Proton Iriz to spawn a sportier 200+ km/h variant?

Iriz_R3_rear

Much has been said about the new Proton Iriz’s speedometer which, rather optimistically, reads all the way up to 240 km/h. This seems rather overkill, especially when its most potent form (the Iriz 1.6 MT) has a top speed of just 175 km/h. So what gives? When asked, Proton’s response to this was both simple and surprising.

“It’s common practice that we carmakers like to future proof our parts and components, so let’s just say that we designed the 240 km/h speedometer as such to support other models we may have in the future,” said Proton chief technical officer Abdul Rashid Musa in an interview with us yesterday.

Proton_Iriz_instrument_cluster

Could he be hinting at a 200+ km/h Proton Iriz R3? We could only hope at this moment. Just last week, we had Theophilus Chin render us what a possible R3 version of the Iriz could look like, and the Fire Red hot-hatch (pictured on top) turned out quite well indeed. The Iriz has a lot of potential, that’s for sure.

But don’t hold your breath just yet, speed freaks, as we’re still waiting for the Suprima R3 and Preve R3 models (the real deals, not just plain R3-branded bodykits for the hatchback and sedan). We’ve been assured that they are on the way, though, so hopefully the Iriz R3 will be hot on their heels.

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Hafriz Shah

Preferring to drive cars rather than desks, Hafriz Shah ditched his suit and tie to join the ranks of Malaysia’s motoring hacks. A car’s technical brilliance is completely lost on him, appreciating character-making quirks more. When not writing this ego trip of a bio, he’s usually off driving about aimlessly, preferably in a car with the right combination of three foot pedals and six gears.

 

Comments

  • Cruise Control on Oct 16, 2014 at 3:38 pm

    There’s a cruise control indicator under the RPM gauge.
    Hopefully Autocruise shows up in future variants of Iriz. Or if the rumours prove true, that they will reuse most of Iriz for SAGA 3, we’ll have a cheap Sedan with Auto-cruise by end of next year.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 32 Thumb down 2
    • alldisc on Oct 16, 2014 at 7:40 pm

      rpm gauge = tachometer.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 35
      • Obviously (Member) on Oct 17, 2014 at 10:00 am

        RPM gauge is one of the proper names for that instrument. Too bad you got downvoted so while trying to be informative.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 12 Thumb down 2
    • Sawwy on Oct 17, 2014 at 9:44 am

      High speed 240km/h is useless if Campro VVT still consume petrol like camel drink water nonstop.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 15 Thumb down 17
      • legendaryme on Oct 17, 2014 at 10:17 am

        If you want more power, more speed dont expect it will be less fuel consumption lorr.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 40 Thumb down 2
        • tbh, turbocharged engines are much more fuel efficient. For example, EcoBoost. Who said that more speed means you must sacrifice fuel efficiency. Technology is constantly improving. I really hope that Proton improves their fuel efficiency first.

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 15 Thumb down 14
          • you really think ecoboost can be fuel efficient on high speed cruising?

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 4
          • bloodmad on Oct 20, 2014 at 3:43 pm

            hahaha.. nak mengarut lettew…

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 2
  • Datuk on Oct 16, 2014 at 3:38 pm

    Hidden due to lowcomment rating. Click here to see.

    Poorly-rated. Like or Dislike: Thumb up 53 Thumb down 174
    • Atoy-ot on Oct 16, 2014 at 4:06 pm

      Ya…Just like Myvi after hitting 200km/hr, all the nuts and tyres separate out from car body

      Well-loved. Like or Dislike: Thumb up 122 Thumb down 8
      • Pak Daud on Oct 16, 2014 at 5:35 pm

        Correct your words.

        BEFORE hit 200km/h and all nuts gone especially back arm.

        Well-loved. Like or Dislike: Thumb up 80 Thumb down 5
        • Same L0rrr on Oct 17, 2014 at 12:38 pm

          Who care? you think Proton care?

          Proton sell car get money Proton’s business.
          Buyer buy car got problem die in the car their own problem.

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 30
    • Bobby (Member) on Oct 16, 2014 at 4:15 pm

      Hidden due to lowcomment rating. Click here to see.

      Poorly-rated. Like or Dislike: Thumb up 26 Thumb down 142
      • riz (Member) on Oct 17, 2014 at 12:23 am

        think global …
        why other country still implemented the speed limit while the cars sold every single one of them can exceed the speed limit ?
        even kancil 660 can reach 110kmh,
        even the Honda EX5 can reach 110kmh,

        why dont all car manufacturer put in cut off on 110kmh on all cars, lets see how many of those agree

        like to agree 110kmh cut-off
        unlike to disagree 110kmh cut-off
        reply to give other opinion

        most general car cannot survive 100kmh crash
        even the 60-70kmh crash test like the IIHS / EURONCAP already prove only very little car model survive the crash. even new AUDI A4 cant survive small overlap test.Poor rating.only 64kmh. yet the car can reach up to 225kmh+ top speed.

        engine cut-off only can be disable in Sepang track.

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_limit

        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4PjSVOnrVg

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 18 Thumb down 5
    • Not in its current form la…the existing engine max at 175km/h..tak ada baca ka?

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 23 Thumb down 2
    • Besi Buruk on Oct 16, 2014 at 9:29 pm

      How many drivers have the gut to hit that mark on our road? 1, 10, 30 or 100?

      If that should happen, then it is god willing and he decides.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0
    • RicoT on Oct 17, 2014 at 4:02 am

      Jack up the drive wheels of a car and let the wheels spins freely. It might be able to top 200km/h+.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 2
  • old school Wira 1.8 also spot a 200+ speedometer

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 18 Thumb down 1
  • kelvintan1703 on Oct 16, 2014 at 3:49 pm

    200km/h+ speedometers are to support others future models, hmm… me personally prefer the one carry in the preve and suprima s. This speedometers is a little bit old school (such as satria, wira, iswara.. and etc…).

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 7
  • Chris (Member) on Oct 16, 2014 at 3:55 pm

    Proton have the ability to heat up the hot-hatch segment even further. I’ll say the same thing over and over: Turbocharge the engine, stiffen the chassis/suspension, kit it out.

    It all seems to be within Proton’s capability looking at the recent history.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 22 Thumb down 1
  • Petrofsky77 (Member) on Oct 16, 2014 at 4:01 pm

    Later sked comes out with R3 edition, peeps still complain FC terrible. With current Iriz oso ppl already complain their cars FC better, then do we really need to bother with a performance version of this car? Heck, 1.6CVT Premium at RM62k pun ppl say overpriced dee, how much is the R3 version going to sell for lah?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 3
  • Iriz is a newly born baby. Teach the baby to walk before teaching them to run. The speedometer is rather small and is not even illuminated in the day time like most of the modern cars. This is a setback. The front is contemporary looking but the back of car is quite outdated. These are reasons enough to swerve my choice to Jazz.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 10 Thumb down 28
  • Roffle on Oct 16, 2014 at 4:13 pm

    1.6L can only do 175 km/h? The 1.2L Savvy AMT can do 180 km/h and I don’t think its body is that much lighter either.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 11
  • Imantulen on Oct 16, 2014 at 4:19 pm

    My Saga SE 1.6 also has 240kmh on it.
    So, is there a R3 series for this Saga as well?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 5
    • Ketum on Oct 16, 2014 at 6:21 pm

      Exactly bro, same like my Saga 1.6 as well. Only idiots will believe in this media statement meant to make so called potential buyers feel enthusiastic when they plan to buy Proton cars.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 5
  • shawal on Oct 16, 2014 at 4:21 pm

    1.6 CFE + manual box
    to go head to head with PUG 208 GTi

    If they can twincharge the 1.6 CFE it’ll be cooler…

    the existence of a proper HALO car might help spur sales of lesser models too…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 15 Thumb down 2
  • pada aku la..proton patut lebih fokus pada tech enjin yg jimat minyak pula lepas ni dpt 20km/l pon dah o.k dan harga murah macam saga..maksud aku bkn hybrid..xpayah la buat edisi sport..buat 1 model yg sporty cthnya satria neo..model lain xpayah la..sbb rakyat malaysia mmg pandai dlm modifikasi ni..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 31 Thumb down 3
  • neemfa on Oct 16, 2014 at 4:22 pm

    Satria GTI’s meter was up to 260km/h.. so it’s just, meter.. that’s all. no biggie.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 2
    • alldisc on Oct 16, 2014 at 7:41 pm

      :smile:

      waja and gen2 also have 240kmh meter. hardly reaching 200kmh in stock standard.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0
    • My Putras meter was until 260 kmh also. This Proton guys are full of crap…the iriz does not look good in the metal. I was impressed at first looking at the pictures but wasn’t impressed with the car in the showroom. The interior plastics are horrible on top of that. The door cards are hard and feels cheap. The dash hard and the plastics appear at least a grade lower than what’s used in the myvi seriously. The aircon controls were not sturdy or tactile like the one in the myvi. I’m not a perodua salesman. I was seriously considering this car..eagerly waiting to out my money on it. I stalled my purchase just for the iriz launch. After experiencing the car..decided to go for myvi. It’s a proven car..been around long enough. Better resale and I doubt the iriz will put a dent in perodua sales.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 18 Thumb down 27
  • ahmadjohnson97 on Oct 16, 2014 at 4:30 pm

    Inspira r3 2.0 manual would be nice too.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 13 Thumb down 2
  • mystvearn on Oct 16, 2014 at 4:39 pm

    I see lots of function not even available in top spec model:
    cruise control
    front parking sensor
    front fog lights
    rear fog lights

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 11
  • PocketIn on Oct 16, 2014 at 4:39 pm

    200KM/H ++ ? The car can stop in time or not if emergency?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 1
  • Jaybond on Oct 16, 2014 at 4:57 pm

    The Iriz’s Speedometer Dials looks kind of cheap. Why don’t Proton designers adopt the same speedometer style as found on Preve’s dash?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 2
    • Mike01 on Oct 17, 2014 at 1:03 am

      Doesn’t only look…feels cheap also. With all this hype about this car. In terms of design…there is something not right in the proportions. Look at the car live…based on the side profile..the long front end and the flat rear just doesn’t go, from the front 45degree angle, the rear looks horrendous with the over bulging flared rear wheel arch. It looks worse in the 1.3 with those puny wheels. Clearly a copy of myvi which has much better proportions.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 13
  • Car-Fans on Oct 16, 2014 at 5:04 pm

    I prefer Safety Features & Good FC car engine rather then High Speed engine … dah habak jgn tengok movies high speed chase … What for burn extra petrol … silap hari silap masa … masuk tanah !

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 18 Thumb down 7
  • Manocb on Oct 16, 2014 at 5:23 pm

    Haha….iriz sound like high risk….

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 7
  • Same lorrr on Oct 16, 2014 at 5:32 pm

    Speedometer 200kmh..
    Why rpm not make it 9000rpm, you say for future mahhhh….
    Then charge discharge , why don hv…for future hybrid mahhh…

    Future future future…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 14
  • nabill (Member) on Oct 16, 2014 at 5:35 pm

    i think its not really news is it….
    i mean eve the saga flx with a cvt 1.3 can easily go 180/190 km/h…although spec sheet says top speed is only 165 km/h…..jus go n see all the nuts record their adventures on youtube…

    i actually think its the gearbox that caps the top speed rather than the engine itself , short gearing might be a factor for the manual , overheating for the cvt

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 0
  • armandd on Oct 16, 2014 at 5:35 pm

    240km/h meter gauge is much better than my the 180km/h in my Honda.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 1
  • the driver on Oct 16, 2014 at 5:56 pm

    Interesting. Let’s see how clever the engineers are at Proton. Either an old school ‘big engine’ shoehorned into the engine bay, or a new thinking ‘turbo engine’ smaller capacity engine be fitted into the engine bay. Come on Proton, prove something to the M’sian public.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 10 Thumb down 1
  • panjang on Oct 16, 2014 at 6:08 pm

    Okay Proton,
    now i’m listening,just listen only.
    U have to show some proof to follow.

    Oh fark i forgot,this is Malaysian people u r trying to convince.Go ahead,make it and sell it oversea.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 1
  • It’s really funny how there are actually people here who are into cars and you really think that when a car’s speedometer says 220km/h.
    You actually believe it can do that speed. Sad.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 0
  • Protong on Oct 16, 2014 at 6:57 pm

    Iriz only look cute in picture. The real thing look edgy and inelegance. It look gloomy inside. Driver sit high like in old school Mazda Bongo. The wheel arch have about four inches clearance. Transforming to an urban SUV have more potential than to to hot hatch.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 10
  • mr1031 on Oct 16, 2014 at 7:04 pm

    if the new r3 suprima and preve includes the all new interior of the iriz or at least has the irizs’ fit & finishes, than I’m all in..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • Obviously (Member) on Oct 16, 2014 at 7:06 pm

    Or, it could just mean that they will reuse the instrument cluster for some future models. That’s what I got from how he worded his explanation.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 3
    • farghmeef on Oct 16, 2014 at 7:45 pm

      some can read between the lines,
      some don’t understand at all.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 0
  • sambalbabi on Oct 16, 2014 at 8:05 pm

    doesn’t matter it’s R3, HKS, M7 or Mugen tuned.

    as long as this tuned version has rear brake disc, it’s all good.

    very good.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 1
  • AntiSocial on Oct 16, 2014 at 9:19 pm

    Why ah? everytime also got sport edition one, even Axis.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1
  • mason_ on Oct 16, 2014 at 11:00 pm

    Proton biz strategy..one model last for a decade ++..sell for a decade++..after a decade ++then only this r3 iriz come out,then a SV ( supervalue) model come out..then maybe the electric model….that the situation for the exora model….even the exora model is quite popular and nice looking,but proton not yet come with a facelifted or maybe a replacement model….too slow..consumer wont wait for proton..it s proton to chase the time,consumer .

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 5
  • Aero (Member) on Oct 17, 2014 at 12:35 am

    When I visited Alami Proton, I was told that a R3 version of the Proton Iriz is being developed ! Should get a 6-spd manual as well.

    A Iriz R3 will be a good alternative to the class leading Ford Fiesta ST. It will have great handling courtesy of Lotus, a lot of equipment and kit, excellent safety (Ford Fiesta is not as safe as the Iriz, believe it or not; the Fiesta is older and has no HPF), and most importantly, the Iriz R3 will be a ton cheaper to buy.

    Proton has done it before with the Satria GTi. Many will say the Satria GTi is the best Proton car ever made thus far, and rightfully so. If Proton pulls it off again, we could be seeing a very promising car in the near future.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 39 Thumb down 2
  • max najimy on Oct 17, 2014 at 2:05 am

    I always hit 200kmj with my bikes and roadster. More speed, more comfortable.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 1
  • ^pomen_GTR^ on Oct 17, 2014 at 9:44 am

    Iriz turbo!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • Rileks la derr semua…aku punya waja standard manual pun boleh henjut sampai 200…kalau Iriz R3 sure boleh punya…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • Chill bros. It’s a crime to drive above speed limit, but is it a crime for carmakers to give their cars more potential? the Lambos and Ferraris will be out of job if we stick to “Bobby”‘s comment.

    On a side note, Ahbeng Vios drive so fast like no tomorrow = no problem. Proton wants to make faster car, got problem? Haiyo.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 41 Thumb down 0
  • Mike001 on Oct 17, 2014 at 5:07 pm

    The only way fir proton to regain their market share is to buy Perodua. If not, there is no way they can regain their share. No Iriz or Iriz Turbo is going to make that happen.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 2
  • this theopilus works is spot on.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • loopie san on Oct 22, 2014 at 12:12 am

    Put in say 1.4L engine with Turbo Chargers, with low RPM high torque and you have a winner. Imagine going at 120 km/h with your RPM at 2000.

    That is way way more fuel efficient than my 1.3L MYVI at 3500 RPM.

    Proton, you better take note and bring us VW TSI equivalent!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • IrizX on Dec 10, 2014 at 10:02 am

    What’s the obsession with top speed? Any car driving long enough in a straight road on the highway can go as far as their engine can take. Big deal.

    Most important is getting out of junction FAST in city driving because you don’t want to be bang by cars coming from the side.

    In this respect, the Iriz is a sluggish snail with the PUNCH CVT. Put Mach 3 speedometer also pointless.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 10
 

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