QUOTE(ed209 @ Aug 30 2022, 11:01 AM)
If there's ever one feature i might miss from the ativa if i were to switch cars, it'd be the D-CVT's characteristics of wanting to coast.
Someone else also pointed this out, but if i sound like i truly hate my car, i do, but it feels very "free-ing" and "flow-y" when the car doesn't have significant engine braking once you're at the highest gear.
If you're travelling on our inner city highways like LDP, coasting at 80km/hr and then going up a flyover, assuming you're maintaining constant pedal pressure, you'll lose 10km/hr climbing the flyover without jeopardising your fuel consumption of atleast 20km/l, but as you're coming down, the car regains its 80km/hr speed with very little effort and again without jeopardising fuel consumption, heck you might even exceed abit more than 80km/hr. However, if you ease off the pedal coming down the flyover, you can easily maintain 70km/hr with a much better fuel consumption.
Another cool scenario is when you're coming down the steep highway at bukit lanjan on the NKVE, its so steep, but most cars would immediately engine brake if there's no throttle input, but the ativa would pick up speed. If you give it a very slight pedal pressure, you can actually accelerate the car from 55km/hr to 100km/hr and the fuel consumption bar would be FULLY green.
these are features (being eco/frugal/fuel saving etc) that more upmarket cars come with without need for advertising.
and, maybe i am brushing it off too lightly as my interests on fuel saving (especially if it will sacrifice driving enjoyment) is very low.
hence my preference and bias towards Proton (if we're looking at that price bracket/tier of local cars) as they have a completely different philosophy when it comes to throttle response/CVT/gearing, the car tends to maintain higher rpm/higher ratios so that it is more readily to accelerate/pull out of corners when you want it to. of course, the sad part is the higher rpm cruising/coasting on highways that many may not want as it does have higher NVH (from higher rpm) and of course the added fuel consumption (which isn't too bad as Persona Iriz can still easily do between 10-13 KM/L on 50/50 urban/highways settings and maybe 12-16+ for majority highways)
yes, it isn't 20+ KM/L with high green eco motivation LEDs. but if i have to spend long hours in a car, many years repaying a loan for said car, i can let go of some fuel consumption (or resale value, etc. but that's another topic for another day) in favor of enjoyment.
then there is safety, but i guess it would drag the topic elsewhere anyways so eh lol.
however, notice i also just mention Proton bread n butter sedan/hatch, not their Geely rebadged products. which should be a fairer SUV vs SUV comparison. thing is, the X70 doesn't handle anywhere near as good as Sedan/hatch Persona/Iriz, and i haven't personally test driven the X50 which, from many feedback seem to echo the same. and even if (far cry, lol) the ride and handling of said X50/X70 SUVs are weaker than Ativa/Aruz, their tech(L1 or L2 autonomous driving)/drive train offerings more than made up for it and the result is the insanely lopsided demand due to lack of competition. This is similar to Honda HRV with its ultra seats/magic seats offering, no one else offers it. and now HRV is the only SUV in that segment and price point that offers a C/D segment engine which is the 1.5T to its already light weight chassis resulting in a fairly fast (for a SUV) at this segment.
to me its a bit forced due to the messed up exhaust (lol i posted an image in the main F&F thread) and it's just bullshit Honda pulling to extend market dominance (AND the monopoly pricing shows! lol)