Tekkaus: Proton Preve Is Better Than Vios & Honda City?

Have you heard that Proton's new World Global Car will hit the road very soon? By now, we Malaysians should have known that this April, Proton will be launching their new Proton Preve, which is pronounced as "prae-veh". Let's see if Proton's latest arsenal will be able to propel it ahead of Perodua and establish itself as the country's number 1# car maker again! According to Proton, Preve means to proof (something), which really complements Proton Preve's tagline-Drive To Believe It! Then do you know that in spanish, Preve is supposed to mean to predict or foresee? So Proton predicts that this car will be a hit both locally and abroad? That we have to wait and find out.

Are you ready for Proton Preve?

So how will Preve fits into Proton's lineup? Of course Preve is not designed to replace Saga. Ha :D Neither will Preve be a Persona replacement as I thought. Instead Proton Preve will be fitted between the Exora and Persona. But I believe that it will replace Persona soon as the latter is nearing its retirement in 18 months. Proton Preve will come in 3 different variant forms. There will be 2 different engines which are the IAFM+ and the CFE, both of 1.6 litre capacity. Besides, there is a 5-speed Getrag manual which is joined by two Punch CVT variations, the VT2 and VT3 respectively. So all in all, Proton Preve will be released with two engine permutations and three transmissions.

So how much will Preve cost you? Proton Preve comes with a price tag ranging from RM62k-78k. Sounds relatively pricey aye? Well not if you take into account what Preve has got to offer. I must say that I am really, really impressed. Now let us talk about what is under the hood of Preve (engines), shall we?

The High Line Proton Preve comes with CFE engine which is equipped with a low-pressure turbocharger and is capable of delivering 138hp at 5,000rpm and 205Nm between 2,000-4,000rpm. Moreover this CFE engine is matched to a 7-speed CVT Punch Gearbox-VT3 and altogether they are known as the ProTronic (wow...sounds so powerful! :p). This High Line Proton Preve is capable of reaching 100km/h in 9.6 seconds and it can reach a maximum speed of 200km/h. As for fuel consumption, the CFE engine guzzles 8.2 litre of fuel to give you 100km of mileage. Pretty reasonable.

Likewise the M-Line versions of Proton Preve will feature the IAFM+ engines mated by the 5-speed Getrag manual  and 6-speed CVT (VT2) respectively. Interestingly both the engine and gearbox for the M-Line Preve is actually the same as the one in Saga FLX SE. Of course the engine and gearbox have been retuned for better performance in Preve. So you can more or less know the performance of these M-Line Preve once they hit the road.

Speed and power aside, let us look at the safety feature of Proton Preve. Apart from airbags...what really excites me is the fact that Proton Preve is the very first Proton car to be manufactured with Hot Press Forming (HPF) tensile parts. The incorporation of Hot Press Forming (HPF) tensile parts in Preve, allow it to have better torsional body rigidity without incurring the penalty of extra weight. With HPF, the Preve's body structure measures in at 19,000Nm/degree, which is really stiff. Altogether there are 12 HPF parts placed strategically at the crucial part of Preve to protect the passengers in the cabin. And Proton has a name for this new safety feature-RESS (Reinforced Safety Structure). Cool!

After my family was almost killed in a high-speed accident, the braking system of a car is one of the most important specification for me to choose a car. It has been claimed that Proton Preve has the BEST braking distance, stopping in 36.8 metres from 100-0km/h. Its 3 closest benchmark rivals needed a stopping distance 37.6m, 41.2m and 51.9m from 100-0km/h. Wow...this really, really impresses me, especially when we take the fact that top class cars have been used as benchmarks. 2 thumbs up for Proton Preve for maximizing the driver's and passengers' safety.

So where will Proton Preve be placed? It is said that Proton will be firing full cylinders in the C-segment with Honda Civic 1.8 and Toyota Altis 2.0 in its range. I believe that both the cars have been used as benchmark for Proton Preve. It is also interesting to note that the C307 Ford Focus sedan was also benchmarked. Obviously, according to the numbers, Proton Preve has certainly out-paces (outrun) and out-brakes all its closest rivals (Civic, Altis, Ford Focus, Vios and City?). Amazing, isn't it?

As we can see, it is very clear that Proton Preve is certainly miles better than Toyota Vios and Honda City right? Note that both Toyota Vios and Honda City DO NOT HAVE Traction control, Continuous Variable Transmission (CVS), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), just to name a few. Then compare the price and you will know where you will be putting your money if you wanna buy a new car for yourself or for the family. I believe Proton Preve can really become a global car. What say you?