New Proton Exora Reviewed

THe previous version Honda City...

Hi all I just tested the CFE Premium (test drive car done 500km) and Saga 1.6 FLX SE. I have never owned a proton as I have always been a sushi owner.

When the Exora first came out I didn't buy the car because of mainly 2 reasons.

1. The engine was underpowered

2. The gearing was too short for comfortable highway driving.

But now with the turbo and the CVT with taller final drive @110Km/hr @ 2400rpm is great.

This is what I noticed in the test drive.

Power was good, torque was good, tyre noise wasn't good as the car had the standard Champiro tyres, would do much better with something like the new Conti CC5. Interior space was good, build quality is ok. But the Hard plastic dash is not really nice and the textured surface didn't really like it. Instrument cluster was nicely lit and easy to read. The rear of the car sounded as it could do with slightly more sound deadening as it sounded echoey, airy and slightly hollow. (But that can be easily done after purchase of the car). Same for the firewall and bonnet.

Noticed the CVT whrrring noise when slow speed crawling like in traffic jam and also when you are taking off from stand still. But once up to speed the sound was gone. Also notice the jerk when crawling slowly like traffic jam speed when you need to accelerate slightly. Feels like the clutch is slightly slipping, then when you gas alittle bit more the clutch fully bites and that is what causes the jerk as the CVT doesn't have a torque converter. If that is the case then it is wise in a traffic jam not to treat the CVT like a normal auto and let it crawl because it feels like the clutch in the CVT is not fully engaged at such a slow speed so as not to stall the engine as the CVT has no torque converter. So best you let the car in front move first with enough space then move. This will then cause less clutch slippage and prolong the life.

Have to really test some more to get a better feel of the characteristic of the trans at this low speed to fully understand what is happening. My test drive was short so not enough time to really test much.

Then I tested the Sage 1.6 FLX SE. Immediately I felt the chassis to feel much tighter and firmer than the Exora. It also felt like the car was screwed together more tightly than the Exora. But i guess thats due to the shorter chassis which causes less flex. Also I immediately found that the tyre noise was so much reduced compared to the Exora Premium. Didn't remember to see which tyres were on the Saga. But The Exora Champiro stock tyres are really noisy. They shouldn't have chosen those tyres to put on the car. The 1.6 in the saga makes the car a great daily driver and fun car to drive. Also found that the car's CVT had the same noise and slow speed characteristics as the Exora. Hope Proton can improve on the programming of that aspect of the transmission. I didn't like the round A/C vents as it doesn't allow for proper even air distribution, also terrible to use it as well as the iswara also has it.

All in all after testing those two cars, I think proton has improved the quality and performance of their cars. If proton never had any car at all and this was their first two models they ever produced, they wouldn't have the bad image that it has in many consumers.

So the question in my mind now is how long will the car keep this "new car" feel. Like for Jap cars, if well taken care of a 5yrs jap car will still feel quite good. All my cars I keep for minimum 10years.

So I'm considering getting the CFE Premium as my first proton, as it seems to be a very practical car, good power, quite good CVT (for Proton's 1st attempt) and reasonable build quality and seems to be reasonable fuel economy on paper. Can anybody give their real life fuel consumption of their CFE in L/100km?

But also was reading that they might release the hybrid exora in 2012 as they have tested it in UK and won the competition there.

So what you guys think, would like your 2cents on whether I should wait for the hybrid or when would be the next promotion period (hari raya?) and get the CFE, if I do get it, it will be my first proton and hope it doesn't let me down and turn me into one of those proton haters?

What's the Warranty on the Exora Premium? 3years 100,000km? If so I believe that would only cover the engine/drivetrain. What about the whole car bumper to bumper e.g. accs and radio, reverse cam. Can somebody check in the manual and advice. What is their recommended oil change and CVT change interval stated in the service book? Normally its 5K OCI for turbo cars.

Thanks guys for you 2cents.

> Exora Champiro stock tyres are really noisy
Yeah, it is. Sames goes for other cars too. Changed to PS3 and vibration is gone. No free balancing and alignment from SC. My stock CFE have some tyre vibration and misalignment. SC charge for this, even if the car is less than 100 km. Bummer! Have to do it outside and pay for it.

Jap & Korean cars, well maintained ones can still feel like new. Have 2 of these at home, 7-8 yrs already.

So far on moderate traffic, CFE returns 11.5 litre per 100km. There goes the paper claim of 7.x litre per 100 km.

If you are looking for budget MPV, this is the one! But bear in mind, it's still has some minor quirks and room for improvement.

Wah PS3 rubber for exora. 11.5l/100km sounds more real world. What minor quirks you referring to and what would you like see improved in the car? I want to see if those things I can live with before I decide to get one.

I wonder will Proton void the warranty if install a turbo timer. Most probably will, but should have no real problem because its water cooled.

thats my question for next PESC service.

What is PESC?

proton edar service center.

You don't need a turbo timer. I think it already has one, coz sometimes when I off the engine, the fan will still run for 1-2 minutes. Not all the time, but sometimes, especially if you ran the MPV fast fast.

If you are a family man, this is the MPV. You just don't need to set high expectations and can live with the minor quirks. With that in mind, I think this is still a good buy. The next class up is Estima, which is way out budget. So there you have it, the best MPV under 80k for now.

That one only the fan running. If not mistaken all Campro has this feature.
Only the fan runs, not the engine.

With turbo timer, the engine runs as well.
For turbo car, it helps circulate the oil and let the turbine to cool down which is crucial to prolong the turbine's lifespan.
Then again, P1 eg should hav done all the math to not include a built in turbo timer.
Still, i myself will installed1.

The fan running doesn't really do alot for cooling. You need the engine running so that the water pump can work to circulate the coolant from the turbo bearing/shaft housing to the radiator. If you gut blast the car and turn off the engine the coolant in there will start to boil because of the heat you need moving coolant to take away the heat. You can clearly see the water hose from the turbo connected to the top radiator cover. Therefore I think it would be very convenient to have a timer installed. Rather than sitting in the car. For all you know once word gets around, all the proton sales man will start to offer "Free Turbo timer" worth RM500 when you buy a new Exora CFE.

Isn't the next step up, Starex then then Estima, Alphard, Vellfire? Was considering Starex but too expensive and other things that put me off, but I like the size.