When “Number 1”
is actually “Number 2”
The ‘official’ Number 1 in Malaysia is Proton, the
government backed automaker; however, as reported a few
weeks ago by roving editor at large John Weinthal, the
‘real’ Number 1 is Perodua, outselling Proton, and having 39
percent market share mid-year 2007.
Proton
Satria Neo
However, Perodua denies any thoughts of export to Thailand,
saying they are already flat strap keeping up with local
production, but Proton have said they are coming here and
are in throes of setting up a dealership network in this
country.
One of the models which will be offered here is likely to be
the new Satria. Proton has not had a good name as far as
‘quality’ is concerned, but with the launch of the Satria
Neo it has shown its commitment to lifting its game through
certification with the TUV Rheinland Group - an organization
that looks at compliance engineering, testing and quality.
A road test of the Australian-bound Satria Neo, particularly
in GXR form as dealt with here - showed it is well fitted
out. In fact it is exceptional in some ways, with rear
park-distance monitors, climate-control and even a
rudimentary trip computer part of the standard kit in the
up-spec model.
The mechanical layout is pretty straightforward: a 1.6-litre
DOHC, 16-valve four-cylinder dubbed CamPro by Proton and
producing a quite healthy 82kW, the choice of five speed
manual or a four speed auto and an independent suspension
system with MacPherson struts up front and a coil sprung
multi-link layout at the rear. All disc brakes with ABS and
EBD are nice to have, and compliment the Lotus tuned
suspension which can probably be counted as a distinct point
of difference with other cars of similar size.
Proton
Satria Neo
No question the Neo is a good-looking little hatch - a sort
of spiritual successor to the mildly iconic Satria GTi hatch
that was available until 2005 - with a nicely resolved,
appealing look that keeps well short of the practical,
upright shapes in many of its competitors.
This is helped no end by the decent 16 inch alloy wheels
fitted to the GXR. The turbine-look multi-spokers combine
with a blended in roof spoiler to visually legitimize
Proton’s claim the Neo is a genuinely sporty light hatch.
The boot is a reasonably useful 257 liters, but the little
hatch gets only a space-saver spare.
The good impressions continue inside, where everything looks
a bit more upmarket than we remember of the previous Satria.
A closer look reveals what is still a pretty basic,
superficial approach to details though, with hard-touch
vinyl and silver-painted plastic dominant.
The seats are a nice surprise, with pleasantly supportive
side-padding and generally comfortable shaping. The driver’s
seat is height-adjustable too, although it never gets low
enough to be really suitable for a tallish occupant. And the
steering wheel, though it contains on-spoke controls for the
sound system, can be set for height, but not reach.
Unexpectedly, there’s not a lot of space for storing small
items around the cabin. There are a couple of Yaris-like
holes either side of the center console that can take things
like mobile phones, and a couple of cup-holders, but not
much else apart from your regular glove box and rudimentary
front door pockets. But it all looks okay, and Proton has
done a pretty good job of ensuring that there is some
tactility in the way the controls work.
In the front, there’s ample comfort for average sized
drivers and passengers, but in the back, with the short
wheelbase, there’s precious little legroom even if the
shoulder width isn’t too bad. Headroom is an issue here too.
The low ‘sporty’ roofline takes its toll.
Cruise control (auto transmission only) is also part of the
deal with the GXR, while it shares standard ABS braking,
rear reversing sensors, dual front airbags, four speaker
Blaupunkt audio with single, MP3 compatible CD player, a
60-40 split rear seat, and all power windows and rearview
mirrors with the GX.
The main game for the Neo is undoubtedly the driving, once
again especially in the GXR that gets 195/50R16 tyres
wrapped around its alloy wheels to produce decent road grip
and sharp responses from the steering - which goes from lock
to lock in a pretty tight 2.7 turns.
The GXR Neo rides firmly but generally manages rough patches
okay. You could say the suspension is one area where the
Proton stands out in its class.
This, and the fact that the body feels taut, as the company
suggests, helped along by the dramatic increase in body
stiffness over the previous Satria with its claimed
class-leading rigidity of 14,000 n/mm.
The specifications of the 1.6-litre engine combine with a
relatively light all up weight of 1169 kg to suggest fairly
healthy on road accelerator response and this proves to be
the case - within certain limits.
If you want a little more from the engine - say a decent
shove of mid-range accelerator response, or a bit of extra
squirt at the top end - there’s a certain lifelessness that
indicates that, in this age of variable valve control, we
are maybe getting a bit spoiled.
The CamPro 1.6 does its job, but nothing more - although it
at least does it with relative smoothness and silence. That
the official zero to 100 kmh acceleration time is quoted at
a relaxed 11.5 seconds is not surprising - although the fact
this can only be achieved with 95 RON fuel comes as
something of a shock.
The average fuel consumption claim of 7.2 L/100 km for the
manual (7.6 L/100 km for the auto) is acceptable, if still
nothing special.
The main competitors, many of which are not coming here, or
will be coming later, include Mazda2, Suzuki Swift, Ford
Fiesta, Kia Rio, Citroen C3, Honda Jazz, Mitsubishi Colt,
Peugeot 207, Toyota Yaris and Volkswagen Polo. The new Jazz
for 2008 could probably be its nemesis, and Mazda 2 and the
Fiesta will be the newcomers.
However, it is good that in Thailand we are slowly being
given more of a choice. For that reason, if nothing else, I
applaud Proton for what they are doing in the local small
saloon car category.
Nissan-Renault to build
the ultimate ‘cheapie’
At the current Tokyo Motor Show, Carlos Ghosn
indicated that as well as bringing back the legendary GTR
super car, they were also going to build a $2,500 (under
100,000 Thai baht) car for India and other emerging nations.
This will be built in a joint venture with Indian electric
rickshaw and motorcycle maker Bajaj Auto Ltd. There are 45
million scooter drivers in India, so that is the size of the
niche market.
You don’t get
ESC at this price!
Renault already has a cheapie in Indi
a
(and many other parts of the world) called the Logan, but
the Bajaj is another quite separate venture and half the
price.
Thierry Moulonguet, Renault CFO and chairman of the
Nissan-Renault management Committee for the Americas, told
reporters in Japan that the automaker is positioning itself
for an expected surge in small car sales globally.
Moulonguet said engineers and designers are working on the
second-generation Logan due in 2012 that will cut costs by
15 percent of the original Logan, which has a starting price
of about $5,000.
“We see this as the segment of the future,” Moulonguet said.
“Our early launch of the Logan puts us in a good position
for selling a car at a very low price.”
Renault now builds the Logan as a global car. The first
sedans came from a factory in Romania. Since then, Renault
has opened Logan plants in Russia, Colombia, Morocco, Brazil
and Iran. Along with the plants, Renault has attracted and
developed a local supplier base for the Logan as well as
other models, including some yet to come. This year, it
claims it will sell 800,000 Logan models. “Today we sell
80,000 in Western Europe while our initial expectation was
zero,” Moulonguet said.
Autotrivia Quiz
Last week I asked which Lotus driver won a three
hour sportscar race by driving the car across the line on
the starter motor? It was a Lotus 19 and was driven
‘electrically’ across the line by Dan Gurney. He was leading
the 1962 Daytona 3 Hour by many laps when the engine failed,
so he waited at the line until the three hours were up and
when the flag came out ‘ground’ it across the line to win,
as he had been so many laps in front, the rest of the field
couldn’t catch him.
So to this week. One central headlight was seen on many cars
over the years, the revolutionary Tucker Torpedo being a
classic example. However, there were many before that. What
was the first American car with ‘cyclops’ headlights?
For the Automania FREE beer this week, be the first correct
answer to email automania@pattayamail.com
Good luck!
For Sale: Old Jaguar.
Apply FoMoCo
All the signs are there that Ford Motor Company
is getting a trifle desperate. Aston Martin has been sold,
and now Jaguar and Land Rover are on the block. How the
mighty has fallen.
It is a shame really, because without Ford, the name Jaguar
would have been consigned to the ‘remember them’ bin many
years ago, and likewise Land Rover. The latest offerings
from both those stables are good cars, but Ford has enough
problems at home in the US, without the British worries.
Ford has said they expect to complete the sale of both
within two months. There are apparently more than a couple
of financial institutions interested in purchasing them.
This is always a worry when bean-counters take control, and
not car people with automotive souls.
Of course, this has prompted questions about FoMoCo’s other
overseas marque - Volvo. Will it be next? The answer is
“probably” in my estimation.
Remember the definition of an optimist. It’s someone who
takes their lunch to work!
FIA wants 10 year old
race engines
The FIA (the world’s governing body for motor
sport in general and Formula 1 in particular) have announced
that the current restrictions on engine development will be
extended to a 10 year period.
At the start of this season’s championship an engine
development freeze was placed on F1 in the hope of reducing
the costs of competing in the sport, but now the World Motor
Sport Council has put through a new 10 year freeze.
“There will be a total freeze on engine development for a
period of 10 years, starting from 2008,” the FIA said in a
statement. “Total freeze means that there will be no
exceptions for development of certain parts of the engine,
as is the case under the current regulations.”
Honda must be happy. They will have to keep going with the
2007 hand grenade engines for another 10 years! They may as
well give up now.
Another incredible step by the FIA. How can F1 be the
pinnacle of engineering with 10 year old engines? Simply
amazing.
