Ok...my not-so-short review:
Looks:
Nothing much to say about the looks. It's just another black Satria with a GTi bodykit. Only the racing stripes and X-drilled and slotted brakes seperate it from the rest. I personally feel the sticker design should've been airbrushed instead of being a....sticker. Anybody up for a group airbrush package? The interior is a love-it-or-hate-it affair. I personally think it's unique (especially the red seatbelts) and befits the image. Let's just say, this car gets a lot of 2nd takes. People glance first, look away...then stare all the way.
For some reason it only tends to attract the attention of males. Darn. But for that reason, girls, THIS is the car you should drive.
Performance:
I've driven a couple of modded GTis before and would dare say this car would equal or even surpass a GTi with light mods (Mits ECU, manifold, intake, exhaust). The revs climb up very easily from 4000rpm all the way to redline. Tried a test sprint with 3 of my colleagues in the car, aircond on, and got 0-100km/h in 9.8 secs. Didn't dare take it further as the engine wasn't run in yet. As for the adertised stock GTi figures...ahem..ahem you know lah. Top speed achieved so far was 185km/h, limited by my lack of courage. However the speed was achieved without much effort.
Handling:
This is the car's forte. Every corner just begs you to take it faster. You'll find yourself accelerating in most corners. Just as physics tries some hanky-panky, the car catches itself back before you can even hear a tyre squeal for more than half a second. Roll is very much reduced, thanks to the front and rear ARBs. However, wet handling needs a lot of confidence due to the nature of the tyres. You need to be awake when it's raining.
Steering is very tight and heavy; great for high speeds. It also responds very quickly to sudden twitch responses so you know you'll every milimeter of nudging has a reply. Feedback is very pronounced, as a lot of the road surface is communicated back directly to the driver. My only qualm is that the direction of the steering wheel can change suddenly over certain bumps, making you hold on to it for dear life at speeds in excess of 150km/h (on Malaysian roads, anyway)
Brakes work as advertised. I've personally tested this. But please give your loved ones earplugs for Xmas. Lest they damage their hearing as your high-pitched Mintex pads annouces your arrival.
Comfort/NVH:
IMO, it's only slightly louder than a Wira 1.6XLi. Road noise is also attributed to the noisy quasi-slick Yokohamas. However, the engine's acoustics is an experience on its own. Listening to the 4G93P sing its way to redline is aural heaven to car freaks like me. In other words, if I wanted a quiet car, I would've bought an Optra. In any case, if you're really serious about NVH (goodness knows why you'd want to mute a performance car; my biggest complaint about the 745 was that I couldn't hear the V8), there are many ICE experts out there who will gladly silence your car better than any other Proton.
Ride comfort is similar to many other sports cars. Nothing to shout about, but hardly a reason to call your orthopedic for approval. "Firm" is the best word to describe it. Not bone jarring in any way, unlike some aftermarket suspension kits. The seats are super supportive but may be a little too tight for some, so have a seat in it first before you decide.
Economy:
Getting 9km/l on average. I've driven worse cars. But on the other hand they are not even halfway near the performance of the SR3. Then again, I no longer drive as economically as I did in my previous cars. I feel the consumption to performance ratio is well justified.
So was this car worth it? Hell yeah! Sure, for the same amount of money I could've had a Getz, City, Vios, Optra or some awful MPV. But I wouldn't take those cars to SIC. And in my book, if the car doesn't belong there, it doesn't belong in my garage. No way.
