little bit about its most significant upgrade, Perodua Smart Drive Assist (PSDA).

Perodua Smart Drive Assist or commonly known as ASA 3.0 is Perodua's latest Advanced Safety Assist feature, first seen on the Perodua Ativa.

ASA is basically a safety system that steps in when the driver is distracted. It helps the car avoid collisions by taking preventive measures. Perodua's ASA senses danger via a two-lensed stereo camera behind the rearview mirror. Along with its software, the camera is there to help judge distance. 

It's not as fancy as radar systems in more expensive cars, but it does do the job. The only downfall of the system is that it may be compromised during bad weather, as it is a stereo camera system after all. The driver will be notified, however, via a warning light, indicating it is not working in the instance it is compromised. 

Nonetheless, with the addition of ASA 3.0 on the Myvi, Malaysia's most loved vehicle has officially raised the benchmark for safety in the compact vehicle segment, making it the most advanced vehicle in terms of passive safety equipment.

When did ASA get to version 3.0?

ASA first debuted on the third-generation Perodua Myvi in 2017. It comprised of a Pre-Collision Warning (up to 30 km/h), Pre-Collision Braking (up to 30 km/h), Front Departure Alert and Pedal Misoperation Control, all of which work together to mitigate frontal collisions.

ASA 2.0 then appeared on the Aruz in 2019, adding Pedestrian Detection (up to 50 km/h) to the suite and upping the operational speeds of Pre-Collision Warning and Pre-Collision Braking to 100 km/h and 80 km/h, respectively.

ASA 2.0 then found its way to the 2019 Axia and 2020 Bezza before finding its way to the Myvi in 2020.

As we mentioned before, ASA 3.0 or PSDA made its debut in the Perodua Ativa. It came with an upgraded stereo camera and once again upped the game by increasing the operational speed - upping the autonomous Pre-Collision Braking speed up to 120km/h for vehicles and 60km/h for pedestrians. 

It also increased Pre-Collision Warning operational speed from 100 km/h to 120 km/h for vehicles and 50 km/h to 60 km/h for pedestrians.

ASA 3.0 was also able to detect bicycles and motorcycles, which was a step up from ASA 2.0 as it was only limited to vehicles and pedestrians. ASA 3.0 also works at night by detecting a car's taillights.

Because of the new camera and radar sensors installed on the inside of the rear bumpers, ASA 3.0 was also able to offer Level 2 autonomous driving, which opened up features such as Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keep Control, Blind Spot Monitoring and Rear Cross-Traffic Alert.

So is the system in the 2022 Myvi facelift just a software upgrade? 

The ASA 2.0 sensors had their limitations, so for the 2022 Myvi facelift to have ASA 3.0, quite a bit of new hardware, software, and electrical components had to be put into place.  

Two of the main things that the Myvi facelift needed to have ASA 3.0 with Level 2 autonomy are the new stereo camera and radar sensors in the rear bumper. 

New software and electrical architecture that supports the new hardware make the 2022 Myvi facelift one of the safest cars on the road, even if it's only the AV variant that gets the entire host of features. All other variants except the basic G variant will still come with ASA 3.0, but without advanced driving assistance systems such as Adaptive Cruise Control, Blind Spot Monitoring and Rear Cross-Traffic Alert. 

While it might seem like the Myvi facelift's upgrades are only skin-deep, the implementation of ASA 3.0 did require some intricate overhauling of the previous car. No wonder it cost them RM50 million to develop it.

That plus the other aesthetic and drivetrain changes makes the 2022 Perodua Myvi a very compelling package even in 2021. We don't see it losing its top spot in Malaysia anytime soon. Do you?