Prior to the launch of the new 2016 Proton Perdana (launch article is here), I had written earlier that I was invited to try out the new production ready Proton
Perdana 2.0 and 2.4liter variants at the Proton semi-high speed oval
track. This was another one of those hush-hush sessions where we
were not allowed to take any photos. So the photos here are the
official press photos. This here is the short drive report for you to digest. The longest and most detailed you would see so far on how this car drives.
The
new 4th generation (according to Proton) Proton Perdana is internally called the Perdana R. The 'R' here
must stand for Replacement and not Racing, obviously. This is because
the Perdana is a D segment sedan competitor. It is supposed to be the
car that would be supplied to the Government of Malaysia as their
official car for high ranking officials and to those in the
Government Linked Companies also. Proton intends to sell at least
6,000 units of this new sedan annually with at least half going to
the government. Now the question that begs to be answered is that
whether the car is actually good enough for the regular managerial
type Joes in the private sector to use.
The overall shape is
quite nice and well executed. I think the new Perdana is very European in terms of styling. The car does not look like the
previous (8th) generation Honda Accord it was based upon. Proton had
redesigned the whole front end – new design to the lights, grille,
bumper, bonnet and fenders (which now have side air vents ala
Jaguar). The rear end is also redesigned from the C-pillar backwards.
The only thing kept is the doors (front and rear), A and B pillars.
The rear features a rear quarter glass after the doors (like a big
Jaguar XJ or a big Audi) and a sloping C-pillar with a whole new
boot, lights and bumper. Everything at the rear is different. The car
is actually longer than the Accord it was based on and the additions
actually add 20kg to the weight of the car.
The
interior has a double screen dashboard like the current newer Honda Accord but
with the material and all the tactile feel of the previous Accord.
Not too bad actually. But there is no Jaguar Land Rover type of
rotary gear knob as some rumours have mentioned. This still has the
familiar Accord shaped gear shifter. Still a nice place to be seated
in. Now bar one or two styling details which I thought needed more
embellishment and more re-profiling in order to make it better. The steering wheel needs a bit more chrome trim to lift it up a little.
The
one that most distracted me or attracted me to critique was the rear
bumper faux exhaust trim. I do think that if the car has faux, or
fake exhaust vents at the rear, it should properly look the part and
have a little more embellishment detail there. It should either be
blacked out or have chrome or aluminium trimming so that it looks
like exhaust gases are flowing through there. This is much like
certain premium sedans from Mercedes Benz and BMW where they have
faux tailpipes at the rear of the car and this part is still
highlighted as exhausts. Those that wear suit jackets would know that
the buttons on the sleeves of a suit jacket are mostly
non-functioning (unless they are slightly more pricey or bespoke).
The buttons on the jacket sleeve are just there to make sure the
jacket looks proper. Some even have fake buttonhole stitching to make
it look like the buttons work. But they do not. I believe this is why
the items need to be either painted, removed or embellished. If
you have it on a premium sedan, embellish it I say. The ones in this press photo show that part of it has been blacked out and leaving the 'tailpipes' body coloured. This is a nicer touch. But this was not seen on the cars during the launch. Any changes to the Perdana would be running changes made during production. So we may get to see some details missing from the cars displayed at the launch.
The
second issue is the overhangs of the car but this is an issue based
on the original body in white – the Accord chassis's mounting
points for the bumpers, lights, up front make the nose stick far out
in front of the front wheels. But the rest of the car is pretty good
actually. Once I saw it on the move on the test track it was even
better. There is road presence in this new Perdana The car actually
looks very good on the move and when viewed from certain angles. It
has more road presence than most of the D segment cars in its class.
The
third issue are the rear doors. Proton has kept the rear door sheet
metal of the Accord but changed to glass area of the rear doors.
There is a small edge that juts out a little where the window frame
meets the door sheet metal. The plastic mouldings covering this area
would need a little more sculpting so that it would not snag on
clothing of the people entering or exiting the rear of the car. Any
changes, if made based on whatever comments made, if incorporated
would be made into running production changes according to Proton. I
however have no problems getting in or out of the car. Even at the
launch, I could enter and exit easily. So personally, this isn't an issue to me. And I am chubby. Not one of those washboard abs kind of people.
As
for the drive experience, it is essentially the same as the
Government specced Perdana 2.0 I tried earlier. Essentially, but
there are still some bits that surprised me. Now Proton was not
allowed to touch the engine, transmission, drivetrain, steering and
suspension components of the car as the agreement with Honda does not
allow much freedom to do so. But this Perdana does have some
improvements in the Noise Vibration & Harshness (NVH). How this
happened was due to the new Proton redesign of the C-pillar backwards
and to some extent the front of the car also. As you know the Perdana
has a completely redesigned rear end and this is actually more
sloping than the Accord's rear end. More acoustic tuning maybe. But
it is quieter.
According
to Proton, their computer simulated drag coefficient tests show that
the Perdana is more aerodynamic than the car it is based upon. This
meant that the Perdana has a more slippery design which makes it
slightly quieter than the Accord on the move, especially at higher
speeds. However, another journalist did mention that the rear
windscreen area was noticeably louder with the pitter-patter of the
water hitting the windscreen when it rained. Maybe this was due to
the angle of the glass area and the thickness of the glass too. But
in the dry the car is quieter than the car is was based upon.
Proton
also made sure that both 2.0 & 2.4 liter variants run on 17inch
wheels and tyres that were specially specced for the car. Better than
the original which ran on 16inch wheels for the 2.0 and only 17inch
on the 2.4. According to Proton, the new Goodyears on the Perdana
gave the optimum balance between grip, ride comfort and noise
reduction. I think they actually work. The Perdana is quiet enough
when I was sitting at the rear, at the passenger seat and whilst
driving. As for steering feel, the 17inch tyres are better than the
16inch tyres fitted to the previous generation Accord 2.0 and the
government special Perdana. There is slightly better weighting as the
steering does not feel overly light until it affects turn in. A
feeling of a little heft is also good to bring the drive experience
up a notch. But this is typically a trait in that Honda Accord if I
may be quite so blunt.
The
ride is also typically Accord and it actually soaks up bumps quite
well. The Proton oval test track has a bumpy section on one of
the banked corners and the Perdana actually felt confident over this
section at over 120kmh. Quite good body control once you get the hang
of it. There is the usual understeer you get in a front wheel drive
car but it feels accomplished. There is also a slight high speed
wiggle from the rear tyres once speeds are over 140kmh. It could be
because the track was damp as it has started to rain when we were on
it. I do believe a little adjustment to the toe angles of the rear
wheels could correct this slight tendency for the rear wheels to
wander a little. This trait could be inherent in the Accord also.
You
will only see Proton fine tuning the ride and handling of the Perdana
when they stuff in their new 2.0liter GDI engine and transmission
unit inside this car sometime in the next 18 months or so. The
arrangement with Honda changes once Proton utilises this platform
with its new engine and drivetrain. But this is it for now. Quite
good actually. More than acceptable.
Both
2.0 & 2.4 liter engines are from Honda as does the 5 speed
automatic transmission. The 2.0liter does feel adequate but the
2.4 is the one to get if you want to haul away quickly. It does feel
faster down the straights and when you want to gather speed again
after the high speed corner. After all, it does have about 190hp
compared to the 150hp of the 2.0liter variant. However, I somehow
feel that the 2.0liter engine is a little quieter on the cruise and
the handling is slightly better upon initial turn-in. I think this
slightly better handling comes from the fact that it is lighter up
front compared to the 2.4.
I
think the new Perdana is a step in the right direction for Proton.
The car is nice to drive with very acceptable standards and
levels of NVH (as good or slightly better than the car it was based
on). The car looks good and as I mentioned, it has road presence
(Proton has styled it nicer than the original). The car is priced
from RM113,888 for the 2.0liter and from 134,888 for the 2.4liter
(two variants). This is very, very much cheaper than the nearest
Japanese D segment competitor. It basically should be priced in the
middle of the C segment instead of the D segment. You're getting an
Accord at Civic prices. And you're actually getting a lot of Accord
in this car too. As this is essentially a Honda Accord, this is the
best Proton your money can buy.
I
remember the Proton Inspira. When it first came out everyone did not
warm up to it. Then suddenly, when Proton were about to end the
production of the Inspira demand suddenly shot up. This time Proton
is doing the same. This is essentially still a Honda Accord
underneath. And with the re-working by Proton, it is competent. And
you know I do not simple say stuff when it comes to reviews.
Anyway,
I do hope the buying public realise this about the new Perdana. I
like it. I like how it looks. I like how much of a bargain it is
compared to other D segment competitors. I know that the newly
launched Honda Civic is similarly priced. But this isn't a C segment
car.
So
which would I buy? The 2.0 or the 2.4? I would buy the 2.0. I like
the look without the additional body parts. I actually like the very
affordable price of RM113,888 also. What better way to drive from
Kuala Lumpur to Johor or to Penang than a brand new D segment sedan
for such a low price. And underneath it is still as reliable as any
Japanese car out there.
Specifications
2.0
4-cylinder 16-valve SOHC engine
154 horsepower and 189Nm torque
2.4
4-cylinder 16-valve DOHC engine
178 horsepower and 222Nm torque
Both get a 5 speed automatic transmission.
(c) 2016 motoring-malaysia.blogspot.com
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