since many like to knw bout FC:

Proton Inspira can go 900 kms on a tankful

It’s like the early 1980s again… I don’t mean like the days when you could get a BMW 320i for RM60,000 or when a litre of petrol was around one ringgit. I’m talking about fuel economy runs which were popular back then because it was thought that people would care about fuel consumption. But at around RM1 a litre then, most Malaysians didn’t consider fuel consumption as a major factor in choosing a new car and eventually, economy run competitions faded away.
In 2011, the cheapest petrol you can buy is almost 3 times what it cost in the early 1980s and it has been increasing frequently in the past few years. So motorists now care much more about how much fuel their car uses and the car companies seem to sense that it’s time to highlight the economical nature of their models.
This year, I’ve already been on three economy runs – the first with a Honda Insight to Melaka, a second one with a Ford Focus TDCi in early May, and last week, another one in a Proton Inspira 2.0 from Shah Alam, Selangor, to Penang and back. If you subscribe to our Twitter feed, you’ll know that the best result achieved from this run was 934 kms potential range with the Inspira’s 59-litre tank which lasted the entire journey. Here’s the story of the Proton Inspira Economy Challenge (PIEC).
Unlike the two earlier runs, this one by Proton was much more realistic in that the organizers set conditions that forbade extreme ‘techniques’ to stretch each litre. With most runs, other than setting a specific time to arrive at a destination – with penalties for lateness – there are no other conditions as to how the driving is done. So it was possible to switch off the air-conditioner (to eliminate compressor load), increase tyres pressure substantially (to reduce rolling resistance) and roll downhill in neutral gear. You can get fantastic fuel economy doing these things but who really does their motoring like that? For the PIEC, all these techniques were forbidden and to ensure that the participants didn’t cheat, an independent observer was placed in each car.
Proton’s challenge to the media was to go as far as possible driving the Inspira and there were 10 cars in the event - five driven by owners invited to join the event and five driven by journalists. Following usual practice, the bonnet and fuel lid were sealed and the organizers even installed a box over the air-conditioner controls so they could not be touched (the settings were the same for all the cars, with the air-conditioner running all the time).


At the start of the run, the range was projected as 310 kms with a full tank but after economical driving for some distance, it increased and when the fuel tank level was half, the potential range was 470 kms

I was again partnered by Daniel Fernandez (editor of Asian Auto) whom I was happy to have as he had shown that he would not go crazy in the mobile sauna room and also had the patience to drive at well below the speed limit on the highway. This time, of course, we expected the going to be a lot more ‘civilised’ as the cabin would be cool. The only thing was that the fresh air vent was also set to open so there were occasions when unpleasant smells got in!
The starting point was Proton’s head office complex in Shah Alam and as it is right beside a major highway, it was thought that we could depart and join the North-South highway for an easy drive north (no sweat, literally!). But an early morning downpour (plus being a Monday morning) caused a long jam and it wasn’t until past the Damansara turn-off that I could maintain a steady speed. In the horrendous jam, the fuel consumption was terrible – as bad as 4 kms/litre (converted from the display on the instrument panel which shows in ‘litres/100 kms’).


Paddle shifters on the steering wheel which are standard for the Inspira 2.0 made it easier to select gears quickly on the CVT. (Right) Air-conditioner controls were covered to prevent us from turning the system off!

Once it was possible to cruise at a steady speed, I began to experiment with various ways of driving, all with the objective of keeping the revs as low as possible. However, being a 2-litre Inspira, it was equipped with a CVT (continuously-variable transmission) which has different and unusual characteristics from a normal automatic transmission. Though it has 6 ‘speeds’, it doesn’t really have gears and the ‘speeds’ are pre-set steps in the transmission system to simulate shift points. The good thing about the CVT is that it allows greater fuel efficiency and even at 100 km/h, you can get a ridiculously low rpm.
Observing the bar graph which displayed real-time consumption, it became apparent that a cruising speed of between 70 km/h and 85 km/h was best. Too slow and the CVT would refuse to go into the highest ratio. So the strategy was to manually shift up (using the paddles mounted behind the steering wheel) to top gear as quickly as possible. Unlike a manual transmission where you might shift up too fast and labour the engine, automatics don’t allow you to get into a gear that’s too high until it’s okay.
Another thing that I found was that when you push the lever to the right into manual shift mode, the revs tend to be marginally higher. This is probably because it’s a ‘sports mode’ so the transmission is kept ready for stronger acceleration. But if you keep it in ‘D’, the transmission also tends to shift down and bump the revs up frequently. So the trick was to use sports mode to shift up quickly and once to gear was reached, to push the lever back to ‘D’ so the revs would be stay at their lowest.


Red lights are really bad for fuel consumption and if you know you're going to be stopped for a long time, shutting down the engine helps. It's helpful to keep and eye on the lights and if they are red as you approach, slow down to coast the remaining distance and see if the lights change and you don't have to come to a stop


Being a 2-litre version, the car also had cruise control and this feature is useful for fuel-saving. It maintains a more steady throttle position than would be possible if you tried using your foot pressure to maintain a desired speed. So if your car has cruise control, use it when you are able to travel long stretches without much traffic.
After the lunch stop in Ipoh, we were made to drive along the old road to Kuala Kangsar which was again to get ‘real-world’ driving conditions. Apart from the fact that it rained and reduced visibility, there were also a lot of heavy vehicles to overtake and then the climb uphill by the side of the cement plant. All these bumped up the consumption but we expected to compensate when we got back on the highway.

From the experience with an earlier run, we were apprehensive about the traffic conditions in Penang. We arrived late in the afternoon as rush hour was starting so it was a nightmare trying to drive economically. We were fortunate to get a ‘green wave’ through the lights again which helped and when we got to the hotel, we had travelled 330 kms and the remaining range was 440 kms. This would mean an average fuel consumption of 13 kms/litre.


Heavy rain and large lorries prevented steady speeds, impacting fuel economy severely. The GPS unit provided by the organisers for each car showed the projected time of arrival so we could pace ourselves

The tripcomputer provided average fuel consumption as well and as we tried different methods of driving, the figure would go from as poor as 5 kms/litre to 22 kms/litre. This was especially so when we started off in the morning and the consumption would be really terrible because the computer was using limited data; as the distance increased, it would adjust the reading which would typically become better.
Likewise with the range remaining which would also be dependent on how you had been driving during the times it took readings. You could be driving economically most of the time and then when you happened to drive aggressively or idled for long periods, then the range would become less. So the important thing to remember is that the range remaining is only an indication and you should never rely on it 100%. Anyway, when the level is very low, you will get a reminder that you should refuel as quickly as possible.
The journey back was less eventful as it was all on the highway. Our speed averaged 70 - 80 km/h and most of the journey was done using cruise control. The only time we had a panic was near Sg Buloh where roadworks had caused a jam to build up and that affected the consumption a bit.

Economical driving techniques can make your tank last up to 900 kms before this warning light comes on in the Inspira
The numbers were not as spectacular as in our earlier run because, as mentioned, the conditions were different. Other than the speed being on the low side, I’d say that the conditions of driving were realistic and show the effectiveness of the CVT in reducing consumption as well as the generally economical nature of the 2-litre engine. For the record, we achieved a potential range of 867 kms (including 90 kms remaining) while the best result of 934 kms (including 140 kms remaining) was achieved by the car which had Autocar ASEAN’s Hafriz Shah as one of the crew. Even the owners did well, with the best result being 904 kms (including 110 kms remaining). If you take the average consumption of the best figure by an owner and by a journalist, it would work out to be an average of 15.6 kms/litre. That’s pretty good for a 2-litre engine and the sort of figure which any motorist should be real happy to have.

damn true,
its only a car, appreciate your wife/love ones more than anything which holds true to me on my wife's hospitalization recently

Thanks guys,

ya just came out of hospital yesterday n still in pain n take mth to recover.

voonkv,

MT can whack all u wan without worryin on the gear box and can hit beyond 220km/h.
i hit redline/beyond 6.5k rpm at 2nd gear with rpm cut off twice

This post has been edited by DM3: Jul 6 2011, 05:27 PM

ya usually on MT wont affect much on gear, but ofcourse dun do it so often la,
my putra last time didnt have any gear issues when whack to max RPM to get the top HP on my gear stick broke after 7 yrs
gears all perfect condition.
CVT redline is much lower. and thts the disadvantage for cvt, dun drive so gungho like with a MT.

zenix,

if u like manual, go for it.
for me i like it and where got other 1.8 and above with MT?
its damn nice to whack and dun worry much bout damaging gearbox, my putra i also did the same only the gear shifter broke after 7 yrs .
its very easy to shift and different frm the older MT g/box

guys more things/wires can do in our car, go check out our forum/club

yes its common for all variants

all the wiring will be in as long as u go ur car until later this mth , after aug no more

as the mths go by or 1 yr later frm launching ,more local prts will be in the car

Rublik,

how come different prt no?
i tot its82046 /MR190955

whole msia mostly no 1.8 MT test drive car .
trust me just get it ,its damn nice

interior diff only all fabrics no leather.
fabrics are standard for mitsu lancers in US,SG for some variants

Daniel,

dun be so naive n trust SA talks ya.
they just say anythin to push for sales.
now heavy promotion due to not many buyers of inspira in coming mths.
as u knw newer cars will have more local contents from time to time .

yea, wat ever it is ,the majarity of parts are frm jpn or mitsu. so its not tht all will be so problematic as normal proton models.
most of us are 1st batch buyers up to 7-8mths + are still damn happy with our units.
just tht SA talks can only take 20% worth of info only

vios is out of the league of inspira in terms of space, specs ,comfort inspira way better

can get at least 1.3-1.5k on the inspira rims

Tuesday July 12, 2011

Proton takes over from Perodua as market leader
By JAGDEV SINGH SIDHU
jagdev@thestar.com.my



KUALA LUMPUR: Proton Holdings Bhd has pipped long time rival Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua) as the market leader in industry sales so far this year but analysts feel Perodua would launch a fightback in the second half once supply issues and the new Myvi hits full production.

Analysts said pole position is important for both car makers as both are selling cars in the affordable segment where volume was key but said sales number in July and August would more accurately determine if better response to Proton's Saga would be able to sustain its ranking.

“Perodua has a good chance of climbing back to the top of the sales chart but popularity of the Saga is strong,” said an analyst who tracks the sector.

Proton has year-to-date sold more cars than Perodua. For the January to May period, the first national car company sold 72,229 vehicles compared with 70,752 for Perodua, according to numbers complied by an analyst from OSK Investment Bank.


Proton flagbearer: Sales of the Saga averaged 5,000 units a month in the second half of last year but bumped up to 6,700 in the first 5 months of this year.
The best selling car for Proton during that period was the Saga, which registered sales of 33,649 for the period.

Analysts feel the drop in Perodua's sales was due to it phasing out of the old Myvi in view of the launch of the new Myvi which was introduced to consumers last month.

“Many buyers were holding back until they saw the new Myvi,” said the OSK analyst.

The lull period between the phasing out of the old Myvi and the introduction of the new Myvi appears to have benefited Proton, most of all when it came to sales of the Saga.

Sales of the Saga averaged 5,000 units a month in the second half of last year but bumped up to 6,700 units a month in the first five months of this year, said the analyst.

How long that will last is yet to be seen as analysts have said bookings for the new Myvi is strong. In the 12 days before the Myvi was launched, it had garnered 10,000 bookings.

“This is short-term visibility for us when we see demand for the new Myvi. Sales should pick up in July and August,” said an analyst.

The lead Proton has built up, even though slim, is important as it does not have a new model planned for launch this year. Analysts said a facelift of the Saga is all there is in terms of a refresher of its product line, but next year, a new model passenger car is expected to be launched.

Analysts said the new model would be an addition to the Persona, which is another big seller for Proton, and said the pricing of the new car will have a bearing on the response from the public.

“Proton remains an affordable car for the masses and it has a lot of convincing to do for people to pay big money for its cars,” said an analyst.

The drop in sales of the Inspira is one of the reasons analysts are suggesting Proton has a lot to do in persuading buyers of its new car should it go beyond the affordable price range.

“People have more choice with Korean cars being priced within an earshot of what Proton's price range is. With interest rates low, affording a more expensive car is not as difficult as when rates are higher,” said an analyst.

---

Added on July 12, 2011, 11:40 amthts why lots of good promo now.

This post has been edited by DM3: Jul 12 2011, 11:40 AM

wah so soon? mine already 11k km ,checked the oil level still ok. i think just need to replace after drain it at 40k km as schedule. no need so worried as its MT unlike auto/cvt

lacteavia,

congrats