Proton's Waja over-priced, under-powered

MALAYSIA'S national car company Proton will launch its vital new medium-sized Waja sedan in Australia in late September, loaded with standard equipment but having to make do with a 1.6-litre engine.

The car, which will go on sale more than nine months later than the original target date of December, 2000, because of high Malaysian demand, was to be powered by a 1.8-litre engine.

But that Renault-sourced 90kW/170Nm unit will not be available in Australia until 2002.

After much internal debate, Waja appears to be firming as the Australian name of a car that has also been known by its codename GX and in some markets as Impian.

Waja means "steely, strong warrior" in Malaysian, but Proton Cars Australia executives are concerned we will associate it with the Monty Python film Life of Brian, as in "Welease Woger".

But potentially of more concern is the pricing structure of Waja, which will come as a 1.6 and 1.6X with a price range from just under $25,000 up to about $28,000.

Proton is claiming the Waja as its first all-original car, rather than being a development of old Mitsubishi technology as the Satria and Persona currently sold in Australia are.

The Waja's platform - which can still be traced back to Mitsubishi - will be the basis for a whole new generation of Proton cars, including a station wagon, people-mover, four-wheel drive and the next generation Wira (Persona hatchback).

Proton Cars Australia managing director Anuar Rozhan expects about 1000-1500 Wajas to be sold in its first 12 months on sale.

He is also staking a perception change for Proton in Australia on the Waja.

"We are moving Proton away from the price-sensitive end of the market and moving it a little upwards. We started the process with the Satria GTi and we will continue it with Waja," he said.

"We won't launch it in a big way because we don't have the big advertising dollars ... what we want is for the car to almost speak for itself." Tempting buyers on both models will be standard air-conditioning, dual front and side airbags, 15-inch alloy wheels, power windows, lap-sash seatbelts all-round, stereo controls on the steering wheel and remote central locking with alarm.

The 1.6X adds leather and wood trim, ABS anti-lock braking in addition to disc brakes, climate control rather than manual air-conditioning, body coloured exterior mirrors and an in-dash single CD player for the six-speaker audio system.

Options include a four-speed, electronically controlled automatic transmission - on both models.

But the 76kW/140Nm, Mitsubishi-sourced, double overhead camshaft, 16-valve engine is small for a car of this size and price. It means Waja will compete across the small-medium and medium categories against more powerful 1.8 and 2.0-litre rivals like the Holden Vectra and Astra, Nissan Pulsar, Toyota Corolla and Mazda 626.

"We know Australia has a bias for larger engined cars but what we expect is that the power will be found adequate for the demands," Mr Rozhan said.

"In fact, I would be optimistic and say it would exceed expectations for a 1.6." More positive in engineering terms is the development of the chassis, which has been honed by Proton subsidiary Lotus Engineering.

The steering is by electro-hydraulic power-assisted rack and pinion and the suspension by MacPherson struts at the front and a multi-link independent design at the rear.

Proton claims the Waja has by far the strongest body of any vehicle it has ever produced, as well as having a slippery 0.31 aerodynamic Cd.

The Waja, which cost $US300 million to develop, is built in a new facility at Proton's Shah Alam factory near Kuala Lumpur.

DRIVE IMPRESSIONS:

FITTINGLY, this is the best Proton ever, and in certain ways it is not only streets ahead of its predecessors, but better than much of its opposition.

The shining light for the Waja is its dynamics. The Lotus influence is obvious and the sure and tidy behaviour of the car unsurprising to anyone who has driven the Lotus-fettled Satria GTi.

The steering is heavier and communicates more feel than your average small-medium car, the ride is firm but well contained and the grip levels high, with just a trace of understeer on the open road.

The Waja is not seriously phased by bumps and ruts in a straight line or mid-corner and there is only a limited amount of kickback through the steering wheel.

Whether such sure behaviour will be a significant selling point for the Waja is a moot point, but it is still a commendable achievement. In fact, the effort required on the steering wheel could work against it in Australian suburbs.

But not as much as the under-powered engine, the questionable quality and the pricing structure.

The 1.6 is old-technology. It does not have enough mid-range grunt or enough top-end urge to garner much affection.

Much rowing through the smooth-shifting gearbox is required to keep it on the boil and even then it is noisy and thrashes and vibrates as revs head beyond 5500rpm. There is absolutely no point going near the 6500rpm redline.

Proton claims a 0-100 km/h best time of 12.2 seconds, which is believable, and a combined fuel consumption average of 7.7L/100km, which is not. Standard unleaded is the fuel of choice.

And the quality? Panel gaps and fit were not the best inside and out, and there were examples of flimsy and loose plastics on the cars we sampled. Of more concern was the front stabiliser bar bush which popped out of its mount on one test car.

All that's a pity because Proton has gone to some trouble to create an exterior and interior look that is conservative, distinctive and attractive.

Inside, darkness does not overwhelm, instead there is a combination that, along with the large glass area, gives the interior an airy feel.

The front seats, however, could do with more support and adjustability for taller and larger people, while space in all directions is limited in row two.

But luggage flexibility is good with a 408-litre boot and split-fold rear seats. Unfortunately, only a space-saver spare tyre resides under the boot floor.

In the driver's area, the centre console is tilted inward but the air-conditioning controls angle away from the driver, making them hard to reach. The plastic switchgear at the top of that console looks average and feels sharp and unattractive to the touch.

So to the pricing. Quite simply, the Waja is too expensive. In an era where Astras costs from $18,990 and Vectras from $24,490, the Waja is trying to grab too much credibility for Proton too soon.

It is a big improvement, but at or near $25,000 the competition in the Australian market is just too tough.