The Satria Neo CPS is the successor to Proton's popular and iconic Satria 1.8 GTi. Within the car is the new 1.6 litre CAMPRO CPS engine which incorporates two technologies, CPS (Cam Profile Shifting) and VIM (Variable Intake Manifold technology) to give higher power outputs and rapid response whilst maintaining fuel efficiency. This has also improved the torque curve particularly low to mid range where the old CAMPRO had a major issue. The output of the CAMPRO CPS is at 120hp@6500rpm and 150Nm@4500rpm.
In a move to improve handling, the Satria Neo CPS now features a wider rear track (1483mm) and a narrower front track (1467mm) compared to the 1470mm front and rear track of the outgoing model. According to sources, this was done to improve handling by increasing understeer and reducing oversteer - something that the outgoing model often evoked. The car ride and handling has also been fine tuned by Lotus which makes it one of the best handling car in the market. Many has agreed upon testing of the car.
The car's exterior design is inspired by the iconic Satria GTi but at first impression, the car never really looked as good as its predecessors. However as much as you look at it, it is still better to see the actual car itself before judging its outlook. On the interior, the Satria Neo CPS features the same old dash but upholstery is enhanced with a sporty red and black leather and door inserts. The interior finishing is further enhanced by a new leather wrapped steering wheel and gear knob.
The car has disk brakes all around with ABS and EBD making sure that the car is under control at all times. Finally, the CPS engine is only available for the H-line model which features the body kit you see above and the regular Lite and M-line models retain the regular but older Campro engine.
The Satrio Neo CPS comes in two exclusive colours; solid white and tranquility black and retails RM57,313 for the solid white manual and RM57,763 for the tranquility black. The automatics are priced at RM60,313 for solid white and RM60,763 for tranquility black.
Personally, I was really looking forward to the Neo with CPS in it but I was a bit disappointed when I first saw the car as it was not as aggressive and sporty as the Satria Neo R3 but as time passes the car has started growing in me. Besides that, the drivability of the car will be one of the main selling point and I have to say that I'm impressed by the reviews and admirations of the car's handling prowness. However, one issue that really bugs me is the price tag of the car. Correct me if I'm wrong, but does the new Satria Neo CPS really deserve its pricing? What is the cost per unit for this car? As I found out, the price difference between a standard Neo and the Neo CPS is about RM10,000 which is a very VERY huge difference. I don't think the addition of the CPS engine, leather seats and new bodykits really cost that much as well.
The tax impose on foreign cars is more than 200% in Malaysia which is a move to protect Proton from intense competition. Quite rightly, competing with the likes of Honda and Toyota on a even playing field will surely kill Proton as it is nowhere near the technological advancement of the Japanese giants. Then again, looking at the RM60k price tag, I still think its pretty high for what Proton has to offer. Mathemathically, if there were no taxes involved in foreign imported cars then the likes of Honda City or Toyota Vios will most probably drop into the same price range or even below the Neo CPS. When this happens, we can see that hands down, the City and Vios offers overall superior value compared to the Neo CPS which is why I feel that the Neo CPS is overly priced.
The government will be the one to be blamed for imposing such taxes as it kills the competitiveness and growth of the industry. But still, if no taxes where imposed and Proton falls, what will happen to the economy in the country? And what happens next? Unemployment rate will sky rocket as thousands of worker will be relieved of their jobs.
One last thing to mention is about the strategy used by Proton in introducing the Neo CPS. As you know, the CPS engine will only be available to the overly priced H-line of the Satria Neo variant. It seems like Proton is positioning the Neo CPS as a performance hot hatch while ditching the cheap and affordable image of the older versions. This is a good step from Proton to improve brand image but one thing I do not understand is why did they not do anything about the lower or standard and cheaper versions of the Satria Neo. As mentioned above, the older CAMPRO engine used in Satria Neo has major issues regarding its torque and also resulted in higher fuel consumption which is the reasons why most consumers are really looking forward to the newly improved CAMPRO CPS engine. However, Proton only launched the CPS engine in the H-line version and left the M-line and lite version untouched. If I assume that Proton wants to reposition the Satria Neo CPS as a quality and performance hot hatch, then why didn't they kill off the lower versions of the Satria Neo which utilizes the uninspiring old CAMPRO engine? Is Proton trying to clear their old stocks or just taking advantage of their market protected by the government by offering consumers a "you only can afford this so you don't have any other choice" product?
From my research and knowledge, I can assume that most people are only interested in the new CAMPRO CPS engine but Proton only offers it in the highly priced H-line version which is something that restricts those with a limited budget to get a Satria Neo with CPS engine. Now, Proton is plying its trade in a very competitive industry so shoudn't its strategy be a market driven one? How did Proton not see what the consumer wanted? Instead of offering the CPS only to the H-line version, Proton should have standardized it throughout the Satria Neo variants and then allow the consumers to choose from the variants. Thus, all consumers will be satisfied. I will say that it was a overly lazy job from the marketing research department of Proton.
Finally, nor am I a basher and neither am I a huge fan of Proton but this are just my 2 cents so no hard feelings alright. However I do need to mention that Proton cars has been improving steadily over the years and sometimes we do need to give them a chance. Hence, they deserve to be judge on its own, and not solely by its brand name.
In a move to improve handling, the Satria Neo CPS now features a wider rear track (1483mm) and a narrower front track (1467mm) compared to the 1470mm front and rear track of the outgoing model. According to sources, this was done to improve handling by increasing understeer and reducing oversteer - something that the outgoing model often evoked. The car ride and handling has also been fine tuned by Lotus which makes it one of the best handling car in the market. Many has agreed upon testing of the car.
The car's exterior design is inspired by the iconic Satria GTi but at first impression, the car never really looked as good as its predecessors. However as much as you look at it, it is still better to see the actual car itself before judging its outlook. On the interior, the Satria Neo CPS features the same old dash but upholstery is enhanced with a sporty red and black leather and door inserts. The interior finishing is further enhanced by a new leather wrapped steering wheel and gear knob.
The car has disk brakes all around with ABS and EBD making sure that the car is under control at all times. Finally, the CPS engine is only available for the H-line model which features the body kit you see above and the regular Lite and M-line models retain the regular but older Campro engine.The Satrio Neo CPS comes in two exclusive colours; solid white and tranquility black and retails RM57,313 for the solid white manual and RM57,763 for the tranquility black. The automatics are priced at RM60,313 for solid white and RM60,763 for tranquility black.
Heads to heads: Satria Neo, Satria Neo R3, Satria Neo CPS
Personally, I was really looking forward to the Neo with CPS in it but I was a bit disappointed when I first saw the car as it was not as aggressive and sporty as the Satria Neo R3 but as time passes the car has started growing in me. Besides that, the drivability of the car will be one of the main selling point and I have to say that I'm impressed by the reviews and admirations of the car's handling prowness. However, one issue that really bugs me is the price tag of the car. Correct me if I'm wrong, but does the new Satria Neo CPS really deserve its pricing? What is the cost per unit for this car? As I found out, the price difference between a standard Neo and the Neo CPS is about RM10,000 which is a very VERY huge difference. I don't think the addition of the CPS engine, leather seats and new bodykits really cost that much as well.
The tax impose on foreign cars is more than 200% in Malaysia which is a move to protect Proton from intense competition. Quite rightly, competing with the likes of Honda and Toyota on a even playing field will surely kill Proton as it is nowhere near the technological advancement of the Japanese giants. Then again, looking at the RM60k price tag, I still think its pretty high for what Proton has to offer. Mathemathically, if there were no taxes involved in foreign imported cars then the likes of Honda City or Toyota Vios will most probably drop into the same price range or even below the Neo CPS. When this happens, we can see that hands down, the City and Vios offers overall superior value compared to the Neo CPS which is why I feel that the Neo CPS is overly priced.
The government will be the one to be blamed for imposing such taxes as it kills the competitiveness and growth of the industry. But still, if no taxes where imposed and Proton falls, what will happen to the economy in the country? And what happens next? Unemployment rate will sky rocket as thousands of worker will be relieved of their jobs.
One last thing to mention is about the strategy used by Proton in introducing the Neo CPS. As you know, the CPS engine will only be available to the overly priced H-line of the Satria Neo variant. It seems like Proton is positioning the Neo CPS as a performance hot hatch while ditching the cheap and affordable image of the older versions. This is a good step from Proton to improve brand image but one thing I do not understand is why did they not do anything about the lower or standard and cheaper versions of the Satria Neo. As mentioned above, the older CAMPRO engine used in Satria Neo has major issues regarding its torque and also resulted in higher fuel consumption which is the reasons why most consumers are really looking forward to the newly improved CAMPRO CPS engine. However, Proton only launched the CPS engine in the H-line version and left the M-line and lite version untouched. If I assume that Proton wants to reposition the Satria Neo CPS as a quality and performance hot hatch, then why didn't they kill off the lower versions of the Satria Neo which utilizes the uninspiring old CAMPRO engine? Is Proton trying to clear their old stocks or just taking advantage of their market protected by the government by offering consumers a "you only can afford this so you don't have any other choice" product?
From my research and knowledge, I can assume that most people are only interested in the new CAMPRO CPS engine but Proton only offers it in the highly priced H-line version which is something that restricts those with a limited budget to get a Satria Neo with CPS engine. Now, Proton is plying its trade in a very competitive industry so shoudn't its strategy be a market driven one? How did Proton not see what the consumer wanted? Instead of offering the CPS only to the H-line version, Proton should have standardized it throughout the Satria Neo variants and then allow the consumers to choose from the variants. Thus, all consumers will be satisfied. I will say that it was a overly lazy job from the marketing research department of Proton.
Finally, nor am I a basher and neither am I a huge fan of Proton but this are just my 2 cents so no hard feelings alright. However I do need to mention that Proton cars has been improving steadily over the years and sometimes we do need to give them a chance. Hence, they deserve to be judge on its own, and not solely by its brand name.
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