KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 6 — It’s been 12 months since I have owned a Proton Suprima S — it is not my primary car, and is a shared car used by members of the family, and some of my colleagues at work, so you may say it is rather like the “village bicycle,” used by whoever needs it at any moment in time.
Such a car is likely to be abused, but we do have some simple rules — check the engine oil and tyre pressures if it needs to be driven out-station, whoever uses the car must make sure it is washed and cleaned after use, and everyone to know that it has to be serviced once every 10,000 kilometres. We service the car at the Proton Mutiara outlet, and the personnel there do quite a good job each time.
To date the Suprima S has clocked approximately 24,800 plus kilometres, and runs smoothly without any issues. In the 12 months, there has been one failure, and that was the audio set, which decided not to turn on one day when the car was around four months old — it was replaced under warranty by Proton, with no questions asked.
Today, I took the Suprima S out, and I was pleasantly surprised — it is a gem that has revealed itself after hiding away for 12 months. It seems to me that all the collective bashing around for the past 24,800 kilometres has somehow “seasoned” the engine, making it extremely smooth to drive.
It was supposed to be a drive from Petaling Jaya to Port Dickson to “check” a treasure hunt I am doing next weekend — a drive that was “aborted” somewhere near Nilai when I saw that the traffic was almost at a standstill due to the Hari Raya Haji balik kampung exodus.
The Suprima S drives even better now than when it was new — with a much smoother engine now, and a CVT that has been “run in,” what I got was a smooth-running and a much quieter car now.
Fuel economy has improved — I got a best of 8.5 litres per 100 kilometres (as indicated by my on-board display), and based on the new petrol price of RM2.30 per litre, it works out to 19.55 sen per kilometre.
I would have achieved better results if not for the fact that I was on a “tulip” checking trip for a treasure hunt, and that included some slow crawling and some stopping to check out some treasure hunt answers and kilometre readings.
The transport stages were run at between 80 to 120 kph, mainly following the traffic flow speed. It was unhurried driving, using normal throttle — in short, my driving stint would be closely mirroring what a typical Mr Joe Average would be doing, for the most part.
Starting out form the Petaling Jaya area, I got an initial average of around 9.1 litres per 100 kilometres, and as I went along, the numbers kept on going down bit by bit, and the average of 8.5 litres per 100 kilometres was towards the last three kilometres on the way home. Traffic in Petaling Jaya bumped up the figure to 8.6 litres per 100 kilometres just before I reached home.
So far, my ownership experience has been pretty good, with nothing untoward happening other than the radio breaking down. The car is as solid as ever, with absolutely no creaks and rattles or any funny noises. The CVT is still a little loud at low speeds of up to 40 kph, but at speeds between 80 kph to 120 kph, the Suprima S is really pleasant to drive.
The power delivery is smooth, and the turbocharger with its high torque provides excellent acceleration. On the go, I only need minimal and very light foot pressure on the throttle to maintain a consistent speed.
The power windows, a favourite subject of Proton-bashers, have not failed, and everything else still functions as good as new. There is no discolouring of plastic parts so far, and the paintwork is as good as the day it left the factory, except for some spot discolouration caused by bird droppings and tree sap, as the car is parked 24/7 without any cover.
Looking at the tyres, there is approximately 60 per cent tread left on the front wheels, while the rears look closer to 80 per cent tread left. The Lotus-developed four-wheel independent suspension feels secure and solid, and damping has not deteriorated in any way. The suspension bushings still feel “tight,” and are as good as new.
When it was first launched last year, I did mention that the Suprima S was by far the best car ever built by Proton, and now after a year and 24,000 kilometres, I can now verify that as fact. (I have yet to test the new Proton Iriz, and when I do, this situation may change).
All things considered, including the purchase price of RM79,888, which was the price of the car when I purchased mine, and the fact that it runs so smoothly, handles so well, and provides decent fuel economy, I would say that it is worth looking at, especially today, when we all need to stretch every ringgit we have.
