Proton Exora is finally out...I just came back from Proton show room and tasted how it feels to sat in one... And no, I didn't manage to took any pictures. I don't own a camera phone either. I wasn't even planning to see this MPV. It just happen to be that there is a Proton showroom in the Giant hypermarket that I went.
The one I sat in was the M-Line model. So it looks pretty 'normal'. Some might say 'cheap' or 'plastic-ish' but, it doesn't really bother me though. For me the interior is fine and tolerable.
I'm not going to review about the standard stuff about this MPV. For a complete review by a professional, visit Paultan.org.
I'm gonna rant on this from a different perspective. Ok..here goes.
- The first thing I imagine when seeing this MPV was driving it in Sabah. Can it perform well in a harsh terrain such as Sabah? Maybe, but with a huge maintenance bill to add. Sabah has a lot of up-hill/down-hill road, sharp corner, uneven road, gravel road and other bad road condition. Given the specifications for this MPV, the word 'Multi-Purpose Vehicle' (MPV) will have a tough beating in living up to its 'Multi-Purpose' title here in Sabah.
- With a CAMPRO CPS 4 cylinder, DOHC 16V engine, I wonder how will it perform at the Keningau-Tambunan-K.K road or the K.K-Kundasang road. Hope there will be a review on this in the future.
The odds for Proton Exora to meet this kind of road are high in Sabah. But if Perodua Rusa can go through, why can't Exora..right..hehe..
- What about the price? Can Sabahan afford it? Well, the price range here in West Malaysia are between RM69,548 to RM 75,998. In Sabah we have to add about RM3k to RM5k more...So...err..probably most Sabahan would rather buy a 4WD which is more or less the same price and more convenient if the road condition in Sabah are to be considered.
- There are also navigation system for the H-Line model which is a bit more expensive than the M-line model. And for me, this system is somewhat useless here inSabah. So most probably, Sabahan will go for the M-line model which are cheaper.
- There are no manual transmission yet. This might be a let down since manual transmission are more convenient when driving in Sabah. Hope there will be a manual model soon.
- MPVs market are not that popular here in Sabah because they are too expensive plus 'not too practical' to be driven in Sabah terrain. Sabahan would rather buy a 4WD such as Storm, Hilux etc. These 4WD are also expensive but the praticality (for Sabah terrain) give them an upper hand compared to MPVs.
- So, will Proton Exora sell like hot cakes here in Sabah? Given to the unpopular MPV type vehicle in Sabah (since it is rare to see someone drive an MPV in Sabah), the sell might not be that hot but not cold either since compared to other MPV brand, Proton Exora is cheaper. So, (maybe) since Proton Exora is cheaper, it might sell.
Either way, the road condition in Sabah will be the main general factor that will be considered (and also the price tag) before any Sabahan decide on buying this first Proton MPV. Well, at least that's what I think.
The one I sat in was the M-Line model. So it looks pretty 'normal'. Some might say 'cheap' or 'plastic-ish' but, it doesn't really bother me though. For me the interior is fine and tolerable.
I'm not going to review about the standard stuff about this MPV. For a complete review by a professional, visit Paultan.org.
I'm gonna rant on this from a different perspective. Ok..here goes.
- The first thing I imagine when seeing this MPV was driving it in Sabah. Can it perform well in a harsh terrain such as Sabah? Maybe, but with a huge maintenance bill to add. Sabah has a lot of up-hill/down-hill road, sharp corner, uneven road, gravel road and other bad road condition. Given the specifications for this MPV, the word 'Multi-Purpose Vehicle' (MPV) will have a tough beating in living up to its 'Multi-Purpose' title here in Sabah.
- With a CAMPRO CPS 4 cylinder, DOHC 16V engine, I wonder how will it perform at the Keningau-Tambunan-K.K road or the K.K-Kundasang road. Hope there will be a review on this in the future.
The odds for Proton Exora to meet this kind of road are high in Sabah. But if Perodua Rusa can go through, why can't Exora..right..hehe..- What about the price? Can Sabahan afford it? Well, the price range here in West Malaysia are between RM69,548 to RM 75,998. In Sabah we have to add about RM3k to RM5k more...So...err..probably most Sabahan would rather buy a 4WD which is more or less the same price and more convenient if the road condition in Sabah are to be considered.
- There are also navigation system for the H-Line model which is a bit more expensive than the M-line model. And for me, this system is somewhat useless here inSabah. So most probably, Sabahan will go for the M-line model which are cheaper.
- There are no manual transmission yet. This might be a let down since manual transmission are more convenient when driving in Sabah. Hope there will be a manual model soon.
- MPVs market are not that popular here in Sabah because they are too expensive plus 'not too practical' to be driven in Sabah terrain. Sabahan would rather buy a 4WD such as Storm, Hilux etc. These 4WD are also expensive but the praticality (for Sabah terrain) give them an upper hand compared to MPVs.
- So, will Proton Exora sell like hot cakes here in Sabah? Given to the unpopular MPV type vehicle in Sabah (since it is rare to see someone drive an MPV in Sabah), the sell might not be that hot but not cold either since compared to other MPV brand, Proton Exora is cheaper. So, (maybe) since Proton Exora is cheaper, it might sell.
Either way, the road condition in Sabah will be the main general factor that will be considered (and also the price tag) before any Sabahan decide on buying this first Proton MPV. Well, at least that's what I think.
Kalau ada duit.. kan bgs juga hehehee
ReplyDeleteKalau ada duit..kompom bagus..;)
ReplyDeletei doubt she(Ixora) can perform well in Sabah, especially the interior division
ReplyDeleteWell, Proton would not target Sabahan anyway in selling this MPV.
ReplyDelete