JUNE 2012

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Collected my car in a rush last Friday evening. SA has urgent matters to attend but he was kind enough to make available 10 mins to deliver the car to me with a briefing that is speed of light. No chance for me to check my car for the first time but I trust my SA as he never gave me promises he couldn't keep. There were no free gifts except the standard huddle which is yet to be activated. Yet I am very satisfied getting the car exactly 4 Weeks from loan approval date although I booked in April. The odometer confirms the car has traveled 16km before delivery which is very acceptable. There's only 5 litres of petrol in car so I fill it with V Power full tank and immediately went to a car accessory shop to get the sandblasting done. I wasn't aware they now use a white liquid to brush on the number stickers. $20 for the job.

Reached home and slowly inspect the whole car. Exterior body and paintwork matches the catalogue except one thing. There is a spot on the left rear passenger door area where the paint has totally chip off until i can see black metal without paint. It's the size of a fine rollerball pen tip. The edge of the door around the same area also has 5 plier marks and paint touch up. Wasn't a good touch up job as the fine holes are still visible and there is a thickened droplet of paint. Hope it doesn't rust but I will bring it to the attention of the SC. When the car is in my car porch crammed next to my Altis, it sure looks stunningly more beautiful than my 7 year old silver Altis and believe me, it's BIG!  The feeling was totally different when compared to the day I received my Altis. I wasn't expecting too much from the Preve for I only paid $72k for it. But I couldn't hide my grinning from ear to ear when I realized I got more than what I paid for. There is pure happiness and satisfaction as I opened the doors and remove the plastics one by one. I suddenly recalled having a very similar feeling when I was removing the plastics from my Proton Waja 10 years ago. I am very sure now that this feeling is caused by the PRICE. It's like why pay more for an ipad3 when you can get a sophisticated 7.7 tab which is 30% cheaper. Nonetheless, I have both.

Are you satisfied with the workmanship now?
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Look at the plier markings and those little tiny dots as well as paint touch up!
Did it happen in factory or SC? 

As I unwrap the plastics I found a broken bottom part of a plastic screw which is grey in color without the hat. No idea if it's been replaced or something broken. The back left side wall of the driver's armrest has blue marking stains which can't be removed completely but I can live with it. The rear passenger left door could not be opened from the inside. Found that the child safety lock is activated which I suspect is a measure taken to prevent the factory worker from accidentally opening the door and slam on the right rear light of another Preve in the factory    I carefully deactivated the safety lock counter-clockwise by ensuring I do not turn the key to the wrong direction as it will misalign the latch and prevent the door from closing as experienced by others.

Broken plastic screw from where?
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Small blue color marks if you zoom in to see. Has this got something to do with FenomX Blue Lagoon?
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When I pull out the rear seat middle armrest, it exposed the wall covered by a fabric mat which is puffy. I pulled it out and saw Velcro at the bottom of the mat so I tried to align it properly and stretch it while attaching it back in place but to no avail. This is what I call CCJ - Curi Curi Jimat. Proton cleverly save a bit of cost here and there to offer you fabulous safety features for $72k. Who complain? Certainly not me. If we were to presume the factory cost of the car is$55k, what kind of parts are you going to purchase and assemble to make this car able to compete globally if I give the funds to you? We have not factored in the R&D cost yet but I am very interested to know which area will you CCJ ? For those who complain poor finishing and fitting as well as poor quality, think twice. You might end up CCJ same area or worst still, an end product which nobody wants.

Tried plugging in my 32gb pendrive and the audio system works speedily probably because the built-in internal memory is high which is meant for the GPS system. Pairing iPhone was a piece of cake without needing a manual but the receiver of my call hears my sound muffled and wind noise from aircond. I have not located the Mic yet but I suspect it's at the steering wheel.

Gear lights are readable when you set the lighting brightness from level 2 to 5. How I wish the front LED can be turned on without turning on the rear lights during the day.  The latch of the boot which is secured to the inside of the bumper has been modified and tilted at a moderate 5 degrees probably to fix the issue of boot opening by itself.

Check out the screw in a new location on the left side
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During night driving, it's more noticeable on highways, where the headlights dim a little each time the Aircond compressor kicks in. It's a bit annoying when you are driving very fast at night and giving full concentration on what's coming up ahead.

During hot days, when you start up the car, the Aircond blows warm air no matter what temperature you set. Cool Air will only start to blow when you step on the accelerator pedal. I think the relay switch is set to this mode to prolong the Aircond system. One thing I noticed, the Coolant Cap does not secure tightly with a ‘tak’ sound. Steering wheel had to be maintained at 10 degrees right to drive straight. Will do alignment as soon as possible. I hate how the spare tyre is kept upside down. Is there a simpler way to pump air into it or gauge the tyre pressure?

Car will move forward when brake is released. 1300 to start moving but 1800rpm generates enough power to cruise you smoothly all the way to 80kmh. Can easily control your foot not to exceed 2000rpm thus turbo is not initiated. But reversing requires more pedal effort and only when the engine roars at 1500rpm, you will achieve a good reverse speed when you spot an empty car park 5 cars behind you. This has to be done gingerly or else might hit into something or someone. The high boot makes matters worst and the reverse sensor does not cover a wider angle. Only beeps when something is directly exactly behind the car; not at side of car. I personally think as a token of appreciation, Proton should consider offering a free upgrade to install a reverse camera for all those first 8000 bookings made by daring and loyal supporters of Proton.

I have no chance to sit at the back but I can confirm there is wind noise at the top corner of driver seatbelt pillar. There is also wind noise coming from the front driver sunvisor area aka A Pillar which I suspect is the groove at top windscreen without rubber lining. Wherever the wind noise exists does not bother the driver or the passenger when you turn on the audio to 30% volume.

A sudden acceleration from standstill or below 30kmh will generate very loud annoying vibration coming from the dashboard and the loudest around the bottom of the gear console. I hope this vibration can be minimized if not fixed permanently as it embarrass you whenever you try to impress your friends in your car. If it is with your family, you can just laugh it off and vroom together in sync to make the trip fun, which i did.

The CFE engine certainly makes driving fun again just like those days when i first got my driving license. A powertrain that delivers maximum torque of 205nm at 2k-4k rpm and a peak power of 138hp really makes overtaking a breeze in any kind of situation. The power of this car is not anything to shout about but if you use it wisely then you will be able to enjoy an exhilarating ride everytime you step in.

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Emergency braking is not dramatic but it does feel dramatic. Because i have not familiarized with the quick acceleration speed of the car yet, I tend to reach traffic lights at a turn of yellow when my speed is 80-100 in Lumut area. When I jam on the brakes, there were no tyre screeching sound on that hot day but the brakes give me a sense that it will not stop in time and will most likely end up in the middle of the junction or one third. The brake pedal feel is too soft and very low, ABS did not activate which was unnecessary at that time and just as I start saying my prayer, the brake bites very hard and the car stopped at the motorcycle line instead of the earlier line for the car. The EBD and BA did come into play which can be felt easily but still it does not give you any confidence because this brake system only bites hard at the very last minute when the speed has been slowed down to 30kmh or lower. I think it's another safety feature for those who hates to put on their safety belt so as not to knock his head or chest too hard. i definitely prefer my Altis brakes which gives me confidence and calmness to plan what i should do next if i couldn't stop in time.

Whistling sound coming from front left passenger glove box area whenever reaching 2000rpm really gives me an unnecessary adrenaline rush tempting me to step harder on the gas pedal always looking for an exhilarating ride. Can anyone confirm this is a good thing?

Each time I reach a destination and as soon as I turn off the engine and step out of the car i will hear the sound of the car urinating or water boiling and fizzling for more than 5 minutes exactly on the silver metal plate which warns you not to put your hand there.
It does give me the impression that the car engine is extremely hot and my turkey is overcooked till it's black but still cooking in the oven. You will get to hear it when your turbo fan is off.

As I test drove the car to Lumut, even from the early stage till the moment I return home to Ipoh, there are 5 types of cars who loved to cucuk and dogfight with you; Persona, Waja, Perdana, MyVi 1.5 and Vios. I told myself not to exceed 120kmh in my maiden run but i ended up at 170kmh when i looked at the tachometer. All thanks to a Waja who refused to give way on the right lane when we were at the traffic lights. I cucuk him as soon as the lights went green but he annoyed me when i couldn't make full use of my car full power from the S mode. That frustration made me accidentally swallowed my Xylitol chewing gum for the first time since 32 years ago. WTF!  Anyway with my family in car i decided to abort the mission and sayang my new car but the 2 monkeys in the Waja gave me a victory fist and slowed down to let me overtake so that they can admire my car and savor their victory. So pathetic! Having his Waja in front obstructing me is not a dogfight, it's more like dogfucuking. So it's me who enjoyed the most from behind, needless to say. The Preve lost the battle but won the war. 

After driving from Ipoh-Sitiawan-Teluk Batik-Lumut-Segari-Ipoh on a day trip with a heavy foot on the gas pedal, I managed to fill 39 litres of petrol which has been used to cover 343km of my journey using Shell V-Power. That translates to 8.8km/litre or 11.4litres/100km. Since the car has only done 359km, I am sure the FC figures will be much more reasonable after the run-in.

The suspension is quite stiff yet comfortable and i annoyed my wife by repeatedly mentioning i love the road holding and handling which brings back memories of my Waja, only this time even better our best of all in it's category of sedans. After driving my Preve I suddenly realize i am not that old, it's just that my Altis is a very poor handling car which reduces your confidence in your driving skills. But it's still a good boring car which perfectly matches my wife criteria. So, it's worth to keep.

As for now, Preve is my number one pick whenever I go out, and it’s gonna stay that way for years to come.

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Shi+, the chewing gum still somewhere in my intestines for another 2 days. Dammit!

SCORE:
Price  9/10
Looks  7/10
Features  8/10
Quality  6/10
Handling  10/10
After Sales Service 6/10
OVERALL  7.7/10

I LIKE:
Ride and Handling
Powerful Engine
Spacious Cabin
Loads of Safety Features

I DISLIKE:
Noisy Engine, Gearbox, Fan & Wind Noise
Poor Quality Control
Poor After Sales Service
Call Receiver Party Difficult to Hear You Speak
CCJ (Curi Curi Jimat) easily uncovered
MY WISHLIST:
Reverse Camera, Sunroof, 7 speaker sound system, Leather Seats, Papago Map, Auto Leveling Lights, More Soundproofing and Pearl White Color.
SIDE STORY:
My family previously owned the first batch of Proton Saga 1.3s with the special limited edition number plate starting with PROTON XXX which I kept till today. This number has always been transferred to our new Proton car. We bought the first batch Proton Wira 1.6 auto premium followed by Proton Iswara Sedan 1998 model which is serving my wife very well. I bought the Proton Waja 3rd batch 2002 1.6 auto model with full satisfaction but lasted only 3 years and I curse Proton and made a vow never to buy a Malaysian car in my life again! The fuel pump failed after 55,000km and it was 11:15pm Saturday night out in the dark with my family and child. Waited till 12am for AAM tow truck to arrive and give us a lift home with the car. Replaced the fuel pump for $550 and with a 3 months warranty but after 3 days same defect and failed again. This is why I chose to marry AAM as my second wife. I had to get it fixed again and quickly disposed off it because I couldn't imagine it failing again during downhill, highways or junctions. I am sure you know what car I bought as a replacement. Now after 7 years observing Proton me models and new batches, I noticed their products have less defective issues and reliability has certainly improved by leaps not bounds.

To be honest, the 7 years have not been easygoing too although I bought the Altis. There has been problems with power window arm misalignment, brake disc uneven every year, smell of fumes from buses and Lorries entering the cabin, door latch problem, front seatbelts mechanism failure, central control panel unresponsive, car boot ejecting mechanism failure etc.  What I am trying to say is any car also will have problem but Toyota parts are very very expensive. Worst of all, only one SC in Ipoh.

Today I regret paying $108k for an Altis which is $35k more than Preve premium. I would rather spend $72k for a Preve and change to a new Proton model every 5-6 years. The Altis is nonetheless still a good comfortable car to drive but it's not worth the asking price.
BONUS STORY:

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While my Preve was 1 day old, I drove it to Tesco at Sitiawan and was a bit worried parking in the covered area. I use my newly bought AutoLock brake pedal lock system and locked in properly before going shopping. I somehow have this feeling that this car will have a high theft rate because of it’s fantastic handling and fast acceleration.  I did not really check on my car after my shopping spree but when I reach back home at night, I noticed something stucked on the top right edge of front passenger window.  At first glance, it looks like someone tried to pry open my window with the latest equipment but might have left when someone noticed their suspicious activity.  I was shocked momentarily and after I regain my senses, I approach my wife and asked her a question ie, Did you ‘pick’ anything while we were on the way home earlier? 

Next time, please do not throw any objects out of the window while car is moving, a 'Preve' might get injured. Ouch! 
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Her answer made me ROTFLOL 

Cheers,
Rick Federer
CFE CVT
Solid White
CN 40XX