Proton R3 Satria Neo open for booking
The spiritual successor of the highly-acclaimed Proton Satria R3 is here, in the form of the limited edition Proton R3 Satria Neo, and it is open for booking immediately. Featuring R3’s Stage 2 upgrades on its 1.6-litre Campro CPS engine, the R3 Neo is priced at RM79,797 in Peninsula Malaysia.
Compared to the old Mitsubishi-powered Satria R3, the R3 Neo wears a slightly bigger price tag, but justifies it with 145hp @ 7,000rpm and 168Nm @ 5,000rpm, which are in fact higher than what was made by the 1.8-litre predecessor, which made 140hp @ 6,100rpm and 168Nm @ 5,600rpm, and identical to the Neo Lotus Racing Edition launched in early 2010.
To achieve its enhanced performance, the R3 Neo features re-profiled camshafts with adjustable aluminium pulleys, re-calibrated ECU, carbon fibre air intake, and a 4-2-1 exhaust. Mated to the engine is a close ratio 5-speed manual transmission.
As you would expect, R3 performed substantial re-calibration of the Neo’s stock suspension setup to give the R3 Neo more aggressive handling characteristics. Performance springs help drop the car’s ride height by 10mm and reduce body roll, whilst alignment, toe and camber settings have all been altered for increased grip and steering precision.
At the four corners, 205/45 Bridgestone Potenza RE001R soft compound tyres wrap around 16″ R3 Edition alloys. All-round disc brakes, standard on all variants of the Satria Neo, now come with high performance pads designed to operate at temperatures up to 500°C.
Externally, the R3 Neo is offered only in Fire Red paint contrasted by a black roof. R3 also added a rear roof spoiler, fender arches, side strips, and an aerodynamically functional front lip. Inside, sprinklings of R3 logos, carbon effects and hand stitching distinguish the cabin from the standard Neo’s. Notably, the R3 Neo is also equipped with a built-in 2-DIN audio HU that features GPS navigation. Safety features include dual front airbags, and anti-lock braking system (ABS) with Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD).
As you would notice, there is only one picture accompanying this article, and if you had checked articles from other websites covering this story, it is the very same picture you would see. There is a good reason for this, and it is because the car is not launched yet. If you cough out the RM2,000 booking fee for the R3 Neo early enough, you might even be invited to the upcoming launch event for a photo opportunity with Proton’s Motorsport drivers, namely Tengku Djan Ley and Faidzil Alang.
