Those problems that suddenly disappear when you visit the mechanic and the non-turbo Proton Preve

The Proton Preve -  No Actual Photographs - Apologies, as I was too busy trying to help solve a problem with it

Earlier today I drove the Proton Preve 1.6 Executive CVT IAFM+(Automatic) - i.e the non-turbo version. The reason I did this wasn't because Proton loaned me a car to do so. I wish Proton did but they didn't. Anyway, the reason I drove this non-turbocharged or non CFE Preve was because my friend wanted me to diagnose a fault in his Preve. It supposedly would stutter and jerk after the car stops, enters into reverse, reverses then moves forward again. 

Now the thing was that after a good half and hour of trying to achieve the symptom mentioned by the Preve's owner I failed in doing so. I suppose this is something that some of us have experienced, where the car would suddenly suffer some failings but when it reaches the mechanic, nothing seems to be wrong. This has happened to me a few times personally and it is quite frustrating.



So what causes the problem to suddenly disappear? I have no idea. Sometimes, trying to replicate the problem could be hard. The car may need to be driven a few hours for the problem to appear or it will only appear at certain times of the day. The car could also be haunted. This is very possible since there are some of us who are willing to put their faith into coconut carrying bomohs or pawangs or sinsehs. Or it could be the work of a gremlin. Or a toyol. But whatever the supernatural reason is, the problem would simply go away when visiting the mechanic. Go figure.

So what about the Preve Executive CVT iAFM? I have driven the Preve CFE (Turbo) and liked how it handled. I didn't quite like the drony noise the CVT made which is surprisingly absent in my friend's IAFM Preve here. I didn't like the plain looking (under-styled) interior and almost plain exterior. I did like its turbocharged performance of its price of around RM65,000.

The Proton Preve Executive CVT IAFM however is turbo-less (which is quite a drawback to the enthusiast) and  it has a slightly more basic audio system and slightly less interior styling trim. It sells at around RM61,000+ for what is offered.

My friend reports getting around 255km for RM50. This makes the Preve 1.6 non-turbo consume an average of around 9.4liters of petrol per 100km in and around Kuala Lumpur,on its highways as well as in traffic. This is pretty good for a car that weighs 1320kg. It is heavy for its class (a C segment car) but it still saves petrol. I personally was quite surprised at this claim. But this is quite true as the chap is extremely frugal with money and will record every sen spent. The bad thing about the Preve IAFM being heavy is that the normally aspirated 1.6 IAFM+ engine which only makes 107hp and 150Nm torque feels like it has asthma or something more chronic. At low rpm or speeds it feels like 107 teeny weeny hamsters trying to pull 1320 ginormous elephants.

Proton claims 12.5 seconds to 100kmh. I claim that they must be slightly joking. It is actually as adequate as adequate is in hauling the car up to speed. I believe the 1320kg is there due to sound proofing (try the car and you'l find it quieter and more refined than most cars being sold up to RM90,000) as well as being able to pass the Australian NCAP crash ratings with flying colours (which the Preve has a surprisingly good 5 star rating) but to the detriment of performance. You really need the turbocharged engine to let the Preve shake its booty. In this normally asiprated form it is a form of transport and nothing more. You would be faster in the lighter and similar engined Persona. A Myvi 1.5 will feel like a supercar compared to this Preve IAFM when accelerating.

So aside from the lack of a turbocharger that somehow makes the Prever Executive CVT IAFM into a very slow car, it is a safe, decent handling, economical, spacious, good value for money and quite comfortable as well as being quiet at the usual highway speeds and around town too.  It is actually quite affordable too - RM59,000 or thereabouts as most can be had with a discount. You may not be able to buy anything this comfortable and refined at this price here in Malaysia. But buy it only if you need to get from A to B and need a refined and spacious car. Buy elsewhere or a turbocharged Preve CFE for thrills. You would get better build quality and some thrills by buying some other car too, as by God, its slow.