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Proton is not yet a name we associate with sportiness, but all the signs are that we may do some day. The Satria GTi was the start of it, being the first to enjoy the "Handling by Lotus" badge (a Malaysian conglomerate owns Lotus and Proton so it makes sense to try to add sparkle to the Proton range in this way). I have not driven it, but it did receive good reviews at the time of its launch. I suspect it is feeling a little dated now. Enter Proton's latest car - the Impian, backed up in the UK by a foray into the British Touring Car Championship.

I suspect that you may not have even heard of the Impian if you are not a fan of the BTCC. Proton does not spend large amounts of money on TV advertising, and I have not noticed many Impians on the roads of the UK even though I cover over 600 miles a week. If I asked you what you thought of the Proton brand I am guessing that you will use phrases such as "value for money", "cheap", "low quality", etc. I doubt very much you will even consider "sportiness". However, Proton appears to be trying to sell the Impian on that. I'm not so sure that is a good idea.

An Impian 1.6X was delivered to our offices for review. Walking around it for the first time was interesting. I actually like the frontal styling, with that distinctive snout and large Proton badge. The headlights are reminiscent of the VW Bora, which can't be too bad a thing. The other detailing is neat and tidy and quite attractive. The wing mirrors are suitably contemporary in shape, and the alloys, though not the most exciting, are not particularly cheap looking. Things start to go wrong the further back you look unfortunately. Those alloys are lost in the rear wheel arches unfortunately and the boot of the car appears very bulbous. Admittedly, this benefits boot space. The rear lights are modern, and so is the detailing. The overall shape lets it down though.

Most potential buyers will step inside the car in the Proton showroom before thinking very hard about the price tag. First impressions are pretty good. The controls are chunky and modern, if not of very high quality. The steering wheel is a nice shape, and quite sporty, but I think Proton should have stuck with leather rather than using silver plastic for half of the rim. The interior is trimmed in light grey leather, which is pleasant enough. Unfortunately, it looks better in these pictures than it is to the touch. Proton have concentrated on making everything appear modern, but have still had to resort to cost-cutting to keep the actual price down.

This shows up in the general driving experience too. Don't get me wrong; the Impian is quite good dynamically. It does handle well on a twisty road, with a neutral and adjustable attitude during hard cornering. It also manages to be comfortable, with a well-damped ride. In fact, its only major chassis flaw is floating on the motorway when overtaking trucks. It is affected much more than it should be, requiring a significant correction. Another major let-down is the engine. For the Impian launch, Proton has made do with an old Mitsubishi unit. It is actually quite lively with loads of low-down torque, and it revs to 7000rpm. However, it is very coarse. It is more suited to the GTi character rather than the family saloon the Impian is. Thankfully, Lotus is developing a new range of engines for Proton so hopefully we will change our minds when we drive an updated Impian.

There are many good points. It is all too easy to dwell on the negative. The steering feels good, with a decent weight added to the power assistance. There are too many turns lock-to-lock for it to be truly sporty though. The gearchange seems to be tuned towards sportiness too, with short, notchy throws. Unfortunately the gate is too far to the left and I picked up 3rd instead of 1st on a number of occasions.

In summary, the Impian is trying to be too many things. Proton may be attempting to upgrade their image, but I don't think that this is the right car to do it with. If the attempts at sportiness were reduced and the quality of the components increased, this would be a good car. As it stands, it is a let down in too many areas. I was intending to finish the review with a "good for the price" statement as I had assumed that the Impian is priced at about £10,000. However, the 1.6X is £13,000. This is not good value for money, though it has a high specification. The much more desirable Ford Focus Zetec starts under £12,000. Proton will have to raise their game a little higher to be taken seriously.

Links
www.proton.co.uk

SUMMARY

Performance: starstarstarstarstar
The numbers are not very impressive, but in the real world it has acceptable acceleration, if not the refinement to match.

Engine: starstarstarstarstar
The old Mitsubishi unit is a major weak point. It only receives a star for its liveliness. New Lotus-developed units are badly needed.

Handling: starstarstarstarstar
This is not the sort of car you would expect to handle well, despite "Handling by Lotus" badges, but it does pretty well. It loses a couple of stars due to its composure on the motorway.

Economy: starstarstarstarstar
Average, as expected.

Tactility: starstarstarstarstar
The steering would be a joy if the steering wheel was not half-plastic. The gearchange is sporty, though too far away from the driver. The interior looks good but does not feel of high quality.

Appearance: starstarstarstarstar
The front of the car is distinctive, but the rear lets the score down.

Interior: starstarstarstarstar
I do think that Proton has spent a lot of effort modernising the interior, however, the quality of the materials is too low.

Safety: starstarstarstarstar
There is a full complement of airbags. To keep you out of trouble in the first place is traction control and ABS controlling disc brakes all-round.

Equipment: starstarstarstarstar
I cannot really criticise the list of standard equipment on the 1.6X Impian. It has everything bar satellite navigation.

Road test: 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X
Story by Shane O' Donoghue, images by Mark Sims

2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image.

Technical specifications: Proton Impian 1.6X

Price at time of story: £13,000 (on the road)
Performance
Max speed (mph): 116.
0-60 mph (seconds): 12.3.
Urban mpg: 31.4.
Extra urban mpg: 52.2.
Combined mpg: 42.0.
CO2 (g/km): 161.

Engine
4 cylinders in line, transversely mounted in the front.
Cubic capacity: 1584cc.
Valve gear: Single Overhead Camshaft.
Max power (bhp): 102.

Transmission
Five-speed manual. Front-wheel drive. Traction control.

Chassis
Front: MacPherson strut and coil spring with stabiliser bar.
Rear: Multi link suspension with stabiliser bar and coil spring.
Steering: Power assisted rack and pinion.
Brakes: Four-wheel ABS. 14 inch ventilated discs front, 14 inch solid discs rear.
Wheels: 6.5 x 15 inch alloy.
Tyres: 195/55 R15.

Dimensions
Length (mm): 4465.
Width (mm): 1740.
Height (mm): 1420.
Wheelbase (mm): 2600.
Front track (mm): 1475.
Rear track (mm): 1470.
Cargo volume (litres): 440.
Kerb weight (kg): 1215.
Max braked trailer weight (kg): 500.
Max unbraked trailer weight (kg): 1000.
Fuel tank capacity (litres): 60.


Picture gallery

2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image.
2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image. 2002 Proton Impian 1.6X. Photograph by Mark Sims. Click here for a larger image.
 

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