Its been awhile I know. So here it is: A Car Review. No joke! Haha.
Last month I test-driven the AMT transmission Proton Savvy. Okay, fine, I know what you're thinking. That car looks crappy and Gen-2-ish, with almost no originality, save the exhaust placed in the middle of the rear. In order to give it a fair chance, just look at it without thinking about the Gen-2 (or that its made by Proton for that matter). It looks quite okay actually.
So I got into the driver's seat and closed the door. The door felt light. A little too light for a supposedly 'tough' car. Interior looks okay with plenty of head space. The 1.2L engine roared as I jack-rabbited the gas pedal. Shifted to D, and was on my way.
And I started to dislike the car as soon as the AMT transmission changed gears.
There was easily a 1-2 second lag between gears when you drive on D. It feels like an L Kancil driver stepping on the clutch while keeping the accelerator floored. Major waste of fuel.
I then tried manually shifting gears. The lag is less, but still evident. The plus side however is that the shifting is smoother compared to the Shift-tronic transmission of the Hyundai Sonata (which was quite jerky).
Since the transmission is manual based, you can squeeze all the juice of each gear and even enter the red if you want to. Can't do that on Shift-tronics.
But what on earth for? I might as well do that with a true manual and eliminate the lags. Or just try perfect shifting at 5.5k RPM (74hp).
More on the transmission system: It is tricky shifting from D to Neutral (and vice versa), reason being that you have to step on the brakes each time you intend to do so. What if you want to let the car roll downhill, then suddenly require an extra burst of power for... err... something... relatively... illegal? You would need to brake. **
Even more on the AMT: Because of the nature of the AMT, its quite hard to overtake. I struggled while attempting to overtake a Perodua Kelisa. All in all: It sucks.
And as for the 1.2L engine versus the 15-inch rim size, you can't do engine braking. The wheel circumference generates more torque than the engine's resistance. The car either needs smaller rims or a larger engine if it wants to maximize performance (and braking capabilities).
Brochure states: 0-100km/h in 14.4 seconds. Did not do a drag test, so I wouldn't know, but I highly doubt the figures.
Also stated: Top speed 170km/h. Didn't get there fast enough to prove it. Chances are, you never will unless you're on toll-free highways.*
Handling sucks. The steering wheel is relatively huge, feels like cheap plastic from a toy car, and needs some muscle to turn (for a power steering car).
However, you can powerslide quite easily since the car is quite low and that the AMT transmission has no gear restriction. It's light weight also contributes to this. Though if you really want to play drifter, I suggest you get a better and cheaper second hand MANUAL car.**
Verdict: get a Perodua Myvi. More comfortable & more powerful.
(Special thanks to Zero-7 for allowing Gearshaft to test his ride.)
Disclaimers:
* Gearshaft does not condone speeding. Drive below the speed limit. Bribes are costly.
** Gearshaft does not condone reckless driving. Drive safe. Tyres are expensive.
~ Also, love your cars. Don't wreck them like we do.
