The Proton Iriz has finally arrived, after much hype in the social media, taped-up test drive units that appeared in the local and foreign medias, and the Proton Emas global compact concept car that was showcased years ago with with Lotus fronting it, and we knew there is no way Lotus would sway away from its root of a pure sport car company. It is now here, and amazingly, the visit experience to the Proton Edar's showroom this round was greeted by smiling sales person, willing to assist, and arrange for test drives, though the Iriz has already > 30,000 in its booking list. Even shocking is the available of the full colour Iriz booklet and the single sheet flyer, instead of the usual cost saving black and white photocopy sheet that we get. Let's hope Proton is betul betul serious this round, and not let their dealer sell their test drive units after the rush is over months later. Trust me, those usual visit to most dealers will tell you test drive unit not available as they have sold theirs in order not to lose too much value of the pre-registered car! Lame excuse!
When one first meet the Iriz, it could be mistaken as a Perodua Myvi. Pardon the norm here, as Malaysia's roads are flooded with the ever successful Myvi and the hatchback Iriz does indeed looks alike in its basic shape and size, if one ignore the details. In fact, it direct competition is the Myvi. But the Iriz's fresh look, features, and Asean NCAP 5-star rating immediately knock its competitor to the side. It even scored better that the Peugeot 208. From the most basic 1.3-litre (from RM42k) to the most loaded 1.6-litre (RM63k), all are equipped with ABS with EBD, Traction Control, Hill-Hold Assist, dual airbags, and isofix mount points. The 1.6-litre Premium edition gets additional 4-airbag, making it an all round balloon if an accident could not be avoided! Ini kali-lah, Proton does something betul-betul right, for not stripping safety from the priority! Choosing a car with missing safety components is like "penny wise, pound foolish", as how much could one pay to get his precious life back?!
It is difficult to spot a difference in the engine bay of the 1.3-litre (94hp/120Nm) and 1.6-litre (107hp/150Nm) model, as both belong to the same new engine series with Variable Valve Timing in-built. Forget about the bolt-on Campro. This powertrain is designed with ... future in mind ... where Proton would spin it off to more variant, including hybrid! But ... but ... but ... why is it still using timing belt instead chain? Timing chain would bring down some long term maintenance cost! Though both engine produces less power when compare to other Japanese and continental makes, the test drive taken shown both model are willing performers. The 1.3-litre when mated to the 5-speed manual tranny is willing to rev beyond 4,000 rpm, and it is easy to drive out of the urgent corner! With this power, it completely put the 1.0-litre Axia far far back, and its 4-cylinder layout means balance and less vibration, unlike the 3-cylinder Axia's engine. Anyhow, Axia is not Iriz's competitor. But when both national car manufacturers launched their new car on the same months could mean stiff competition! The CVT 1.6-litre unit is nice to drive, and the up-shift of CVT is always smooth as silk, but when more power is needed, the sudden downshift needs is like a shock to the transmission, which I think could need better tuning. Cruising on this more powerful engine is enjoying, but the price tag could put a lot of consumer off! By the way, did I mention the electric power steering is extremely light and the brake need to depress further down to give the stopping feel...fine tune needed, Proton!
Performinh a 360 degree view of the Iriz, one could notice that all variants uses the same projector headlamp, which I think Proton is smart in doing so, as this means easier on the stock, and volume could drive the cost down. This makes one wonder why Perodua Axia needs 2 different type of headlamp for its variants ... Well, in marketing sense, it simply means premium looks demand premium pricing! Taking the Iriz from the side, the angular swosh on the doors add to its aggressiveness, yet tone down by its norm wheel arch. The selection of the alloys here are simply nice! Spinning to the rear of the car, the chamferred taillight section is briliant, giving the Iriz best rear view, and if you noticed it well, the rear hatch is operated by a push button instead of a traditional keyhole. Another upmarket thought well executed!
Well, of all the good things on the Iriz, there is definitely a thing that was not well thought out. The extendable sunvisors in the Executive/Premium variant are betul-betul stupid. Authority should not even allow this, as when extended, it blocks the rear-view mirror. Where are Proton's designers and engineers? Why let the the supplier influence you into thinking additional feature means good to have? The standard sunvisors should suffice in any car, as we will always have our Ray-Ban with us under our Malaysia's sunlight!
The Iriz's interior is a big improvement over all other Proton's models, simple and well layout this round. Though hard plastics and flimsy aircon control could be improved further. The glove box is fitting is much better, but the feel is not consistent. On one car, the fitting is almost perfect, and on another, it could only be shut if you push in from the centre. Try pushing it from the upper left/right corner, it just refuse to click in the lock shutter. Come on, Proton, glove box is one the most basic interior compartment any car will have, don't keep letting us judge you by this! And let's hope power windows issue is now long gone into history book. The touch screen is nice, bundled with DVD and navigation features, and the basic player support USB and bluetooth, thus betul-betul no complaint here. Lucky that the old Savvy/Saga meter cluster is not carry forward here, and this new cluster looks so much smarter and useful, with all the mileage information needed.
Further checking out the interior...all are good! Start-Stop for Premium edition. 60/40 foldable rear seats which is a defnite need for all hatchback car, nice and comfortable seats, for it be leather or cloth, passive front headrest that provide protection against whiplash injury in the event the car is rear-ended, 2 USB powered output to charge your gadgets, a decent trunk, door auto lock with crash sensor, a lot of bottle and cup holders...all that make the Iriz betul-betul designed for the people!
Frameless wiper...the Iriz is going to change the landscape of premium car, shouting out loud that "I can have premium feature, at not so premium price." Checking out other quality, hmm..., the keyless entry button on the Premium model is not flush properly, with one end sagging into door handle. Thus the Iriz, as good as it is, still is a Proton. When one keeps treating is as a Proton, you will feel better, you will think the lack of quality will still be around. Even in the engine bay, one could easily spot rust in all brand new unit!
The Iriz, really looks irresistible, well balanced design, and available in 7 colours. If you don't mind a Proton, this could the car that shall see the farewell of Myvi, which is now almost 10-year old. It is safer, it provide better power, it looks smarter, and it could really be Proton betul-betul car that could compete in the B-segment space!
