First thoughts: Doesn't look bad. The Tuah front was nicer, but oh well. Reminds _a lot_ of the Euro style Civic, if everything would be covered by glass.
That is one ugly rear spoiler! Totally ruins the lines. Is it really necessary? If so, couldn't it have been included into the lid?
Interior is decent from what I can tell. The passenger side looks very much like a VW.
ESC and TC!!!
There is a button for the seatbelt reminder?
I hope the location for deactivating the passenger airbag is a bit more hidden... usually the indicator is on the dashboard, and you deactivate it for example next to the driver door, with the car keys. However that may be too much effort for Malaysians to bother when they carry their kids.
It'd be nice if the driver also has a way to unlock from his side... in my Renault the button is in the center, so driver and passenger can reach it.
A 12V socket in the rear is very much appreciated.
I wonder if the 2 side airbags are of the combined type... that is normally there is a side airbag and a window airbag, but some cars combine those, so while they officially have only 4 airbags it is as if they had 6.
Over all a good effort. Could be a 12000 Euro car perhaps in top spec, which would be competitive. They could price it higher than that... going against i30 and cee'd.
This won't replace the Inspira, people still need a car they can mod into an EVO.
In Germany taxis used to be Mercedes la... it's not bad to drive a taxi. I think Mercedes E class is still most common, followed by VW Passat and Touran. (Merc does offer specially prepared cars with longer lasting brakes etc. and better service for Taxi drivers, and customers prefer to take the E class as a taxi).
Btw. turbo can help reducing FC
I'd just crash the P3-21A into a Vios. That should be enough. But then again I guess there is a gentleman's agreement to not do such a direct comparison.
Perhaps compare the car against contis twice the price instead. Like Focus, C4, Golf. Well, if it is good enough of course. i.e. be so arrogant to not even compare against those Japs, because it's mean to pick on enemies that have no chance.
In any case I'd stress the safety features. Something like "Proton P3-21A. Because we care about you."? "Proton P3-21A. The safe choice." The ad could show 2 or 3 cars, P1, T and H, driving along when suddenly there is the need to make an evasive maneuver. T and H lose control, P1 doesn't, thanks to ESC. Slow motion videos of a Proton during a crash test could be shown, so slow that it makes it look like falling into a soft, nice pillow. Especially the side ones, which, surprise, T&H don't have.
It might be hard to stress a feature that doesn't bother many, but that can be changed (the other Protons are a problem though, as they aren't exactly meant to be very safe).
@stormlcc: The only conti that comes to mind is the Fiesta sedan... it is a safer car, but it is also smaller and more expensive. Not to mention Sime Darby. The Japanese cars really are no competition at all, the only thing that speaks for them is reliability (sure, a horse cart is also very reliable) and brand. LED daytime running lights increase the safety (you make other cars not crash into you
), that is very much a feature that I want (have to upgrade my car...). Also, the Japs in this price range are B segment cars. This is C segment, the only competition it has is the Forte.
Feb 15 2012, 01:19 PM
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