Reviews of new Proton models within the last half-decade or so typically revolve around the ideas of “best effort to date”, “turn-around car for the company”, “make or break” and “this is a car it absolutely has to get right if it wants to move forward.”
For the new Proton Iriz, these clichés just couldn’t ring truer, and while I won’t give the game away so early on, suffice to say, our national carmaker is fully aware that indigenously researching and developing cars only for our own people is simply not enough, and the Iriz represents the brightest and most credible beacon of hope in that respect so far.
But at the same time, we’re talking about the Malaysian B-segment. Fiercely-competitive. High-volume. Price-sensitive. Numbers-driven. No-nonsense. And the baby Proton couldn’t be assigned a more formidable opponent even if it tried – why, only the best-selling set of wheels and default first car in Malaysia for the last nine years, the Perodua Myvi.
Yes, Proton has been talking about upping its game and going global since time immemorial – how is the Iriz any different? Well, we’ve just returned from Penang, having spent the best part of two days getting to know the new car, as well as the men and women behind it. So here we set about dealing with that question – the answer to which isn’t all that straightforward.
From our tireless and exhaustive coverage of the Proton Iriz, you know a great deal about the car already. You know there are two new variable-valve timing- (VVT) equipped engines, three trim levels and all the differences between them, plus a choice of five-speed manual and CVT gearboxes.
You also know the Iriz’s prices match those of the Myvi too closely for pure coincidence, which should banish all doubts regarding the model sitting squarely in the Proton’s crosshairs. But rather than merely benchmarking it against the Myvi, Proton has thrown in established European models like Ford’s Fiesta and Volkswagen’s Polo for good measure.
As such, the result is a car of a decidedly Continental disposition (with a few exceptions I’ll get to later), and this is evident even in its styling. It’s a good-looking car, with a distinct identity courtesy of the bold Proton-winged face, and pretty pleasing proportions.
Sophistication is to be found in many places, most notably in the human eye-shaped headlamps with their classy projector and ‘PROTON’-lettered internals, aeroblade wipers and wing mirrors on thick, solid stalks mounted on the doors (allowing the inclusion of front quarter windows).
Then there’s aggression – a good dose of it. The trapezoidal front intake and D-shaped side cut-outs containing either LED DRL strips or fog lamps are underscored by a creased double-layered splitter, which runs around the side of the car, creasing one more time beneath the upswept shoulder and swage lines, accompanied by a bulging sideblade that serves to break up the monotony of empty space.
The roofline culminates in an edgy double-vented spoiler (or a less ornate one on the 1.3 Executive) at the tailgate, which is itself set into a chamfered recess that serves to highlight the extended rear haunches that make the car appear squat and wide. The angular vertical tail lamps complement the overall design, too.
Above the rear number plate is a single straight crease, at the middle of which sits the reverse camera, and down below is an elaborate diffuser-like element containing reflectors and a rear fog lamp placement (for overseas markets). Not sure about the ‘Warm Grey’ bits in the 1.6 variants’ two-tone bodykit though; personally, I’d have it either body-coloured (as on the 1.3 Executive) or in plain black.
Step inside (doors shut with a clean, crisp thud – no, really) and you are greeted by an interior that isn’t exactly original, but well presented and screwed together. We’re sure you recognise elements like the fake stitching on the dashboard, row of buttons on the centre stack, triple-knob air-con controls and scuba-goggle instrument panel from other cars, but if they work well, why not?
There’s a significant improvement in perceived quality over the interiors of the Preve and Suprima S; the plastics, although hard, generally feel and look good, as do the finishes. Leather inserts, where available, are also well up to par. Even the sound of the doors locking and unlocking is nicely muted – not unlike what you’d hear in a European car.
Letting the side down somewhat are some of the switchgear, a good number of which are carried over from the Preve and Suprima S. These include the light and wiper stalks (stalk travels are a bit too long for ergonomic operation), engine start button and window switches.
These are still somewhat unrefined in their operation, and are at odds with the rest of the car. The air-con knobs turn with an audible rattle, and the typefaces used throughout are inconsistent – the bits borrowed from the Preve and Suprima S retain the block-like fonts, which clash with those used in the instrument dials, steering wheel buttons and air-con knobs. The difference is in the tiniest details, Proton – keep the fonts consistent!
It also has to be said that the instrument panel is small and located a bit too far from the steering wheel, which is tilt- but not telescopically-adjustable (in this class, only the VW Polo has telescopic adjustment). The speedo optimistically reads up to 240 km/h – here’s why – and the middle display shows a host of info including range, average and instantaneous fuel consumption, next service in time and distance, plus three trip meters, all of which are jogged through via a button at the end of the wiper stalk.
The display also shows alerts such as Key Not Detected (for keyless-equipped cars) and seat belt reminders. By the way, only the range-topping Premium has seat belt reminders for all seats (visual and audible alerts); the rest only tell the front passengers to buckle up. The little blank box beside the cubbyhole below the air-con controls is supposed to be a passenger airbag indicator for overseas markets – we don’t get that, neither can we disable the passenger airbag.
The speedo does not have a 110 km/h mark, making it difficult to ascertain on the move whether one is on the right or wrong side of the AES. Even more strangely, the rev counter has five marks between each 1,000 rpm. While that makes the third mark the halfway point, it means each mark represents a value of 166.67 rpm – hardly makes for accurate reading, does it?
Flick the lights on and the instruments gradually light up, with the needles glowing red – pretty cool. All window switches are backlit, too. But then the touch-screen dims to a default setting regardless of its previous brightness setting.
While we understand the intention to reduce glare at night, there are instances when we use lights in broad daylight (such as when it rains) and the default brightness setting is just too dim, making the screen difficult to see when the sun is up.
The 6.2-inch Android-based touch-screen (dubbed the Proton Infotainment System), standard on the 1.6 variants, works and responds well otherwise. Apart from the usual Bluetooth, DVD, USB, AUX and navigation (by Lokatoo), there’s even a built-in internet browser, and the system comes with a WiFi dongle. Also, the 2-DIN single-line radio on the cheaper variants manages not to look low-rent with its classy gloss black buttons.
I really like the seats, especially the leather ones – the backrests are nicely contoured and the bases long, providing good back and thigh support on long journeys. The side bolsters also do a good job of holding you in place in the bends.
The driver’s seat is height-adjustable across the range, but getting the recline angle right is strenuous – the lever is awkwardly located on the side of the backrest and it has to be pushed towards the rear of the car for the backrest to be unlocked.
Cabin practicality and convenience are pretty strong points, however. There are many storage areas of various sizes, and they’re all placed where you’d want them to be – under the driver’s side panel, on the centre stack and centre console, plus a tray ahead of the gear lever where you can place your phone while it’s charging through the sole 12V socket. On all variants but the 1.3 Standard, there are three USB sockets – one for audio and the other two (1.5A and 2.1A) for charging.
Instead of grab handles, the doors have pull recesses, which can be used to store small items, and the front passenger door armrest has a coin slot. Each door has a bottle holder, and on the centre console are three cupholders – two up front and one for the rear quarters. There’s a fold-away utility hook beside the glove box, a headrest hook on some variants and the Premium has pockets on the backs of its leather seats.
While the Iriz’s interior is more upmarket and sophisticated than that of its direct rival, it does lose out in cabin space, despite it being a bigger car all round and having a 115 mm-longer wheelbase. The biggest culprits are the dashboard and door cards, which extend quite a bit into the interior, nullifying its potential to offer more room. And of course, the Iriz has a higher centre console, whilst the Myvi’s automatic gear lever is dashboard-mounted to free up space.
It’s the same story at the back – while the Iriz’s rear seats have longer bases and more sculpted backs (also, three adjustable rear headrests on all variants but the 1.3 Standard), making them more comfortable, the narrower Myvi has noticeably more legroom and comparable head- and shoulder-room.
What’s more, the Perodua has a larger glass area, no thanks to the Proton’s upswept shoulder line. The latter does try, though – the front seat rails are mounted on raised plinths, allowing you to tuck your feet beneath, but this still doesn’t afford enough of an impression of space.
It’s not as if occupant space has been sacrificed for boot space either, for the Iriz holds 215 litres behind its tailgate – a mere seven litres more than the Myvi. Another point goes to the Myvi as unlike the Iriz, its rear seats can be folded flat by moving the seat bases forward.
The Iriz’s hatch sill is also a touch too high for easy loading, and despite the wide rear track, the aperture isn’t all that big (that chamfered section is perhaps partly responsible). The parcel shelf is also easier than the Myvi’s to remove and replace, but leaves a narrower aperture. However, the tailgate has an electrically-operated release which can be unlatched remotely by holding the unlock button on the key for three seconds. The Premium variant has keyless entry, allowing you to unlock the tailgate using the latch release button.
Finally, we get to the drive. 1.3 manual and 1.6 CVT powertrains were available on that day, spanning all trim levels. After an initial fuel consumption run (see results here), we set about dissecting the manual first.
Two things stood out almost immediately: ride comfort and refinement. The Iriz rides with the sophistication of a bigger car, isolating bumps, ridges and potholes enough to make you feel comfortable, but not so much as to deny you knowledge of the tarmac conditions beneath. Think Polo rather than Jazz and you’ll get the idea. Rebounds are brought to rest almost immediately, making the car feel planted and secure. Better in the front than in the back, though.
The other pleasantly surprising thing was the overall quietness. Given a Getrag five-speed manual, the 1.3 litre engine emits little more than a deep, distant and civilised hum in normal driving, without sounding harsh towards the further end of the rev range. Wind noise only becomes apparent beyond the national speed limit, and even then it’s not at all intrusive. Road noise could be better suppressed, however – the 1.3’s Silverstone Synergy M3 tyres are perhaps partly to blame.
The engine itself is not a particularly eager revver, but the gearbox does a great job of making use of the 94 hp and 120 Nm of torque on offer. The clutch pedal’s resistance is consistent throughout its travel, so even if you’re driving it for the first time, you can quickly ascertain the bite point and easily modulate the power delivery. The gearchange is slick and positive without being overly notchy. A delight to drive – throttle response, although short of the Myvi’s immediacy, is good, and progress can be made very swiftly indeed.
Unfortunately, this 1.3 manual is to the 1.6 CVT what Dr Jekyll is to Mr Hyde. The Punch-sourced CVT – for lack of a better verb – punches the 1.6 litre engine in the gut, undermining its 107 hp and 150 Nm of twist and thus, not making it feel much faster than the 1.3 manual. This is an improved ‘CVT2+’ unit over the CVT2 found in the Saga FLX, and while it’s better and more refined than before, it still falls short in areas.
The gearbox has a start-up clutch, instead of a torque converter as on the CVT used in the Honda City/Jazz. Pulling away from rest is somewhat unpredictable and difficult to modulate – sometimes you leap forward with more gusto than desired; other times it’s too slow off the line. Particularly hairy when you spot a break in traffic and want to pull out of a junction, for instance. Engaging the throttle maybe half a second earlier than you normally would seems to be the way around it, but you shouldn’t have to do that in the first place!
On the move, coax it by being gentle and progressive on the accelerator and all is well; demand more power in a hurry and the engine begins to get raucous. Floor it and you’ll be treated to a good earful of what a constant 5,500 rpm sounds like. The mid range isn’t so bad really, but the gearbox really does rob the motor of whatever spright it has. The ‘rubber-band’ characteristics rear their ugly head throughout – vehicle speed takes quite a while to catch up to engine speed.
And that’s not all – get off the throttle at low to moderate speeds and the revs settle at a boomy, drony 1,100 rpm that can resonate with the natural frequencies of some interior components. It’s not until you crawl to a halt that the revs return to idle. On the upside, the CVT does afford a semblance of engine braking that is very controllable. Perhaps a recalibration of the throttle to better suit the CVT could help, but ultimately, if you drive normally (as you do most of the time anyway) these niggles shouldn’t bother you too much.
The ZF-sourced electric power steering is dripping with feel and communication, weighting up very unartificially with speed and giving you confidence in the bends. It comes close to Fiesta levels of directness, and that’s king of the class here. Throw in a really well-sorted chassis, and we have a B-road belter on our hands. Body roll is present, but flex absent and grip levels high. Attempt to explore beyond the limits of adhesion and safe, neutral understeer happens, and you can feel it all coming through the helm. The general impression is of solidity, security and plantedness.
Of course, modern-day Protons have always had pretty good ride and handling, and we know why. But this time, the company says Lotus has very little involvement in the Iriz, which explains the lack of a Lotus badge on the car’s tailgate. Yup, the dynamics are brought to you by our own boys, and what dynamics they are – the Iriz absolutely shines in the twisty bits. I can so imagine the fun I’d have in a 1.6 manual, let alone a future hot R3 variant…
Proton touts better driver visibility by mounting the wing mirrors on the doors so there can be front quarter windows, but this doesn’t work so well in practice. The quarter windows are small, surrounded by thick A-pillars and too far forward from the driver. Consult them in an attempt to look out for oncoming traffic round the bend and all you see is the tarmac below. The brakes are good, although they call for a bit more pedal effort than you’d expect.
Highway driving is a tad more fatiguing than it should be. The steering wheel transmits some degree of vibration, perhaps a consequence of having too much feedback dialled in. A lack of on-centre accuracy also necessitates constant steering corrections to keep the Iriz in lane.
At a constant 110 km/h, corresponding revs are approximately 3,100 rpm for the 1.3 manual in top gear, and a lower 2,600 rpm for the 1.6 CVT, but the CVT’s drone is somehow more unbearable. While, as earlier mentioned, the Iriz’s overall refinement levels are comparable to those of its European classmates, they are if you keep the revs at an earthly bay. You have full control of the revs with a manual gearbox; with this CVT, much less so.
On to safety, and you know the deal. The hot press-formed Iriz has a five-star ASEAN NCAP safety rating, and stability control, ABS, EBD, Hill Hold Assist, rear seat Isofix, Impact-Sensing Door Unlock (doors unlock automatically in the event a crash) and dual airbags are standard across the range, with the Premium variant getting six airbags.
This is very impressive indeed, especially the fact that all variants get stability control, and to drive the point home, Proton even took the liberty during the event of conducting a demonstration of the safety feature through an emergency double lane change manoeuvre. Suffice to say, stability control can help you avoid losing control of your car and possibly ending up in an accident. If it has the potential to save human lives, how much more important can it get?
Truth be told, in writing this review of the Proton Iriz, I may have been nitpicking a little, because this is truly our national carmaker’s most complete indigenous product so far. It has the most potential of any Proton I know; yet there exist imperfections that prevent it from being the car it can be.
On a global scale, the Iriz is among the most well-prepared Malaysian efforts where cars are concerned. Not only does it already pack the required safety equipment (and promise a host of next-level ADAS active safety systems), its engines have been designed to Euro 5 standards (although ours have been detuned to Euro 4 because of our lower fuel quality).
Additionally, provisions have been made for additional features to be easily introduced. It’s barely been a month since its launch, and already we know of plans to have diesel, hybrid and electric powertrains. Whether all these can be done in time, of course, is another story.
And because of its strong global outlook, the Iriz offers Malaysians much more of a car than they actually want, which oddly, may not be in its favour. It’s a safer, better-equipped and more sophisticated offering than the Myvi, for the same money, and just about up there with higher-priced rivals.
But sophistication can be a deterrent to the average Malaysian – more things to go wrong, they always say – and how Proton’s new baby fares down the road in terms of reliability and durability needs time to tell.
For now, the Proton Iriz could be just the thing for a maturing car market – if that market is indeed ours. It rides and handles exceptionally well (stick to the manual, enthusiasts), offers decent enough space, much improved perceived quality and a highly-commendable safety arsenal. And really, isn’t it a looker.
Proton Iriz 1.6 Premium CVT
Proton Iriz 1.3 Executive MT
spec, design , handling, safety,FC way better than myvi
no wonder iriz received 30k over booking now
proton really got balls n ask media tomteat the car n get the real figure of FC
unlike indonesian DNA Xxxx car. until now still dont dare to invite media n twst the
real figure of axia fC
modt xxxx owner claim just just got 14-16km/l vs claimed 20km/l… no winder they so scared to call media n test tthe car
rakyat smart oredi
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but malaysia p2 macai n salesman said.. p2=toyota
drive them make them sooo japanese n JDM oooo
Pls make a IRiZ GTi
iT WILL BE AWESOME
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sam lorr
rakyat smart oredi laa
ur comment soo outdated n laughed by gen Y ppl
If the sales response is great, they would come out with all sort of variants.
[quote : On a global scale, the Iriz is among the most well-prepared Malaysian efforts where cars are concerned. Not only does it already pack the required safety equipment (and promise a host of next-level ADAS active safety systems), its engines have been designed to Euro 5 standards (although ours have been detuned to Euro 4 because of our lower fuel quality).]
…and out of the sudden this car complies with euro 5 emission regulation. euro 6 figures remain the same for petrol engines, only diesel will become stricter.
there you go proton. faster go market this car in europe!!
Iriz Turbo in the making!!
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u oso spell perodua wrongly!!
if you DRIVE MYVi, ppl think you driving your mother’s car.. IRIZ don’t have this issue .. Good job Proton
I don’t think you understand what is classy. Toyota and Honda classy?
u wrong ,smart malaysian get themselves euro car ,not a low class japan car
real japan JDM cars also world class
the problem is malaysian mentality simply generalise asean made 3rd class japan fake cars which not even sold in japan likeavanza, vios, innova, city , almera as japanese car
Get a life, JDM is also rubbish.
Agree that our Japanese brand sold in KOSONG and less quality in Malaysia.
But Japan JDM spec are not so bad.
Actually, only Avanza, Innova, Almera not selling in Japan.
But Vios = Belta, City = Fit Aria sold in Japan too….
Of coz, Belta, Fit Aria selling much lower price than our BOLEH LAND and even higher spec.
depends. almera n city oso available in oz. not really an asean car such as innova or avanza.
smart malaysia can afford euro car? to be exact budget euro car with plenty of problem to handle. unless you buy Merz,BMW etc etc
you mean EURO car = highclass ?? include VW polo sedan? HAHAHAHAHAHA
you also made in malaysia. what make you then. junk? stupid
he nvr said he drive perodua, u must be an idiot
toyota or honda just gave us a poor car, but because the name, many malaysia admire it although the “mutu” is so poor.
rip english
so perodua… just prove us ur20km/l FC
OMG…I like this car bcos of the safety features, but i still prefer the Myvi bcos of the engine reliability and car design look nice.
P.Iriz = P.highrisk….lol
The vvt from Proton should alright since its derived from the Campro. Campro is pretty damn solid ok.
correct
ive been using campro for 4 years, no prob at all, campro is a good engine, it can beat vios 1.5 while im driving saga 1.3 only
We should support our national car , I love Iriz . lawar betul , dan kereta tu jimat petrol juga .
Glad the review’s our already, been waiting for it patiently. Thanks guys
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Well actually, we worked on this story together and I’d have come up with a similar conclusion.
I too agree very much with the reviewer bcos a lot of substantial refinement over previous model is evident now and it’s on par if not over the benchmark cars especially the perceived built quality which is spot on! I had taken Iriz for a short test drive around TTDI, KL earlier today and dare to say for rm62k Premium variant, it ticks all good city car check boxes and would highly recommend my wife to ditch her Grand Livina for this hatchback. I am proud that Proton has improved by looking global competitors as its source of competition..
Myvi on the other hand is still rebranded Japanese car years after years bcos the Japs controlled Perodua do’s and don’ts..no real value in knowledge as it always receiving the knowledge instead of research and develop your own tech.
The king of B segment car is Proton Iriz Mt because it defeat toyota vios and Nissan Almera
The king of B segment car is Proton Iriz Mt because it defeat toyota vios and Nissan Almera and Mazda 2 and Suzuki Swift and Honda city and Jazz
AGREED WITH SOME SURFERS, TOO MANY POSITIVE NOTES SOUNDED MORE LIKE PAID AD, CANT BLAME US READERS, AND THIS SITE IRIZ OVERDOSE
Dudee… sensitive much? I’m one of the many out there who are thinking of getting an Iriz, and i think PT’s updates on the car is awesome. it tells me most if not everything that i need to know before i make my decision. which is to get the 1.6 Premium manual :)
and if I’m not mistaken, PT’s coverage of the Axia launch was pretty heavy too. No bias here, buddy.
JayDee, to be fair, this site covered the Iriz much more exhaustively compared to the Axia launch. I think this is mostly most of the development was by a local company and Proton wanted to show people what they are doing. Most of the Axia’s development took place outside of this country since it is a rebadge so there’s less of a coverage, overall.
So, u mean you know more than them? Please enlighten us of your own review. Bet you didn’t know a thing and always want to bash proton. Poor mentality.
what is the 0-100 sprint time for 1.3mt and 1.6 cvt?
Yes.
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Why better? Ride and handling TNH confirmed lose, lol
dont blame paultan… judt ask perodua yo call media n test drive the car laa.. later paultan will review on axia
yes real jdm toyota n honda are good indeed… unlike jepun celup asean made umw abanja, unser inoba n bios
Real JDM or ASEAN car, they still use the same shitty platform. Honda Jazz sucks and the Civic is horrible, whether JDM or ASEAN. They can’t even come close to European cars.
When sales is not good, they have to Hard Sell it lar.
Hoping Paul Tan will post a car exhaust and engine sound video of this car
Atrocious banal bashings from p2/UMW SA a.k.a. fake enthusiasts in 3…2….1…..
yeahhhh p2 umw slaesman n macai but pretending as import car real jDM owners n lovers
perdthhhhh
Whether pretending to be JDM or not, it’s still a few notches lower than actually owning a continental car. No big deal about JDM, just the same level as Korean Domestic Model.
but p2 umw macai said… conti cars got no RV
their car better
Great review! Certainly agree with most of the pros and flaws that you have described.
Can’t wait for the hot hatch variant! (if it is to be released, that is)
What I can conclude from Paultan review is that this car is amazing.. the best things is paultan need to seek on the deeper issue to find few little weakness. That’s actually a good job though!
Deeper issue and weakness? The badge itself, try changing it to otherbadge and marehsian will praise it day and night
Yeahh, true to to the bone, if you put the Toyota badge to Myvi (for auntie), for sure they will worshipp the car, even thhough the rear axle will “tercabut” if push kaw-kaw on a tight bend like last time..
Yes sir.. badge is really the truly issue here.
They should rebadge Proton with Lotus and sell all Proton cars in Malaysia under the Lotus badge… I’m sure any cars Proton put out will be LAKU in Malaysia because Malaysian only go for brand and not the make ….
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Langgar kon habis berterabur pun takpa asalkan nampak cantik? Gila!
axia bukan dicipta untuk berlumba.. kena faham fakta itu.
axia merupakan kenderaan cekap tenaga PERTAMA di malaysia!
p2 macai kena kencing
prffthhhh
jenis bebudak baru nak up dulu pki kancil upgrade beli axia ni
prfffthhh
Satu lagi contoh komen orang yg tidak berpelajaran tinggi
Alahai..tengok sendiri keluarga tu..semuanya naik kereta mewah? Conti?hahah i was born in felali ka.
most unsafe, cheapest n most unsophisticated car may best describe axia..why risking your life driving it..even if u do..you’ll get bored in it..
Something seriously wrong with you(aman)
we can see how desperate p2 macai is
no wonder he can only afford perodua car
After long waited, the review from paultan…tq guys… I saw one new unit premium at petronas sec 13 shah alam last night in grey color…it is so wow catching to the eye. Perhaps can drive in one fine day. After read your review my vote goes to 1.6 manual regardless any level. Can it be assume the cvt in this iriz act just like cvt in exora bold?
Yawn,,,,
Yawn
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Bodoh…paling hodoh ialah juara la
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macai p2 paling bangang
confirmed… mesti p2 macai ni
rakyat smart oredi
senang cerita orang malaysia buat apa semua jadi hodoh dan bangang. takde yang menarik barang buatan malaysia ni. baik beli import. macam tu?
typical some malaysian. always complain almost everything and appreciate nothing. why don’t you make it yourself?
Aiyo, boring lah. How many articles has been dedicated to proton iriz.
Ya ya, please make one “driven” for Axia!!!!!!!!
axia launcwd earlier but until now no official invitation to medias for test drive n FC figure test
why?? why???
hidung something?
again dont blame paultan… they were invited to test n get the real FC figure
if perodua axia did the same… for sure paultan will make the review n share with us
the problem now… perodua so scared n dont want call media to teat the car
later rakyat will realised claimed fuel sacing 20/l is fake and rakyat feel cheated
last time when mitsu attrarge launched.. they called media yo teat and proven 22km/l dine by media
Thanks for yo teat, uneducated bumpkin. Are you going for dine by media later?
‘From the article it seems the problem that plagues the Suprima also plagues the latest Proton, its effing CVT. Well I haven’t driven the Iriz yet, but it is a major put off in the Suprima for me. But fear not, three-peddle are availablle across the range, so Hurray!.
The Iriz is a funny thing, for a start the looks,the day it was launch, all varients at my local showroom were the range topping executives. Now, I did find the look…. odd. The placement of the LED lights at the bottom and an empty (and ugly) black strip where the ‘normal’positioning lights is. The lower variants looks more like a complete product than the top variant. The interior also a slight put off when it comes to the space, my height is about 170+cm, not at all tall, but I found the rear seat cramp when driver seat set to my position. the boot is honestly not bad but the access to it is dismal, they might as well fitted a submarine-size hatch.
Now that the dislike meter is filled by Proton fans, let me garner some from the anti-Proton faction. The interior has a much better design than the peroduas. Is more modern, and the touch screen seems to operates better than the Myvis indegineous unit. Also I like the way the seating height gives a slight commanding view over the road. On the front of quality, It feels more solidly built than the dismal one on my 07’Alza, the Myvi might have more usable space all round but its surrounded with scratchable plastic. And to the point where no Peroduas can ever compete, safety. Laugh all you want, the Iriz safety complement is indeed world-class.
Whenever there is a Proton article, I expect the usual d*ck waving from the Perodua fans and the Protons. The endless bashing and counter-bashing and so on. The Iriz remains and honest effort from Proton. Is it world class? no, not after coming out of a Jazz or Polo is not. Is it the end of the Myvi… the fact of the matter is, the Myvi remains a strong contender, brand stigma is also against Proton and with a new and unproven engine, I see many will cast a shadow of doubt towards it. But the Iriz can be the car that reagains trust in the car market again. It is a true effort from Proton, but weather it will pay off remains to be seen.
yeahh
p2 umw macai n salesman will cone n bring same old story
” remember savvy, timing chain?, wira, waja story bla2″
You, sir, have the most sensible comment i have ever read in Paultan for the entire year!
I was actually quite happy to see AVH has also commented, as his/her comments are very good in the comments space here.
Right, so what do I think about this little Proton? I’d say it looks to me that its Proton’s best effort yet at actually building a decent car. I have been away since the little Proton was launched, and will not be back in KL till another month, but I can tell you, the first thing I want to do when I arrive is to take it for a spin.
From what I’ve seen on YouTube POV videos of the Iriz, it is shockingly quiet in city speeds, and on the manual one, there is a surprising lack of an engine roar at 120-130kmh, on Proton’s test track (this was filmed by a random person who went for the Proton factory tour event). What is more interesting is for once, there has not been too much drama from the engine department, remember how Proton promoted CamPro being “advanced” and all, I would say it was the worst engine to date, from a company that should have known better. We won’t know if the 1.3 and 1.6 here are derived from the Petronas engine family which Proton now owns, and whether or not Proton will spawn more engines from these current two, but I sure hope they do.
From what i heard from a few people who went to see the car, one with a Savvy, he said he’d actually seriously consider the car. It seemed that fit and finish was actually nearly the same as VW’s CKD quality which is pretty good on its own. It has no soft touch plastic, but I’d trade that for panels that don’t have nasty gaps. After all, in this price sensitive segment, this is fine.
I guess the biggest cock up Proton did, was one again, the CVT. I have no idea why Proton thought a CVT was a brilliant idea. Honestly, they could have taken an Aisin AWTF80 or the AF33 (6 and 5 speed automatic) transmissions instead since with CVTs, they still roar when under load. More so, besides Nissan’s XTronic, and Honda’s EarthDreams, the rest are a bit of a dud. Why they went with Punch again, only heavens know. The main issue with the Preve was transmission noise, and the part where for an “automatic” it can roll back in drive a bit, since it is belt and not gear driven, and doesn’t have auto hold. Now, we know the Punch’s transmission was shit long before that anyway. How? The Saga FLX of course! It was whiny and noisy, paired with the Campro, it was an appliance, that’s it. The same mistake was repeated in the Exora and the Suprima too! Both CVT2 and CVT3 (used on the CFE units) are having the same trouble, the whine is just too annoying.
Another thing, this whole e-clutch thingamajig, err, I’m a bit worried if the e-clutch may exhibit issues like the old City’s CVT transmission after the years have passed through.
However, I commend them for the genuinely well done job car over all, interior looks good, way better than the Myvi and more importantly, you can see how the Myvi slides, the Axia ploughs through the cones, while the Iriz holds the line. Also, interestingly, body roll at the limit doesn’t look too bad on the Proton. The Myvi looks like it is going to fall over.
Pretty sure Perodua would be bloody pissed in Rawang now, seeing their Myvi sliding around, and the Axia ploughing cones. Wonder how much discount they will issue on the Myvi and Axia now, cause as far as I have seen Perodua only knows discounts, and not improving safety. Sorry Perodua, you lost all my respect when you made ABS only on the model with the yobbo bodykit for the Axia, and were more interested highlighting unnecessary features like tissue box holders, handbrake ornaments, touchscreen audio when you guys overlooked ESP and side/curtain airbags. I guess that had to take over from the previous joke of the year 2012/2013, from Nissan’s statement:
“Features include a standard key fob with panic alarm, 15-inch steel rims with wheel covers, standard combi-meter with trip computer and a single airbag. Yes, a single airbag.
According to Nissan, the reason why this grade has only one airbag is due the chassis’ rigidity, which is enough to withstand front and side collision. The E is also meant to be the lowest grade, hence the omission of the front passenger airbag also means saving a few more Ringgit.
Read more: http://paultan.org/2012/09/05/nissan-almera-previewed-a-short-drive-on-a-test-track/#ixzz3GUWIPyDl”
Mr. sudonano, you really dislike CVTs with a passion, don’t you? (not intended to offend) Haha…the only time I remember you praising a CVT was the time when you said you tested the Audi A4’s Multitronic. I think you can include the Toyota Super CVT-i found on the Corolla Altis to your list of good CVTs as there is universal praise of that as well.
I was very surprised when I read that Proton started using an MT from Getrag, first in the Saga FLX, if I’m not mistaken. It seems to have been a good choice with how much joy the paultan.org team had with it. Another slice from the Continent comes in the form of the ZF power steering, which is also a surprising choice considering Proton’s more Japanese roots. These 2 items adds lots of points to the Iriz in the eyes of enthusiasts. The additional feedback might be off-putting to drivers outside the enthusiast circle, though.
I was equally surprised when they chose to adopt a CVT as their choice of automatic transmission. I had the chance to try it out in a friend’s Saga FLX and I found it to be ok for the most part under smooth flowing traffic conditions as it had quite predictable behavior. My friend had a bit of problems during stop-and-go traffic, however, with a ‘jerkiness’ that people have mentioned before. I suspect many of these problems with Proton’s CVT has to do with Proton’s choice of coupling the CVT to the engine using a start-up clutch, which, according to a Punch representative who was answering questions about the CVT in the lowyat forums some time ago, is a wet-type clutch.
He also said that when the vehicle is stationary in D mode while depressing the brake pedal, the clutch opens up almost completely so that it’s slipping constantly. The engine is effectively severed from the CVT so that the engine won’t stall. This naturally means that the car has no motive force immediately after you let go of the brake as it takes time for the clutch to reengage. I’ve tested it on a level plane (parking lot area) and the CVT likes to take its sweet time to reengage when there is no throttle pressure so that the effect isn’t very jarring. When you floor it, the reengagement is more immediate and is a lot more forceful. As you can imagine, this can become a big problem when you’ve stopped on an incline. With no hill hold assist, you’ll start rolling backwards immediately because it takes time for the clutch to reengage – unlike in an automatic car using a torque converter (be it a CVT or a conventional AT) which always has some motive force when in D even with the engine at idling revs (my daily driver is a torque converter CVT type and I have no problems on inclines. When the brakes are released, I start to roll backwards a really tiny bit but that roll is halted immediately with a bit of pressure on the accelerator pedal, unlike with Proton’s clutch CVT).
This is also a problem in stop-and-go traffic because the clutch has to constantly disengage and reengage. I’m not that worried for the clutch’s durability since it’s a wet clutch but the overall refinement of the car in stop-and-go traffic would not be as good as an automatic car using a torque converter.
I don’t know this for sure but I theorize that why Proton went this way again even after negative feedback was mainly to prevent extra expenditure of time and money on redevelopment of the drivetrain. This car was already quite behind schedule for release and redevelopment costs resources and time. Besides, it gets the job done for most people (point A to point B). It will definitely not please enthusiasts with the acceleration characteristics but the gearbox gets the job done. In the end, many people are able to adapt to its quirks.
And like the article said: for enthusiasts, there’s the 1.6 MT Iriz for you. It’s a Getrag MT too! Good shift quality compared to the standard Japanese fare.
Thanks for reading.
Hahaha.
Well, unfortunately, I got a very bitter taste of CVTs the first time I experienced it, in some not so good implementations like in the Inspira (dubbed the fuzzy logic washing machine). By far for me, the A4’s multitronic was the best CVT I used, but so was the price. I’ve not tried the Super CVT-i but yes, I have heard how good it is too, and how well it even mimics “shifts”.
Oh yes, I remember the guy from Punch (not sure if he was really from Punch) coming in to the lowyat forums a while back. And yes, I am actually very curious why did Proton choose a startup clutch instead. After all, in Malaysia, which is the main market anyway, we have stop and go traffic. I think the Getrag manual was brought in to replace the previous Mitsubishi made one (cause if I am not mistaken the Persona and all still have Mitsubishi automatics, even though they were with Campros), probably their previous agreement with Mitsubishi ended?
I actually never knew that Proton’s CVTs had an e-clutch actually, cause I thought they too were using torque converters, but I discovered the whole slipping and rolling back the first time I drove the Preve, ironically, it was in the Proton showroom itself, as I was pulling out of the inclined parking bay, it kept rolling back, so I had to feather the throttle a bit to keep it going. It was a bit weird, cause for the general public, an automatic should creep instead.
Even though it was a wet clutch, I am a bit worried of the overall maintenance cost in the long run, especially once the clutch finally wears out. We’ve not heard of clutch packs wearing out on Proton CVTs as fast as the VW DSG, but even then, when it does happen, I wonder about the repair costs.
I guess another possible reason why the CVT route was taken probably because to adapt to a new automatic transmission, it may have costed them even more than to adapt to a CVT. More so when they had the aged Campro with them. While the new engine line could have been designed with an automatic in mind, again it comes to supply chain where they’d have to stock on both automatics and CVTs, plus since they were already sourcing the CVT from Punch, they may have been able to get a better deal for this one.
I think we can take that Punch guy (lol, sounds like a superhero) at his word. What I could test, I found to be true. Some handbraking skill is needed to drive a Proton with CVT, I guess. He recommended handbraking the car when starting on inclines.
If you didn’t know already, the Multitronic from Audi also uses a clutch, but it’s a multiplate kind of clutch while in Proton’s I suspect it is a single plate kind. Not sure if that’s the crucial difference in refinement but generally, Audi really knew what they were doing.
Going through what that Punch guy said, Proton chose a clutch system instead of a torque converter due to efficiency concerns. Quite a moot point as torque converters are getting very efficient nowadays with more advanced lock-up mechanisms, like how Mazda’s SkyActive-Drive TC can lock up from 8km/h. A locked up TC is just as good as a clutch coupling.
Your last paragraph is exactly what I meant when I said redeveloping the drivetrain costs time and money. They have to do research, negotiate another deal and adapt their existing components to fit with the new gearbox. Also, the existing development already on the Iriz might be scrapped too. Reusing components is a common cost-saving tactic, after all. The biggest disappointment I had with the Iriz was the minimal progress made in refining the gearbox. I expected them to tune it a lot better considering how much negative feedback it got and how much time they had. Mitsubishi, on the other hand, has improved their CVT tuning from the looks of it — earlier reviews disliked the gearbox but the latest iteration of it on the ASX garnered no negative comments, as far as I could tell.
Side note: This seems to be the autogeek corner. Awesome.
Guess we shall call him Punch dude from now on. Anyone wants to sponsor him a cape lol?
Hmm, so essentially allowing the car to be in D then releasing the handbrake. Pretty much a manual version of a auto hold system. What about actually holding on to the brake while in D, give it a moment to engage the clutch and then set off. But kinda counter intuitive la in a way…
I have not researched about the actual operations of the different CVTs yet, since I passionately disapprove of how some of them work, but when they do work, I do sing praises. I am not surprised but it seems 100% legit. And yes, that is the key to the refinement. How? It is the exact same system in the world’s best transmission (as far as automatics go), the ZF 8HP. I remember when looking up on how was it possible the ZF was actually rivalling DSG shifts, I found this: http://www.whyhighend.com/zf-transmission.html
I guess again, for them to get a really efficient torque converter, it would cost more of course. Again, budgeting won’t allow. The SkyActiv AT is not bad, but I would still criticise is for defaulting to the high gears too early. Make sense, but the thing is, the TCU is such that you really need to floor more to initiate a downshift.
I agree, by far, I actually thought they’d do something interesting with the transmission since it was a fresh engine. Look’s like we were wrong.
Side note: if anyone from PaulTan reads this, you guys should have a “invite the regular commenters session” so we can meet up and say hi, cause I must say this is a very vibrant community here.
On a side note, what happened to Sam Loo? Maybe no one wants his Toyota anymore. Kesian, better send him a cabbage…
That guy was Kristoff of Punch Malaysia, and he is an actual Punch guy. He originally posted on the Autoworld forums, but his posts were copied by some forummers on Lowyat and ZTH.
The Punch CVT gearboxes use two sets of multi-plate wet clutches. The sort of clutch packs used are similar to the clutch packs in regular auto transmissions, with interleaved arrangements of friction rings and steel rings. A hydraulic accumulator spools up pressure to modulate the level of slip and bite.
The reason why it has two sets of clutch packs is because one set is for forward while the other is for reverse. The reverse clutch pack is connected to a counter-rotating gear train that is at the output shaft itself, so there isn’t an idler shaft that is constantly rotating in the opposite direction as in some manual gearboxes, and neither is there a planetary gearset to switch between forward and reverse outputs. This is the reason why the gearbox is so short and compact with so few moving parts. The use of multi-plate clutch packs also reduces the amount of transmission fluid needed compared to a torque converter. Unfortunately this has resulted in the clutch packs being susceptible to overheating when half-clutched for long durations. The CVT’s internal temperature sensor will flag an error to the TCU before the friction materials overheat and lose their bite.
Due to its small dimensions, it also has a limited amount of hydraulic pressure to the CVT pulleys within such a short range of actuation, hence the clamping pressure is limited to a maximum input torque of 215Nm to ensure gearbox longevity. The internal torque limit sensor starts disengaging the clutch pack as the input torque exceeds 215Nm. However, it’s all just a bunch of CANBus signals going back and forth, it is possible to re-flash the TCU to enable the CVT to handle over 300Nm of torque at the expense of gearbox lifespan.
These are first-hand info from the guys at Proton Powertrain and some race-prep workshops that work with them in modding Preves for the track, and I have a mule that’s being modded and tested along with the cars that are being prepped for the Nov. 8 Dragtimes event.
Hey DonkeyKong,
Say, what you are saying here makes sense, I can see how there are 2 sets of clutches in the whole system. The whole transmission heating up when half clutch also explains why some of the Saga FLX CVTs (interestingly I’ve only seen Sagas but not the Preve) having the TCU warning light come on really early, due to heat.
What kind of intrigues me is why not go for the torque converter CVT straight away when they started the CVT transition, after all, that would have been more reliable.
@sudonano
Thanks for the link to the ZF tranny info page. Looks mighty juicy.
I’m one of the rare people here that actually likes CVTs because I greatly enjoy a refined, composed ride and the acceleration characteristic of uninterrupted push in a CVT car with a strong enough engine, like the Teana. While I am able and I do enjoy shifting a good MT by myself, I see the merits of good automatic transmissions in day-to-day life and due to worsening traffic conditions, an automatic is a far more practical choice most of the time.
For the most part, CVTs have what I desire in an automatic transmission: a smooth acceleration experience without shift shock (which I hate to the core, even when it’s my own error in shifting the gears on an MT). I know that nowadays, though, the conventional ATs of our time are catching up. I’ve driven a pretty bad 5AT from the previous gen Honda Jazz which rocked the boat at almost every shift but I recently sampled the Toyota Vios’ 4AT and found that it outperformed the Jazz’s 5AT by a mile in refinement and smoothness. The upshifts are almost imperceptible and the gearbox kicks down responsively. Now I can see why some people like the Vios. Then I tried the current gen Avanza’s 4AT and found it to be scary to drive after manning the helm of the very composed Vios. It’s like riding a wild horse in the Avanza, the way it accelerates and brakes. It’s all a matter of tuning the response for ATs.
I agree that Mazda’s SkyActiv-Drive could do with a more aggressive TCU mapping to live up to their Zoom Zoom philosophy but I think they addressed that in the Mazda2 without compromising their claimed fuel economy with the introduction of a Sports mode button (huzzah!). I think they should call it the Zoom Zoom mode/button.
Proton might be following in Honda’s footsteps going with clutch first then maybe, just maybe, going to torque converter. Unless they’re able to refine the clutch operation to premium marque (Audi) levels, I opine that going with a lock-up TC is better than the current state of affairs.
And you’re right as well…Where IS the real Sam Loo? He’s been MIA for a long time. His legacy still lives on, though.
A paultan.org regular commentator’s session sounds nice (as long as there’s no bash fest), but it sucks that Malaysia is divided by the South China Sea.
Sarawakian reporting!
@DonkeyKong
Ah yes, now I remember Punch dude’s secret identity: Kristoff!
Thanks for the information, DonkeyKong. I gotta say that it’ll take a while for me to process your post but this is the kind of information I would like to see more often on these comment sections.
I just wonder why Proton has not yet refined the operation of the clutch actuation. I hope that you can shed some light on the clutch actuation part of the equation.
Each to its own I guess. I like the feel of the actual drop in the RPM and rise back again, probably too used to it.
Maybe can get PT to sponsor ticket :p
(LOL jokes)
regarding the cvt n how it works , after a trizillion trial and error , best way is when stationary in traffic jams , shift to D , DONOT APPLY THE THROTTLE , jus let it move gradually only thn u feather the throttle,another way is when stationary , shift to L ,let it move only then apply throttle …so far thats the best way to get any sort of smoothness from the gearbox..
A trizillion trials and errors? You must be an owner of a Proton with a Punch CVT then. Or you test drive CVT Protons in your spare time but I find that unlikely. Good tips to know for when I need to drive a Proton CVT car. haha.
What do you do when you’re forced to stop on an incline then? Handbrake?
There’s a solution to stopping and moving up an incline in a CVT(lock-up clutch)without the handbrake and burnt clutch drama….(Drumrolls)Left foot braking.
Step on the brake pedal with your left foot, ease on the gas gently with the right pedal and once you can feel the forward tugging….Release the KRAKEN!(brake pedal) and away you go.Takes some practise though.
Note:Please practise left-foot braking away from public roads if you are new at this.
Best place to hone this skill in relative safety? A go-kart, as u can only brake with your left leg. exclusively.
Selamat Mengeksperimen!
Its a he, I am using this profile pic as I believe Paultan(along with some other websites I frequent) needs to chill abit.
Anyways well said comment. My household Perodua Alza remains the only car I will not ever, ever dare drive by myself long distance( I have a heavy right foot) ever since the brakes actually jam on me(yes there was an ABS sticker in the boot which indicates otherwise). The Alza also suffered a list of brake and stability related problems, there was even a time where the rear drums were not working at full potential….relying on the full frontal braking force and the front brakes has to be replace with new(Brembo type) brakes while the front left wheel just recently suffered a ball bearing failure. I think only the engine is the only reliable thing in the entire ca, smooth as creme I have to say even compared to the City’s I-VTEC thou admitedly…SOHC.
I have met people happy with their Myvis and Alzas, but most of those only do short distance, driving-to-the-market-type, while I use my car on an average 40km daily run. There was a comment down below which indicates the braking a tad soft, which might put off my feelings to it. But I have to try it first and the Suprima dosen’t seem to have that problem thou there is a sense that it is a heavy car. It overall has the specs and driving to beat the Myvis…. now all that lies is the FC(dosen’t look promising but still average) and reliability.
Nothing wrong with the profile pic lol, just guessing :D
I think the Alza was a bit of a flop for Perodua. While it sold because of the badge and because it was not a Proton, it was actually a bit too expensive imo. In the sense that the Exora was much larger for not much cash. I remember seeing the Alza for shits and giggles when the Myvi came out, and tbh, the interior for an MPV was cramped. It was more of a B segment station wagon than an MPV I think.
And yes, since most of the people who did buy Myvis and Alzas used them for short distances, I am pretty sure they would have been happy.
I guess it just boils down to fuel consumption and reliability/maintenance costs, cause that could make or break this. I just hope Proton’s marketing gets a bit smarter, and starts to highlight the weakness of the Myvi – safety – in the media through ads. For me, that can swing a lot of first time buyers, especially parents buying cars for the kids cause let’s be honest, any parent will want the safest car they can afford for their child.
Highlighting the Myvi’s inherent weakness in safety throu media, hmmmm. Easier said than done. I mean proton could highlight its safety superiority but weather will it work I’ll remain doubtful.
Oh iam gonna get thrown into the dislike trench for this but here goes….
I have been, countless time, trying to highlight the safety, advising any potential new car owner in cars with superior safety… City V? Go for it! City E? Mmmm advisable, City S? The el’ cheapo? Hell No. But no one I have ever been actually captivated by the concept of safety, even my own parents don’t ‘why need so many airbags’ my mom asked… ‘Well because I want my brains inside my skull not outside’ I sarcastically replied.
It gets more problematic when you reach to the Iriz target market, the lower-middle income boergeosis. You might convince some city folks but the outskirts…. Sad to say people are less educated than they seem. I have seen, just Rawang, Kepong and Semenyih, parents allowing their children stick their head out of moving vehicles or sabstituting their lack of airbags in their old Wira or Civic with their hyperactive pre-school children, these are the people who will inevitably using most of their hard earn cash buying a local A-B segment compacts. when asked wether you care of the safety, the same answer will always come back: “you drive in any car also very dangerous wan, just drive safe ok”. Same repliy I get from my parents when I asked to buckle the rear seat belts, from my friend that dosent buckle the front passenger belt.
You can tell why nist malaysian would care about reliability and RV more than safety, the chance of you ending on the road side and selling your cars in the 3 years to come is much higher than the chance of your car inside the ditch and you in the hospital of you’re lucky. There has been countless Myvi and Vios crashes and that dosent ditter the buyers from signing a contract with perodua or UMW.
If malaysia were to be all the more safety cautious, more people would have bought safer cars, more would have taken public transport than cheat death in 2-wheelers and motorcycle will be relegated only to the countryside. We complain all we like in Paultan about safety and what’s not, the fact of the matter is, in Malaysia at least, we’re just not a matured enough society….the comment section in PaulTan is enough to justify that.
Speaking of an Alza station wagon, I was behind an Alza yesterday while waiting for a traffic light. There was a sticker on the rear glass pane that said “Station wagon lifestyle”.
Honestly, I think the car looks too tall and the rear is too much like a sheer cliff face to be a proper wagon but, functionally, it very well could be a station wagon.
@AVH
Well said. “So many airbags what for? We’ve been driving all these years and we had no airbags or ABS but we’re fine!” was the response I got from my dad when talking about car safety features. I do not blame them; they have their reasons. Bad but unchangeable reasons which have to do with upbringing.
@sudonano
I might be wrong about this, but I think if Proton ever went to specifically highlight the MyVi’s weakness with an ad, they might get a warning from whatever gov body that regulates Malaysian marketplace competition levels. I don’t think regulating competition to this degree is such a smart thing to do (partly because the spawned advertisement wars can be very hilarious and witty) but this is the state of affairs we find the market in. Oh, left-behind Malaysian policies.
Actually, what you said there is fairly true. I know people who say, as long as you drive slowly can dy. But the thing is, we do get idiots on our roads too. If you get T boned, the strong shell, side airbags and seat belts can save you.
Unfortunately the reason for the complacent acts is because the lack of awareness. Younger buyers are somewhat aware, thanks to the Fiesta, Focus, VW’s lineup, and the new Honda lineup. They know about curtains and ESP, but the thing is, the market above 30, that is the problem, since all this while they probably would have grown up in the age of the first Saga and so on…
While I don’t see anything wrong with advertising the safety of the Iriz, Perodua fanboys be like….
LOL cliff face LOL.
Actually, in terms of height, the Alza is not that tall. It is pretty close to the last generation i30 SW though it could be just an illusion, as where I am right now, there are loads of those. And yes, they have a cliff face at the back too.
I am not sure how the policies work here, but from what I know, it is OK in the US, heck you can go to the Ford site and they’d have reasons why their Focus beats the Cruze. In the UK market, I am not too sure, but in Australia, they are not even allowed to mention the competitor’s name in store. I went into an Optus store once, to enquire about a phone plan, and asked the guy how does it compare with Telstra, and all I got was a “we can’t compare to other companies because of consumer law ….”.
We need a bloody forum to contain all this enthusiasm.
Most station wagons I’ve seen don’t have a cliff face at the rear. The rear glass window is usually at a noticeable incline (30-40 degrees?). The hatch door panel being entirely vertical is entirely normal and proper to me. Something like the Mazda6 Touring oozes station wagon desirability.
As for the Alza…the angle difference between the hatch panel and glass pane is around 10-15 degrees. Barely noticeable…looks like a wall to me when looking straight at it. Haha.
Hope you got what I mean when I said cliff face. ;)
AVH, have you taken it for a spin yet?
Nope I haven’t, the last time I check there is no manual transmission test drive unit. Not in the mood to buy new cars either for personal use(budgetery issue… my Saga Megavalve is holding well and my Dad dosen’t use his car so I get to steal the keys). As for my parents needs to replace the Alza with something similar(height and space)… waiting for the Honda HRV to arrive.
Spot on!!! P1 needs a few more years to clear away the perception of poor quality provided they do not get complacent and become arrogant like dlike during Mahaleel’s time.
Bravo & Thank you AVH
@AVH
Nicely said man. If I’m honest, I actually dislike those blind supporter / bodek types more than the typical haters / bashers / bigots. They make all genuine Proton enthusiasts look like uneducated fools.
I swear, some Malaysians cannot accept constructive criticism, whether it’s directed to themselves or something they’re fond of, which is sad. Whenever someone constructively criticises (not bashing) Proton, they get all worked up and defensive. Fact is, Proton still has some ways to go, and they need constructive criticism to improve. There’s no point in blindly supporting Proton, we may not hurt Proton’s feelings yes, but we won’t make them any stronger either. It’s the job of the media to give constructive criticism, the responsibility of the owners to give constructive feedback and the duty of loyal fans and supporters to back Proton in their time of need.
Which is why I cannot approve of those people who get offended whenever someone says something bad about Proton, even when that person is being completely reasonable and constructive.
@AVH, @Obviously,
Have any of you actually tried applying for paultan during the recruitment? I’ve found both of you to be plenty knowledgeable on these….hmm.
I just test drove the 1.3 MT at Mydin yesterday. Yes, the interior feels a lot more premium compared to the Suprima but strangely enough…I agree with AVH that the car looks….I don’t know, weird in person? It looks AMAZING in photos but having seen it on display, the headlights seem to protrude far too high above the bonet.
Now for the driving itself. I’ve said before, I was targeting a cheap, manual car to use as a weekend whore but the shift feel was exactly as the Viva, Axia MT AND the current Satria Neo. That irritating ‘vhoop’, ‘vhoop’ rubbery sensation when shifting gears.
Granted, at this price point I shouldn’t be expecting crisp gear changes. At least everything else felt good.
Now if only I can get over those extremely tall headlights ~_~
@holofanboi
Thanks for your compliment. :)
The learning never stops, though.
I’ve not tried to apply for paultan.org during their recruitment since they’re based in the Peninsular and I live across the sea. And if I remember correctly, AVH still have responsibilities as a student and is, thus, unable to make such a commitment. Yet.
sudonano is another good candidate for the team but he, like me, is also geographically inconvenienced.
I have yet to test the Iriz but I’ve got up close with one. I didn’t find the looks strange, though. Maybe I wasn’t looking at it closely. Its exterior just looks like it has finally caught up to contemporary designs. The interior of the Premium trim was quite impressive but the most jarring thing for me was that I could find no manual switch (either pull rod or rocker switch) to unlock the doors. Everything seemed to be reliant on the central locking button on the center console. No matter how good they make the mechanisms, these things fail eventually. If the system fails, how are we supposed to get out of the car? I do wonder.
Your experience with the MT was unexpected. The reviewers mostly found the MT to be above average in feel. Perhaps your expectations were different or you were spoiled by a way superior MT ;)
I’ll try to see if I can sample it, but I doubt I can find an MT variant to try out.
I have to take a pinch of salt with this review, because the access and the exclusivity that proton gave to paultan at the launch event just makes me feel nothing is for free especially not here in Malaysia and with the national car maker.
Honestly I was waiting for a proper sum up instead of a diplomatic one like above which is
‘ while a solid effort by proton and significant improvement in many areas the iriz falls short of its competitors which it claimed this car was benchmarked on ‘
I wonder if my comment gets approved
Your comment got approved and here my dislike too.. Thanks later ok
So what?
I would say, compared to the rest, this site by a mile is the most neutral and least biased out there. Go and read Star Motoring and CBT, unfortunately, after the old timers like Hezeri Samsuri left from CBT, it is a joke, all the cars reviewed by them seem to be perfect! Heck, the Star Motoring made no mention on the lack of VSC on the Vios when it was launched in 2013, when it was clear how UMW made a big mistake there.
By far, I would say online auto sites, like this site and autoworld, seem to be one of the most reliable Malaysian news site. And way better than some of the bigger brands like Motor Trend, who somehow made the Corvette z/28 their best driver’s car of 2014, when it had no aircon, not a single creature comfort, and even when things like the BMW i8, M4, Jaguar F Type Coupe R, 911 Turbo S and Alfa 4C were there. If that doesn’t smell fishy, then I don’t know what does.
This Gavin Perodua SA clown should be thankful this comments section allows anonymity so he can freely slander paultan.org.
lol, look at all the offended people
You have to take their experience with a pinch of salt just because the reviews are more positive than you expected? What if the car is genuinely good overall with no major faults noticed? What then is a proper sum up you expected? “Proton still has MILES to go before their Iriz can even HOPE to match the MyVi, let along the benchmarked Fiesta and Polo”?
Perhaps rather than reading this review, go ahead and try the car out for yourself and tell us what you think. Try to approach the car without prejudice. Many people here approach Proton with a kind of prejudice (whether fanatically for or unreasonably against) that’s very obvious and those comments must be taken with a fistful of salt.
let alone*
Proton Iriz (High-Risk) stupid left-hand signal lever….
Agreed. Left hand signal lever really spoils it for what could have been a very pleasant manual tranny operation.
OMG! I didn’t know that Iriz is using left-hand signal lever. Why Proton is repeating the same mistake they made to Waja. I owned a Waja before, I cursed every time I wanted to use the turn signal and found the wipers wiping the windscreen and vice versa. What a let down. Anyway, Proton has tried hard this time and credit must be given where it is due. Personally, I would prefer a manual 1.6L but I have doubts about the new engine which Proton has so far kept mum of. There is also not much information about this new engine in the review either which I suspect could be a modified Campro.
Why is it a mistake. Many cars in Malaysia has the signal stalk on the left. Doesn’t really kill you if you get it wrong!
If it’s a conti car then I understand. When Waja was launched, Proton was aiming high with the so called “BMW of Malaysia”. In the end, how many left-hand drive Protons with left-hand signal lever did Proton export to European countries? I know Proton is aiming high again, but to forgo something that the majority of Malaysians are so get used to and prioritize foreign interests is down right marketing mistake. Proton’s home base is still Malaysia.
Do Malaysians use signal indicator at all?
Tell that to every European car maker
HAHAHA, it is obvious, these poor jokers up there never driven an European car before..They can only afford Jap, Korea, china and local cars for their entire life so it is only natural that they thought the signal at the left is “WRONG”..DAMM FUNNY LAR YOU GUYS..
that why majority of people don’t buy Proton… because this country is righthand drive and righthand signal lever… and Proton make lefthand signal lever… stupid Proton, always thinking profit outside country without caring the people in this country…. PROTON = stupidity
majority ah beng japan wanabe cant afford real jdm m end up with perodua rite???
rakyat smart oredi
It will fail like Sawy vegetable
yeahh
p2 umw macai n salesman will come n bring same old story
” remember savvy, timing chain?, wira, waja story bla2″
this medical doctor with his comment..marvellous..lol
No surprise if after this everyone claims that he is this and that.
But never true, lol
yaa… remember Motorhead?
Look how iriz negotiates the bend, its like guru silat with kuda-kuda.
kereta tak laku… kereta tak laku.. kereta tak laku….
tahun depan ada diskaun yahooo!!!
right hand signal lever > All
I wonder why Proton hasn’t thought of including a built in Smart-Tag reader on its newer cars.
Hidden due to lowcomment rating. Click here to see.
the way you write makes me think that you ride a bike; instead of driving a car
if not a bike… he just drive a perodua myvi timing chain
akal macai mudah dibaca
yeahh
p2 umw macai n salesman will cone n bring same old story
” remember savvy, timing chain?, wira, waja story bla2″
Tumpang tanya, ini bahasa ke apa ni? Do write with proper BAHASA if you really want to, don’t defile it with your own shitty style.
Ini Gangnam style
Sakitnya mata membaca..
i tested both axia (auto only) and iriz (1.3 manual & 1.6 cvt).. engine wise..i will give it to axia (its more then good enough for a 1.0).. iriz engine?? civilised hum?? its drive me crazy (1.3 and 1.6.. same story.. crazy humming engine noise).. tested 1.3 manual myvi, its far better then those 1.3 manual iriz.. other details, i will give credit for iriz.. finishing, comfort, handling, suspension. iriz is better..end of story, just bought 1 axia for my mom for her daily drive
your mom wouldn’t care less even if u bought iriz, or merc for that reason..coz u think of her when u bought the car..
orrrr ur just a lousy p2 promoting macai…
If you seriously thought about your mum when buying the car, then it is very stupendous of you to buy her a car with NO SAFETY feature.
The CVT despite being the same supplier for Mini is a letdown.
This is the only thing holdng me back from getting the Iriz.
My Exora CFE Bold is a fantastic car if not for that stupid CVT.
I hate the loud drone sound which Punch attributed to resonance in the dashboard assembly. The CVT really holds back the car and probably tuned conservatively to save on warranty clams I guess. Like the Iriz reviewer found out, the clutch instead of torque converter system make it tricky to gauge throttle inputs. Hill hold was not available on the Exora so
moving off from a gradient requires a Manual gear driver’s license.
I will wait for the Euro diesel model which will most likely come with a different auto gearbox as a package with the European engine.
i like the way cvt punch in proton act,when you drive the car at hill road, the cvt make the car move at constant speed and can be go even more faster at hill without reving the engine roughly. unlike normal 4 auto need to shift the gear and the sound soo loud when its shift and revving.in traffic jamed you just need release your foot at brake pedal and the car move constantly at low speed without the need to press the oil pedal. i think many malaysian still dont have more exp with cvt gear especially in proton car more then problematic cvt in previous honda cars
To all 7 readers who like my comment.
Our opinions have been vindicated by the fact that Proton just announced they are looking at a torque converter replacement.
To the 18 thumbsdown, eat my shorts.
– entry level will buy Axia for sure (Perodua strategic position Axia in replacing MyVi for mass market) When gst comes all spending will be cut..more will chose to cheaper car
– existing Myvi user upgrade to non p1 or p2 for sure
– now who will be Iriz targeted customer? lets see..
dont cheat rakyat laa
axia engine same like aylaindonesian.. noisy n underpowerd.. vibrate like hell
rakuat smart oredi laa
u sounds p2 macai only
axia is for poor ppl and perodua feel that thier life soo
cheap
perodua is killing its own product
myvi 1.3 will be killed by axia n iriz
myvi 1.5 will be killed bu iriz 1.6 wolrd class safety
potential viva n myvi 1.3 will go for axia
potential myvi 1.5 will go for
iriz
rakyat samrt orefi
How about the saga, persona that still selling?
saga n pwrsona are sedan car… those who want bigger boot space n like sedan design will go for saga persona
I got confused when using left hand signal lever for Saga after driving my Toyota.
Anyway,to be fair to proton,they have made improvements .The power windows are near perfect now.
The only drawdown is the CVT gear sourced from European mat salleh company.
Proton have to make it now.The gap with Perodua will widen if this Iriz cannot pick up speed.
i tot u want p1 to close..dont praise la.
5-10,000 people will be jobless if P1 closes,not mentioning those dealerships.
Why are u just trigger happy finding fault with all comments?
P1 will close if volume keeps dropping uncontrolled,but they are waking up.
Time to praise,give.Don’t be stingy.
You mean u hantam yr kids all the time,without any praise?
R u from Kamunting Zoo,Mr armchair critic?
well u die-die want p1 close shop..go kaput..wat gives?
i dont know if u the albert who anti-p1 or not..huhu
I dont know who you are referring to.There are thousands with the same name.
Talk facts.
No one in the right frame of mind would want someone/company to fail.
Those in their late 40’s or fifties would find it tough to be re employed if Proton goes under.
Only demented bastards like you armchair critics have no conscience at all.
I think that was Albert Lee, kzm. This could be a whole other Albert. Both unregistered. Funny thing is Albert Lee seemed to be a Toyota customer too.
@Albert
Albert Lee really wanted P1 to close down. kzm mistook you for him.
Good: Safety, Design at the front of the car, Door sound when closing is very sturdy.
Neutral: Design at the back
Bad: 3 knobs for air con wont last a few months (all switches are made poorly. Speedo is the worst i have ever seen. Leg room was the most disappointing at the back (worst than myvi). GPS screen too much glare.
Hmm I went to a Honda showroom just for the fun of it and had a look at one of Iriz’s competitor – the Jazz of course – for space dimensions, and the rear legroom isn’t that bad. Sure, it’s not as spacious as the Myvi’s, but is longer than the global standard Ford Fiesta, which was pretty tight in comparison. Can’t argue about the disappointing knobs though, the free play on them smells like potential problems waiting, will see.
Good review.
Only thing mising is the reviwerer did not mention about rear visibility, which I though was a bit limited.
The other problem is, they don’t make the 1.6 Manual Executive with 6 airbags. Maybe when they do (like the Preve’s later revisions which saw full air bags across the range) I could forseeably think of buying it.
my NEO rear view is worse
This review made me really want to test drive the 1.6 MANUAL (exec or premium). Thanks Jonathan for such a detailed guide, inside out.
If this car is being called as myvi killer, then it has done it successfully and skillfully (quite obviously). But why not raise the competition bar by comparing it to:
1) Ford Fiesta Hatchback
2) Honda Jazz
3) Kia Rio (or Picanto?)
4) Mitsubishi Mirage
5) Mazda 2 hatchback
6) Suzuki Swift
7) VW Polo CKD 1.6 Hatchback
8) Peugeot 208 Hatchback
I mean, since it is meant for global market, such comparison will give a clearer picture either in terms of driveability, comfort, handling, design, or VALUE for money.
Actually that is a brilliant idea!
It will be the Picanto by price, Rio by segment.
The engine is somewhat a bit mysterious,proton should really make it one the highlight of the car because they said its a new engine and they should be really proud for it..
Marketing strategy, less marketing hu-haa will lower the expectation of the general public, and therefore they will have a higher satisfactory feeling even if the performance is just slightly better.
How things stand when premium Iriz vs Preve executive in terms of comfort, ride and handling? Or vs CFE Preve since got good discount.
Test drove it briefly. Tried the 1.6 CVT. I must say it is not bad at all. For those who are not used to CVT, it gets some getting use to, but am sure you will grow to like it. Driving position is very crossover like, you are seated quite high up, at least that’s how I feel. But it’s not a sporty car, so that’s ok. But I would prefer to have the telescopic adjustment, I think that will help a lot. Cornering is stable and predictable, tho I feel the steering is very numb, too light. As for the cvt, hope to see paddle shifters, tho highly unlikely, that’s because it’s good to have, when I wanna do some engine braking on top of braking the car. Yes, the brakes feels very soft, as if it is not biting, need to press down a lot to stop. All in all, a handsome car. Definitely not a car to mod. Now proton, about that proton satria development….
imagine a 3 door iriz as the satria replacement model. mind blown
6 speed manual or cvt with paddle shifters
Proton needs a new engine and tranny!
Proton needs a new engine and tranny!
They are cheating us by saying Its a new engine but
its the same old Campro!
new engine or old engine
if the output relist is better
better fc, better performance n refined
who cares
prove that they are cheating…
Same Campro Engine structure with Improved Quality Head,Camshaft material added with VVT…. Soon they will change to Timing chain added dual vvt and say New Engine again….
I know Proton RND Engineers go overseas trip for various of training…..But the outcome is same Lazy Job….
Huh?Same with Toyolto put dual vvti to Altis engine after single pne, so what?
And Vios engine is same for decades, so is it ok because it’s Toyolto
Come one get a life
funny when you have the “time” to post a comment or even think of browsing and scrolling here on paultan slapping “lazy” to others :)
Dear Paultan.org,
May I know what your thoughts are regarding the manual variant of the 1.6?
Also could the loud drone be of the larger sized engine?
In this article comparing 1.6 cvt and the 1.3MT, it would seem that the 1.3MT would be a better car overall albeit being MT. what about the 1.3cvt?
Your opinion is highly appreciated.
Thank you in advance.
P/s:anyone else’s opinion would be highly appreciated too, so long as it’s constructive. Tq
1.3cvt and 1.6 manual still not out yet, therefore cannot test la… But I heard the queue for 1.6M is already long …
It doesn’t have mark at 110km/h which is the legal speed on highway. Why?
If this is a mistake, then you will know many more mistakes in this car soon.
No idea who took the shot, but the green Iriz wet in the rain at night invoked a borderline-arousing emotion.
Hmm… O_o. Photographer must have had a black couch background =X
Having experienced the car once at a nearby showroom, I have to say that this is definitely one of the best machines made by Proton to date. The drive was surprisingly hushed, being significantly better than the current City/Jazz duo in terms of NVH, though it still can’t quite beat the Vios in that department. I agree that the CVT is a bit of a drawback but I guess it does well in most occasions, and the handling is a lot better than most of our B-segment contenders.
In terms of interior comfort, I particularly love the seats, especially the rear which is long enough for thigh support, a feature missing in a lot of B-segments also that usually shorten the cushion to increase perceived legroom. Speaking of legroom, I think it is sufficient for small families so not much of a problem there. Still not a fan of the leather upholstery employed by Proton which is stiff and slippery (maybe it’s just me).
Build quality and refinement: 80 marks for Proton. Not bad actually, everything looks good and well fitted despite having hard plastics everywhere. And yes, door closes with a solid thud, unlike the Axia. One thing, I like the display in the middle of the metres that show which door is not shut, pretty useful for a lot of people I guess, a feature unusually found in cars this price.
With so many features at that price, I seriously think Proton has built a (though not perfect) great car with the Iriz. This is coming from a former Proton hater and I’m still a bit skeptical of the reliability/durability of their products and their infamous aftersales service. Let’s see how it goes.
reading the review made me think if proton was under a proper experienced management which was not government controlled,this product could have comeup around the first myvi time around 2005…ok lets not dwell on the screwups…
i did play around the iriz in the showroom , without test driving , n i found many positives to take
it did feel solid throughout , very acceptable plastics , and gives an overall impression of a solid job being done…
and finally for a proton , the steering wheel doesnt block the upper part of the instument meter…!
i immediatly fall in love with the manual gear , the shift action was very accurate and the clutch was light….unlick those old mitsubishi sourced rubbery stiff action which took 100k mileage to loosen up a little.
it made me think maybe the manual was really the best option if you want to enjoy the car….this is even more so when everyone shoots down the cvt
i do drive a proton cvt for almost 3 yrs now ,and its not great at all , its irratic and jerky , and after 3 yrs of usage , stil cant learn how to modulate the throttle for it not to jump everytime ur near the throttle , although i got to say its reliable and robust…
i do love the iriz to be frank , i think the manual 1.6 is alot of fun …the RED one !
and since proton is sourcing a diesel for the iriz for export markets , i hope they are sourcing gearboxes as well , that Punch cvt degrades the entire proton lineup…
if u driven a suprima S before , u know what fun u can have if it was a manual ,or anyting which is NOT a cvt
a very good solid effort indeed
Been waiting a long time for paultan.org’s review, and boy was it worth the wait ! Well done Jonathan !
Okay, so where do I start…. How about being frank and straight to the point ?; bittersweet. For all that Proton got right with the Iriz (and there are a lot of them), Proton still failed to properly address one of their biggest, most critical problems in their previous 3 cars, the Exora Bold, Prevé and Suprima S… that is the powertrain (engine + transmission). Okay, so the Iriz has a ‘new’ engine, which doesn’t stand for much, because new or not, the current 1.3 and 1.6 engines in the Iriz are not up to the global industry standards, unfortunately. I was really hoping in 2012 that when Proton meant ‘new engine’, it meant something competitive as well. What’s the point in making a new engine, if it’s already outdated by global industry standards ? And then there’s the CVT… okay, I’m not a fan of CVTs and automatics in general, but I know how important the automatic transmission is to the average Malaysian consumer. Sure, most enthusiasts will ignore the CVTs entirely and go for the 1.3 and 1.6 manuals, which is good… for them at least. But I’m guessing 90%+ of Iriz buyers will be getting the CVT, and that means the CVT should be the priority here. I wasn’t expecting much from Proton on the CVT, the moment I heard it was a CVT, I already knew that sh*t was going to hit the fan. But man oh man, I didn’t expect it to be this bad. Really now…. why couldn’t Proton have given the finger to Punch, and gotten a better vendor for their CVT in the Iriz ? I’m guessing that Proton couldn’t afford to hire a new and better CVT vendor, that’s why they used a modified and refined version of the CVT in the Saga FLX. Whatever the case, I’m very disappointed that Proton failed to properly address one of the biggest problems from their older cars. Proton has merely gone with a temporary solution or stopgap. I hope that in the near future, Proton gets rid of Punch once and for all and hires a better CVT vendor, or just go for a normal 6 or 7 speed automatic, but please, no AMT / DSG. And I also hope Proton can design a properly good engine, one with direct injection, a soft turbo and cylinder deactivation, not forgetting Euro 6 standards.
Well, I like to start with the bad and end with the good, so as to finish on a positive note…. And I’m happy to say that the Iriz is the most promising and most mature Proton ever made so far. For something that costs as low as RM43k, you get equipment levels and specifications from cars 2 or 3 times the price. Well done to Proton for making a small car like the Iriz feel expensive, it’s not an easy thing to do. Then there’s the safety aspect, something Proton has been getting really good at lately. I’m again happy to hear that the Iriz is a proper safe car, again, not something that’s easy to accomplish on superminis and other small cars. Even more kudos to Proton for looking into next generation, top tier safety technology like autonomous braking, lane watch and sign recognition (even if it’s being spearheaded by a Korean company, I’m happy Proton has taken the first step nonetheless). It’s also great that ESC (or more holistically VDC) comes standard across the whole Iriz range, and even though only the top end Iriz 1.6 Premium gets 6 airbags, and all others a mere two, I can understand the reasoning and justification behind it. Here’s hoping that ALL Iriz models will get the full enchilada a few years down the road, just like the Prevé did.
Of course, the most improved upon factor in the Iriz, something that has been plaguing Proton for as long as its existence, is the interior design in general. The Iriz’s interior looks simple, yet amazing (think new Mazda2, but less on the luxury department), even against such rivals like the Ford Fiesta and Kia Rio. It still doesn’t look as futuristic as a Honda Jazz’s, or as upmarket as a VW Polo’s, but man does it look great, and not only for a Proton either, but for a proper supermini full stop. The Suprima’s interior looks positively dated compared to the Iriz’s, and the Suprima is a bigger and more expensive car too. Then there’s the materials; gone are those crappy and flimsy plastics, in their place lay purposeful designs. Although it’s not soft plastic as I initially believed, they really do look and feel good, expensive even, as Jonathan mentioned in the review. Some bits are a bit off though, but the most important sections on the dashboard are all above average. This is so unlike the Prevé / Suprima, where only the top half of the dash was good, and the rest were horrid. The buttons / moving parts and the way they feel are also a vast improvement over the Prevé/ Suprima. But yes, I too found some out-of-place bits as Jonathan mentioned, but here’s hoping that the facelifted Iriz will sort them all out. The CVT gearshift lever, something I absolutely hated initially from the spy photos, actually felt nice and slick to use. It even has a nice ‘click’ to it. I haven’t test driven the manual yet though, but hopefully sooner than later. The interior overall feels spacious, but I’m disappointed to hear that it’s merely above average in terms of the industry leaders; Proton still has some ways to learn on ergonomics and efficient interior designs, something the Japanese are very, very good at (case in point Honda Jazz, with it’s Accord-like spacious interior). It’s too bad that the boot is somewhat small, considering that the Prevé had the largest boot in the entire C-segment when it launched in 2012. I’m also a bit disappointed that the Iriz doesn’t have steering reach & rake, but seeing that only the Polo seems to have it, it’s somewhat understandable why the new Proton doesn’t. There also isn’t as much adjustment in the seating as I hoped; the lack of lumbar support on the 1.6 Premium is disappointing, let alone electric adjustments like some of its competitors. But if I’m honest, those leather seats are heavenly. They look, feel and heck, they even smell great !
Well, all-in-all, I still believe that Proton has done a great if not excellent job with the Iriz. They have come a long way in the last 30-odd years, and the Iriz feels like a proper expensive car, yet with reasonable pricing all round. It’s just too bad that Proton couldn’t solve all the major problems from their previous offerings, but they sure did solve quite a number of them, chief amongst which is the interior design.
Before I end my rather lengthy comment, or rant even, I’d like to share with everyone here a little story about Proton;
When Proton brought out the Saga in 1985, Malaysians said it was too expensive (Proton Harga), jaguh kampung (cannot export) and looked outdated. Proton responded by bringing out the Wira in 1993, which had many variants to cater to the various demands from the rakyat, and Proton made it a point to export the Wira to Europe too. The Wira looked modern even, with smooth, curvy lines. But the rakyat was not satisfied, we said Proton cars are too ciplak and not luxurious enough, and Proton responded again, with the prestigious Perdana in 1995. But still, the rakyat was not impressed, we said Proton is ‘Mitsubishi copycat company’, and we Malaysians cannot make our own, real, 100% ‘Malaysian car’. Once more, Proton acted, and we witnessed the birth of the Waja in 2000. But sadly, the Waja suffered from a lot of quality and design issues, and the rakyat complained and demanded a better Proton car. Some rakyat even said Proton cars were too boring and not sporty enough, and the engine is still Mitsubishi, hence it’s still not 100% Malaysian. And again, Proton responded, with the Gen-2 in 2004. The Gen-2 looked positively modern and contemporary, unlike the rather sedated older Protons, and it even had an all-new Malaysian-made CamPro engine. But sadly, Proton admittedly failed to address quality issues, and the rakyat continued to complain. By 2005, things were getting very desperate for Proton, having lost a huge chunk of market share and its crown to Perodua. With D.S. Syed Zainal appointed in 2006, Proton was determined to resolve its problems to save itself from potential doom. Proton launched the Persona in 2007, essentially a bigger, better made and cheaper Gen-2. Sales improved greatly, but the rakyat was still sceptical. Then the new Saga launched in 2008, a quantum leap from the old Saga and a far more ‘serious’ Proton all round. Sales improved again, but yep, the rakyat was still not convinced. Some rakyat demanded a bigger Proton to suit their ever growing families, and out came the Exora. In a shock turn of events, our darling government jumped up the bandwagon, and complained that the Perdana was too old and incompetent for government use. Proton was forced to rebadge the Lancer as a temporary solution, and the Inspira was born. The Inspira was the ugly duckling, it was the best ‘Proton car’ ever made back then, and still one of the best today. But the rakyat was not impressed, we complained that Proton has gone full circle, back to the old ways of ‘copycat’. By this time, the rakyat also complained why Proton doesn’t have a turbocharged engine and high safety equipment like Euro cars; the Prevé was the answer, a far, FAR more mature Proton all-round. But still, despite all the improvements, Proton still hasn’t quite addressed the quality control issues, refinement and interior design. The Suprima S was a temporary stopgap, something to buy time while Proton worked on the real deal, which came to be the Iriz. By now, the Iriz has clearly delivered in the refinement and interior design sectors. All that’s left for Proton now is the powertrain (engine and transmission) and quality control, which remains to be seen. What happens next in the story, only time will tell.
Proton is clearly a company on the move, but the question is, how fast is it moving ? So then, the Prevé / Suprima’s most improved aspect is safety, the Iriz’s most improved element is refinement and interior design, will the next upcoming Proton solve the powertrain issue ? Nothing wrong with a little hope and good faith I suppose.
Thanks for reading, and sorry for such a long comment. I got carried away.
nice essay… Enjoy reading it…
Thanks man, I appreciate it. :] That last story part though… I guess it was not that necessary… haha
Nice read, Mr. Aero. But I am wondering from where did you compile the complaints and responses?
Thanks Obviously, I appreciate it. :] I found an article online one or two years back which explained Proton’s progress and the response from the people over the years. They too were trying to highlight Proton’s good intentions, which were often sub-standardly executed. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to find the article any more :( The latter parts though, after around 2007 and 2008, I’ve been personally keeping track. Some parts might be a bit off and exaggerated though, my bad. I wish I was born earlier.. in the 70s, so that I could’ve seen it all personally from the start… ahh well.
This review does not even tell us much about the engine. Is it a new engine or a modified campro?
Also having the signal indicator on the left side for a right hand drive car is just wrong altogether.
Finally, just how many of us really do use a manual car these days? Why has Proton has just given us a lemon cvt. Is this car really going to be a runaway success? Probably still yes, if rakyat just accepts as usual or they really remain not so smart still.
“having the signal indicator on the left side for a right hand drive car is just wrong altogether”
already like that since stoneage. you just know this? i prefer this anyway but i do respect your preference on the other side of steering wheel, no harm.
don’t get me wrong, stoneage = quite sometime.
Went to the showroom and 3 items really disappointed me :
1. The standard model doesn’t have a rear screen wiper. This is a safety item as all hatchbacks rear screen will get dirty due to air turbulence. Can you tell me a hatchback that DOESN’T have a rear screen wiper? Oh wait a minute… the Proton Tiara!
2. As mentioned by other members, the air-con knobs are bad. If you don’t believe me try turning the temperature knob – sound like pasar malam radio knob.
3. I’m surprised that nobody has mentioned that the standard model is soooo black inside. Dashboard, centre console, door cards, carpet, rear parcel shelf and worse even the seats are all black. It’s so depressing and claustrophobic and makes the interior look small – not what you’d want for a small car isn’t it? Very odd. it’s not as if grey seat fabric is more expensive than black. Blur lah Proton.
you lupa ker yg axia base model pun xder wiper belakang,dan jangan jadi penakut dalam gelap hehehe
Even radio pun dont have ? Rear wiper pun mahu bising
Are those 3 things really that important that you only focused on them when looking at a car?
obviously he came to proton showroom just to find the weakness of the car
1) Suzuki swift GX has no rear screen wiper.
2) The nobs and plastics are improvement from previous model,
3) LOL, everyone else like the interior except you.
Where you guys take the photos?
thanks paultan. nah proton take my money..
Good work to Paul Tan’s team for microscopic details reporting of two variants Proton Iriz. I accept this story with a pinch of salt, there are issues of new engines reliability in questions, and warranty 5 years in for establish European models since so much positive mention here.
The only admirable of Iriz is the safety features, and I came to know that Euro NCap front impact test was done with 64 km/h speed beyond that speed occupant has to pray for miracle to be alive in an accident.
Price reduction will spurs more buyers to consider it as mention B-Segment are community of prices sensitive consumers and quantity. Other Iriz models in your roadmap, it need cash flow to build so do something for rakyat to support you.
not matter how good is this car, Proton QC always fail. fixed.
Now it`s my time to say a word or two.Well its a great effort by Proton to make a nice B segment car which is by world class standards. In fact,it could sell well in other countries. And i would say its better than the ever popular Perodua Myvi. Not to say the Myvi is bad but the Iriz is better.
Anyway according to the Youtube videos i watched earlier the Iriz is a really good car to be travelling in, its fun to drive,its a really quiet car to be travelling in at 140-150kmh on the highway and the seats are comfortable.
After ive watched a ton of videos, i , my wife and my 16 year old daughter that i am buying the Iriz for went for a test drive at a Proton dealership near Alam Damai,Cheras area. We`ve test drive the 1.6 Premium Manual unit in grey .The car was fun on the twisty bits and comfortable on normal driving commutes.My daughter went for a spin and loved it.
Perodua must be hugeley pissed of right nice at Rawang right now as Axia and Myvi cannot sell.
Bro..they have 1.6 manual test drive? that’s the model that many are considering especially us in the East Coast.
Bro, don’t bull here lah. I checked around there’s no 1.6 manual to test drive. Furthermore, what kind of 16 year old daughter would love to drive a 1.6 manual car and layan the corner?
Get your ears checked.
According to the review, “At a constant 110 km/h, corresponding revs are approximately 3,100 rpm for the 1.3 manual in top gear, and a lower 2,600 rpm for the 1.6 CVT, but the CVT’s drone is somehow more unbearable”.
I think you might be just overexcited test driving any new car bro. 3,100 rpm just to cruise 110km/hr is fuel guzzling loud by any current international standards.
Engine noise is sound.
CVT sound is noise.
My previous car Renault Megane manual also got low final drive. Cruise at 100kmh, rpm is 3000.
I had high hopes for the Iriz…but once tested the CVT version, all hopes are gone. The review more or less put it straight…the CVT is junk….horrible CVT whining noise and the endless low-end vibration (and it’s not only in 1.1k RPM, even when idling) punished your ears constantly. Considering the Auto version is where the mass market in Malaysia is, what the F*CK is Proton thinking? Can’t they source a better gearbox?? They should use a CVT with Torque Converter like City/Jazz/Sylphy/Inspira…even god-car 4AT torque converter is better than this!
PUNCH GB is really muka kena tumbuk. And Proton is the one being tumbuk kaw-kaw.
This is not the car which turns Proton around. Hopefully, with the new Saga 3, they will get rid of Punch permanently.
tested the 1.6cvt , totally disappointed on the power and the gearbox, i think manual is going better, other than that, the design is acceptable but not performance wise , myvi or amera or jazz is much better so will affect the fuel consumption alot with this setting…….
Anyway iriz not bad la, but it came out in wrong time la bro… Baru keluar iriz, petrol dah naik… Who’s gonna buy it when we all will face gst next year? Proton n government? Otak mana?
so .. can we think this way
1. perodua force gorv to increase the fuel price n forced rakyat to buy axia
2. it shiws that proton has nothing to do with gomen n protection
3. now perodua become gomen macai
yes you are right. NAP want EEV. this gov policy benefit P2. P1 prefers EV, expected intro in 2017, hopefully will turn into reality.
actually cvt is nit that bad … axageratwd by p2 umw macai coz they dont have cvt tech
once u get use of cvt… it will be find
rakyat know p2 macai tactics
first try to condemn iriz design n look… failed.. iriz design way better than myvi axia
then they try to condemn boot space… failed when paultan wrongly made comparisoan iriz vs old myvi instead if new myvi boot space
then they try ti condem FC… yup axia fc better but its just 1000cc n 3 cylinders… when compared to apple to apple myvi… iriz wins… macai butthurt
then now try to condemn on cvt… yet those macais try to convince rakyat they 4 AT is beetter
actually they are butthurt coz nowadays worldwide automakers using cvt… infact daihatsu in japan oso start using cvt
no matter cvt bad or good… it is latest tech
Stop becoming the laughing stock of the world, your comments produced were in quantity but lack in quality, ton of joke in your comment. Are you hired by Protong which producing quantity instead of quality? :D
did u say the same thing to p2 macai with their stupid comments ???
tell me whats wrong with my comments???
rakyat smart oredi
You are the Proton macai equivalent of Sam Lorr. Nobody says CVT is bad…it’s the Punch CVT used by Proton sucks mothball. Even the review says it. What you want to deny?
I have tons of CVTs in the family….2 new Cities, Inspira, Sylphy..(no Punch CVT so far)…all of them don’t have the horrible noise and vibration and jerky charateristic present in the Iriz Punch GB ( which i heard also applies to other Punch CVT Proton cars, but i haven’t drive any of those, so no comments).
And yes, unfortunately, God-car’s 4AT also better in terms of refinement. At least they don’t make horrible noise in the car. Got one old VIOS in the family too.
peny0… Hilarious comment on the cvt.
My grandfather had recently bought a pentimum 2 computer and he says he’s finally moving on catching up with the times.
Proton might have adopted a cvt, but only for a sake of cvt only. – like how my grandfather now thinks he’s already upgrading himself to ‘latest’ fad.
above comment should be dedicated to those who praise timing chain.
CVT indeed new thing. just that refinement level is not very good for P1.
CVT is actually nothing new…it’s been around since the 60’s or 70’s….but at that time the technology is not refined for passenger cars. It was used in some other industrial vehicles. Only recent years saw technology maturity in the CVT technology, paving the way for mass market passenger vehicles.
iriz… kereta bontot besar leper
can match myvi or not?
Of course cannot. Myvi can fly into drain or shop rooftop.
True story.
ighway driving is a tad more fatiguing than it should be. The steering wheel transmits some degree of vibration, perhaps a consequence of having too much feedback dialled in. A lack of on-centre accuracy also necessitates constant steering corrections to keep the Iriz in lane. (reviewed)
maybe its steering hasnt firmed up much like honda city at speed maybe, therefore less dead on center steering character as i also did test the car last week, and the iriz let loose a bit on straight hence need correction. worst if the wheel is out of allignment.
last time i tested the suprima the car is not well prepared with tire over-inflated. it could gives different result definitely.
I’ve tested the 1.6L manual. The car looks hot but the minute you hold the gears & steering, it feels cheap. Even the leather wrapped steering feels horrible to hold because its not soft feel. In fact the angular steering digs into my palm. The gear shift is too far & high up. Feels like shifting a broomstick. Makes my Persona gearshift feels so much up market. I put off my purchase until some improvements are made in this area in future facelift models.
Macai detected. Where got 1.6 manual to test? You macai P2 are very afraid people are queuing long for 1.6 M iriz because it’s such a killer budget car. Even paultan thinks that 1.6 manula iriz will be fun to take the twisty roads. haha…
hahsha
p2 macai kantoi menipu
dah test drive 1.6 manual itiz katanya
mthsrs funny bro
Either truly a lot of fans or P1staffs forced to click Like for bad comments or else no increment and bonus at year end.
same goes to p2 macai
most negative comments here come from p2 macai
…both Jonathans too (Paul, eh?!)
Well done Paultan team for the comprehensive review. Now I’m just eager to see another exciting review in the form Driven web series. Having driven both 1.3M & 1.6CVT, I have to concur the same thing with Jonathan. The CVT drivetrain & perhaps its inability to extract optimum juice from the VVT engine indeed reduced the Iriz’s engine & acoustice refinement. Initially I thought the VVT engine was rough like the old campro, until I drove the 1.3MT and discovered how smooth & quiet the engine was across wide RPM range. However, the level of quietness & sound insulation still can’t match the big 3 Japanese B-segmenters, which I hope Proton can address when they launch Saga 3.0.
All in all, the Iriz is such a leap forward in terms of overall perceived quality, only marred by incompetent CVT gearbox and sound insulation.
This is how you review a car fairly … :)
Sound insulation is definitely not Honda’s marque. The current City and Jazz are still significantly noisier than rivals, mainly contributed by wind and road/tyre noise even at speeds less than 60kmph, which is quite shocking. I’d say that the NVH of the Iriz is about the same, if not better than Honda’s. And yes, it’s still way behind Toyota in terms of silence.
P1 macai sudah lah. I have 2 new Cities in the family. Refinement and NVH way better…thanks to quiet engine and gearbox, half the battle already won.
Proton better than Honda….you can keep on “The Power of Dreams”.
Either you’ve not been in a quieter car, or you’re just a typical fanboy with no sense of self-conscious.
1. I’ve been on a current gen Jazz V (planning to get one too) and have test-driven the Iriz, does that entitle me for an opinion?
2. I mentioned that the Iriz is at about the same levels as Honda, which is already decent considering the fact that it’s a Proton although Honda’s not good in NVH. The test car was quieter than the Jazz at times, with significantly less road noise. They say Honda’s problem is with the stock tyres, yet to be proven though.
3. Refinement and NVH are two different things, the former related to the engine and the latter is on noise levels. My comment was about NVH.
4. Expand your world dude. Everyone knows that Hondas have poor NVH. All car reviewing websites say that (go visit some Australian sites on the City or Fit). Damn even Paul Tan acknowledges the fact that the City is a loud car (in case you don’t know, Driven web series ep 1). And if you want really silent cars, please refer to Toyota/Lexus. Don’t live under a hole my friend.
Conclusion: you should pay your ENT specialist a visit. Perhaps the Honda tagline applies onto you.
Good job, Proton. Just hope they don’t f*ck this one up with terrible marketing like the Ah Chan radio spot for “Suplima S”.
( 1.6 cvt ) not making it feel much faster than the 1.3 manual
LOL AT AUTO FANBOY ,
lol , just imagine 1.3 auto ,power equivalent to viva and axia? :D
To be fair, 1.3 cvt probably sluggish like saga sv. But definitely not like axia which can barely move even with only the driver alone in the car.
Start-up clutch wear was a serious problem for the gen 1 Jatco sourced CVT in the JDM EK back in 1995. Does Punch provide replacement parts?
everytime Potong intoduce new model, the biased local media always declare the model “A GAME CHANGER” eg Preve, Supima, now Iriz…but everytime end same story…and in the end most readers just lazy to read car reviews becoz they know very biased, all praise no a single unbiased comment
same goes to perodua rite???
of u disagree… confirmed.. u r another tupical p2 macai
You think Paultan being biased in this report? I think he quite taruk Proton in this reported, in other words, he expected more!
Just came back from test drive 1.6 cvt. It was quite good actually. The power delivery was quite smooth. Yes its behave differently from a conventional torque converter. When I press the pedal the car acclerate effortlessly and this is on a car that reads only 500++km. Driving dynamics was good,very fun to drive.
A manual would perform better I guess. But the cvt was quite ok. Go test drive it and then judge for yourself.
I think many just hate CVTs, especially one with clutch type. I myself does not like them either.
I agree with the article on that inconsistent typefaces. Proton really should look into the small details that make their cars appears well built. Learn from Hyundai and Kia for attention to detail. They are the best example for interior fit and finish besides the Germans.
How come 99% normal people think that iriz is actually pretty good AFTER TEST DRIVE the car. So all skeptics, test drive first and see and touch the car before making mockery comments. This breed is much improved from Preve and Suplima in terms of manufacturing quality.
Haiz it’s not that difficult to ‘know’ the CVT, it’s not entirely auto trans so but not manual too.
If you think the speed is not enough for over taking, or when you start from idle, just put the gear to L and push the pedal
It’s wise to apply the handbrake/brake when you stop for some time and then put the gear to N, not leaving it in D.
When you are ready to go, put the gear to D first, release the handbrake so that the gear has some short time to get ready.
Before I forget, if want to get fast, push the pedal to floor fast.
Yes but at same RPM say 3000RPM, there is difference between pushing the pedal fast to 3000RPM and pushing it slowly. If the torque felt like doesn’t come in and it’s needed, try to push it fast to the needed RPM, say 3000RPM.
Since it’sCVT, it won’t get go down everytime the gear changes, hence the pickup is faster.
I think same concept applies to conventional auto with Torque converter. No difference there.
Make or break car? Proton where will ever break one? No matter how shitty the car is, still has fans. Not national pride. National ego.
Same with Japs, no matter how shiatty the ride is, still has fans. No safety is ok, overpriced is ok, As long it can give ‘good’ feeling.
Japanese version of the car have good safety…when it reaches here, all became reduced version. Salah UMNO and Tun Mamak.
I dont think Iriz is as bad as u said. Sometime you need to have faith in our local product. just take an example of our national football team. last time, before 2010, we really despise our local football. But after winning the AFC Cup in 2010, our local support grew tremendously. Think positive. For me, I still hv faith for Proton as I am using my Proton Persona, free of any issue (thank god). hehe. But looking at Iriz, with all the spec & features like that, perggh, I give two thumbs up. It is a totally game changer for Proton. :)
Well. Thanks for the review. It’s answer few of my query as I’m really liking this car and consider to buy it.
Few annoying things though. It still seem proton still suffer from bad decisions making process.
If proton number one unique selling point is safely. It fails to provide few very cheap safety item. Probably trying to safe a few bucks. Front and rear fog lights are cheap safety item that should be available on all varient. Please think of the children when you next even in the premium model the ability to disable front passenger airbags. Also seeing all this missing bit even in premium variety really annoyed the OCD in me.
Also since DRB plans to sell proton a bit more expensive, I mean the iriz is still expensive than what proton usually charge last time from the saga and persona. Please do give us few more toys. Use android auto next time. The current HU kinna annoying. Auto wiper, auto headlamps and auto cruse kinna good to have. But arm rest, chill glove box and paddle shifter isn’t exactly expensive to implement.
Surprisingly there were too many post of IRIZ in these weeks.
Good or bad, we can found on the history.
Facts.
Japs car – Reliability
Euro car – Safety, delicate, driver oriented.
Korean car – Full features, moving towards euro std.
Malaysia car – Still need improvement on quality, cost, reliability,etc.
RM61K for IRIZ, the price is too high and ridiculous.
it’s D segment price. Thanks to Barang Naik, Ayam, Hippo, cronies.
D-Segment car for RM60k…where to buy bro? You got jalan? PM me wei!!!!
60k gor myvi n 40k for axia.. how?
Name me 61k D-Segment Car please? I would like to hear it
I really want this car to be the beginning of a new and successful Proton. Without a successful Proton, the car market in Malaysia will never open-up. The sooner Proton become successful, the sooner we are able to enjoy cheaper, better cars. The government will NEVER, EVER close Proton…they will NEVER want to lose face by closing Proton.. A lot of people is very short-sighted and has a perverse interest in hoping something would fail..
I have to agree with this. People still think that if Proton close down business, govt will reduce tax & car prices are going to cheap. That’s not going to happen, just look at Volvo, the first carmaker which set up its factory in the country and their millions spent in local investment, yet their prices so skyrocketing high. We have no option, Proton have to thrive or else all of us aren’t going to have a chance to enjoy a decently priced car that is safe, feels good inside, reliable and fun to drive. The Iriz has the potential to jumpstart Proton into that direction.
most funny things when they( mostky p2 umw) salesman said… vios price high becoz gomen dont allow them to reduce the car…
perodua nit allowed to produced sedan to protect proton bla bla
lucky now rakyat smart oredii
The problem about wanting Proton to ‘close shop’ is that Proton is not a small company. It is what we called ‘too big to fail’ company. Closing it will cause an economic tsunami. Thousands are being employed there. very bad for the economy
Good to know that the bookings have reached 30k. I am just waiting to see the first one on the road. No where to be found
Not yet delivered lor
Noone gets it yet, haih
Dang, the CVT really spoilt the fun of having this car. Proton please get rid of this PUNCH if you cannot implement it nicely. Go for the conventional 5 or 6 speed auto or better CVT vendor la pls..
I think if Proton really want to utilize CVT technology, please use CVT with torque converter type instead of wet clutch plate (which currently supplied by Punch).
Don’t forget after sales service,.. proton still the worst..
Utk proton meningkatkan keyakinan diri sendiri terhadap kebolehan iriz utk pergi lebih jauh dan yg paling penting utk tingkatkan keyakinan pembeli utk membeli tanpa ragu-ragu, proton patut tawarkan pakej seperti contohnya pakej 30K atau 3 tahun servis percuma (percuma labour, minyak hitam, oil filter). Ini mungkin membantu mengubah sedikit persepsi/tanggapan buruk disebabkan track record proton yg tidak berapa cantik sebelum ini. Sekaligus membantu sedikit kesan kenaikan ron95 baru2 ni. Alahhh ape yg omputeh cakap tu..less is more…haa begitulah!
Proton is the reason why the car price in Malaysia is so high. So i won’t support proton again even they make a good car now. Anyway i dont believe they can make a good car.
Lol, Thai also no Proton but why Accord 2.4l is about RM180k there?
Go to Thai I also cannot buy Accord coz the price is similar with bolehland.
And that’s when in Thai there is no such thing as Proton! You say Proton is the cause?
Ptuih
Proton Iriz 1.3 MT and 1.6 CVT models launching in 2015.cars body colors, extirior and intirior, safety and body style better all car companys. but my favourite is sedan cars. actually I used to hutch back cars in any problam. I think so sedan car better.
hmm.. so many people talking about this
this is the first day you know our goverment?
even no Proton they also have some method increase our car price = =
Actually my mum’s and dad Preve 7 gear CVT is great to drive and saves fuel on long highway jouneys. Even my sister’s Saga FLX 6 gear CVT also is a joy to drive… no problem at all.
Japanese car = reliability
European car = good handling, safe
Proton = good handling, safe and reliable.
the cvt whine is so loud and irritating.
Nak beli Iriz 1.3 cvt executive, tapi nak tambah aksesori keyless entry, GPS & DLR boleh?
Nice review. Thanks
in the bolehland i support proton and no no for p2…..
Just purchased Iriz for my daughter in Muar. After 1 week.
Felt regretting – awful product.
Before and after 1st service – the brake is making awful noice + noice at the at the back of the rear spoiler.
Majority aftet sales staff are unfriendly. I am driving a merc – now I know the difference in service & staff mentality.
Proton staff also unfriendly.
After 1 week u oredi done 1st service???
I drive Estima 2010. Previously Wira. I have never got a problem with any Proton Service. Their staff are friendly; just some times when they are busy they don’t talk too much.
Drove one today with my wife. Acceleration was ok but the CVT wouldn’t change gears even at high rev’s and just couldn’t believe it. The car overall felt good, handled well, the seats very comfortable but I’ve never felt worse response and feedback on power and shifting then this….just weird. An auto 5 speed would be the answer. Feels like an auto clutch scooter!!!!! No way! Waiting for facelift Myvi now!
obviously u nvr understand what’s CVT ! LOL …….
I just got the Iriz standard 1.3 auto and I was a bit disappointed. Ok, it was my fault I didn’t check properly or asked properly. The 1.3 standard DON’T HAVE rear wiper! How can Proton stinged on that? I mean this car is a hatchback and all hatchback technically should have be fitted with rear wiper, right?
Even if you have no rear viper, that Iriz standard give you alot more safety feature than a comparable Myvi.
I feel this is a case of penny wise pound foolish.
then go for Myvi la.. Perodua good RV
I also own Iriz standard and I dont find that rear wiper as a necessity. You can always turn on the rear defrogger during raining
Driven the 1.3cvt for a couple of months to date. Love the car. For normal people who don’t race this car is really nice on windy trunk road. On steep downhill, the gear breaking makes a smooth descent. The handling gives great confidence and pleasure to drive. Last week I took aMyvi on the same windy trunk road… The My I is more bumpy and row around more. Iriz is the safer and much nicer car. Fuel consumption OK. Proton image is the deal killer, not really the car. But nowadays you get call from proton about service quality etc hopefully they will do better