A source mentioned to me that Proton had produced its last Inspira in early April. Yes folks, production of the rebadged ninth generation Mitsubishi Lancer has wrapped up. This was inevitable as I believe the original arrangement to rebadge and assemble the Lancer here in Malaysia has come to an end. I actually find it a pity as the Inspira offers fanstastic value for money.

I've already mentioned in a previous posting how good this car is for its price and I still think its a darn shame many of you aren't buying it over the smaller, slower, less comfy Toyota Vioses and Honda Cities out there. So much more car for you money.



Anyway, Proton still has a stockpile of these cars and will continue selling them till they run out. If you are reading this, and intend of getting a 4 door sedan under RM90,000. This should be your choice. Who the heck else is giving you a 1.8 manual to shift the gears yourself under RM75,000? Who else is giving you a 2.0liter C segment sedan for under RM85,000? These cars can cruise with ease above the speed limits (not that I am suggesting you to do this) with ease. Why bother with a tiny 1.5liter when you can belt all the way down to JB or up to Penang with the relative power and performance of a proper 1.8liter or 2.0liter car?

Try not to pass up this opportunity folks. Tell me what other car under RM90,000 has this much performance on tap? Pray tell.

Anyway. So long, and thanks for all the fish. Er, fun.

2.0liter variable valve timing 4 cylinder engine, 148hp (150ps), 197Nm, 200km/h, 0-100km/h in around 10.5secs or faster, multi-link suspension at the rear, CVT (with optional pedal shifters), fully equipped cabin and all for around RM90,000 (and Japanese technology too). The Toyota Vios pictured above has a 1.5liter vvt 4 cylinder engine, 105ps, 141Nm, 180+km/h, 0-100km/h in around 11secs, beam axle rear suspension, ancient 4 speed automatic, even more plasticky materials in the cabin for around RM90,000 if you're crazy enough to buy the TRD specced Vios at RM93,000 or RM88,000 for a G spec model. Madness isn't it? Why are you buying this??????



Now if you are supposedly crazy about cars, performance and driving which would you have? The yet unnamed 2.0liter car or the TRD Vios whilst it may be a Toyota and somewhat decent looking (these days) is actually rubbish when it comes to performance and technology given at that price. The same could be said if you bought a Honda City, which gives you a 1.5liter engine but slightly better tech in terms of a 5 speed automatic gearbox but is equally expensive.

You could go out and buy a Kia Cerato 1.6 at RM99,888.00. It would give you a 1.6liter engine that makes 130ps and 157Nm  via a 6 speed automatic. It still has a beam axle type suspension but it would be even more refined than the City or Vios as it is a larger car, much like the unnamed 2.0liter above. You still get better value for your Ringgit.

So it would seem that the unnamed car is actually the best buy yet. It is actually the Proton Inspira 2.0. I somehow wonder why there are alot of supposed car enthusiasts end up buying Vioses or Cities when there is a Japanese rebadge that would give them soooooooo much more car than what they could have with RM90,000.

Of course some of you out there are badge snobs and the very sight of a Proton would bring shivers down one's spine but this Proton is actually very Mitsubishi (it is a rebadged Lancer GLS aka Galant Fortis over in Japan). Hence very Japanese. Some parts may be now made locally but alot of it is still Japanese. I recently had a ride as passenger in a brand new  Inspira 1.8E manual and it was extremely comfortable around town. The suspension was supple and it was pretty quiet as well as refined (as I've said earlier, the 205//60/16 inch wheels of the standard Inspira is good for ride as well as noise supression compared to larger tyred versions).

In fact, once on a trip to Johor Bahru I was followed closely by a 2.0 Inspira at speeds above 150km/h for a duration of time and the main thing was that the driver wasn't even trying hard. Or he was trying as hard as I was whilst driving a W204 Mercedes Benz C-class (which was not trying hard at all). Less drama at higher speeds means more comfort and refinement and less driver fatigue over longer drives. The Proton Inspira lets people who earn much lesser the chance to own a 1.8liter or 2.0liter car for under RM90,000 (and maybe less if there is a discount - which there usually is).

Furthermore, it is more spacious, can carry more luggage than a B-segment car as it is closer to a D-segment car in terms of size. Did you know that the Inspira or Lancer shares the same wheelbase as the 1st gen Proton Perdana aka Galant Eterna (2635mm)? That was supposedly a mid-sized executive car and the Inspira shares the same wheelbase length but is shorter with less overhangs. The Inspira is also taller and as wide. So you get a lot of space to play around with. You also get a car which is stable at higher speeds which is why it can cruise effortlessly. And because its more of a D segment car, you get equal levels of soundproofing which you will never get in a Vios or a City which I repeat is only a B-segment car. Why buy basic then?.

The only car that you can really feel as complete would cost over RM100,000. And if you were looking at brand new cars in this category (those costing below RM100,000) you are essentially on a budget. So act like you are on one. Beggars cannot be choosers. The Inspira is the best out there at the moment for an enthusiastic driver who wants a car at RM90,000 (For around RM100,000, I'd recommend the Swift Sport if one wants a great drive and less on space that is).

Of course, if you're buying a car for the wife, and she adamantly wants to buy the City, by all means buy City. But if it is for yourself, don't. Do yourself a favour, save your money for a proper car later on and buy the Inspira 2.0 for all your kicks for now. Hello, dropping in a K&N, changing the exhaust of the Vios or City, lowering the car, spending unnecessary Ringgit on some performance parts to make 105ps become 110ps would not the make a difference. Imagine if I bought an Inspira and bought a complete R3 exhaust system (dyno tested at Proton's own dyno and made by a well known local exhaust tuner). I would instantly gain 20hp. Would a 1.5liter make as much from an exhaust and manifold change? No it won't as there is no replacement for engine size. The bigger the better.

So buy the Inspira over ANY 1.5liter sedan on the market at the same price range. It has my seal of approval. If you really want a seal of approval get a piece of white A4 paper, make sure you spill a bit of teh tarik around your teh tarik mug and then use the wet bottom of the mug to stamp the A4 paper with the warung teh tarik seal of approval.

Follow this link to see a photo of the meter cluster, door panel and a few more exterior shots for the Proton Inspira. IF you're interested that is.

I did an article way back in 2007 on the Mitsubishi Lancer GT when it was launched. I think it would make a compelling read to those who want to know more about the original version of the Inspira. Of course, the facelifted version of the Lancer GT with that chrome strip around the wide-mouthed grille has some better plastic than this first batch model. I really felt the plastic in this 2008 model was really, really crappy.

It reminded me why Proton interiors were so crappy as their 'sifu' or master, Mitsubishi, also uses crappy plastic too. How can you learn to walk straight from a crab in the first place?

A friend of mine recently sold of his GT as soon as he heard the Inspira was being launched so I had first hand news on the car as well as sitting in it quite often before he let it go at 30,000km or two whole years of use.

Nowadays, after sitting in one quite often, I still think the Lancer GT is a decent car, but it still does not live up to the the 'GT' badging. It needs at least 20 more horses to feel competently fast due to its weight and CVT gearbox feel (although it is possible for it to out drive a Honda Civic 2.0 on the highways most of the time). The CVT is too rubber band like although it one of the better ones as the gear ratios seem spot on if you were shifting manually.

It had tons of cornering grip. The front end would just grip, grip and grip. The rear was pretty competent too...quietly assisting the front end into a corner. It was a competent long distance cruiser (maybe this is what the GT stands for) although the ride was actually too harsh for our B-roads, kampung and pot holed city roads. It was bordering on jarring sometimes. You get the feeling that at high speeds, a large mid-corner bump may put you into low orbit or over the nearest cliff. The GLS or later EX versions, which I had a ride in a few occasions were much better riding cars than the GT. Smaller brakes and a smaller anti-roll bar helped the ride a lot.

The interior also wore decently well after two whole years and I still thought the door grip was pretty cheap feeling after a while. The car looked good, drove good (CVT feel aside) but was let down by the interior materials. I suppose you can't win 'em all sometimes.

Here are some photos of the exact car, two of it were at a used car lot after he sold it. The rims were the only mod the owner did to the car.
For a read of the earlier article posted sometime circa 2007, click here.

And Proton Creates A Whole New Generation of Wiralutions......with the new Inspira. Just imagine, a whole new bunch of Mitsubishi Lancer aping Inspiras out there. It isn't that hard. The lights look the same. Just bumpers, wider side fenders front and rear, rear valance and a tall spoiler isn't hard for local fiber-glass companies to get it looking very much like an EVO X (Like this RS pictured below)

Let's call this new Evo clones the INSPIRALUTION. Totally inspired badge engineering from Proton. I hope it does sell. The Lancer GT and GLS (of which the Inspira seems to be more based on) is indeed a half decent car with with very good handling, high cornering grip (in  GT form), a fidgety ride (more so in the GT form), rubber band CVT gearbox (not as bad as some earlier CVT boxes) and an actually terrible plasticky interior (which explains why all Protons have terrible interiors as Mitsubishi can't seem to make a decent interior to this day).

 I may write about an end of term report about the Lancer GT as a friend of mine used it for a good two years and then sold it off once he caught a glimpse of spy shots of the Inspira. He managed to get RM100,000 for it and now he heard its going for around RM80,000 after a period of about 6 months.

Anyway, expect an ATTACK OF THE CLONES over a a local teh tarik stall nearby soon.