He has absolutely no mercy! Click more to start playing the video.
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Paul Tan
After dabbling for years in the IT industry, Paul Tan initially began this site as a general blog covering various topics of personal interest. With an increasing number of readers paying rapt attention to the motoring stories, one thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history.
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Ouch! Ouch ouch ouch!
Jeremy Clarkson has absolutely no mercy, and it's no surprise that he already has a less-than-cheerful impression of Proton cars ever since they began appearing on European roads.
But the crowd's reaction? Makes you wonder what will go through Tengku Mahaleel's mind if he sees this clip, eh?
british people is always like that! always pride themselves, not knowing their own weakness.
ahahah they didn't even bother to review it….
FIRST and LAST Lotus if you ask me…
Top Gear has always dissed their home made cars. Remember Rover? There are loads of speculation that it was the constant criticism of Rover cars on BBC Top Gear that contributed to its failure to sell cars.
HAHAHAHAHA , I laughed my head off the moment he said 'Get it off the screen'.
It's rather insulting to be called a 'Lotus' by the British. Hope Proton can improve.
Well, it is expected Proton just cant do it right, but do you know they did a full review on the Perodua Kelisa GXi, they have much kind words and a little praise for this car than Savvy. Overall a very pleasent review. Goes to show who is a better focused carmaker here a bolehland…..BTW any one interested in the clip?
Typical british. Once Lotus was their pride. Then it became malaysian. Once colonised once took over their pride. Jeremy and friends was just trying their luck to retrieve their sunken pride. We are not agitated , nor we care about their comments. Well if you meet any british on the streets of Malaysia , ask them , why do they let Lotus falls to a malaysian company. They hate Savvy , is merely a spat on their own face. They use to love Lotus now they hate it … common Jeremy , ain't you got nothing else to chew on. We Malaysians are laughing all the way to the bank , hey got any AP lately…he he he
Hi paul, I have the windows media format of this video for download at my blog..
http://funktionz.the-bazement.com
heylo.. anyone mind sending me the clip? to my e-mail.. coz i can't view it here from the computer lab in the library..
yup….they did have a few nice words for the perodua. remember the moment when the guy closed the kelisa doors and commented on the "metal" sound…and he repeated his actions over and over again…."what a "nice" compilment huh! but as pyan09 said…british are always like that. i agree with him fully!
Just like to clear some foggy opinions….they just like fun, mad cars to drive around, some are not practical at all.
To be fair, they do critise Peugeot, Renault, BMW, Land Rover, Dodge, General Motors, Ford Focus (made in UK), Cadillac, Mazda, Citreon, Chrysler, Honda, TVR and Rover, so it is not just a bias comment on Proton.
Remember, they are Top Gear means fast and mad like badger cars.
…Like Cyder just said, they criticise everybody – simple lah – at one time they were the Kings of the automotive industry – where are they today ? – all had to be rescued by foreigners ? Maybe opening the mouth is easier than making a good car.
In addition, they still make F1 cars – but they cannot even make one that Kimi cannot break …
well this clip it must….. it really must preview in every hour at our nasional
tv i mean all kind of media telecommucation show it again and again……
so than our proton will in prove their-self…….. but
our proton can't accept any comment……… if say it
they say it was 'sensetive' isssue MCH…..
They don't critise for nothing if you ask me. Yea, their choice of words might be just to make the rating go a little higher, but most of what they say make sense. I laughed my head off too when TM said Savvy should be seen as "My First Lotus", even before the Top Gear Episode was aired.
The latest episode shows Clarkson calling the BMW M3 'the most annoying car in the world". Go figure.
For the record, their review on Kelisa (Series 2, Episode 3) was done by James May and not Clarkson. In fact, Clarkson said it's impossible that the car is good. It's made by people that goes to work on an ox. One funny part was them trying to get people to pronounce "Perodua" was funny. But the car generally got a good Top Gear review.
The latest episode features a M5.
Let me read to you what appeared in the June 2004 issue:
Perodua: Malaysian supplier of some of the cheapest new cars you can buy. A bit low-rent in the past, the new stuff is an improvement.
Awards: The Kelisa won Compact Car of the Tear and Car of the Year. In Malaysia.
Kelisa: YPFWYF. £5,129 and you get a 1.0 3-cyl front drive five door hatch that's now over endowed with kit, thrills, room or expensive plastic.
TG Choice: Pass that train timetable
Don't be fooled by: The residents of KL, we're blessed with more choice here.
2/5
In fact looking through that magazine, the only Malaysian car to receive 3/5 is the Proton Satria 'GTI'.
it's quite funny, the clip. of course la, the british motor industry is now owned by foreigners. the only ones still in british hands are caterham and tvr (who? exactly…). from their words u can already see their attitude…ppl still driving in ox carts, making cars in the jungle bla bla bla…but how many of them have been to malaysia?
i have driven the savvy and i think it's a good car. for its size, the car handles well at high speeds (140++ km/h). i thought mahaleel was exaggerating about first lotus and what not, but he's actually not too far off….of course laa, the interior coulda been better (needs some fabrics, low rear head room), but IMHO it's leagues better than kelisa. i do think though, that proton screwed up on the marketing side. do u now that the RM380 low d/p step up installment scheme has been withdrawn but they still advertise it last monday (front page, mind u!) on the sun? it's these little things that turns-off the average buyer!
Let'em rip… they should have shown the savvy TV ad on the show, then they would have had a real field day tearing the savvy apart?!!! Stupid advertisement!!!
I used to read a lot on Clarkson's report in NST's CBT. Being a technical man meself I don't think he knows much. Most of the time more than 60% on other subjects trying too hard to make people laugh or mad with anger touching on sensitive religious and cultural issues. About time we forget about this guy called Clarkson…On Savvy…He concluded b4 even try it….I dont buy Proton either but fair is fair…
Guys, I don't get some of you. You spend countless hours and limitless effort ripping apart and slagging off the Proton Savvy and Proton in general, and then when a foreigner says and does the same thing, its "Stupid British" la, "Dumbass foreigner" la, "They should shut up" la, etc! Why the double standards? Face it, the Proton Savvy is an ABSOLUTE CRAP car!!!
I think the hosts were not too off tangent with their comments. Firstly, the Savvy is "My first Lotus?!" Its more like "My first lotus pau!"
Clarkson has ripped apart much bigger established names and popular models. For example, a lot of people here were praising the BMW 1 Series sky high. He and the rest at Top Gear thought the car was the worst thing to ever come out of BMW, Stuttgart.
Over in UK, people don't really drive small, cute, compact cars. Their cars are mostly 1.6 and above. Hatchbacks are common, but I'm talking Peugeot 307 sort of hatchbacks. Naturally if someone asked a Brit his opinion of a Kelisa or Myvi, he would probably think "IS this little thing a car?!" I realise that is a biased way of thinking, but you can't really blame them. Try sending the car to somewhere in America, like Detroit (the automobile state of USA), and ask them to review the car. I think what they would say would be too saucy to be shown on TV here!
By the by, I am planning to buy a Myvi for my mom. Not any time soon though. I wan to wait and see if there are any major problems with the car. Also, for what its worth, I like both the Kelisa and the Myvi. If I had not bought a Vios, I would have definitely bought a Myvi.
" Get it off the screen, coz we dont wanna see it anymore "
Sheesh, typical british forkwit, its not siding proton or even particularly savvy for that matter, but British forkwits dont make good cars either, this whole show appears just to be a comedy and their intentions are just to make fun and make the other equal forkwits to laugh their ugly pallid asses off, jesus, british forkwits have no mercy on anything, god forkin save their queen.
mutanttomato.. correction, bmw is from munich, porsche is from stuttgart.
in anycase, we should realise that brit humor is dark and sarcastic. It is their culture.
but the clip was funny.. very brit.
Typical whites mentality!, to me they are nothing!, their beloved ROVER hancur!,gone!..the chinese bought it!. now, Asians are taking over them!..Long live proton…err…btw..me just bought a Wira SE…bloody good car!…large boot at the back for my bike, no need a thule…wanna 'kena titik' by me at genting every weekend?…do look up for a 'fuji'!…
"Get it off the screen, I don't want to see it anymore".
Ooohh so sad. Let us all wait and see in the next 3 months.
brit are always like that.they think all their car are the best.they seem to forget that all their car makers are total flops(lotus,rover)even the MINI is now under BMW so thats why they keep bashing other carmakers form different countries.bunch of a**holes
yeah, british wits will always praise their cars… i remember in one of the episodes… about Aston Martin db9…. that clarkson was saying that the british car was way better than ferrarris, lamborghinis…. they even rated it as the best car…even way off their charts…. and on another episodes… they also talk very highly about lotus exige… saying that it's a british car, best car in the world lah… but wat they forget to mention is that it is owned by proton… i don't think jeremy clarkson n topgear is a good source for car review… they just talk craps about others… and make very witty n sensitive comments…
Actually, all Clarkson said about the car was
a) "So it's actually my first Proton."
b) "Get it off the screen, I don't want to see it anymore, have you got something more interesting."
I've read and heard the times when he has really attacked cars, and he spares no venom. In this case, he just seems uninterested. Which is, if you think about it, quite a normal reaction to have towards yet another patchily designed supermini bearing hugely overhyped PR noise.
Mahaleel made a big mistake going around comparing Proton to Lotus, because then that becomes the most interesting thing about the car, and it's interesting in a fainly humorous way. The British aren't the only ones to make fun of it. Mahaleel should `ctually go around letting the car speak for itself, because as it stand now every motoring journo in the world, outside of Malaysia, is going to get into the driver's seat of the Savvy come test drive time with one all-encompassing angle in his/her head – how does this compare to an Elise? Having never driven a Savvy, I don't know if it's a good drive but to set it up against something as legendary as the Elise seems a bit suicidal – even if it is better than all its rivals, people will only have 'is it a Lotus?' stuck in their heads when they're evaluating it.
Also, if you notice the British mags have been very quick to acknowledge improvements where improvements have been made. Hyundai has earned a certain amount of their respect, particularly thanks to the Coupe, and Kias are well on the way towards being seen as worthwhile buys. They even say that Perodua and Proton have improved, but the general consensus seems to be that Proton is improving less than Perodua, and isn't that the same consensus you can find among Malaysians?
It's true, their journalism is not always fair, no journalism is, but the fact is that they are blessed with more choice in the UK, and hence obviously they will compare Malaysian cars with cars that we consider to be outside the class range because of the taxes imposed over here, such as Renaults, Skodas, Seats, Citroens, Toyotas, Hondas, Mitsus etc. etc. etc.
They don't hate Lotus because it's Malaysian-owned. Just recently they sent a Lada to Lotus to be turned into a driver's machine, Paul has a link to that video posted somewhere. They're very proud of Lotus, and Aston Martin and (sometimes) Land Rover, and they'll acknowledge at any moment that foreign ownership came as a result of British mismanagement, and that no major British automaker is now British-owned anymore. And when British companies make mistakes, they are more scathing than you can ever imagine. You should read the stuff Clarkson used to write about Rover and Vauxhall.
There are people here dragging out the old cliche about British being snooty and up their own backsides, but the truth is that that stereotype is about as valid as the one about Malaysians living in thatch huts or up coconut trees. The thing is, the Brits make fun of themselves and other people, such as with the 'made in a jungle clearing' joke that you find in that small clip about the Savvy. People like Clarkson make fun of everybody. It stings when you're the one being fingered, but then we laugh when he talks about boring Germans and stupid Americans.
Why the big fuss when someple commenting on our car… is it fine for us to criticize but not others??? i definitely agree that most of their comments self opinioned, but at least they have a point… did they hit on your pride too??? if so, then blame on proton for producing this piece of 'art' in the first place…
To be fair, please follow closely on all of their episodes… they do criticize even bmws, mercedes, jaguar, ferrari and the list goes on… and they are all posh to us… what would it be like, if a cars that even local called milo tin and whatever names they have, in the eyes of people where they used to those posh cars to us as their benchmark??? worse than the whole lot… take a look at our waja that we claimed passed whatever safety standard… look what came up in their crash test (some time ago) on waja compared to even other compact cars like echo from toyota… you'd be dead!!! notice the high deathrate locally… they'd even compare mercerdes A class and kelisa, well, none the better for mecedes also… and if we, who are not even associated with proton in anyway except being for our national car, cant accept this criticism, what would you think that might be on the mind of those CEO in proton??? and you dare ask them to provide us with feedback column??? they are also one of our major importers of proton cars, they have the same rights to comment as well, however sucks it may be… to put things simple, if you rich enough to buy any car you wish, let us know would proton be on your top list and reason for the ranking… simple…
The talk about this savvy stuff have me noticed this:
I drove around KL the other day. For the whole trip, I saw a few
Nissan Murano(RM 200k+), a few Suzuki swift(RM 78K+) & etc.
I didn't even see 1 single Proton Savvy. How about that….?
Geeesh…Its funny to watch like those soap opera in the TV…but definitely something that we need to think of. They dont come out from no where like hokkien said "eat too full, nothing to do" and waiting for the lawyer letter to be sent to them. Few points that they made:
1) Work in the jungle – Is our plant really based in jungle? (Tanjung Malim?)
2) Cheap and nasty – I suppose the "cheap" has nothing related to the pric, where nasty…is it the quality or shape?
3) Cheeful and Expensive – Cheerful as in? it's quite expensive though except kancil.
4) Malaysia produce "cheap" cars – I am pretty sure this refers to the quality and not price. Our proton car's power windows have been something that people is talking "cheaply" about.
5) "My First Lotus" – Thats the theme that made the Brits furious. Savvy is not a lotus and its standard is sadly to say no where near to lotus (except its ridiculous advertisement)…if this theme is used or abused worldwide and later it is discovered thats so call "lotus" standard. You think the Brits will "Dulan" (Furious) or not?
Memory recalled, 5 years ago when I watch the ITV show of "best car" rating, I was so proud that Proton was rated at the Top 10…not sure whether its still the truth today. Believe it or not? The worst car rating includes both Ford and Rover – The Brits national car.
And something to share about Rover – at year 2000, BMW was sufferring a loss of 2 million pounds per day (Yes! its perday!) and made a decision to close down one of the largest Rover manufacturing plant – Longbridge. It was a cabinet member who formed a consortium, to purchase Rover from BMW to keep the Longbridge plant running. Else….Rover would be a historical name and its car would be placed in museum for us to watch…But latest news, still it was sold to nanjing auto. Well what do they have to say about us neh?
Above was my personal view nia…no connection to simi simi politic or whatever ya ~~
Its true. poor design, poor name and worst of all, My first Lotus? Gives Lotus a bad name!!!
You guys have absolutely zero sense of humour! Proton cars sucks. Plain period. When I was still in Malaysia I would see this ads on how Proton successfully sells car in Britain. That is all bollocks. In my eight years here I have seen only 8-10 Protons and zero Perodua. I think I have seen more Murcielagos around.
British TV has the guts to criticise anything they want including their home made products like Rover. Unlike our censorship happy Malaysian telly. That doesn't mean Top Gear is anti-foreign. Clarkson even drives a SL55 and Ford GT.
This is British humour. You guys will never understand the wit and sarcasm in it until you watch it. What you are watching is just one attack against a piss poor car/manufactur who stupidly came up with the most idiotic tagline ever.
Fact is if the Malaysian media would criticise 'home-breed' products like the way the British do, Proton would be history years ago. And that would be a good thing.
Btw, compact cars and superhatches are popular here. Polo. Golf. Lupo. Mini. Ka. Focus. Micra. Smart. 307. Clio.
Regarding the Lotus Exige, it is a Lotus product, not a Proton one. You don't see Skoda marketing their product as 'my first Golf' or whatever…
What is this crap about "jungle clearance"? These people have no respect whatsoever to other nationalities.
I also think it was not very smat to compare the savvy to a Lotus but to be fair the intial proton pr also said "it's not a sports car nor does it look like a Lotus".
now u all can see n know how big hole on our country automotive industry.
we Malaysians not only don't like people to say there r stupid but 1 do a stupid thing n thinking!
s we can see our government r doing a stupid governing cos 1 to bring up a there own thing even there own cant afford n how really there income n resources really come from.
Actually, Jon's comparison with the VW group is a pretty good one. Despite the fact that VW produces cars that are perfectly decent (and sometimes brilliant), you don't catch them using Audi to leg-up their brand. Can you imagine, a Lupo being sold as 'My First Audi'? How about 'My First Bentley'? But, if you really want to get an idea of the levels of stupidity required to generate something like 'My First Lotus' as a tagline for the Savvy, then just imagine a VW Lupo being touted as 'My First Lamborghini'. No? How about 'My First Bugatti'?
As much as there might have been qualifications written into the PR blurb, it's the taglines and slogans that betray the real intent of any ad campaign, and in this case the purpose is to establish a firm link between Lotus and the Savvy. Which is sad, because what Proton really ought to be spending its time and money on is gaining expertise and technology from Lotus and letting that filter through to Protons, the way VW has done with its own different brands. Marketing money can only go so far.
Sure, some might argue that improvements have been made, but how much better have things gotten, really? Even if the Savvy drives better than any other Proton, or even any other car in its class, its external design carries none of the know-how that Proton could easily tap by really learning things from Lotus. The Savvy basically looks like two dozen ideas from two dozen designers who got into a fight over whose idea was best and in the end decided to include all of them. I mean, for crying out loud, Proton's owned the maker of what are arguably the world's best-handling cars for almost A DECADE now. Nine whole years and all we get is this. The Savvy. Balls.
it must be tht horrible to earn "get off that screen" remark
…well, what holy_cow & jon said is true… & the best part is, these briliant ideas of us will be ignored anyway! enuf said…
Umm.. I'll link my blog to this page ok?
This is British humour…..but what they criticis sure have some reason behind…especially the part when Clarkson said "Malaysia produce cheap cars"….those guys work in Proton should start think about thier quality control…mmm~~
hey, give savvy a chance. test drive the car.
yeah that stupid orang putih.
Hey… check out this website… Woo… Proton gen.2 Is the worst car of the year, But somehow, I agree that proton need more quality, compared to diffrent company. Heh.. come on, Even savvy has TUV or the German under the hood, but still yet not at the same level of them. Come on, Proton is rich and conquered all the marketings in Malaysia. Well, somehow try to think if Proton make it more beautiful and quality perhaps, not even in Malaysia, thus more all over the world. Even Hyundai and Kia also got the best words from Jeremy Clarkson… I know it's kind of difficult to built a quality car, but at least try to think that we can generate that from a million of Malaysian citizen. Perhaps not just one, but more of them could give a great idea and design, but just how Proton manage… Didn't meant that they didn't have the right manager, but somehow, they need a new refreshment of idea… "Malaysia Boleh!!!" Heh… Why Not???
What A Shame!!! :(
After seen the website shown on AUTOZINE (given by Maver, thanks!).
I think PROTON product is not just a car, It's quality image also effected MALAYSIAN manufacturing and products capability. Outsider might think that all MALAYSIA made products is NG (No good).
PROTON should ensure NG products never goes into the market, especially GLOBAL market. Don't just put the STICKER on the car said LULUS and only think about making PROFIT!
I hope PROTON will take serious action on Quality and services, Change your "TAK APA LAH" attitude from now on!!
DOG THE WAN said,
I hope PROTON will take serious action on Quality and services, Change your “TAK APA LAH†attitude from now on!! – 100% agreed Wan!! Minyak naik harga – bising sikijap nanti "TAK APA LAH" have to pay…toll naik harga – bising sikijap nanti "TAK APA LAH" have to pay……we are living and being educated into "TAK APA LAH" attitude thats our PM today is Pak "LAH"….does it mean "TAK APA LAH"? :p
Mr Abu: "our PM today is Pak “LAHâ€â€¦.does it mean “TAK APA LAH vili funny dude…..but i'm agree with wat DOG THE WAN and you said…..hahaha…want to change Proton quality and service….first start with our malaysia people attitude and then talk later….
Kalu takut bayar tol ..pakai moto la…gua pun ader moto + keta…superbike lagi tuh…tak komplen pon..jangan nak beli roti pon nak pakai keta…kalu ader basikal lagi baik…tak le boyot perut engkauorang semua!..pandai adjust sikit laa..so much whining!
Encik…encik….bukan takut bayar tol dan sebagainya…tapi nak jadi seorang pengguna yang bijak. lagi pun…semua ialah duit tau! jangan sekali-kali ikut saja tanpa memikir …sometime those dude also make mistake….tapi….tiap tiap kali pengguna complain kpd pihak incharge pun tak berguna..dan biasanya tenggelam sahaja tanpa response…Dan bila masalah keluar…baru solved…ini ialah Malaysia……Hope Proton can improve in term of this….we also hope our national car to become better and better….
I think TVR is russian owned. Caterham was bought over by Ansar Ali.
So who's really 100% British now?
Who is this guy that states Gen2 as the worst car of the year?
He is just a guy doing a review on reviews of others. I don't think he ever drive a Gen2 before doing his review on the car. He is not credible.
Gen2 got some problems… But I don't think it is the worst car of the car. Yes, I am also not credible.
Savvy is not "My First Lotus". I tried it and surprisingly the driving experience was really good. However, since my wife don't like the "European-styled Reversed gear to the front" , I think I will wait until the Auto/Tiptronic with Airbag version of Savvy to come out later this year before buying it.
Yang tak komplen memang takde komplen…kalou gua ade "terbagi" share 30% daripade olang lain…kalou gua ade AP 2000 keping…kalou gua ade "terbagi" proteksen…kalou bla bla…buat ape gua pi komplen (komplen wang/kebaikan terlampau?). Adjust? adjust apor? adjust the 'timbang' btween the races? itula masa olang tak whining. Apela cakapan tu…zaman komunis ke…pijak betui..bukan bijak ye..tuk
Let's get the comments from Top Gear in perspective.
Proton in the UK occupy a position that the eastern European car manufacturers such as Skoda, Ladao & Moscovitch occupied before being taken over by western companies, i.e. they are sold to people who want cheap new cars as basic transport and don't/can't pay for modern technology. Calling the Proton Savvy a Lotus is just asking to meet with derision.
Don't take the comments too hard; people are tuning in to Top Gear for some wit and sarcasm. The rest of the world is not like Malaysia where people don't speak their mind in public.
Napps said
Might be true talking about production cars but many F1 and Indianapolis 500 cars are designed and built by British companies
there minded still side there own minority not for all Malaysians, but remember we not only have semenanjong there know but we still have Sarawak that back up so many resources that pump in n stable.
so watch up. make it equal to rakyat other will like indon
i thought jeremy clarkson was kind enough towards the proton savvy …
from the first impression on the telly "the tagline : my first lotus" proton is really asking for trouble … probably the kindest and most gentlest comment he had ever made …
he even GAVE 5 star out of 5 on the Nissan Murano …
whilst he gave 1 star out of 5 on the BMW 1 series and even ranted that even if BMW decides NOT to give him anymore car to comment on, he went on to say the last thing on his mind … REAL ugly …
so … he was kind enough to turn it off … probably with his kind of reputation it would have been lucky if he had said that Proton ought to be burnt down !
Guys, its not like anything in Malaysia is "100% Malaysian"…
Check out what I can get for the price of a 'plotong' in the land of the free
http://cnn.edmunds.com/new/2006/chrysler/300/inde…
oh JON, u should shut the fXXX up! i think ur one of the stupid mat salleh in UK. to me the cars from 'ULU KAMBING' doesnt seem to be good either…
thanx fer sending me the clip paul.. :]
Proton Savvy—Shameful/ stupid car from ever-idiotic Proton.
Hahaha… Come On… What ever it is… Many of Malaysian people still using proton. Just try to count on the parking lot. Let see how much proton you can count. Heh, get real, SAVVY is a lil bit of weird in design…I hope that Proton SRM launch a.s.a.p , because that is totally cool design, quite sporty. Nah.. Whatever it is, Just hoping for better and much more cool production from proton… :p Can't wait for the next proton production.. Heh Autozine actually a magazine from the overseas…
un-proud malaysian….
you should see Gen.2 get two award this year… i think no car get two in 1 teay….
It's all TM fault that say it to the media "Think it as my first Lotus"… yes… we know that he's proud of Proton buying Lotus but he don't realize that all the while Lotus produce a dynamic sportcars… "When we see it… it's a Proton Savvy… hahahahahha"… crap… tak jaga mulut langsung… buat malu orang Malaysia… if wan't to compare to Lotus do it at Lotus quality and style… let say Protos Savvy design like Lotus Elise or Lotus Eclipse… I just purchase it without any question or anybody's opinion…
However, TM down and Proton share up… people are not like him very much… he always disagreed with other BODs opinion… and finally kena tendang jugak… the best thing is AP list revealed because of his foolish… anyway, we know what rAPidah Aziz has doing wrong…
Haaa AP again, But Why? Hahaa Can't wait to see the next fight for AP. Anyway, when are this going to be over? Hey… I need to fill up my criteria to apply for AP, it's almost better then "Skim Cepat Kaya" Hahaha… I Want AP….
Just wait if Jeremy Clarkson can comment on our AP issue. …Well that some bloody crooked up industry here ya..blahblahblah by Jeremy in his usual sarcastic Englishmen talk-cock style. We all waiting for your calls n balls Jeremy!!!
What the hell are they laughing about when the Savvy appears on the screen? What is so funny about the car? I am not defending Proton because I am a Malaysian, but because the fact that I feel that the Proton-bashing is not fair.. As I said, what is so funny about the car? When Proton comes up with sometheng radical, people laughs at it.. But when Alfa Romeo does it, it's a work of art. This is called double standard. I totally agree with one of the comments which says that all this Proton-bashing all this while is influenced by the fact that Lotus is owned by Proton. I have never heard anything good said about Proton until today from the British Media. Just for the record, Jeremy Clarkson's comments have always irritated me..
Albagmane, wow…so observant one…
Razali, well Alfa Romeo’s cars are excellently designed especially the interior.
That is the problem with this whole post, you all make judgement on ‘the white people’ after seeing just one video clip. Read the papers, mags and watch the telly shows and you will know how much the British people hate their own car manufacturer, Rover and allowed it to bleed to death.
The fact that free speech is allowed in this country is great because people are allowed to criticise anything they want as long as it isn’t about preaching hate. Unlike in Malaysia.
Now if only Proton were to be allowed to suffer the same fate as Rover.
if proton kaput,,,what about the people down the line?…workers, vendors etc?…mana mau cari makan?…many will lose their life hood…'taruk pasir dlm periuk kari ikan bawal'…if u ppl dont fancy any protons…dont buy la…simple!..go buy other cars…its just like ppl ere hantam protons..like they doing bad things to you…with protons..now malaysians canbuy/own cars…go check houses around u..at least 2 cars….even a friend down South..across the coastway..envy me…so easy / cheap to own car…he even wanna buy a old saga to keep here…so he can use it while visiting M'sia..so sad innit?..Now,easy financing,lower interest rates..cars are just tools to get u from point A to B..nothing great…bored?..just sell it, buy another!…
The comment was a typical British… in fact, they did gave a very "mean' comments on other cars (bmw,peugeot, ,,,etc). but in this case, it is all about the pride.. BRITISH, that is.. They used to be a giant automobile empire. and now they accused us for 'BASTARDIZING A BRITISH ICON' for purchasing Lotus.. yes .. Lotus is now a Malaysian car. it happened to almost all of thier cars- fell to the hands of foreigners, in fact, saved by foreigners like us.
Hurm….i feel so angry when watching and hearing the clip….i'm the one who buy savvy…why all just know to hentam proton.but can u realise that many also proton car in the road right now?come on lah….try it first….then, when u feel that u really dun like it or really hate it..leave it..buy another car that u mampu with your money…if u like bmw,just buy it, if u like ferrari, just buy it.dont buy the proton car.and if u want to kutuk proton all the time….kutuk just a little bit.dont kutuk over²….just imagine, when people kutuk your car so hard…what you really feel that time??????
:: wutever people keep saying about savvy or gen2 or any proton car..i still want to owned it, come on guys,the designed maybe a little bit funny, but many more cars in this world are also funny…but when proton especially do it, fuhhhh…you know what i mean…
Just because we are brown and we are muslim, the qafir Clarkson casts nasturtiums on our national pride. he probably doesn't even know we have the tallest building/biggest reservoir/longest shopping mall/ largest civil service township in the world. And if he claims there is not enough legroom in the Savvy, we can build a stretched one, just like we did with the Saga & Wira
Paul I think you should show other clips where Clarkson hit on other cars like BMW 1 series…so our guys dun feel these ppl are pin-pointing and specially picking proton to hit…
Well tallest building how? Fully rented ar? i dun think so…longer shopping mall how? all shop open? i dun think so since it closed and re-open coz kenot make $$$. Take the quote of our PM "we have first-class infra but 9th class management"..thats wat it attracted ppl's bombardment and making fun of…where is problem come from????
Answer: Under the carpet!
Jeremy Clarkson doesnt have to be technical in term of his reviews. Wats important to him is how the car makes the customer feels. You should really watch top gear on BBC. astro got wat. To those ppl who thought that jeremy n the top gear crew are a bit cruel to other cars other than british, well ur wrong. watch the show and u'll find that they even critisize thier own british car. I think proton deserve to be cruely critisized by top gear bcoz the car is crapy to other countries standard, juz look at the crappy interior, crappy looks. the only good thing about proton nowadays is the handling but thats not enough. Hope Proton would learn sumthing from the review.
Learn? Proton will not learn.. they called the Waja 'Aia's rival to BMW' in Australia and got the bashing of a lifetime… until they had to drop the retail price of the car by approx 20%
now they do the same with the Savvy…
and i think the bashing that the Savvy got on TopGear was in retaliation to that ill concieved catch phrase…
If someone took our malaysian Nasi Lemak and 'remodelled' it by not including the sambal… then they had the cheek to call it your first Nasi Lemak or whatever… would't you be pissed?
NF
PS: Savvy is no where close to a chili-less version of any Lotus, past, present and definately future
Jon, i think u should shut the hell up.. and stop talking shit..
Poodah! you ppl…happy merdeka day!…i still happy with my PROTON!…go on…buy other 'matsalleh' make cars, suffer down the road (spare parts)..$$$$
†Get it off the screen, coz we dont wanna see it anymore â€
emmm… british! no comments!
woa, very harsh indeed. though im not a fan of savvy, but ouch, hits u right at ur face! :P
I don't understand why some of u get agitated by their comments. All of us malaysians and some of u mati-mati wan to be patriotic to your own malaysian car or whatsoever. Earning $$ isn't so easy and what we wan is to get something at a good price and has quality. Everyone wans something good. U buy shampoo also u wan better and trusted brand rather than spending ur hard-earned money on a some unknown "ulu sungai" shop.
Basically this is not about being supportive to ur own national car. It's all about putting our money in the right place. To those of u saying Proton is good coz u have driven one and really can say it's quality is good..then fine. To those of u talking crap away saying malaysia company lar.. support own national car lar..and such crap.. keep it to urself.
Consumer complains due to paying $$ for such inferior goods. We complain when goods are not good. I don't care if it's a malaysian company or what. All i wan is to get my MONEY WORTH.
In one episode, they burn a nissan sunny.
The Brits are basically a whole bunch of super ego critics. They are so good in critizing any related to their own national car ( Rover , MG ) that those poor
company need to get the Great Wall support ( nanjing auto )
Saying it comes from a jungle cleairng is VERY, VERY RUDE……
Hahaha…guys. Why can't you all just laugh it off? Yea, Jeremy is one bloody big mouth. He's bias most of the time. Even if you could tell him on his face what you are saying in here, probably all he would say, "the F**K should I care"-with what you are thinking/feeling. Why we, most Malaysian can't take critisim, be it bad or good critism? And why don't we, MALAYSIANs be vocal and criticize Proton for their wrong doings? All we did was just blame everyone. Blame it on Tun. Blame TM. Blame it on Proton. Bahh! This way Proton will go nowhere. If you think Jeremy is one egoistical S.O.B for talking shit bout other country's car, then who do u think you are when you are too proud and egoistical and can't accept such critism. Who's the ego-maniac? Go figure!
Face the facts, everybody is catching up even the Chinese, therefore if Proton continues producing crappy cars they will be out of the game very soon. Only the poor locals drive protons coz there no other car they can afford.
if all of you think like this, you really do come from a jungle clearing.. cars are a matter of choice, crappy or not. It's what you like. How shameful of you ppl.
What Jeremy needs is hes own critic lol.. just out of topic he needs new hairdo lol outdated for a TV appearance :P.. its up to those who chose SAvvy or not.. good criticism is always welcome.. if ur saying we malaysian arent very good at accepting criticism.. the british too arent very at handling criticism.. example Tun Mahathir criticisng the Anglo -American war in Iraw for their Human rights cruelty.. same category _sentitive topic.. so stop bashing Proton.. and rally behind it or at least support if u cant bare the shame (shame on U) support them indirectly…shouldnt just take in everything ppl say.. bad for the heart.. GO Proton and Also Perodua :D
all cars from Proton is stupid. When are they going to build a SUV??!! I might consider buying a SUV from Proton. How about it eh? Proton SUV?
Serves Proton right! Padan muka. I used to own a Proton Wira 1.5GLi Sedan for five long years. I suffered all the way. Funny noises, a lousy 3-speed automatic transmission which takes you forever to go uphill (even a Kancil can easily outdo my Proton), constantly faulty power windows, regular leaks, you name it.
I pray to God that Proton goes bankrupt and close shop. Serve the bloody and lazy Proton engineers right! Serve the assholes at Proton R&D right! And serve the stupid vendors right! You know what the problem really is? Proton has a bad habit of helping out stupid vendors who supply low quality parts to Proton. And then, they sell the stupid cars at cut throat prices. I know, I was a Proton owner. The price of my Wira was RM54K. I had to take a seven year loan, with a monthly instalment of RM799. But I get crap! Wasn't worth it. Dah la tu, minyak kuat pulak tu. What do you expect, it's a stupid 3-speed auto transmission junk!
But Thank God, now my lifestyle is getting better. Eversince joining a large multinational corporation which gives out hefty bonuses annually, I am able to afford something better. I've already traded-in my stupid Wira for a brand new Honda Civic 2.0 iVTEC – sleek, sexy and sensational. Finally, a car which is worth the amount of money I'm paying. I don't miss my Wira at all. I wonder who is the sucker who will buy my Wira from the used-car dealer – may God have mercy on you, hahahhahaha!
This is no longer a question of national pride. I am not proud of Proton because for 20 long years, they have been short-changing Malaysians with lousy cars. Take the Gen-2 and Savvy for instance. Still no SRS Airbags, no ABS, no EBD. It's as if Proton does not value the lives of people buying their cars. Worse, Malaysians who buy Proton are actually subsidising for Proton export models. I've been to the UK a number of times and noticed that Proton cars there come with full safety specs such as SRS Airbags, ABS etc. Why the double-standard?
Now, Tengku Mahaleel has paid the price. Serve him right. Tun Dr M is also to be blamed for being over-protective of Proton. In fact, he brought up the AP issue because he knew Proton sales were hurting, he knew less and less people were buying Proton because they'd rather pay a bit more and get better Korean-made sedans or SUVs. In fact, I feel that Tun Dr M and Tengku Mahaleel are sour-grapes and very unsporting for bringing up the AP issue and taking pot-shots at Tan Sri Nasimuddin of Naza Group. We are a free-market. Consumers have every right to better choices. Do you hear the public complaining about APs? Why should they? It is because of APs that they have better and more options to buy Hyundai, Kia and other cars. It is Proton's own fault. They did not buck up and now, they have to pay the price.
Just drive around and take a look at Proton Edar or EON dealerships. There are so many ready-stock of Wajas, Gen-2s, Wiras, Perdanas and Savvys to an extent that they have to be parked by the roadside because the dealership parking is full. Just go to Proton Edar Taman Permata Ulu Kelang and see for yourself. What does this indicate? People are no longer buying Proton. Sad but true.
On the other hand, to be fair, just take a look at Perodua. Now, that is something to be proud of! Bravo Perodua! My wife's Kancil EZ850 DOHC is an excellent car. She loves it, I love it. Not a single problem. No funny noises. Neat workmanship. And new technology. She has ordered a brand new MyVi and doesn't mind waiting for 6 months. Why? Because MyVi is definitely 10 times better than stupid Proton Savvy. Enough said.
So, I welcome fanatical Proton fans to challenge me. But before you do, just bear this in mind. I used to be a Proton owner. So, I know what's going on. Jangan cuba nak chong.
In the meantime, I can't wait to go home from office today. In fact, I'll take the longer route so that I can spend more time driving my Honda Civic 2.0 iVTEC. Ah, this is the life.
To existing Proton owners – suckers!!!!!
Ridzuan Zulkifli : eh assh*le, if u dunno anything then dun simply write!! pls use ur BLOODY KAMPONG/uneducated brain and find out the situation 1st b4 u jump 2 conclusion! Pity ur current company for hgiring such a BAST*RD..
ok, lets get bck to business. I'll give u a few suprising facts bout AP issues!
1. Do u know how much they declare a Kia Picanto before bringing into Msia?
RM5-8k!!!! (i 4got the exact value) Who in da world would believe cost of a car at that price? well, it seems that our PPL up there do! and they allowed these Korean junk to b brought in!
2. Do u know how long it took Koreans to design their own car?40 years, my fren!! and they r still using other manufacturers engine! Proton is only 20 years n they oredy capable of designing own car and ENGINE!!
3. Proton made Msia da 11th country in WORLD that is capable of producing their own car from scratch!!
4. let me ask u something…how long has Honda existed?? dunno arr….almost 60 years!!do u know the west used to compare Japanese cars wit an empty can? how long it took 4 them to improve?
5. in Korea, only 2% of foreign cars (from market) are allowed to be brought in…and in Japan only 5% from their total market…this show how supportive da their gov….
6. P2 is NOT national car manufacturer! they r just dummies emplyed by da Japanese to cover up our eyes….ppl like Ridzuan Zulkifli (dumb,stupid)…
about TM n Tun M….do u guys out there want a dumb leader?? one who just follow everything those know-nothing politicians' word? one who kept quiet and get paid every month for doing nothing?? TM (both) dare to speak-up on APs issues…..if not for them, Msia econ situation worsen….As Msian, it is our duty to help boost-up our econ…..by buying foreign cars, u r actually helping their country development….Proton had been triyin to enter China market for the past 7 years but stil cant….somehow they (China) senang2 dpt AP bringing in JUNK into Msia….unFair rite??
and for Ridzuan Zulkifli , F**K U, Bast@rd! SHAME on u for being Msian!! TRully BAST@RD!
p/s: sori for all the @$$%## words….cant control myself when i read all this SH** from a Msian!
all of you are noobs. people are allowed to expressed their opinions whether they like it or not. in this case the british are blessed with better choice at cheaper rates hence forth hating the proton. Proton cars are still absolutely rubbish and uncompetitive, clearly proven by the presence of protection. They're not being merciless, cruel, whatever. Their being opinionated and honest which is all too common outside malaysia. Here we are so used to being nice like our shitfaced government.
Dear Vernox,
Please refrain yourself from using foul language, okay? This is a public forum. You tak malu ke? Yes, you are entitled to your own opinion on this issue, same like me. But please don't use foul and abusive language. How dare you call me a bastard when my parents were blessed with their eldest son (that's me) by Allah s.w.t. after one year of sacred matrimonial ties (akad nikah). I was not born out of wedlock, you moron! Leave my respected parents out of this!
I don't understand what the hell your problem is, Vernox. Like I stressed in my comment, this is no longer a question of patriotisme. Just because I no longer own a Proton, does that make me less patriotic? Don't you dare dismiss me as unpatriotic! I am working for a Malaysian multinational, you moron! Am I damn proud of it! For your info, I have been offered to work at foreign multinational which offered me 3 times my present salary. But I declined because I wanted to serve my country. All of us here at this company (if you're smart enough, you can guess which one) are patriots. Because our salary is considered pittance compared to other foreign companies who are in the same business as us. But money is not everything, you dumbass! It is self-satisfaction, sense of belonging and pride in being part of a national institution. Moron!
And at least I have the guts to write using my own name because I'm proud of it. What's your real name Vernox?
And for your sake, I hope to God that you are a Proton owner because if you're not, then you can shove all that you've said into your shitty ass!
Hey Vernox,
One more thing, I was educated at Imperial College, University of London, okay? I also have an MBA from Universiti Teknologi MARA. Meaning, my education is hybrid – both local and international. So don't call my brain bloody kampong and uneducated. Besides, what's wrong with kampong? You have anything against kampong people? Are you so urban, ah?
Let me tell you something. Eventhough I was born and raised in KL, but I still treasure any moment which I could spend in the kampong. I'm rather fortunate because my mother-in-law (who lives in very urban JB) still has many relatives in Batu Pahat (which is very kampong). Each time during Hari Raya Aidilfitri, we would visit her relatives in the kampong. One thing's for sure – even though they are not affluent and urban as you, Mr. Vernox, they are very, very nice and hospitable people. They don't use foul and abusive languages. And they are hardworking people, slog it out to make sure their children obtain good education. And I'm proud to tell you that all their children are successful. You can see Mercedes Benzs, BMWs, Hondas (that would be me), Toyotas and all the nice, fancy cars parked at their parents or uncles or aunts houses in the kampong. What a sight!
So, Vernox, please be careful when referring to kampong people. In fact, the way you talk, I take it that you are from some remote "New Village". Are you? Oh, but then again, you could be Malay, which is even worse. You disgrace our race with your language.
How does it feel now, Vernox?
Yo Vernox,
I think by now, everyone in this forum must agree that you are a jerk. I'm confident.
How does it feel now, Vernox?
Ridzuan,
dont waste ur time bashing this SOB vernox.. this 2-bit dickhead is good for nothing. he can’t even think past all that…how pity.. no wonder the same government is controlling them since some 48 donkey years ago.. Buying proton is buying malaysian, and thus being patriotic. What a fallacy and the argument itself shows lack of intelligence in him.
To Vernox
“Proton made Msia da 11th country in WORLD that is capable of producing their own car from scratch!!†I call this BANGGA BODOH. So, what? Does that mean you can buy cheaper and better quality cars? A Mazdaspeed MX-5 Miata is only USD25K in the US. Roughly RM90K. And that’s considered very expensive for a car there. A Civic is only USD18K (RM78K).. here RM120K.. why? Becoz we want to be in the list? Wat a pity.. Honestly vernox, you are being penny wise..and pound foolish.
Zimbabwe or some African countries also can be car manufacturers if they allocate all their resources, forgetting all other important and more urgent things… The founder of Proton (you know him) was pre-occupied with whether or not he could, he forgot whether or not he should. No wonder someone had said before that he was a menace to his own society.
To Vernox, what has proton given you thus far in return.. ?? nothing.. almost nothing.. Other assemblers pay full taxes and don’t get any tax incentives.. proton also pay tax but lesser due to some incentives. Imagine if all manufacturers/assemblers are teated the same and pay the same money.. more will come and set-up their bases here because of level playing field. You think BMW and Daimler-Chrysler would very much love to base their operations in politically unstable Thailand as opposed to Malaysia? Nope.. The only reason that drove them away was unequal playing field and uncertain automotive policy.. Now that Ford Focus are being assembled in the Philippines, how many jobs we lost there, considering we are better-off than the phillipines when it comes to viable business investment.. Total workforce employed by assemblers in Malaysia had we not had Proton should be more than double than what Proton now is hiring… Again, you must have slept through Economy101 class, if you have ever attended one.
If you are a Malay, I malu la… because your foul language will tarnish our (like me and Ridzuan)
Damn, what am I doing? I AM wasting time on a 2-bit dickhead like you… haiyaa..
Thanks Jared. Selamat Berpuasa.
Ridzuan, serve you right vernox responsed like that to you!
and all these remarks from you, 'So, I welcome fanatical Proton fans to challenge me','To existing Proton owners – suckers!!!!!', you, yourself a 'suckers!!!!!' as you said! just because you can afford expensive car, you kutuk existing proton owners, i'm one of them, proud as ever!
and talking about fairness and courtesy, vernox responsed 1(one), you responsed three (3)…hehehheh..just like you drive civic 2.0 (with all the airbags etc), your wife drive kancil (and you talk about safety lacking in proton cars), what a hypocrite!
;-)
Dear Jake,
Well, like you said, I can afford an expensive car, because I deserve it. You want an expensive car, then work for it.
As for my wife's Kancil, that's why we are upgrading to Myvi – dual SRS airbags. So don't call me a hypocrite. Because we can afford it, we are upgrading, because we value our lives and our children's lives.
In fact, I expect in about 3 to 4 more years, I will be able to afford a Volvo, with even better safety features. Insyaallah (God willing).
In the meantime, happy motoring with your pathetic Proton. Touche'!
ridzuan zulkifli, i am new here and i fully agree with u regarding this verrox ( how the heck u spell that stupid name? ) : (…perodua myvi has airbags , which are good becoz a girl with
"p" licence just chrashed her new myvi into my friends potong wita aeroback (back all smashed, no backside left hahahahaha)…poor girl, must be her first ride i t he new myvi , her father must be fuming mad!!! fortunately both the myvi's airbag deployed, probably saving her life (but not from her father!! : ( )……i have read so many news of people crashing and being thrown out their older cars without airbags…its pathetic and shameful that despite all the profits in the past, potong cut our throat (literally) when many lives were lost due being thrown out of their potong wira, waja, perdana blablabla..
here's some article on the ptotong waja…i have only drive potong saga, wira, and aeroback and i have also ride in vios, sentra, perdana and let me tell u the difference in suspenison and comfort is like night and day…even some days ago my indonesian friend (not knowledgenble about cars) commented how bad my potong is compared TO A KIA PICANTO…(
makes u really feel embarassed being a malayasian
It's a worry, er, warrior
Bill McKinnon
Tuesday November 27 2001
Comfort and smooth handling are the Proton sedan's strong points. Quality and misguided pricing are not.
Comfort and smooth handling are the Proton sedan's strong points. Quality and misguided pricing are not.
Good: Spacious interior and big boot. Handling and steering. Reasonable brakes.
Bad: A very speculative investment. Sluggish, thirsty, unrefined 1.6. Abrupt clutch. Excessive tyre noise. Uncomfortable driver's seat. Relatively poor fit and finish quality. Premium unleaded. Dated, inefficient control layout.
Verdict: Waja want to buy it?advertisement
advertisement
Stars: 1 (out of 5).
Let's get the obvious question out of the way first, as I'm sure you're curious. Waja, pronounced wah-jah, means warrior in Malaysian.
This mid-sized sedan has more of Proton's own engineering and design input than the Satria and Persona, which are basically reskinned, superseded Mitsubishi Lancers.
The Japanese car maker has a stake in Proton; it also supplies components and technical know-how.
The Waja, though touted as the company's first fully designed and manufactured model, still runs a Mitsubishi 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine and five-speed manual/four-speed automatic transmissions.
This makes the Waja, on paper at least, a relatively humble 1.6-litre sedan on which, if they want to sell any, you would expect a circa-$20,000 pricetag.
After all, you can buy a Laser, Corolla, Pulsar and many other long-established names for this sort of money.
The Proton badge may shine brightly in Malaysia, but here it is still a fringe player which draws "A what?" response.
The formula for new Asian brands looking to sell mainstream domestic product here was established by Hyundai: when there is no other reason for people to buy your cars, start by dangling a cheap price as the hook.
Proton Cars Australia is having none of that. It wants $27,990 for the base model Waja 1.6 and $29,990 for the better equipped 1.6X.
"Waja will be pitched against European competitors and high-end Japanese products rather than bargain-basement models from Korea and Japan," says local boss Anuar Rozhan. Pride in the product is one thing, but this is hopelessly optimistic and misguided.
Proton justifies the ask by pointing to suspension input from its Lotus subsidiary, as well as high equipment levels. Terrific – but at best the Waja is still a $20,000 car.
The 76kW 1.6 is your basic, honest slugger. It has a reasonably strong spread of torque so is fine around town but at the top end is all noise, buzzes and no action. It cruises adequately at 2900rpm/100kmh in fifth.
Premium unleaded is recommended. If you're prepared to pay way over the top for the car you may as well do it for juice too. Japanese rivals run regular unleaded.
The 1.6 drives the manual Waja from rest to 100kmh in 13.3 seconds – at the slow end of the class. The gearbox is also a slow shifter, while the clutch is far too abrupt in take-up. Smooth starts require practice.
Proton's handling claims for the Waja are more valid. The car runs independent suspension and discs with anti-lock at both ends, 15-inch alloy wheels with 195/55 tyres and power steering.
On the road, the Lotus input is clearly apparent. The suspension is Euro-style taut and sporty in tune, the damping is well controlled and the car handles on the open road with confidence and poise.
The steering is quite heavy at slow speeds, but at 100kmh is communicative and precise, with minimal kickback on rough surfaces. The brakes are fine, while grip from the Goodyears is adequate. The tyres, however, generate a racket on coarse bitumen.
The ride is also continental in character, relatively firm but acceptably compliant. Poor surfaces are absorbed with finesse.
Inside, the Waja is more spacious than many of its rivals. Its tall body provides plenty of occupant and boot space and easy access; it is also wide, so three adults can fit in the back seat.
Up front, the driver's accommodation is ordinary. The seat is underpadded and has little upper-body support.
It is height adjustable, as is the wheel. However the wheel protrudes quite a way from the dash, so short drivers may find themselves sitting uncomfortably close in order to reach the pedals.
The back seat is better. There is plenty of space by class standards and the seat itself is comfortable. Three lap-sash belts are provided, but no centre armrest or head restraint.
The boot is a large, square box, which can be extended with the split-fold rear seat back. Hook-style hinges intrude into the load space. A space-saver spare is under the floor.
The dash layout is fussy and dated. Switches and controls work with $13,990 feel and precision, the olde-worlde air-conditioning controls are too low and far away from the driver and the Clarion single CD/six-speaker audio system, also too remote to easily reach, has poor AM reception.
The body is solid enough, but in other respects the Waja's quality is C grade.
The test car's cabin had the full menagerie of chirps, buzzes and squeaks, loosely fitted or roughly trimmed plastic pieces, creased seat upholstery and roof lining, an interior light and door-ajar light which flickered on rough roads and back doors which were stiff and difficult to open.
Standard equipment in the base model includes two front and side airbags, traction control, power windows and mirrors, remote central locking and wheel-mounted audio controls. The 1.6X adds automatic air and leather upholstery.
At the bizarre asking price – $30,000 on the road – the Waja is not even worth a look. At $20,000, you might think about it, but apart from handling and interior space, the Waja also fails to match current performance, refinement and quality standards at this pricepoint as well.
We thought 2001 was going to pass without a Drive one-star car. On the basis of an inflated pricetag on mediocrity, we got one in the end.
Vital signs
Engine: 1.6-litre fuel-injected 16-valve four-cylinder.
Power: 76kW at 6000rpm (average).
Performance: 0-100kmh in 13.3 seconds (slow).
Brakes: Discs with ABS (average).
Economy: Highway 9-10 litres/100km (thirsty). No city figure – expect 10-12.
Price: Recommended retail – $27,990; 1.6X $29,990. Street price – Should be $20,000.
Main options: Automatic transmission $1,850.
Warranty: Three years/one million km (above average).
Safety rating: Not yet tested.
Residual value: Would suggest poor as a percentage of recommended retail. 59 percent after three years (Persona XLi; average).
Alternatives:
Ford Laser GLXi 1.8 – $23,950
Holden Vectra GL 2.2 – $24,490
Honda Civic GLi 1.7 – $23,950
Hyundai Sonata GL 2.4 – $23,990
Mazda Protege 1.8 – $26,635
Mitsubishi Lancer GLXi 1.8 – $23,490
Nissan Pulsar Ti 1.8 – $25,990
Subaru Impreza GX 2.0 – $25,990
Toyota Corolla Conquest 1.8 – $24,590
Volkswagen Golf GL 1.5 – $25,990
Prices correct at publication date.
yeah…silap la when proton compare savvy to lotus. if they hadnt, things would hav been a whole lot different. nvm mind la if got lotus in savvy, but why brag so much. proton savvy is happy standing on its own…
Stings. But that's good incentive for Proton to buck up their act.
Personally I still like the Savvy. I think it's so cute.
As long as you didn't think of expecting to see some kind of Mazda Miata from the phrase "my first Lotus"…
Those words… Killing the car before it is even seen lar….
yeah since u guys know a lot bout cars n especially lotus i just wanna ask, have any one of u drove a lotus car before….??? an elise maybe…hmm yeah i tot so…none rite
so wats the problem here…??? proton owns lotus n have every right to use its expertise in whatever area that they feel would be best…n guys for your information lotus cars has never been about big horsepower or raw speed…they have always been about ride n handling, steering feel, being the best handling car out there…so wat proton is really referrin to is the way the car ride n handles…n if it does go fast well then its an added bonus rite….
im sorry if any of u feel offended…its your opinion i understand but please get your facts right…hold your jugement untill u have driven the savvy, n maybe just maybe its the closest thing u have ever experienced to driving a lotus…
Anyone here got the clip on his review of Perodua Kelisa?
How to be Proud when Proton gets bashed on the international show like Top Gear. Have to dig a deep hole and stick my head in it. Perodua Kelisa got a much better review on Top Gear than a damn proton crap. Shut the damn Proton factory down.
No point making and selling junk.
nothing surprising about that eh….at least they're being honest about the car….obviously that car is a total disaster…what is proton trying to prove?…now after about 20 years in the industry…..this is the thing that they can come up with…..well……proton should learn a bit from perodua
nothing surprising about this guy hah, even to perodua..heheheh..
check this out http://paultan.org/archives/2005/12/19/jeremy-cla…
Well, actually i don't care bout Clarkson comments. It's his opinion. But i do agree bout what kich said. Lotus cars are not bout horsepower. They emphasize on ride & handling, and steering feel. Besides, the entry level Lotus Elise is only 1.8 car, and has a top speed of only 210 km/h.
Do u know what's the top speed for the Savvy… its 170 km/h. Yes, not bad for a 1.2 car. (At that speed, it's still stable) Why??? Because of it's sturdy body. Proton did not lie about the sturdy body. THATS Y THEY DUB IT "BUILT TOUGHER THAN U THINK". But i didn't liked monster ad. It's lame.
For me, the Proton Savvy should not be called 'My First Lotus', coz, sure memang kene kutuk punya. But, i think the Proton Savvy should be given a test drive first, then it's up to u guys (the customers) to judge. (Try driving it till 170 km/h. U'll be surprised it's meant to be driven that way)
Savvy should enter Felda Rally and fight among the kelisa and prove its worthiness.
Hail Clarkson! Most Malaysians simply do not understand British humour…hehehe…
I am an oldman,understand british humors,accept criticism,can tolerate insult, even jeremy clarkson say savvy was build on jungle clearing,being a wiseman like me earn me the right to commendsad on jeremy personality,my diagnosis about him is that,he probably grown up in a tormenting enviroment,wittness the collapsing british commonwealth empire,collapsing of british auto industry,the traumatic experience resulting in him suffering from a mental depression illness call:post british colonial ego hallucination cum verbal sadism,symptoms are,rude,unkind,verbal abusive,unconsiderate,no respect of others,selfcenter,at any time he mike look jolly and laughing but the truth is he is the saddest man in british remaining little small empire.so,i agreed,we should forgive him and take it as healthy criticism and british sense of humors.and inproved ourselves.thank you ,jeremy,my mental patient.remember to take your medicine before your topgear show or you be talking nonsense again and embarrassing your goodself.
You know why in Bolehland, Bolehlah people can produce expensive but cheap quality,nasty cars in a jungle clearing is because so many submisive malaysians squirm,spit and swear when others critisize Bolehland expensive but cheap quality, nasty cars no matter whether it is the true story or not.
Yeah yeah we live in a country which makes expensive lousy cars which can sell cheaper in Uk than back at home and we are proud about this???
Our cars are so lousy,so expensive, overly protected for 20 years and we are still want to protect it?
Yeah yeah yeah British people love to critisize our stupid cars because the cars are just that, Stupid!!!! How many of our ministers would actually buy a Proton?? the word I use is buy. Not provided. Our Members of Parliment drive Mercs, Lexuses, BMs, no Savvy in the list though.
So why should we be proud when the people in the Government use non protons? Sure you see them trotting along in their Govenrment issue Perdanas but come Sunday at the Golf Course,none of them would be caught dead and rotting in a Proton.
And here we are scolding,swearing and cursing a frank british fellow thousands of miles away critisizing our stupid cheap but expensive lousy protons,peroduas.
Earlier there was an advertisement where Proton MD whateverhisnameis said that no doubt proton cars have got a lot of bad publicity/complaints,when one is overseas and sees a proton, one would be bursting with pride……..
whatever ounce of pride left, was drained away last month when i met a Iragi businessman who told me Proton was being sold in Irag now after the saddam regime……for USD5000.00 only. And here we are like fools paying 33K plus for the same lousy cheap expensive car.
Proton provides cheap and affordable cars to us Malaysians. WHAT RUBBISH!!! When i graduated in the year 2001, I was offered a job in England that was paying me 23,000 quid a year. Here in Malaysia the offer was RM25,200. Proton Wira/Persona was sold for 12,300quid in England with full accessories. Here in Malaysia, its RM 53,000 with full acc. Oh…I forgot, it come with a so called free Astro package. A brand new Range Rover here is RM1,100,000 top range. England…….72,350 pounds!!!!! and the list goes on. I'm lucky to own a successfull business now that allows me to own a Range Rover and i love this car to bits. I do support the need for cheaper cars for people who are less lucky than I am. Having said that, we do deserve cars which is safe, reliable, comfortable and most importantly value for money. What i just can't accept is why are we paying through our nose to buy yesterday's technology? Why are taking up 5 – 9 years car purchase loans to own 'My Frst Lotus' only to find out that we can't continue paying the monthly installment and the need to dodge tukang tarik kereta arises. Face the fact that cars in Malaysia is expensive. Even for a Proton.
Jeremy Clarkson's comment on Proton has been well said. No doubt it is harsh but it is true. Its not about who owns someone else's company. Its about the car and its manufacturers ability to build a PROPER car that fits its price tag. If a person wants to travel from A to B in the cheapers mode possible, try the bicycle, kereta lembu, bus no 11 or blaging a ride from your neighbour.
Please guys, i just imported a proton persona xli 96 model into africa. Its a right hand drive from uk. The laws here prohibits the driving of right hand cars .
I now want to convert it to left hand drive. I would like to know which models of mitsubushi will be identical to proton? The parts i need to buy is just the dash board and the steering beam
Plesae respond
u ppl are such dumbass jeremy destroys all the cars he hate since a long long time ago…and only a fukass would defend a malaysian made crap hole…