Taking on the All New Satria Neo

Decided to drop by one of EON's dealership in nearby Tabuan Jaya to checkout the lastest Satria Neo during lunch break... the other reason is to checkout the Veilside kitted Nissan 350Z rolling on montrous 20" bling-blings parked beside the demo car. Got to test drive it as well.... not the Veilside 350Z (dream on boy), but rather the 1.3 litre manual version of the Satria Neo

Exterior:

Well, must say i'm pretty impressed with the exterior styling. Definitely a looker with lines reminiscence of the 1-Series Beemer.... period, until i get jaded of seeing countless of 'em on the road in the not too distant future, i'm sure. Smoked head lights angel eye style, center mounted exhaust tip + aerodynamic add-ons are the craze these days...

Interior:

Sadly not the same can be said about the interior though. Looks huge from the outside, but it feels rather crampy inside; minimal head / leg room... i'm complaining, & i'm not exactly that tall at 5' 6''. Overall, it's overambitious in trying to look sporty + futuristic, too plastic-ky for my liking with the oh-so-outdated designs, like they're copy & paste item from Gen2 or even the 'all-new loud-exhaust' Saga. Got to hate those color coded flimsy rounded air-con vents. Semi-bucket seats? Sports steering? Oh, don't even bother to go there...I'm sure they can do better with the interior materials.

Test Drive:

Copyright: Proton

To begin with, the seating position's pretty awkward. Gearshifts & pedal feel is anything but smooth.... the 1.3 Campro DOHC engine [94HP @ 6000rpm / 120Nm @ 4000rpm] plus kerb weight of 1146kg is a tad underpowered, if u ask me.... . Vehicle sound proofing is OK by our 'national car's standard', but the engine whines like a lame pussy at higher revs.... Basically, it makes a boring drive. Didn't get to 'abuse' the car, to appreciate the finer details of its handling though...

My Verdict:

It looks the part, reputed to have good handling but hasn't got a potent enough engine to match. Perhaps i should try out the 1.6 litre version next. With a price tag starting from RM43,500 for the baseline model, i'd say forget the 1.3 & go get the 1.6, should be a decent buy . I'd stick with my Veilside 350Z though... yeah rite, dream on boy....

Craig Lieberman's '04 350Z Terminator

This is what i'm talking about: Cunn car + hot chick to boot

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