The Manual 1.8L Proton Inspira
The latest trends today make automakers stumped for decisions. ‘Do we build a manual version or should we just shelve it altogether?’ Proton went ahead to be one of the few manufacturers left here to still continue to build manual transmission cars. This is possibly one of the reasons why driver’s like me still own a Proton.
Personally the manual ‘traditional’ gear stick is my favorite. Coming from a family that loves cars, a manual gear stick is always a nice and must have in any car we drive. The occasional automatic transmission is loved mainly during jams or long cruises along the highways. Hence with Proton making the new Inspira in manual; there was no doubt that I had to get my hands onto one.
The new Proton Inspira in manual gave a different ambience in the cabin as the centre piece of the gearshift should have had a ‘T’ stick with a shiny plate on the base with the regular alphabets of P,R,N,D, or D1 with the + and – on the edge of it. However, this one had a gear knob in place of the centre piece with the embossed numerical numbers from 1 to 5 and a letter ‘R’ on the top. Why was the feeling different this time? This was attributed to the basic human nature of being accustomed to the norm whereby one does not expect a large C segment sedan car to be in Manual transmission. Moving off for the first time in the manual Inspira, was inspiring as it has been a long time since I reviewed a manual car and I was definitely back in gear!
The Inspira’s clutch was light and gear shifting was right on the notch. The revs climb up so much quicker in manual, and the MIVEC kicking in was more apparent. Heading up to speed and approaching to the bends, the car upon downshifting gears, made the car more planted. The car handles well as one is able to downshift and slot it into the correct gear to handle the bend to get the desired control needed. The Inspira was very nimble, stable and gave an assuring drive of confidence. It was very easy to get used to this car!
Powered by a 1.8L MIVEC 16 Valve DOHC Engine, the car is indeed a joy to drive especially in manual. With a max output of 103kW at 6000rpm, the car accelerates off the lights with ease. Torque numbers are pretty impressive at 177Nm at 4250rpm and the car is at its best at mid range rpm to red line and does the 0-100kmph in just 10secs.
The engine has a very composed sound as one takes it up to a higher gear. Going uphill was the best place to test the MIVEC engine in manual transmission. The car does not hesitate and does not struggle climbing up the hilly sections of the test session despite being just a 1.8L. The torque generated by the MIVEC engine is enhanced by the manual transmission. Thus giving the drive a more pleasant feel and allowing us to push the car to its limits.
The car’s handling is excellent with its fully independent suspension setup utilizing the MacPherson struts for the front and multilink coil spring at the rear and both are with stabilizer bars. Going over bumps was flawless for the Inspira. Suspension travel is well sorted, and the car suspension does not bottom out even whilst going fast over the bumps. It is a very well designed setup as it has been tweaked to suit local conditions.
The Inspira 1.8L Manual comes with an abundance of safety features, such as front airbags, 4 wheel ABS with EBD, Solar and Security tint film as standard, and Isofix system. Some of the added feature which was pretty neat is the ‘coming home courtesy light’ that illuminates when you disembark from or when one gets into the car. Considering that this is Proton’s lowest range model of the Inspira, it still had all the necessary features needed for a good family sedan vehicle.
The manual Inspira car is designed to suit any young executive or manager that appreciates a car that suffices the need for a classier status or a spirited drive once in awhile. The Inspira in Manual comes in Plum Red, Solid White, Genetic Silver, and Tranquility Black. Priced at RM78,999.00 for Metallic and RM78,549.00 for Solid Paint, the Proton Inspira is a good deal for a large premium sedan car under the 80K mark. For more details of this nice sedan log onto www.proton.com.my .
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