| A Week at the Wheel | Bucks, England | Proton Satria Neo |

Inside & Out:

The Satria Neo manages to pull off just the right look, appealing to the younger driver without alienating the existing Proton owner. The spoilers are subtle; the 16-inch alloy wheels are more sensible than over the top, even the centre-exit exhaust just looks right. Inside, the cloth seats were figure hugging enough, though the driver's seat is too high, even at its lowest setting. At night time, the instrument panel is lit up with a blue neon look; very funky.

Engine & Transmission:

A modern 1.6-litre engine should do a whole lot better than 111bhp, and that's plainly not up to scratch in a wannabe warm hatch. This car needs (and deserves) something nearer 150bhp. Worse still, it's a fairly coarse-sounding unit that isn't even that willing to rev. The car looks a whole lot quicker than something that takes 11.5 seconds to do 0-62mph - and beware the automatic version, which is more than two seconds slower.

At least there is redemption to be found with the gearbox, though the gear lever itself looks a little odd; there is no gaiter, and instead of this leaving an open gate, the Satria Neo has what appears to be a section of a large black sphere, exactly the right curvature to mimic the movement of the base of the lever. Each movement of the lever mimics the precision and feel of a rifle-bolt, just like Lotus road cars of old, making the gearbox an absolute joy to use, even if the engine doesn't encourage such verve.

Ride & Handling:

For all the style (and the Satria Neo has a lot of that), the looks are not the first thing you notice. No, it's the little badge on the bootlid that catches the eye - the one that states "Handling by Lotus". Now that's a claim! Lotus does a lot of consultancy work for many other manufacturers, but in most cases the public don't get to find that out. Sometimes it's because the manufacturer doesn't want everyone to know, though in many cases Lotus is rightfully choosy about allowing its badge to be used, even if the car is made by your parent company - so Lotus must be more than happy with their work here.

And so they should be. The ride/handling compromise on the Satria Neo is an example to everyone. Yes, the badge reads "Handling" but the compromise is still important. Take the balance to the extreme and you can have race car levels of grip and cornering ability but suspension so stiff that the car is undriveable on the road. Far better is the car where the ride is compliant when you're out driving in normal day-to-day fashion, but when you call upon the car to corner, it steps up to the plate and performs like a star. Yes, the Satria Neo is one of those cars.

Equipment, Economy & Value for Money:

The GSX models sits at the top of the Satria Neo range, but this is not really reflected in the equipment levels. Sure, climate control is standard, as is the radio/CD player with MP3 capability and Bluetooth, but after that and the 16-inch alloys, the specification sheet is really clutching at straws. The Extra Urban Cycle figure of 61.4mpg is impressive enough, but the Combined Cycle 42.8mpg more typical of daily driving and a lot closer to the figures most drivers will achieve. Proton is still thought of as a budget marque but while £9,595 isn't that expensive, maybe it's also not as 'budget' as you might have hoped.

Overall:

Proton is aiming the Satria Neo at male drivers in their 30s and 40s, yet the styling will surely appeal to much younger drivers. We're not sure who this car will be bought by.