Proton Exora MPV undisguised!

First and foremost, my sincere apologies to my readers (if anyone left!) for the recent comatose state of my blog. There are many excuses from being caught up in frenetic clinical work & hectic family life, writer's block to the fancy excuses given by TM Net's Streamyx for not giving me a broadband home connection. It has been more than 6 months since I last applied for one! I have been running to the nearest TM Point more than half a dozen times...and it's always "No Port" excuse.

Anyway, here I am on Maxis broadband, trying to recuscitate my little online automotive journal...with possibly the hottest topic for the month of April 2009.


Click on all pictures to enlarge

Thanks to faithful fan Darren & reader Justin, we have here some email pictures of the Exora in its natural state, uncamouflaged. Judge for yourself how the new Proton Exora has maxed out on its size. Visualise it as big as the Innova, except for the wheelbase and height. Yes! It's even longer than the Innova from bumper to bumper. As you can see above, it 's definitely larger than both the Toyota Avanza & Nissan Grand Livina.

Intial preview drive by noted blogger Paul Tan seemed to have suggested that the Campro 1.6 CPS with Auto tranny is barely adequate to move it, more so should you wanna hurry things up. Well, you can judge it for yourself soon - before this month is over - after the Exora's official launch.

In the meantime, you can point your browser to paultan.org and search for all its glorious details. Alternatively, there are some articles on the same preview drives by Hezeri Samsuri of cbt.com.my and Chips Yap of MTM online.

Indicative pricing for the Exora 1.6 CPS Auto is RM72k and RM76k for M-Line and H-Line respectively, judging from some pre-applied bank loans figures. The manual versions should be cheaper by some RM3k to RM5k, spec for spec.

Proton GEN.2 facelift gets real-deal CPS, VIM and IAFM

Proton Gen.2 1.6 has finally undergone a facelift along with engine"lift" featuring true variable valve timing now in the form of CPS plus VIM (Variable Intake Manifold) for its Hi-Line models. These retail for RM57,488 and RM60,488 for the manual and auto versions respectively. Power output figures are 125bhp at 6500rpm, while torque is 150Nm peaking at 4500rpm.

The Medium-Line models apart from getting just one driver's airbag also ditches CPS in favour of a simpler variable air intake manifold, dubbed IAFM by Proton. Proton claims that the infamous torque dip of its Campro circa 3000rpm is now ironed out, by way of more responsive and constant low to mid-range torque delivery. A case in point is healthier torque delivery of 139Nm at 3000rpm, versus the basic Campro 1.6L (in pre-facelift Gen.2) which only managed 128Nm of torque at the same engine rpm.

In overview, Proton's 1.6L Campro without CPS gives 110bhp at 6000rpm, along with 148Nm of torque at 4000rpm. The M-Line facelifted Gen.2 retails for RM53,488 and RM56,488 with the 5-speed manual and 4 A/T options respectively.

New Proton Persona 1.6 Campro sedan

Proton�s new Persona sedan is finally unveiled to the public today, signalling an end to the over-ageing Proton Wira sedan by replacing it. Available in Base and Medium specs with 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic, the High Line version is only sold in automatic form.

There are six colours options for now: Solid Red, Light Gold, Metal Grey, Tranquility Black, Iridescent White and Blueberry Tea. A basic solid white paint option will be available from September '07 onwards.

Proton�s familiar 1.6L Campro engine remains largely unchanged here. However, the transmission control electronics (TCU) has been remapped for a better low to mid-range torque delivery. It is also claimed to offer quicker throttle response i.e. more incisive gear downshifts.


A glovebox is made available now, even though the dashboard has been nicked from the Gen.2 but now in two-tone grey. The useful and funky-looking little clock is now missing, I would have thought a little improvements to its face and hands could improve its legibilty. Power windows switches are - thankfully - now on the door trim panel.

Boot space is larger than the liftback sibling, with 430litres worth of rump storage capacity. The Persona�s rear seats can be folded flat to further increase boot volume but this feature is only available for Medium and Hi Line models.

Safety features wise, dual SRS front airbags with seatbelt pre-tensioners, anti-lock brakes (ABS) and electronic brake-force distribution (EBD) are available for the Hi Line model only while the medium-spec version gets a single airbag only for the driver.

Pricing for the new Proton Persona is as follows (all on-the-road, with insurance, in Peninsula Malaysia):

Base Line 1.6MT - RM44,999 (solid), RM45,449 (metallic)
Base Line 1.6AT - RM47,999 (solid), RM48,449 (metallic).
Medium Line 1.6MT - RM49,800 (metallic)
Medium Line 1.6AT - RM52,800 (metallic)
High Line 1.6AT - RM55,800 (metallic).

Related post:
http://newbiecars.blogspot.com/2007/07/new-proton-gen2-sedan-proton-pesona.html