Welcome to paultan.org‘s brand new video review series, brought to you by 4G LTE PortaWiFi by Celcom.
Going hand-in-hand with the walk-around video series, where we show you some of the most popular cars in Malaysia inside and out, our video review series fires up their engines and puts them in gear, to tell you what they’re like to drive and ride in, in detail only a video can muster.
Having already taken you on a tour earlier of the Proton Iriz 1.6 Premium’s interior and exterior, our man Gregory Sze now takes the B-segment hatch for a spin, evaluating the steering, ride, handling, power, and yes, the much-maligned CVT gearbox. The Iriz may be stuffed with toys and safety features you’d expect from more sophisticated makes and models, but is this sophistication reflected on the move?
At the time of filming, the car reviewed here had not yet received the Transmission Control Unit (TCU) software update – we’ll hopefully get our hands on an updated test unit soon, and will report promptly on what’s changed. If you liked watching, subscribe to our YouTube channel, for more video reviews are heading your way very soon!
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Erm… The sound when he closes the door… Sounds… Cheap…
Sesi syok sendiri by Ah Beng will start…3, 2, 1
Incoming bashers in 3… 2.. 1..
Iriz made by “Earthprince”. Jangan persoal!
Who would buy this when you can buy the Car of The Year 2014 – Honda City when you top up another 10k to get the base spec Honda City
Yes agree good car BUT is cost RM60k++ for the premium spec.
Still over price if CBU car not heavy excise duty taxes.
P1 Iriz will price even lower.
Good job for proton Iriz. But no thanks to DrM “father of AP”.
Hidden due to lowcomment rating. Click here to see.
Consuming weed is illegal in bolehland.
Is Iriz better than Maserati?
What u smoke? I like to try some!
U can make money by writing speeches for umno in the campaign for next G.E.
absolutely genius! can see your trolling here and for that u manage to fetch 100 dislike against 16 like (at the point of writing) goes to show how many supporter of BN is here ..Genius! :D
whose @ss are you trying to lick?
You lick your own lor
OMG…i will like it if i treat it as “sarcastic”…Nah, take my like. LOL
..pure sarcasm, thank you..
BN needs you
yep…i noticed that too…
Made in Bangla?
I wonder what’s the thumbs down. When Proton plans to open factory in Bangla, the fanboys seems supportive?
Your telinga maybe banyak tahi.
Sound cheap? Miles better than myvi, on par with vios, jazz and city. Maybe you only drive Benz?
I drive Elantra.. Haihz.. Which is a car that always bashed by Sam loo because of RV.. Sam loo mana Lu?? Hahahaha
I drive Merc everytime I heard hyundai or kia drivers close their doors I feel like to puke.
The sound is too cheap to me, even much cheaper cars are better.
The Kia optima almost has similar door closing sounds with some BMW’s and Mercedes. Even the Cerato. Heck, the picanto too. I haven’t heard many from Hyundai’s. So I cant comment on theirs.
Den u sure feel like committing suicide after viewing this video… Woohoo go ahead go ahead
Luckily my driver close the door for me.
Your driver? You mean taxi driver issit? lel
So pathetic
ceh, cakap byk tapi drive inokom elantra je…ingat bawak mclaren
Myvi pun bole tarpau maclearen lambo ferrari semua boleh. Puas hati?
Oh sure. I definitely won’t buy a car that when the door close, it sound ‘cheap’.
I mean, I rather buy a car with no safety features like MyVi than a car with cheap sounding door when close.
:P
It’s because of the YES Wifi USB donggle he put at the door panel that makes the noise.
not YES, Celcom, sorry
Have you even tried opening and closing an Iriz door yourself ? The front doors have a very solid feel, it cannot be explained in words. The rear doors don’t feel so bad either. All-in-all, definitely much better than the Saga FLX, and surprisingly better than the Suprima S / Prevé too. For a small B-segment car, the doors feel more like C-segment doors when it comes to its mannerisms.
You want tin milo ? My 2007 Saga LMST is betul-betul tin milo… when I close it, can hear a ”THHUNNGG” noise. Even the 1985 Saga had more solid doors ! Proton might have made tin milo cars in the past, but not anymore.
Ya…sound cheap but better than vios, myvi or axia
Yes, fanboys like cheap sounds made by proton, sounds better than Benz!
Butthurt proton basher!
Kahkahkah
What is the matter of the door sound? it is seem Ok. Is it a big matter? I rather focus on safety, handling & fuel economy. For this price range it is consider a good car with airbag and stability control comes standard to all variant.
I rather focus on the transmission. If the transmission fails, what airbag, what handling, what stability control also cannot save you
They are talking about refinement, not those stalled transmisssion like DSG
Even it’s Punch CVT it’s more reliable than expensive so call germany engineering precision tech.
Wa.. Sounds very sarcastic. DSG and CVT cannot take into the comparison. DSG can achieve faster shift times than the CVT. DSG is more for racing purpose and CVT is just for city driving or normal driving, it can’t compare to DSG gearbox. As i know,both gearboxes are totally different.
As my experience, DSG has better fuel economy than normal auto transmission and it able to shorten the shift times which is much more faster than the normal gearboxes. In conclusion, DSG is much better than the CVT gearbox.
OMG,door sound not important….anyway, the pricing make this car ugly…puihhh…If this cost only 50K, many ppl will buy and say GOOD even the door sound “cheap”
OMG..The door sound not important. The ugliest part of this car is the pricing. If this sell only 50K, many ppl buy it and say GOOD even the door sound “cheap”…
Actually it does NOT sound cheap…
The sound from the video recorded is different from real la… just like your real voice over the phone also diff voice la….
bodoh banggang… stupid idiot macai P2 tak de benda bagus better jangan komen. Try and close the door of AXIA.
Good handling, good drive, bad mechanical engine / cvt gearbox which kills the handling & drive, still bad fuel consumption, interior is still badly design, only thing you mention again & again is buy manual & safety is good. I would say for manual car at this price is just crap, lack of power & nobody will buy coz it’s not fun to drive manual withouth that extra power.
No wonder I hardly see any iriz on the road, I guess when people test drive, they immediately change their minds as other cars out perform this car by a lot. Sucks to be you proton but you still cannot produce a decent car after 30 years plus in the auto business !!!! Pls close shop !
Useless comment.
I drive a 850cc kancil manual and it’s still fun to drive..what are you talking about?
coz you never drive car more than 850cc.
really pity.
Dey i drive old manual 2.5l impreza wrx sti
Its way better than your 1.5 vios full spec with state-of-art 4 speed torque converter gearbox
Even toy cars at fun fair also fun to drive
The supper hot sale variant is not out yet. After a month that variant release than you can comment if you still hardly see Iriz on the road.
Hot variant konon. Standard variant also cannot maintain quality want people to buy supper hot variant?
So have you test drive Proton Iriz yet? Test drive with open-minded and dont think negative or positive. Be in the middle and you can fully feel the ‘quality’ of the car. Cheers :) Ps: How bout you test the standard version.
i also NEVER see one on road despite drive to work and back home on peak hour every day.
whats wrong with the sale?
or proton still havent deliver the car yet?
Still in R&D
Hoi….tak suka tak payah beli la….banyak pulak tulis bukan bukan…..hoi
Sounds like:”Lu tak suka lu keluar”
masa rehat dah tamat, semua masuk kelas
stupid comment without any fact.!! i just want to inform you..proton iriz is still under waiting list for production especially for cvt (auto) version. mean, that is why it hardly see any iriz on road for now. just look 3-4 months ahead, and you know how many was it.
It is a cheap car meant for people who just started their working life, uni students etc. If you want a posh poyo sounding door get a bentley.
He can’t afford it. He feel expensive just driving Honda.
Driving Honda but feels like driving a Merc
LEL
Not get a Bentley…
Go buy an expensive door. Slam all you want ==
Nice place to dump a Proton car- by the reservoir in Ulu Yam :P
Pollute the water how? Even the monkeys don’t want it
Rich guys don’t care whether expensive or cheap but they just get what they want. No need to downgrade anything just to show they are rich.
Well if you think that the sound of the door closing is cheap then I suggest you go to the Proton showroom and witness for your self ..its not wise to judge the car thru a video ……
Any the only problem that this car has is its Punch CVT gearbox !!!! as expected
I just hope one fine day Proton starts to use one of ZF’s famous 9 speed gearbox then I think the Proton Iriz would finally be the best car it could be …
Arghh proton showroom is too far from where I stay la.. Just curiosity instead of buying though… But manual is much more fun though it doesn’t suit a car that meant to be convenient instead of fun
Punch CVT?? Shut up and take my money!!!
You like to get punch for money?
Hum The Iriz seems to be the it car at the moment as it used to be the Honda Jazz that was popular on paultan.org’s web…
Yes those with RM3k salary please leave your comments here.
For fresh grad, better get an Axia which way cheaper with low running cost. The downside is need to compromise with safety. But Axia is meant to be a city car, just drive within the speed limit and follow the rules (Give signal when changing lanes etc.) No need to show off with Iriz but at the end of the month your pocket is empty.
bli kapchai jek cm aku.
Buy Proton Wira and Toyota KE70 secondhand would be enough
Also tell those fresh grad dun drive too fast, if not will be report to underground
Better report to heaven, 7 virgin girls in heaven waiting.
Even though you follow the rules and only drive in city, there are always some stupid drivers on the road which can involved you into an accident. And without safety spec, your risks will getting higher. So it is not what type of the car is, it is that if the manufacturers care for their customers safety or not.
Those who is a some kind of Bangla grass cutter leave your comment here
Please find a country except bolehland that this car can sell…
Why they test in the cold winter btw? burn the money for the fun where the regulations at the UK and others wont even accept the CO2 emission that this car produce…
Another Shiok sendiri project obviously after Savvy at the cost of rakyat, by our Dr.
The Hyundai,Kia,Toyota all the famous car manufacter must test in cold weather and snow IF their want to sale the car to Europe or America. Cheers :)
That is the point, can IRIZ sell in UK? Can they pass the emission regulation? lol
Please read more, you only showed your stupidity
Same LOrrrr, is that you?
Even though I hate Proton so much but this not much, Iriz is a good car even it has cheap door sounds but who cares, look at 3:35 of the video….5,000RPM VVT JUST KICKED IT YO!!!! Consider to buy it….? No, it can just be a good test drive for fun but not become daily car……
good informative video…
notice when he mentioned the cvt is noisy n he floored it from around 70 to around 110…that was pretty fast actually,it indicates good torque…
Yeah.. pretty brisk for mid range torque. By the way, Vios, Almera and City’s engine is also loud at 5000 rpm, but below that, its much refined and quieter that Iriz’s. PaulTan should do a short video review on the manual version of Iriz, both in 1.3 & 1.6 variants.
Godcar and its sidekicks cannot persoal.
They no need ESP, no need hot press, no need anything, just reuse engine and 4 speed from 90s also, people buy, because it’s GODCAR! Jangan persoal!!
Every facelift is just change bodykit, nothing new technically, can instant charge RM5k extra, still can sell because it’s GODCAR! Jangan persoal!!
Their roof can become atap zinc, no problem, it’s GODCAR! Jangan persoal!!
But Proton cannot. Proton door not sound solid also must bash, must salah mamak, salah umno, salah kroni, salah bn macai, salah paultan, boikot McD, boikot Starbucks, that is the internet’s rule to treat proton vs Godcar. You persoal Godcar means u butthurt jelly cannot afford Godcar, so must work harder and buy from Sam Loo.
They can even have faulty airbag that’ll kill you instead of saving you, and they know but buat dunno until Muhriccans buat kecoh, you are treated worse than animal to them, yet you’ll still come and buy, because they’re GODCAR! Jangan persoal!! Better die in Honda than walk away safely in Iriz, at least won’t live to show face you are cheated by Jepunis.
If like that Iriz CDN XXXX owner, kemaluan besar baru 3 days drive new car edi totalled.
P.S. on serious note, I really commend Iriz’s safety in that accident. Well down on saving yet another life, Proton.
Now just get that CVT from Honda, apa guna MoU with them if not gonna get their delicious torque converter CVT.
Until today i only see a test drive unit on the road
You must be living somewhere remote then.
Same here, I only see Iriz in showroom only
Either the place you people dont buy Iriz in you place or the variant people want to buy in not out yet. After the variant out you probably will see alot of Iriz
i never see one on the road yet.
May be Ipoh people not proton supporter or Ipoh people are rich enough.
I can’t find one on the whole island of Langkawi
I only saw 2 green basic version around Kulim HighTech area. Maybe others are waiting for the 1.6 manual like me.
To become truly global car, Iriz must have:
– sunroof
– digital climate-control auto aircons + rear aircon vents (like Honda City)
– telescopic steering adjustment (height and reach)
– electric-controlled seats with memory
– cruise control (i heard for export only)
– oval D-shape steering (like Audi) for more premium look on budget car
– all-wheel drive (a must-have for snow covered roads)
– diesel engines (1.4 liter turbo direct injection VGT is enough)
– please, right hand drive market like us should have right-side signal stalk. Don’t tell us it cost 1 billion R&D to create both sides signal stalk. Stop repeating Waja annoying mistakes.
Audi,Merc and BMW influence we got here and anyway, It doesn’t need to be AWD but it can FWD with RWD aspirations….. also RWD would be good too.
When you said the cruise mode is for export only is totaly bullsh*t. Every variant of Iriz export is available in Malaysia. Cheers :)
What r u talking about? B-segment with luxury car features.. i agreed that it comparable with city… but with luxury car? What?! Mabuk ketum ka bro?
left-side signal stalk is european style, even now Kia and hyundai also use tha same way. No problem at all.
For snowy road, no need to AWD it. Iriz already equipped with traction control system that can handle acceleration on snowy surface.
Iriz is a good car, i like the design for both exterior and interior & the handling but let down by the cvt gearbox and the premium 1.6 price too high!!!
Juz change to a 6 or 5speed gearbox with tiptronic and price it to below rm55k, then it will certainly sells…
And come out with a Gti version with Turbo and sell below rm70k…mmm really fantastic!!
Too. Much. Full. Stop. Hope he can speaks more naturally…
For me its very good. Malaysian english speaking is not American or UK standart. Cheers :)
standard.
or you using malaysia standart.
Paultan should campaign for manual like Jalopnik campaign to save the manual.
Iriz, perfect case of manual supremacy over shitty auto.
this guy sounds like ah beng and his engrish, man!
Thumbs up for the Iriz..!! And thumbs up for Gregory Sze’s amazing presenting skills.. Good job..!! Of course many thanks to Celcom’s PortaWiFi too.. haha.. ;)
Come on proton
Just change the gearbox la
I promise I will get one
Drive manual la. Syok wor, best macam Che Ta, Nora Danish, all in one
Some tiny bit of doubt there in the video, Gregory was sitting at the back of passenger seat not behind the driver seat. Although the space could be good as mentioned. Nice job anyway.
looks like proton been listening and responding to its critics, interior quality looks good not to mention the rest of the car,well done. now can we have a new interior for the suprima as well..
Nice video review ! I look forward to the future ones !
By any chance, did Gregory Sze study Mass Communication ? Just curious.
I think he studied drama or performing arts.
As mentioned in his bio under his Paultan.org’s writings,
“An “actor” by training, Gregory Sze realised that he has had enough of drama in his life. Following his number one passion (acting was actually number two), he decided to make the jump into the realm of automotive journalism”.
Good job guys! Next assignment…a review of the GWM M4 AMT perhaps?
can see the engine already corroded at 4:07 of the video near the manifold.
Sound fantastic to me.. Almost comparable to polo and fiesta, that’s really another league than myvi and jazz… Good review.. And for future, proton pls change your CVT
Good review but rubbish car
Rubbish comment
Butthurt? Haha
still can hear the rain at the end of the video..lol
Ooooh, I really like the way you guys made this video.
The angles of the shots are good but it is the subtleties (not subtitles, ok) that I really appreciate like how the music cut out at 6:31 so that Gregory’s voice is clearly heard as he bashes the “others” that “just give a flat cushion and that’s it” and pointing out the car isn’t driving itself (I was wondering who was behind the wheel). My favourite part would be at 2:30-2:38. So much meaning. Gregory is getting really comfortable with his role now.
P.S. a lot of people have multiple devices now lah. If there are 5 people in the Iriz and all of them dual wield, then you’ll max out the connection limit on your WiFi hotspot.
Some constructive feedback, though. In the video around the 3:39 to 3:45, it was hard to make out what Greg was saying because of the tire noise drowning him out.
Overall, very well made video. Informative and punchy delivery. No drollness here. Well done, guys!
test drove the manual , engine is fun and perky , I know what the front tyres are doing,compare to myvi’s lifeless steering…
You cannot persoal myvi or vios here
no, you are not a tech geek who needs internet on the go. You’re being sponsored by Celcom. Well played.
I’ve driven the 1.3 manual & 1.6 CVT a couple of times (without a salesman sitting next to me)meaning i can thrash the cars.I found the the manual is of course more fun when driving hard.The CVT is ok when driving in a more relax manner.So for me the 1.3 manual is my choice at the moment until I try out the 1.6 manual.Gregory’s review is spot on.The ride and handling is the best in its price segment.
However I do really hope Proton will do something about that CVT gearbox.It is the Achilles’ heel of the car or any Proton cars for that matter.
CVT is great in this IRIZ. I reckon it is better than the Altis that Jonathan Tan is always talking about. Have test drove it. The ride and handling feel superb. Exactly what you would expect to get in a Britain made Lotus with just a fraction of the price. Life could not get any better than this. Acceleration in this unit is by far the best as compared to the Jazz, 208, polo and the fiesta. Not the Ecoboost model however. Test drove the manual unit. The stick feels good and solid. Very direct and responsive. Easily will beat the crap out of the DSG. But, come on… No one needs 3 USB port.
Altis is underpower car
This review just doesn’t seem like the usual reviews done for other cars.
What’s the fuel consumption? Such an important point seems to be left out?
He said 10-13 km/l in “normal everyday driving”, whatever that would mean for him.
Wow that’s fuel guzzler, my Vios got 30km/l
No way your vios does more than 1,200km from a full 40-45 litre tank
Wow, 30km/litre? You know this figure beats even the frugal prius C?
10-13 km/litre is actually quite decent in full city driving. My VW golf tsi only managed 10-11km/litre only (i am a heavy footer sorry)
Maybe you are sarcastic. My bad.
I believe it’s sarcastic bro
I was recently at the Guang Zhou Autoshow. It was a great opportunity to see products from domestic automakers. Honestly, cars like Great Wall HAVAL SUV will beat the crap out of Malaysian automakers any day.
I can’t believe Proton which started in the 80s is falling behind against Chinese makers.
Chinese automakers are showing fancy concept designs, advance direct injection downsized Turbo engines, Even plugin hybrid machines.
If I didn’t look at the brand, I swear I would easily mistaken it for Japanese mature automakers.
So agree. P1 and P2 are so behind with coming out with a compact 50K SUV. I would go for the manual GW M4 over the Iriz for it’s versatility.
I have a cute dog. She have been not eating so many days already. She was hungry but still refuse to eat the biscuit I put on the plate…, so pity… Why??? Yea, coz I buy the cheapest food for her. Maybe the food too yucky and terrible. So on the next day, I go to pet shop buy the most expensive dog biscuit for my dog. Home and I immediately put the food on the plate… my dog just walk to the plate there and smell the biscuit but still refused to eat again… Why??? she just struggling there a while then want to go away again. I scared my dog will die if not eating… So I push her head to the food and force she to eat… No Matter how I push she also not eating… Suddenly she turn her head back and bite me! I give her the best and the most expensive biscuit also don’t want to eat and bite me!!! Damm it! I so angry and throw away my dog out of my house!
Good luck with your dog!
Because she saw Proton cars everyday!! That’s why she’s sick
60k for Proton..go get the Swift or Rio or almeria or Mirage/attrage instead
dont support Proton as they are the culprit Malaysia being 2nd most expensive car price in the world!
Proton is high taxed too, how?
High tax my a$$. In Langkawi, nobody touch them
So what? The cheaper price is for them not the rest of people here.
RM5K tax is high??? Your brain got eaten by zombie?
You are one angry bean.
Nice front view n the rim
Do they sell the rim?
Could not afford polo and wont take a chance on dsg.
Fiesta also expensive for me.
2 kids in sec.school and 2 in primary.
Salary OK, but priority is children`s education.
Took delivery of iris1.6 premium last week.
Agree with Jonathan,overall car good except for CVT whine.
If you were to believe bashers comments, you wont even want to look at the car.
Bashers are probably other car’s SA
Why couldn’t afford polo?
Last time I’ve test drove the Iriz and Polo, I was more prefer for Polo as the handling was really good and the car performance was very well too. For Iriz, I felt like just driving a normal P2 Myvi, nothing special and the car’s seat was not comfortable enough if compared with Polo. BTW, It’s just 2 cents.
Well.. Personally,I’d rather go for a Polo or Fiesta even though they are more expensive. Although both of them have GB issues last time but now I can see the complaints are getting lesser and they are trying to improve their quality. Anyway, they are still better than our local car. Just my 2 cents.
Personally, I’d rather go for Polo or Fiesta if i needed to fetch my children to school because Polo and Fiesta are more roomy and the seats are more comfortable.
Go for the Polo Sedan and it doesn’t have DSG issue.
i noticed in Image ID – 281482 the engine is karat(rusted) liao..apasal?
that iron cast of cos la karat…other maker hide those karat.
It has been lot of publicity of specially for this car on this blog for a reasons. And I believe other auto maker not going sit on their laurel when their market erode and P1 provide a healthy competitions.
If your car any broken don’t change, so start to budget for your next dream car. Remember the car did not choose you ( like movie of Love Bug or Transformer). Car critics here have voice their opinions, take it in pinch of salt. Also the person who has the last laugh should be you not the salesman.
Has anybody actually calculated the real fuel consumption of this car please? Not just plain saying, or anymore guessing ok.
The FC manufacturers publish on their brochures are based on standard drive cycles. However, the actual FC depends on the weight of your right foot.
Yep, I agree that the CVT box is a letdown for what would otherwise be a brilliant package. I’d definitely go for the manual but many lady drivers looking for an auto would be disappointed with the whining noise.
Another thing I would comment on is the horrendous engine cover and other plastics under the hood that look like they’ve been made from recycled “baldi” and old “tong sampah”s. A nice looking engine bay is as good an indicator for quality as any other parts of the car.
For those who comment on the “cheap” sounding doors, well I say it doesn’t sound so in real life and you simply cant judge from the sound in the video alone. The “heavy” (premium) feel you get from top brands can be replicated by optimizing the the center of gravity of the door assembly which Proton engineers should know well.
Whilst the build quality seems to have improved a lot, I also hope the interior parts ages well. We don’t want interior parts to “reput” and fall all over the place after a few years.
All in all, I think the car is really worth the money and Based on the way it handles, safety features and the much improved build quality, I personally would opt for a high-specced Iriz over a low-specced rival.
tested. the cvt whine is horrendous.
Same LoRRRR not here? weird. Hey, it is proton. Come out and said your proton 5S lifestyles
iriz using new engine with vvt technology. not a campro anymore. it means efficient fuel consumption. most interesting it 5 stars safety features..! :)
Drove my dad’s Iriz 1.6 Premium (CVT) which we received in Dec 14. I suggested it to him over the Myvi as I thought it was a relatively affordable and safe run-around car for town driving.
Unfortunately, the Iriz we received has issues being the reverse camera doesn’t work, the brakes were/are occasionally noisy and the CVT gearbox is quite unenjoyable to drive.
Also the consumption is pretty bad at 9.3L/100km, and this is driving during the school holiday season, where traffic is lighter than usual. Avg travelling speed to achieve this consumption was 25kph.
I also don’t understand why there are air-con vents which cannot be closed at the side of the dashboard and they invariably end up fogging up the windows when it is raining.
On the plus side, the car handles well and the seats are comfortable for drivers and passengers alike. However the handling is at the expense of passenger comfort, where bumps in the road can be felt pretty clearly at the back.
The radio and sound system is pretty good, although the touch screen interface can be a bit unresponsive at times.
Interior wise, the build quality is ok and I can’t see any noticable defects or issues that would annoy me.
In hindsight, would probably have gone for a Myvi with 6 air bags and VSC given that what we wanted is a reliable and safe car and handling isn’t on the top of our requirements list.
of your 2 criteria (Safety and reliability); you have achieved the former with Iriz’s 6 airbags and stability control aids. You may be able to gauge its reliability in few months’ time. In hindsight, you did your dad a favour by suggesting him a safer ride because to date; Perodua hasn’t launched any Myvi model with 6 airbags and / or stability control
Buy Myvi better! Reliable & good RV!
I have test driven both the CVT and the Manual.
Honestly, I have never encounter a car that could give me such a huge and different perception solely because of the transmission choice: I really LOVE the manual and absolutely HATE the stupid CVT.
I started with the CVT and seriously, I get boring and fed-up almost as fast as the car rolled out from the showroom garage. I have never owned a CVT car and I am not accustomed to the way CVT behaves. However, the CVT made the engine sounded so unrefined and the acceleration is absolutely sluggish in my definition (I owned a pre-CPS Gen2 before, I am very forgiving when it comes to sluggish acceleration, when I say it’s sluggish, it really means it is SLUGGISH). The CVT whine and unrefined feeling almost instantly killed my interest of this car, and I couldn’t be bother to carefully notice and feel the riding and handling qualities. I just wish this test drive could be over ASAP.
After I returned to the showroom, I’ve decided to give it another try with the manual. And viola! Immediately, I was transported from hell to heaven! It was such a HUGE difference! In the manual, although it’s much less power on paper (1.3 manual vs 1.6 CVT), the 1.3 feels much, much more perky and nimble compare to the 1.6. Suddenly, I felt so joyful driving this thing, and couldn’t have enough joy slotting in the next gear, turn the corners and rev it to the max! and the VVTI behaves so much better in the CVT and the old campro. I was having so much fun and I requested to go over and over the test drive route 6, yes, 6 freaking times! (thanks to the SA who attended me). The Getrag supplied 5 speeder also feels very nice to slot in, though not as cluncky and snappy like those 6 speed close ratio you found in the Hot hatches like Fiesta ST and 208 GTi, the 5 MT shifts in a very easy, non rubbery fashion. To my amazement, THE CLUTCH IS VERY LIGHT too! It is one of the easiest and most forgiving clutch I have ever encounter, and finding the bitting point is very easy. The clutch is so light, it won’t be a punishment to your legs even though you’re stuck in a traffic jam.
In other aspects, the ride quality is just as advertised. It’s very composed for such a small car, and I can testify the validity of this video, the steering feels as sharp as the Fiesta (I currently drive a Fiesta). Apart from the Fiesta and newly launched Mazda 2 Skyactive, the Iriz absolutely beats all other B segments in terms of ride qualities, be it the Vios, Jazz or City, it’s just that good.
I left the showroom with mix-feelings. Iriz for Proton, has undoubtedly came a long way, and it is the best Proton product to date. However, I still find some plastics in the cabin that didn’t promote confidence (same old parts vendor I guess) , and I am yet to see how this car prevail when age started to put trails on its reliability. Finally, just for the sheer joy of driving, IRIZ Manual is definitely the way to go! It’s fxxking, fantastically good for such a price! No other B segments put such a big smile on my face except the Fiesta Ecoboost and the Mazda 2 Skyactive! (Kudos to the Iriz!) And for the CVT? Well, just ignore it if you can (I really hate it). The real art and ultimate joy of driving is always doing it with 3 pedals, isn’t it? I am sure all petrolheads will agree with me. Cheers!