Just in case you missed out on the “Advanced tour” of Proton’s Research and Development facility at the Alami Proton event last weekend, here are some juicy details of a new prototype powertrain that is said to be well on its way to being produced for local use.
Amidst the R&D tour, in the powertrain development and testing area, we came across this Iriz and Exora prototypes being displayed.
Yes, they’re both familiar models, but as you may have figured out from the headline already, these are both equipped with a 1.3 litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine and a six-speed Getrag manual transmission, marking the first Proton turbo-manual pairing since the idea was first suggested by the company, way before the debut of the Iriz, even.
Fortunately, Proton representatives there were able to share some insights about the “demo” models on display here. For one, they’re both fully functional, and have already been through a significant amount of testing. But while they are road-ready, they aren’t finished products ready for sale just yet.
Secondly, we were told that the finished products, those that would be ready for sale, might be launched in our local market sometime within the next two years. Clearly, what we’re looking at here is more a matter of “when,” rather than “if,” it will come to market.
Now, let’s talk power and performance. The prototype Proton powertrain is rated to have an output of 140 hp at 5,750 rpm, and 190 Nm of torque from a low 1,800 to 5,000 rpm. By comparison, that’s 33 hp and 40 Nm more than the current top-shelf Iriz’s naturally-aspirated 1.6 VVT engine, which is capable of 107 hp/150 Nm. A new intercooler is located alongside the radiator, clearly visible through the lower intake.
Naturally, there’s also the promise of the new turbo mill being a lot quicker off the line. With the current 1.6 litre Iriz only managing to perform the century sprint in 11.1 seconds, the prototype Iriz 1.3 turbo here would take just 8.7 seconds to do the deed.
Simple math shows that the 1.3 turbo mill not only gives this Iriz more torque than any of the model’s existing variants in the market today, it also reaches its max torque output (190 Nm) far earlier (1,800 rpm) than the current 1.6 litre naturally-aspirated VVT engine’s 4,000 rpm, and is able to sustain max torque all the way up to 5,000 rpm.
No stranger to turbocharged power itself, there was also an example of the Proton Exora equipped with the same prototype powertrain, displayed alongside the Iriz. Although, it does look like Proton has rushed to get this out the door quickly – check out the gear lever which sticks out of the floor here, instead of out the dash like it normally does.
Currently, the locally-available Exora can be had with or without turbocharged engines – a pick between a naturally-aspirated 125 hp/150 Nm 1,597 cc CPS, and a turbocharged 138 hp/205 Nm 1,561 cc CFE. With the same engine seen in the Iriz prototype, the 1.3 turbo in this Exora is rated for 140 hp at 5,750 rpm, and 190 Nm from 1,800 to 5,000 rpm. Its intercooler remains in the same position as it was in the CFE – just behind the air intake on the left of the front bumper.
It’s interesting to see how Proton has developed the lower-displacement 1.3 turbo engine to produce even more horsepower than the current 1.6 CFE, while also getting very close torque figures. And still, don’t forget that the new 1.3 litre turbo arrives at max torque earlier (by 200 rpm) than the 1.6 CFE, and sustains it through to much higher revs (1,800 to 5,000 rpm). The Exora sustains its max torque between 2,000 and 4,000 rpm, while the CFE also wins one back by arriving at its max power (138 hp at 5,000 rpm) 750 rpm sooner than the prototype 1.3 turbo does.
How do you feel about the prospect of a Proton Iriz and Exora with 1.3 turbo power and a six-speed manual transmission?
Proton Iriz 1.3 turbo, six-speed manual prototype
Proton Exora 1.3 turbo, six-speed manual prototype
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Nice. Can’t wait to see the improvement compare to the existing models.
What proton intended to do is nothing new. Need to catch up quickly or risk being obsolete by the time it is out. R&D should be pioneering not play catch up.
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Type your comment here..proton is not an idiot like you ,LoRr….anyway proton has improved their safety starting from preve…….by the way.. I really think you live in 1975 : whaere proton started….wake up mr.lorer , this year is 2015 now
Er, mat rempits usually drive Myvi.
Pioneering? Hahaha.. Malaysians can’t appreciate pioneering. Just look at how many Myvis n Vios n City are on the road. At the end of the day, locals remain skeptical of any attempts by Proton.. Of course the typical excuse is they were once owners who went through bad experience..
proton has matured..
First of all. Ask Proton to update existing cars than improvising engines like the persona and the satria neo. Those cars are outdated and are in the 90s era. How can you call proton matured when their cars arent reliable. If motorist hits you with a bike and your fenders will be sick. And copying the design isn’t called matured.
ever wonder why not many car makers out there combined turbo engine to a CVT? anybody can explain the outcome of the combination? why not get an Aisin 6-speed…to drive an automatic car is already boring…to drive a cvt car is like eating ur gardenia without butter or jam….
Well, I assume that those are not the real GDI engines under development by Proton.
I am quite disappointed that you guyds did not dig up & expose more about their future engine plans (or perhaps due to confidentiality issues?). I know the Proton and Vendor staff there are instructed to be careful not to leak private information. But these info is not purely sensitive and it can give skeptical Malaysians (take note: blind bashers) some evidence that Proton is actually working hard to progress & improvise their products.
1. New built-from-scratch 1.3 & 1.5 GDI engines (Euro6 compliant) with NA and turbo versions as direct replacements of the campro-based CFE. Debut 2018/2019.
2. Upgraded 2.0 NEO1 turbo (based on Petronas EO1 4cyl 2.0L) with 120+kW & 250Nm @1800rpm. Debut Perdana 2018/2019 as a single variant engine to replace Honda 2.0L & 2.4L.
3. Two CVT transmissions from Jatco to match with those two engine families.
4. Saga and Exora replacements are in the pipeline, using same predecessor platform but with different structural reinforcement and design. The latter (exora) is really in infant design stage.
Some of other discoveries that Tun & management should be seriously looking at:
1. I bet that the designers have worked very hard, but when they are constrained by costs set by the top management, plus engineering and production-side limitations, they are not able to translate innovation into reality. (See why the concept pickup truck is using Exora platform & interior, and why the upcoming Perdana wheelbase remains the same?)
2. Speaking of interior buttons tactility and dashboard feel, there are improvements, but sill far behind other car makers. They can automatically press open and close 50,000 to test the durability. But you don’t have to earned engineering degree to rate and compare the feel and touch of the dashboard, dials, buttons and a/c vents.
3. The European-inspired dynamics and handling is not everything that buyer really wants. Stiffer absorber rebound rate means that comfort is compromised especially for the rear occupants. Test drivers realized this issue, but they said that their ‘Chief’ prefer such ‘sporty’ handling rather than plush comfort ride. It is time for the top management to discover real needs of their buyers, not by bowing to the preference of a few ‘race-spirited’ people. Moreover, this is Malaysia not Belgium or Germany which roads are smooth and well-maintained. Proton absorbers easily wear out with the ill road conditions. Handling is not the main determinant for car purchase. Cerato was chosen as the best C-segment car in last year Driven video shootout, and I have to agree.
4. Proton chassis, despite its excellent Hot Press Forming construction and structural reinforcements that mirrors that of established European makes, remains heavy when compared to the Japanese. Despite reason for safety purpose, fuel consumption is seriously compromised. Get this, Honda City weigh significantly less than the Iriz, but has more interior space and 5-star Asean NCAP marks (with no HPF construction utilized). Engineers need to work really hard on lightweight construction, which ironically is the hallmark of its subsidiary, Lotus.
In a nutshell, it is time for the management to reach out to the buying public and directly listen to their needs, rather than buying in to their designers, consultants & engineers. Stop beating around the bush telling that “Malaysians want a 5 star car with 1 star price”, but work around to solve the problems listed above.
Thanks for the tip. We are checking with Proton now :)
Cant agree more. In essence, 3 things that proton need to improve:
1) Powertrain: Fuel efficiency n drivability. Current powertrain is notoriously not fuel efficient n poor drivability.
2) Design: Chasis n interior design. Need to have better ergonomics, weight saving and functional space by clever design.
3) Adaptability. Ability to adapt to the requirements of the different market. Fuel efficiency, ride n handling in australia, comfort and space in indonesia. Both in malaysia.
Wow, very insightful comment man, thank you for sharing.
I’m actually interested to know when will they bring out the Preve FL. The current one is both good (space, CFE, exterior) and bad (too simple interior, the gearbox, half hearted keyless system).
It is baffling that we didn’t hear a zilch about it until now (of the rumoured ’16 launch)
Too bad that Lotus still choose proven Toyota engine.
Proton should hire u as their engineer
Cc. Proton Chief Technical Officer
Sounds great. Downsizing is the route to go, hope the FC improves comparably though. An auto version still wouldn’t be remiss though. We all know how many lazy people stay in Malaysia…
Proton will have a lot to do in the FC department and looking at the time frame of 2 years that means it will debut in the Iriz facelift model and expect a price hike as Tun M already mentioned it! New engine, gearbox, better quality materials n more standard spec, I wouldn’t be surprised if the top of the range retails around 70k+
That SS range..
If the whole car feels as good as Honda Jazz, 70k is not an issue.
If they still remain the pasar malam plastic feels, and buttons/knobs that felt going to drop off anytime, then good luck.
Jazz interior also plasticky, no difference
There are so many grades of plastic that I’m no expert to talk about.
But the feeling of driving in Jazz vs Preve/SuprimaS, is like using Apple iPhone 6S vs Aqqle iPon 6S.
Conflict
While a 1.3 turbo-engined Iriz is a good prospect performance-wise, the exterior design of the Iriz is need of some tweaks. For example, the front headlamp looks too big (cartoonish or bug-eyed you may called it) for its body size. And the tyre size used for the low spec version is also an eyesore, again for its body size. These are among the things Proton need to improve.
Oohoo… I really want to see your own eyes!
within 2 years..? A.S.A.P pls…!
Iriz should have be 1.6 CFE and 1.3 Turo at the first place.
cannot compete in reducing fuel consumption.
cannot compete in reducing kerb weight.
simple.
Cool but what’s the FC for the engine and is this ready for export to Euro 5-6 countries? So much money n time consumed to build one so it better be ready for export!
The current Campro Turbo aka CFE engine is already Euro 5-compliant. The VVT engines in the Iriz is simply detuned to Euro 4 tuning due to our poor fuel quality. Most Euro 5-compliant engines using multi-point fuel injection can easily pass Euro 6 as well; Euro 6 is more particular to GDI engines due to its significant differences in NOx and particulate matter contents, and that’s what Proton has to take care of when developing the E01 GDI family engines.
The Iriz is a good car…
Iriz 1.3T , full spec , with android auto/carplay …
it’ll be d car of the moment….
Impressive :) at least we can see where the money for rnd goes…
Expecting for a better fuel economy too since it’s small and paired with 6sp m/t….
“It’s interesting to see how Proton has developed the lower-displacement 1.3 turbo engine to produce even more horsepower than the current 1.6 CFE”
CVT. That’s why.
Hmm, Iriz turbo… not bad for a Fiesta ST of Asia.
how is it even a comparison. Fiesta ST pushes 182PS and 290Nm (on overboost) which is straight line speed we’re looking at…let’s go into how its setup to take corners; it’s lightyears ahead from an Iriz.
seriously those who think the “Lotus R&H” marketed with Proton cars drives well; let me tell you it doesn’t when you compare to the more matured R&D works done by some other makes around the world.
Drove a 208 recently and heck even that drives better than a Proton; and Pugs weren’t notoriously known for their driving dynamics (at least not in the past 20 years or so).
Aiya Bro… Just keep to your GTi n STI n what have you.. First, you’re comparing to companies with very strong heritage… That said, the Neos were sold to some of the racing outfits in Japan..
What’s interesting with Proton cars are that they also got potential for you to personalise it to your driving style (read: got no money to buy expensive souped up hatchbacks like you so go mod n tune it to my liking) Ok?
The rest of us who can ‘only’ appreciate Proton ride n handling really look forward to this car…
exora should remain its 1.6t , only that the gearbox should be changed to manual 6.
Freaking launch it already ! !
i feel great of course!
Quickly launch this car.. dont wait until Iriz model gets obsolete. I had bad experience before. I bought Satria Neo few months after launch. Then after few years, you release the CPS model which is better than the Campro.. and to buy the CPS Neo was a difficult decision since its not really a new model at that moment.
4 yrs later, Iriz 1.3 Turbo 6 speed.
Again & again Proton has over promised & under delivered. Talk is cheap but do they have the sustainability & the buyers at heart.
This is all just a ploy to buy more time & to close the local market from competition.
With so much in hand ie EV , Perdana & turbo
and going it alone, P1 will need deep pockets to see this through.
Good luck P1 you’ll need it! !!!
Nice stuff.. will make a good run around fun vehicle… would be good to see similar interior trims like the current high spec 1.6 on this one
First time in a very long time I read comment on Proton threads with no apparent blind bashers.
Incredible.
They all still sleeping. Wait until after lunch
whatever… still cheap plotong… i have turbocharged my vios since 2 years ago and getting 251HP 293Nm on wheel…
now, that’s a natural position for the exora stick..last time it was on the dash which for me is not a natural position..
of cos this smaller engine produces more power, as it is not mated to a punch gearbox.
2 years??!… 2 freaking years??!! by that time every other car manufacturers have gone electric already..
Launch now within 2 months!
and if you can release an Iriz space wagon to rival the Alza that’ll be great…..
Iriz SW
the only stopping block for me to consider the iriz is the cramped rear space with the small boot….
Proton will probably launch the Iriz 1.3 Turbo 6MT in the export markets first, but when it does launch here, it will probably be something like an Iriz GTi or Iriz R3. The demand for sporty manual cars is just too low in Malaysia, that’s why it’s taking forever to launch the 6MT Protons.
I did see these two 1.3 Turbo concepts yesterday, was very impressed with the specs. I wonder how Proton managed to design the new 1.3 Turbo to roughly match the older 1.6 Turbo… maybe they used the Iriz 1.3 VVT engine as the base and not the CamPro. Or maybe they installed a new turbo system, with higher boost pressure and whatnot. It can’t possibly be direct injected, because Proton is still working on that tech for now.
The VVT engine’s code S4PH, it’s a Campro at core. Granted, it may have been developed and refined vs Campro kosong in first Gen2, but it’s still a Campro.
Well, whatever. Toyota don’t need to be modern and still return good fc, so should Proton. So long it can beat Toyota/Perodua’s fc, automatically people’s perception will improve.
Gambatte, Volvo of Asia.
Hi tokmoh, that is what I thought too, that the Iriz VVT is the same old CamPro with some small tweaks, but the engineers said otherwise.
Although the on-paper specs of the CamPro IAFM/IAFM+ is pretty much the same as the VVT, the mechanical workings are quite different. Previously, the CamPro CPS and CFE/ Turbo also had VVT, but think of them as ‘semi-VVT’ engines. The Iriz VVT engines were developed with true VVT in mind, while the others have been just add-on modules which gave some form of VVT, but still not a 101% VVT engine. Although, it is still partly true that the Iriz VVT engine is related to the original CamPro, it’s different enough to be considered a new engine in itself. I wouldn’t mind sharing the more technical details, but I actually spent more than 3 hours straight in the Advance Tour talking to most of the engineers, that I’ve forgotten some of their more complex explanations already. xD
Also, I saw somewhere on the net about the ‘top 10 most fuel efficient cars in Malaysia’, and the Iriz beat out the Myvi for fuel consumption, by a small margin. Not sure how true that is, but that’s that.
I don’t approve of how some Proton supporters overstate Proton’s achievements, it’s not right. Volvo and Proton are on whole different levels. Just because Proton has HPF technology and two or three 5-star ANCAP rated cars, it doesn’t automatically make them equal to a world leader like Volvo or BMW. It’s true that Proton has progressed significantly in the last 5 years, but Proton still has some way to go, they are not ‘there’ yet. Also, the low sales figure of the Iriz doesn’t mean it’s a bad car, it’s just that people take time to warm up to new things. The Axia is the no.1 best-seller because it’s effectively the cheapest car in Malaysia, not because it’s the no.1 best car in Malaysia.
Whatever lah. Lotus still choose proven Toyota engine.
The faster this TT1.3 Iriz comes out, the sooner the myzi rempits will dump P2 & clamour for P1. Of course, minah will get it later.
Even with auto transmission,i will still buy Exora 1.3 turbo if the pricing is right
please equip all turbo variant with highest safety spec like vsc and airbag..eventhough that done..some of malaysian mentality could not handle that much power..yet. .
VSC already equipped across the range in Iriz. Perhaps more airbag count (currently only Premium variant equipped with 6 airbags) and autonomous braking (it’s now a requirement to get full 5 star Euro NCAP) would be better for turbo variant.
Proton,ps don’t promise this and that,settle ur quality problem.My preve have done 10 times complain and the problem cannot solve.The slogan by the s.a is don’t worry waranty is 5 yrs.Do you know thats Tun age is 90’s already.Just think when he will not around?What happen to proton?? Pity…
all this talk about a new gdi engine is confusing.
What proton really need is a good reliable design from Osamu Goto -previously with Honda Formula 1.
he designed a series of engine for Petronas Formula 1.
Those engines were strong -ole hondas with superior reliablity. Petrol is still cheap in Malaysia. We dont need highly developed efficient
engines like the ecoboost which cost a bomb. Outsourcing the engines to Atteco [china] would be a good idea. Let Dr list Laborotory do a further
engine development to improve emission to 100+mg/km
level acceptable to Euro 5 before we can install
them in our export cars. At this point Proton management comprising mat-non teknikal cannot be ignorant . We from outside are always aware of your
politicking and poor judgement. Outsource a diesel
-like suzuki to Fiat 1.3/1.6 diesels like the Indian Suzuki or better still get a nissan/renault
1.5 diesels just like MB does for its A series.
Proton proving they changed. But remember better late than never. Keep it up and please hurry to catch up whatever to be a part of the best car.
Hope the new Exora mode is released soon as I am still holding onto my Exora CPS. Great unpretentious family mover!
Hmm…ask proton to update the satria neo for the youngsters la..its so outdated. interior feels like 90s era. And give that hot hatch a turbocharged engine and 6 speed auto with tiptronic and paddleshits or 6speed manual options. Or turn the iriz into a hothatch rocket with a turbocharged engine and 6 speed manual like in the article. jus ask them to update the design wise. The teens of the nation will have the pulse of racing in their hearts than. But pls the satria neo..it needs to be reborn.
Proton should improvise thier cars as well like the Persona and satria cause they are already old or bring out a car to replace them or do facelift. Proton should have a survey about their cars to the nation in order to improvise. Tun Dr M said tht The nation doesn’t trust their cars. He is wrong. if the car was safe and reliable the nation would love the cars. Proton is seriously not safe to drive if you tend to get in accident. make a survey about the design of their cars and what the nation expects from the local car maker. it looks like perodua will soon takeover cause their cars are way better in terms of looks, safety features and reliability. Ask Tun Dr M to quit. He is useless.
can we have the AWD + turbo please? Pretty please?