That wont be an accurate assessment simply due to the fact that its not NAZA distributing the cars in those markets. The main reason why the Koreans have not be able to get a good stronghold in Malaysia these past few years is because of these unrealiable distributers we have. So looking at Australia and US wont tell you about stuff that are controlled by the local distributers here. For quality and drivability yes u can refer elsewhere but the buck stops there.

new waja to be called Waja Inspira:

http://cocolayla.wordpress.com/

First Driving Experience of the Waja Inspira 1.8L and 2.0L

http://motortrader.com.my/Cars/NewsHeader/...3;-%283%29.aspx

U had the latest Lancer and u sold it to move to a Forte? What year model was your Lancer and how much did u sell it for?

http://paultan.org/2010/10/13/proton-p3-90...-preview-drive/

A bit on the new Mitsubishi based Waja Inspira engines from Paultan:

The new 2007 Lancer has it’s engine upped to 2.0 liter, putting it head to head with the Civic 2.0. The new GEMA engine is a joint venture project between DaimlerChrysler, Hyundai and Mitsubishi. Hyundai has yet to use the GEMA engine in any of it’s cars, while DaimlerChrysler’s now-sold-off Chrysler used it as it’s flagship 2.0-2.4 liter.

The GEMA engine is called the 4B1x series in Mitsubishi terms, and the 2.0 liter model that we will see in the 2008 Lancer is the 4B11, with the Lancer Evolution getting the 4B11T. It is probably the first time a non-Sirius engine has been used in a Lancer Evolution. All Evolutions, from the Evo I to the Evo IX used some variant of the Sirius 4G63T, with the latest in the Evo IX getting MIVEC variable valve timing.

The 4B11 is a 4-cylinder DOHC engine with MIVEC variable valve timing on both intake and exhaust valves, making it somewhat equivalent to Toyota’s Dual VVT-i. In it’s US market application, it makes 152 horsepower at 6,000rpm and 198Nm of torque at 4,250rpm, with 176Nm available from 2,500rpm. The 4B11 uses a new aluminium cylinder block as well as an aluminium cylinder head. A timing chain is used instead of a timing belt.

While most engines are usually either bore-biased (rev-happy) or stroke-biased (better torque), the new 4B11 is a “square” engine – it has a bore and stroke that both measure 86mm, giving a good balance of rev-happiness and good torque. It uses as compression ratio of 10.0:1, but can still use RON92 (87 AKI) fuel.

The MIVEC system uses valve overlap to reduce pumping losses under normal conditions, but under high engine speed conditions where maximum power is needed, intake valve closing time is retarded to allow for larger air volume. In a similar high load condition but at low engine speeds, intake valve closing is advanced instead, ensuring sufficient air volume, but exhaust valve opening is retarded to provide a higher expansion ratio and improved efficiency.

To ensure stable idling, valve overlap is eliminated during idle conditions. As previously mentioned, this version of MIVEC can adjust both intake and exhaust valves independently for maximum flexibility in valve control.

Mitsubishi has employed a 4-point inertial axis system with cylindrical hydraulic engine mounts on the left and right sides to help reduce engine vibration, ensuring smooth and quiet operation. On the right side mount where the engine is, a lightweight, high-rigidity squeeze-cast aluminium bracket helps reduce engine noise under acceleration. On the left side where the transmission is, a similar lightweight, high-rigidity plate bracket made of steel helps reduce gear noise. For the front and rear engine mounts, a custom-tuned insulator helps control both idle vibration and acceleration shock.

The engine can be mated to either a 5-speed manual gearbox or a CVT transmission with 6 virtual gears that are selectable using paddle shifts on the steering wheel. Mitsubishi picked 6 gears (in reality because they are unlimited to pick from, you could have 50 CVT virtual gears if you wanted) because it offered the best balance of ease of use, sporty driving, and flexible performance.

The 5-speed manual is an improvement over the old 5-speed transmission – the third and fourth gears now use double-cone synchronisers for smoother shifting and a new honing process was used to reduce noise. The gear ratios have also been adjusted to suit the torque curve of the new engine.

The CVT transmission’s ratio range is from 2.349 to 0.394, with infinite variations in between, which gives wider ratios than the previous 4-speed auto that had a ratio spread of 2.842 to 0.712. A much higher achievable overdrive ensures good fuel economy and lower engine speed for highway cruising. The INVECS-III software in the CVT customises shift patterns on the fly to match the acceleration and brake patterns of the driver. If you select the L mode, the INVECS-III software shifts to allow for more engine braking if the car has to go down slopes.

Something alot of people miss when switching from conventional fixed ratio gearing to CVTs is the lurching feel when you floor the pedal from a stand still. The way a CVT-equipped car starts may be interpreted as sluggish by our minds – this is known as the rubber band effect. INVECS-III can simulate this lurching that the driver expects.

Anyway, this engine looks like a very modern engine with a gearbox combination that promises to be great for both city and highway driving. You’ve got ample amounts of torque from a low 2,500rpm for a comfortable city drive, plus a CVT to keep the revs at the sweet spot. You’ve got a good low maximum overdrive ratio of 0.394 for good highway fuel economy and a relaxed low engine speed cruise

Comparison of Horsepower & Torque for 2.0L models

Honda Civic - 155HP / 188Nm (1315kg)
Kia Forte - 156HP / 194.2Nm (1326kg)
Waja Inspira - 155HP / 199NM (1358kg)
Toyota Altis - 147HP / 187Nm (1315kg)

Surely not. The Forte has more features and is more value for money if compared to specs alone. But the Waja Inspira will sell well also because its a Proton. But how well we dont know since its in a different category and not many can afford to fork out 87K for the 1.8A

This has been mentioned many times before. U first need to decide your own needs. Only then can u know what is important for you. Your needs might be different to mine. But generally when u consider buying a car u should take the following factors into account:

1) Price
2) Specs
3) Build quality
4) After sales maintenance costs
5) Fuel consumption
6) Resale value

No car will have all the factors mentioned above. So its up to you what you consider important for your own needs. The Waja Inspira will have the advantage of item 4 & 6 while the Forte will excel in item 1 & 2 and maybe item 5. Item 3 is left to be seen and difficult to determine at this moment. Judging by past history both Kia and Proton have had quality issues so it would be fair game there for the current models.

If he/she is considering a Forte best to wait till the Avante is launched next year. Anyway, i think its silly to buy a car at this late stage in the year. U buy now and by 1 Jan 2011 your car is already 1 year old.

Thats why Proton is launching the Inspira with the 2 yrs free service for cars collected by 31 Dec 2010. Because they need to push off the current stock before the value drops. So even if u miss the 2 yrs free service, its still much cheaper than losing 1 yr of resale value (which can be as much as RM5K).

1) Resale values will make a big difference even though u sell after 5-7yrs. My friend just sold his 2003 Sonata 2.0L for a 80% loss. Comparitively a 1.5L 2003 Toyota Vios only loses about 40% of its value after 7 yrs. Of course they are different segment cars as well.

2) The Avante u saw was the current model. The upcoming Avante (or Elantra as it might be known as) will be a 1.6L brand new model designed by a new team of designers. It will have a real 6 speed gearbox the same as the current newly launched Sonata has. There are many pics of the car on the net. check it out. It really looks classy. There's even a Kia Optima that will be released next year as well.

Huh? U saw this on the road?? Where?

The same spirit those with the Kia Spectra showed before. How is the car now?

Ehem...ehem! No hard feelings yea....

Specs

Dont forget, that the car is not considered as a 1 yr old car, its a 2 yr old car now since the car was manufactured (and registered) in 2009. People still dont understand that when u calculate the age of the car its not by the registered date but by the date of manufacture. Plus the months dont mean anything. U can get the car in April or December and its still considered 1 yr old. Your car can be only 6 months old but it will fetch virtually the same price as a 1 yr old car.

Thats why u should never get new cars towards the end of the year or even in Jan / Feb the following year as even then it might be the previous year's manufactured vehicle.

But another reason why the Forte price could be low is because 2nd hand car dealers cannot estimate the actual price and they dont want to take the risk and offer a higher price. Thats the problem with new models.

But its also funny that your friend would suddenly jump from a RM80K+ car to a RM248K just because of a 'work requirement'. If he had told that to the 2nd hand car dealer, im sure he would have been suspicious and decided to play safe by offering a low price.

This is the previous Kia Forte that was advertised on The Star Classifieds. The owner doesnt realise that even though its 10 months old, the car was manufactured in 2009 so that makes it 2 yrs old. He may not get the price he's asking for.

http://classifieds.thestar.com.my/search.a...1&submit=Search

First of all, the insurance premium quoted will always be much higher than the actual vehicle value. Thats why when u renew insurance, you should always do your own homework and find out the market value of your car and then tell the insurance company to quote based on that value. Dont let them tell u the value cuz it will always be higher since they want more premium

Secondly, insurance companies have their own evaluators and adjusters. They usually have a master list of vehicles in Malaysia with prices for various years and models. The same as Toyota has for all their models according to the age.

This post has been edited by cybermaster98: Oct 15 2010, 09:46 AM

Yes its not determined by the manufacturer. But Toyota has it because they are also a 2nd hand car dealer. Toyota has their Topmark for 2nd hand Toyota models which come with a 1-2 yr warranty. Same as the BMR Premium Selection.

New models will be difficult to u just have to assume based on the market trends for other models.

This post has been edited by cybermaster98: Oct 15 2010, 10:47 AM

I just test drove the Forte 1.6SX. I found it to be very sluggish. I even got a friend of mine to tst as well and his comments were the same. Is there a reason for this?