Ask Djan about the Proton Satria Neo “Lotus Racing” edition

Tengku Djan has test drive the lotus neo car...when will see him drift using that car.....

I don't think he will enjoy drifting the car since it's a front wheel drive.

how much weight saving archived compare to ordinary satria neo and satria neo r3 eddition.

is it really that good i mean this car n worth that price...if it is so good why he using toyota(ae86) n nissan car all the time ...why all jap car n not proton...no hard feeling only general discussion thanx

I think they said that this car is 65kg lighter than stock Neo mostly thanks to the genuine carbon bonnet.

Why Djan using Toyota AE86 and Nissan? Because that is for his personal drifting activities which has nothing to do with his employment with Proton. Proton also does not have any RWD models.

masketeer seriously doesn't know what he is talking about. please go back to school before u starts talking crap.

I would love to see the good old Proton Juara beating the cr@p out of the other guys in Formula D kakaka...
But then again i did remember Djan said it could be drifted in one direction only lol...
Ok question time.

What sort of work was done to the engine to get more oomph? More bolt on stuff or radical stuff like wilder cams, high compression, and wacky port works?

Any changes to the gear ratios? LSD?

Does the alcon brakes have dust covers?

Which version Ohlins does it come with?
External reservior and inverted monotube? Does it come with the new funky multi valve instead of shims?

What they said is shorter gear ratios, engine rework not just bolt on, wilder cams, mapping, maybe porting as well I'm not sure but they said they have resolved all the torque dips of the stock CPS engine.

As for the ohlins the damping is adjustable by the users. There are knobs in the boot for the rears and knobs too for the fronts. I think external reservoir.

Shoot the q's to keshy for Djan but I think some of the answers can be found in the earlier reports probably.

This whole car is definitely an after-thought. I read they had 2months only to 'develop' the car?

The leather seat and steering is a joke. 4 pot AP racing with leather seat, what a combo. why not recaro or motordrive? with lotus badge?

price wise, its reasonable i think. its the price of the base car makes it look expensive. and they know it is expensive, hence only 25 units produced.

can djan confirm this, Lotus NEO R3 got no involvment of proton. This is what i think.

WOW factor on the road, high, cos its rare and limited and expensive.

overall, R3 should have done better.

R3 is the motorsport division of Proton

yeap, but they are totally independent from Proton on development of R3 cars i suppose.

proton wont bother on 25 cars where they have thousands of cars to mass produce.

rules may be set, make it reliable for proton warranty.

Ask Djan this
Why proton using Euro parts instead of japs part?
There are alot of excellent racing part such as HKS, Project Miu, bla bla bla that can be use to make the price lower....
Why do they need to ikut telunjuk those Lotus Guys to use Euro parts...

izack04,
have u ever see any performance car (even Japs!) rolled out from their factory, fitted with HKS dampers or other so called cheaper aftermarket parts? Well I don't.

Ask Djan this
Why proton using Euro parts instead of japs part?
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Bro, too easy and already answered in the previous article --> http://www.zerotohundred.com/2010/auto-features/00-spends-10-minutes-behind-the-wheel-of-the-new-proton-satria-neo-lotus-racing/

"the idea behind the Satria Neo ‘Lotus Edition’ is to have as many parts from the Formula One car over to the Neo, that’s why there are products that are typically reserved for high powered cars like the AP Racing brakes and the Ohlins suspension"

hello Djan..regarding my nickname, nope, i am not your dad...

with 115k, i think this R3 Neo Lotus Edition should have momo steering and bucket seat at least. can u please explain more why are these two items are not in the list.is it because the paintjob consumes a lot of money?

and, the windows are manual or what?

japs roll out brake produce from italy.. why not endless? ish... many reasons with so many answers in previous articles..

What is this about Japan parts and Euro parts? Don't you guy learn history? hahaha.

on why the car use euro parts instead of jap part maybe proton hv some agreemet with lotus to use euro parts....the car maybe as the marketing base for lotus...just my2cent...

Proud to have such a great tuner for proton cars. Couple of questions or rather a clarifications

1) For stock CAMPRO CPS engine tuned up to 145 bhp do a car really need to be equiped with AP Racing brake systems & such an expensive Ohlin Double Valve suspensions? If intermedeate brake & suspension system been used I would say the price of the R3 Neo will be quite affordable.

2) Why don't R3 consider to produce a car with more powerful & reliable Mitsubishi's engine?

Emailed my question already but here it is in case you missed it Keshy.

Hi Djan,

Serious questions:

We know you love fast cars. So...

1. With a RM120k to spend, would you buy a Proton Satria Neo "Lotus Racing" Edition?

a. If not, what price would you consider buying it at?

b. If yes, why the Neo over more basic but reliable and established foreign brands that can out perform the Neo?

Thanks.

please send all your questions to [email protected] ... not here!

end of the line proton not up to standard compare to honda or toyota....if u got the $ on ur hand,would u go n buy this car n a lot of choices in this price range....local n jap,u choose ur ownself

Umm.. i'm more interested with the 'upcoming satria neo gti'..

if i bought 1 ,how much the maintenance will cost??EURO brands maintenace must be expensive...and if its limited edition,why do the steering looks common edition?besides,y do proton put 2 badges at the rear same time??its just like putting Proton lotus badges together on a car rather put proton R3,example :Ford Mazda,Porche Volkswagen..its like a picture of lion eating lotus flower

For the asking price, I could turn an old basic 1.3 to someting that can whoop this limited edition 'but can be increased production' Neo.

Limited edition 'but can increase production if there is demand' is a joke. By that , it's no longer called limited edition, would it?

If I were to pay for that price I'd better get the exclusivity man!but not that I would own one but because my tax was used for proton I think I have every right to say something here and oh! my dad's Wira's power window still BREAKS!!!

Anyway, soon you will see back alley limited editions all over the place, courtesy of our local paint maestro.

GUYS, Keshy already stated that if you want to ask question please e-mail to him and not post it up here.

What's with the ranting about Japan & Euro part?

This is not a thread created to bash Proton. Please read the title.

TitanRev : this is normal la for malaysians.

See the questions they ask also i want to laugh.

Comparing Euro and Japan parts. ROFL ROFL ROFL ~

As for the jap vs euro we got to read this advertising book...
"From those wonderful folks who gave you Pearl Harbor"

Boy they are pretty good at brand building sticking nice Mines stickers on Ohlins shocks and Jun stickers on Cosworth pistons not too long after being remorseful over the Sook Ching massacre.

agreed wit baby zilla..i not mean to bash proton,but they psycho us with this car...whats the point even ask D.jan for the car,his the head of proton and technical chief for proton,its like makan KFC then ask colonel sanders for recipe ...

Some of you guys really don't understand whats going on.

Firstly, sorry but it is likely that you are NOT the targeted consumer for this car. You can't afford the 115k tag. But since you're all petrolheads and curious about the car, here is the chance to ask Djan tid bits on the car which other wise you can only guess. Here is the chance to ask da man himself. Take it or leave it. It's for your own knowledge.

Secondly, some of you seriously underestimate the requirements of OEM standards. Yes you can go to Sunway spend the same amount and probably get more power etc but they cannot give you standards of a manufacture. How long warranty can they give? Do you realize that once you start 'fiddling' you keep having to go back for more. Ever wondered why? And would you still think it's cheap in the longer run? You can even have them bolt on a turbo kit in your Neo and all the best to you but for R3 to do so they would have to get the front crash structure of the Neo re-certified (costs money) for YOUR safety. Compulsory for a manufacture but not for an ah leong tuner.

Ferruccio... good one...!!!

quote "end of the line proton not up to standard compare to honda or toyota….if u got the $ on ur hand,would u go n buy this car n a lot of choices in this price range….local n jap,u choose ur ownself"

LOL I can tell you it WONT be a Corolla nor a Civic.

and i stand on my ground with my questions. is it hard to put Recaro and momo for OEM. Many car has recaro and momo and still OEM.

thank you.

Rm115k is alot to most of the malaysians, ask urself how many car u afford? 2-3? u got Rm120k to waste for collection? yes/no?
25/25 already sold means people love this car and they have money to spend. It also mean this car not for ordinary guy from public or its not for you (to be straight).
I definitely cant afford this car, but its still look good to me.
price is not the actual issue here when they only offer 25 units.
if any guy could mod their Satria neo CPS to this at a lower price then show us.(spec same as what proton offer).
someone made a study at paultan before it cost more than 115k outside.
same spec(ohlins and AP brakes) but ahbeng tuning + no warranty.
those guy who compare price between cars can stop it cos no point comparing it because all 25 units are sold. Compare for what? just suck it up and buy ur ek9 or add another few bucks and buy a new honda accord.

compare to US, their evo X oni cost USD35000. y our local sport car cost so much? if this neo is not limited edition, i dont think can sell 1000 unit in 1 year.

we not compare, we just say the truth. as a malaysian, i hope i can buy a local production sport car with affordable price. juz like other in germam can own a m3 or GTi, in japan, HK, taiwan can own a typeR, wrx, evo,gtr. here spend over rm100k for this so-called sport, even thai call us `moron`.

juz say out my feeling as malaysian, dun fired back. u like to read, juz read. u dun like juz ignore it,thanks.

still never ending story...haihh

Talking back to the OEM standard, actually there are a couple of these cases around. Perhaps its still pretty new to Malaysia but 8 years ago, Ralliart in aussie land decided they want to have a special edition of magna. So they also need to comply for the OEM standard to get warranty but still, they managed to do a great job on some great engineering work on the stock engine, transmission and chasis. So the ralliart magna still got comply for the regulations and warranty under mitsubishi in Aussie.

I did not work with Malaysia automotive industries before, but some engine balancing, ECU fine tune can be ideal to add in this car given that it has some goodies like customized cam shafts, pulley..etc. I am not a very good engineer but hitting 160hp plus with the CAMPRO engine and narrow down the 0-100kmh in around 8 Secs can be a realistic goal under the OEM compliance. Ohlins and alcons are great brands but I think bilstein sports B6-B8 suspension pack with Ligthened/enlarged cross drill brake discs can be a good alternatives to allocate more budget into the engine and chassis.

Some may said its always easier to talk, but since the project was not given to me, so i can only talk....

Since the 25 units were sold , we are looking forward to see a better performance GTI version.

It would be great if they ever do come out with a R3 big brake kit and Ohlins kit for the Satria Neo for those that actually appreciate and willing to fork out the cash.

Ohlins are the bomb....

I wonder how did they tune the brake bias with the bigger brake kit?

In my personal opinion, the issue with this R3 Lotus is perception. If you were a kind of person who see a car as something to get from A to B then it is hard to justify owning the R3 Lotus. If you are a car junkie then u may see it as value for money coz its closest rival is the suzuki swift sport and the 308 turbo(although not a performance model as auto g/box and torsion beam suspension).

Now a proper sporty or hot hatch comes at RM150k which is the 308GT and the Alfa Mito. So can the Neo R3 Lotus provide the same or better driving feeling than these guys with a cheaper price tag?

Looking from an engineering perspective, for a manufacturer-backed tuning company, im sorry to say the Neo R3 Lotus doesnt seem to generate much excitement compare to when the original Satria Gti was introduced. SGti has a clear distinction from the Satria based model with its bigger displacement engine. and the whole Lotus tuning aura seem to work for that car. It would have been much better if the R3 came with a Turbo. Cost should not be an issue here as this is an engineering excercise to showcase R3 division capability.(at least should be to compete with EG6 SiRII/EK9typeR/even Mirage Cyborg) That seem to be dissapointing to me.

Cost should not be an issue here as this is an engineering excercise to showcase R3 division capability.(at least should be to compete with EG6 SiRII/EK9typeR/even Mirage Cyborg R) That seem to be dissapointing to me.

THIS WORD REALLY RING THE BELL!!!

The original Satria GTi was not a limited edition car and was not an exercise to commemorate a tie up with a motorsport team.

Yes, the Neo R3 Lotus Racing will indeed provide 'better feeling' than 308GT/Alfa Mito if 'better feeling' refers to handling.

It's all a matter of cost. They can more power etc etc but what about the cost. Once again, this is not a car for the masses. It's a limited edition to commemorate their tie up with Lotus Racing

hahahaha......... only 25 rich & smart people deserve this car yeahhh!!!! so we can only wait & see the result.

thumbs up for proton!!!

If its not a car for the masses then why should cost matter? Im ok if it has AWD+200HP and sell at RM200k, it will still be value for money in terms of Malaysian car pricing. Or sell it RM150k with campro turbo and I would buy that even I dont have the money.

What I meant by 'driving feeling' is a combination of power,ride and handling, interior/exterior aesthetic to give you excitement and thrill each time you drive it. If the Neo R3 Lotus trump card is handling alone then it is more a track-focused car. If the buyers are ok with that then thats fine.

What I would like to see is a race between the R3 Lotus and other hot hatches to certified its credentials.

If you want to save cost, you could probably opt for 2 pot brake instead of 4 pot coz the power is only 145hp. Or is it to add to the sporting nature of the car?

I saw a renault magane R26R in HK today. It is something which I think R3 hope to achieve. It is based on a road going megane and improve everything to make it a very good performance machine. It is the fastest FF car in nurbrurgring. It was price as much as double for a normal megane as limited production.

I guess Renault case is a good reference for R3 if they want to develop a btter project to promote their branding in future.....price is not a issue if the output is really good. This is why people pay almost double to get civic type-r despite the price is 50% more than a normal version.

Exactly Links. I agree.

It is great to have the chance to read a good quality blog with useful details on topics that plenty are interested on. The point that the data written are all first hand on real experiences even assist more. Go on doing what you do as we enjoy reading your work.

Hey, just another petrolhead scrolling by and can't help but wonder, have R3 solved the problem in Satria Neo regarding the seat being positioned slightly too high that ordinary guy above the height of 6 foot have trouble entering the car?

since they are still using the same seats, that height problem still exists

Haha... Just remembered the top gear review on the car... When Clarkson pop the visor down, he can't see a thing...