Is It Value for money

Posted by Whoamie Itismei at Khamis, 9 Ogos 2012 [ 2:41 PG ] Filed under Automotif,Ekonomi

The 2011 Proton Inspira is the best Proton model to date, as any Proton owners can tell you after a quick test drive. The Mitsubishi Lancer-based Inspira, the creation of a technical agreement between Proton and Mitsubishi, offers the kind of interior refinement and quality that would have taken Proton many years to be able to mass produce.

Bring into consideration the Inspira’s good looks, well-judged ride-and-handling, ergonomical, spacious interior, and, lastly, the value-for-money proposition, and Malaysians are looking at a desirable Proton, one that we would highly recommend to anyone shopping for a C-segment, mid-size car.

Four colours are available for the Inspira, and these are Plum Red, Solid White, Genetic Silver and Tranquility Black. In terms of specifications and equipment levels, the Inspira gets a fair bit of kit, though the 2.0 Premium version does naturally get more in the way of added gear.

Nonetheless, all three variants come with dual SRS airbags, leather steering wheel, front pre-tensioner seatbelts, ABS with EBD, immobiliser and alarm system, central door locking, Isofix point, reverse sensor, solar and security tinted film and steering wheel-mounted audio controls.

Proton’s inputs on the Inspira were restricted to visual differentiation and suspension tweaking, with no changes to the powertrain, though that has not stopped Proton from claiming that they have added “value” to the Lancer base in the 17 months taken to create the Inspira.

It may be difficult to ascertain if the Inspira has a higher-quality interior than the Lancer, as Proton claims, and no easier to determine if the visual updates to the grille, bumpers and alloy wheels will appeal to a wider audience. But Proton’s tweaking of the suspension, conducted in-house by a 15-personnel team, has indeed given the Inspira a noticeable edge over the Lancer in terms of ride-and-handling.

Other items on the features list across the board are trunk lid remote release, front fog lamps, welcome home light system, driver’s side anti-trap/auto up-down power window, height adjustable driver’s seat and a MP3/Bluetooth-enabled CD player audio system with Arkamys 3D DSP.

As befits its Premium suffix, the Inspira 2.0 gets a number of differentiation points and features compared to the two 1.8 Executive models, and these are: