If it isn’t, then Proton really is in trouble. We’ve driven the new model a fair bit to shake out the truth. When the Preve was launched, you may remember, it was pitched, in theory at least, against the Civics and the Fortes of this world. It did well and we rather liked it, even if we did have some reservations. Now though, the Suprima S has been moved upmarket and is aimed at the mid-sized hatchbacks – the Golf, Focus, 308 and the like. The new Proton hasn’t just changed its gunsights in class and price – it’s also trying to be a bit more sporty. Out goes the boot, replaced by an intricately designed rump that – take this subjectively, if you will – grows on you the more you see it. I enjoyed a striking moment when it was parked back towards the sun for photography. The light play around the protruding, complex rear panel clearly shows that a lot of work has been put here. It’s an intricate design that calls upon a fair bit of interplay between seemingly stray lines and surfaces. The Gen 2 had a similarly busy-looking rear end. But they both work, and very well at that. The Suprima S appears taut and low from behind, with no way of telling that it’s ever based on a sedan. It’s just too bad the exhaust pipe is hidden behind the non-functional rear diffuser. The whole design looks purposeful, like this is exactly the way it was meant to be in the first place. There’s no awkwardness present in the way the rear end dips downwards to create a clean hatchback look, and this is despite the Preve and Suprima S sharing identical rear door panels – check them; they’re the same exact doors. It has to be said that of the two, it’s the sedan that appears to be less cohesive in terms of proportions. The rising window line fits the hatchback design better, the Suprima S clearly benefitting from not having an awkwardly high bootline. You’d have expected the spin-off to be the one taking compromises, but it ends up looking better than the original. Funny, that. DRIVEN_Proton_Suprima_S_review_ 011 The front stays much of the same, with little changed from the Preve. But hey, that has always been a handsome looking car, strutting a defiantly chiselled look. So, a minor product differentiation update was all the Suprima S needed. At least to look good. Taken from the updated Inspira 2.0P are the new 17-inch wheels, now with titanium-like finish on the inside and matte diamond-cut surface on the outside. They do well to add some visual sophistication to the car, which is good, as Proton isn’t known to necessarily make the best decisions with wheels. Remember the original Satria Neo’s blingtastic turbine alloys, anyone? It’s not all good news, though. The snazzy new LED strips – now daytime driving lights over the Preve’s dimmer position lights – have a very narrow viewing angle (tighter than most DRLs). It looks almost unlit unless viewed from dead on centre, which is to say that it’s more visible through a car’s rear-view mirror rather than to oncoming traffic. Also guilty of fashion faux pas are the new lower air intake covers. The simpler horizontal slats design may open up the intake more to increase the radiator’s efficiency by a stonking 14%, but it does make the innards of the car more visible. Too visible, by our view. Then there’s the rear LED light guides, i.e. rear night light. Proton claims to have achieved the same level of luminance from the Suprima’s two LEDs (per side) compared to the Preve’s 14. It sure looks good, but unless it’s very dark, the light guides appear too thin to be discernible from afar. Similar to the Preve, the stop/brake lights are still bulb-based, which forgoes the use of LED rear-illumination’s main key advantage over incandescent bulbs – its significantly faster response speed. Used the way it is here, the LEDs are merely an aesthetic feature with no real function, which is a shame.
Posted on: Tue, 03 Sep 2013 08:06:36 +0000
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