By now, most of you motoring enthusiasts would have known that Proton's new Exora is retailing for RM69,998 and RM75,998 (metallic colours, OTR) for the M-Line and H-Line respectively. Both specs are currently available only in 4-speed auto guise. Responsibly, both M-Line and H-Line also have dual frontal SRS airbags and ABS+EBD as standard fitment.
Proton's high performance 150Nm capable Gen.2 facelift', Waja facelift' and Satria Neo CPS' engine is carried over to lug close to 1.4 tonne and the debate is still on whether this will satisfy the many young families' drivers out there.
Whatever it may be, I am impressed with the extreme value that this MPV represents. Good job Proton! Personally though, here's to wishing there's a Campro CPS LPT (light pressure turbo) in the making...meanwhile, I absolutely loved the slow-mo (dampened mechanism) opening of the lower glove box. Splendid.
Go check it out, even if you do not intend to buy one. This may just as well represents the value-buy-of-the-year...or possibly even this decade!
First and foremost, my sincere apologies to my readers (if anyone left!) for the recent comatose state of my blog. There are many excuses from being caught up in frenetic clinical work & hectic family life, writer's block to the fancy excuses given by TM Net's Streamyx for not giving me a broadband home connection. It has been more than 6 months since I last applied for one! I have been running to the nearest TM Point more than half a dozen times...and it's always "No Port" excuse.
Anyway, here I am on Maxis broadband, trying to recuscitate my little online automotive journal...with possibly the hottest topic for the month of April 2009.
Click on all pictures to enlarge
Thanks to faithful fan Darren & reader Justin, we have here some email pictures of the Exora in its natural state, uncamouflaged. Judge for yourself how the new Proton Exora has maxed out on its size. Visualise it as big as the Innova, except for the wheelbase and height. Yes! It's even longer than the Innova from bumper to bumper. As you can see above, it 's definitely larger than both the Toyota Avanza & Nissan Grand Livina.
Intial preview drive by noted blogger Paul Tan seemed to have suggested that the Campro 1.6 CPS with Auto tranny is barely adequate to move it, more so should you wanna hurry things up. Well, you can judge it for yourself soon - before this month is over - after the Exora's official launch.
In the meantime, you can point your browser to paultan.org and search for all its glorious details. Alternatively, there are some articles on the same preview drives by Hezeri Samsuri of cbt.com.my and Chips Yap of MTM online.
Indicative pricing for the Exora 1.6 CPS Auto is RM72k and RM76k for M-Line and H-Line respectively, judging from some pre-applied bank loans figures. The manual versions should be cheaper by some RM3k to RM5k, spec for spec.
2009 seems to be a season of bang-for-bucks MPVs. Notwithstanding the economic recession looming ahead for us, multi-purpose vehicles are hoping to rough through the downturn, especially with budget models like the much-hyped, soon-to-be-launched Proton Exora and Perodua’s new MPV (Toyota Passo Sette) in the making.
Coming to present tense, and moving a couple of rungs up this people mover segment, we have this ‘Starship Enterprise’ of a minivan (as the American folks call it), minibus or full-size MPV. Whatever you might want to call it, there’s no denying that this Starex is simply huge. Ditto its front and rear tracks, with even the bulge of all 4 wheels showing its wide jutting stance. Measuring over 5metres in length, think Mercedes R-Class and S-Class in extended ‘L’ guises, and perhaps even taller than the trendy and popular deep-freezer-on-wheels Toyota Alphard. This is another repeat of maximum bang-for-bucks from the Koreans. Splendid, I thought to myself since most guys, if not all, love bigger things generally (stop your wandering minds people). A preference applicable even to handsets now, unlike in the early 2000’s when Nokia’s most ‘iconic’ and smallest handphone, the 8210 were so ubiquitous.
In all honesty, almost all the folks that spotted me piloting the Starex – a parallel imported MPVs dealer included - were more impressed with its exterior styling than the other slab-sided metal chunk wearing that coveted ‘T’ badge. Some even commended that the Starex’ rear profile traces the current Mercedes-Benz Vito/Viano to a certain extent. Now that must be quite flattering for Hyundai’s Starex going into its third generation. Personally, I quite fancy the Starex’ frontal visage and I guessed it could pass off as the next generation Mercedes V-Class (Vito), more so with the Starex in metallic silver. All you need is a change of the big emblem sitting in the centre of the large slab of a grille!
It’s also very heartening and appetising to digest figures like 170 hp and 392 Nm of torque at 2000 to 2500rpm coming from Hyundai’s 2.5L turbodiesel, equipped with Variable Geometry Turbo (VGT). Definitely class-leading figures for an oil-burner at RM138,888 or for any 12-seater for that matter. Much like a double-digit load capacity Korean-made washing machine I still cherish a lot until now; seating the Starex up to the max didn’t seem to bog it down, with cruising at legal speed (and beyond) and also passing slower pickup trucks and SUVs a breeze. The 2.2 tonne Starex also passed my self-coined uphill-sprint-test with flying colour, lugging the same full load of passengers. That’s the beauty of near-400Nm of turbodiesel torque working with you, for you, via the 5-speed auto ‘box. Interestingly, I have managed to clock about 580km to the tankful of 75litres of diesel, for what is mostly highway blasts at ‘high’ speed, with some urban driving thrown in.
This behemoth from Hyundai is best left cruising down highway since its sheer bulk and high centre-of-gravity don’t usually translate to fun tackling the twisties. That’s to be expected but it’s not to say that it pitches and rolls badly around corners, far from it. In fact, I found the Starex mostly as planted as the SsangYong Stavic tested years ago, if not for what is recalled as slightly better tracking composure of the latter’s front axle into corners. Needless to say, both makes are best driven sedately around bends since they are after all massive vehicular masses in motion. The brakes of the Starex is very adequate though, and for those who like to split hairs about having drum brakes at the back (e.g. Naza Ria, Toyota Innova and the Grand Livina), the rear axle items on the Starex are not only discs but huge, ventilated rotors. The turning radius of the Starex is simply superb, enabling unusually small semi-circle for making U-turns, even better than some front-wheel driven sedans with lengthy frontal overhang! In addition, this also makes parallel parking easier than you imagine.
One of the few gripes I have with the Starex is the absence of a rear screen wiper when even a reverse camera is standard. You know how an expansive rear windscreen on a near-vertical tailgate gets easily sprayed with smudges after a rainy day drive. In an already tall van, the taller bee-sting radio antenna only serves to scrape ceilings, an occasional overhead fire sprinkler’s piping and sometimes metal frame scaffolding of basement car parks. In the meantime, I found the vague release of the parking brake lever deep in between the driver and front middle seat mostly inconvenient. More often than not, the parking brake does not disengage fully unless and until I extend my elbow and wrist, each time having to consciously push the lever deep down to the carpet trim level. Also, what’s with the old school instrument dials with plain green backlight at night and ever-so-boring fonts, looking bargain basement and much like a commercial goods carrier’s? Come to think of it, I have spotted a white panel-van version of the H1 - as the Starex is known as - in the U.K. last year, but c’mon Hyundai, surely there’s room for differentiation at the meter panel!
Interior wise, the ceiling is lined bilaterally with A/C vents which kept all three back rows’ passengers cool, near freezing-cold even in scorching mid-day sun. Though the seats sizes are just adequate, trimming them in soft beige leather did help in increasing their comfiness and even adds a tinge of class to things. In fact, the overall cabin ambience is far more inviting and luxurious versus the likes of Toyota HIACE and the Kia Pregio. Heck, there is even a touch screen double-DIN DVD player up front along with a ceiling mounted LCD screen to keep my kids and their cousins quiet during an outing to Kuantan, and back!
After returning the tester unit, this writer was actually contemplating getting one for his ever expanding, at times extended family. If only the economic uncertainty that looms with the doom of global financial crisis isn’t so murky and threatening. Nonetheless, at sub-RM140k there is nothing like this out there in CBU form (or even CKD!) and as a brand-new vehicle for you to pick. So it does make sense – more so in these testing and trying times - as say, a third ‘car’ for mass transportation or utility purposes for a large family. That’s provided you can get past the usual badge snobbery that may afflict most of us. For the record, this Hyundai is already well received by the decision makers in the hospitality, travel and tourism industry. That's some positive testament, isn't it?
I suppose most of you car nuts would have seen images like these countless of times all around the blogosphere by now. Thing is, I actually caught these pictures myself - using a Nokia E71 - on my way to work say, 2-3 weeks ago. I guess Proton have been 'deliberately' flashing the public with repeated 'previews' of things to come from them, which is looking to be probably a best-seller in the making. While it appeared like a taller Toyota Wish, the butt of Proton's newest baby is more akin to Toyota Innova in chunk and contour! Expect its third row seating space to ace the Wish, Stream, Grand Livina and the likes.
Rumoured to be priced anywhere between RM72k (basic, manual version) to RM89k (for the auto top-spec), watch out for Proton's official unveiling and naming of this MPV sometime March 2009.
Naza Kia has had a stellar feedback on their recently introduced Rondo MPV, selling considerably well since its introduction in September this year.
"Sales results for the first two months of our Rondo introduction, more than 300 units, are in line with our objectives and confirm that more new customers are switching to Naza Kia products. I'm delighted to observe that this process is accelerating with each new model we introduce," commented SM Nasarudin SM Nasimuddin, CEO of Naza Group. "In this landmark year of change for Kia, the new Rondo and our other top models like the Optima, Sportage, Sorento and Spectra5 were both highly praised by members of the motoring media and our customers for having the best specifications for the prices offered in their respective segments. So far it looks like 2009 is already shaping up to be a great year for Kia in Malaysia."
Customer feedback thus far has gone beyond expectations, with many praising the Rondo's excellent fuel consumption which they can monitor thanks to the in-dash Trip Computer. Other features mentioned include the 6-speaker audio system with steering wheel mounted remote control*, automatic air-conditioning*, roof rack, folding door mirrors and attractive alloy wheels.
Journalists too, have come forward with nothing but praise for the Rondo. "Going uphill is again another starter for us as the Rondo, with seven adults, just cruised along without straining its engine. Seriously, it was such a refreshing experience as we never felt a Korean engine this good and this smooth," reported motoring news editor Hezeri Samsuri. "Sound insulation is good and on par with Japanese sedans in its price category. Bumps and holes are muted well, and so does the engine noise. The Rondo does have a good dashboard layout and the material used is also durable and does not look or feel cheap, which speaks of the improvement in quality noted over its predecessor.
By now, most of you motoring enthusiasts would have known that Proton's new Exora is retailing for RM69,998 and RM75,998 (metallic colours, OTR) for the M-Line and H-Line respectively. Both specs are currently available only in 4-speed auto guise. Responsibly, both M-Line and H-Line also have dual frontal SRS airbags and ABS+EBD as standard fitment.
