Petikan berita luar negara http://www.bangkokpost.com/auto/autoreview/27369/view-to-a-kill yang ingin dikongsikan dengan rakan-rakan,
"Proton is set to expand its model lineup in Thailand with an all-new people-carrier called the Exora which will be shown to the public for the first time at next month's Motor Expo in Bangkok.
To be priced from B700,000-850,000 depending on specification, the Malaysian-made mini-MPV is poised to rock the presence of the Toyota Avanza and Honda Freed, the latter rumoured to have a starting price of nearly B900,000 when it is launched on Nov 17.
The Exora is going to be a bitter pill for Honda to swallow because it has many outstanding aspects on paper, although Proton is keen to say that its model isn't a direct competitor for the Japanese.
In terms of size, the Exora is longer and wider than both the Freed and Avanza, although it is the least tall of the trio. Being shortest isn't a bad thing: it helps give the Exora a more dynamic appearance than the other two.
More importantly, however, there is no lack of headroom for any of the seven occupants, as Motoring found out during its first-hand experience of the car last week at Proton's proving grounds in Malaysia.
Legroom isn't an issue too, although space in the third row is a little tight. To give you a clearer picture of interior space, the Exora sits between the Toyota Innova and Avanza. Or put it this way: it's nearly as cavernous as the Toyota Wish.
What's good as well in the Exora is versatility. The second and third row seats can fold flat like in the Wish and it is something neither the Avanza nor Freed can do. In terms of packaging, the Exora is ahead of these two and it's no wonder why Proton doesn't want to go into direct comparison with them.
There's no five-seat option and Proton has dismissed any plans of making one available. Perhaps, it could come later in the lifecycle should the Malaysians want to maintain sales zest. Imagine a circa B650,000 Exora attracting fleet buyers like taxis who might want to opt for a CNG conversion...
One thing the Exora won't obviously excel over the Freed is the conventional hinged rear doors; the Honda has sliding doors - features said by insiders to be responsible for the car's high pricing.
Since we're talking about a sub-B1m MPV attracting buyers on a rather tight budget, one can't expect superb plastics or a great appearance inside the Exora. But mind you, the faux leather in the test cars are mixed with suede-like materials making it reasonably garish.
The orange-lit instrumentation is clearly legible and helps lift the sombre grey-coloured cabin. It's quite surprising to see that the Exora's steering wheel isn't shared with the Persona as such, the car which lends its platform.
While practicality is something the Japanese can worry about, the driving manners of the Exora is no exception. The handling and ride balance is very typical of Proton: taut, but not uncomfortable and adequate on grip and composure - which is quite important for people-carriers that are subject to long distance driving as well.
Performance has never been a strong point in most MPVs in the market due to the weight they have to carry around, which is also the case for the Exora, even though it boasts higher ouputs than in the Avanza and Freed.
The 1.6-litre petrol engine - capable of running on E20 - is the familiar Campro unit as used in the Persona, which is to say that it isn't refined or flexible at low engine speeds.
You would constantly find yourself ending up in kickdown when you want more surge - even when you're really not driving that fast. Fortunately, the Japanese don't excel in this aspect too.
Which means that the Exora is going to be quite a decent choice at such prices. Proton will be offering at least two trims with the range-topper getting anti-lock brakes, dual airbags and a host of multi-media features like LCD screen for occupants to view.
More importantly, the Exora has more metal and versatility than its rivals - factors buyers are likely to weigh on their own - has better driving manners yet not as expensive as the Freed, in particular. The Avanza (B650,000-700,000 in automatic trim) is the smallest in its class and, at over six years, the oldest.
To sum up, the Exora is going to be great value if you take sheer product substance into consideration. From this particular point of view, Honda should have every reason to be worried - even if the Japanese is way ahead of the Malaysian in terms of brand presence in Thailand."
"Proton is set to expand its model lineup in Thailand with an all-new people-carrier called the Exora which will be shown to the public for the first time at next month's Motor Expo in Bangkok.
To be priced from B700,000-850,000 depending on specification, the Malaysian-made mini-MPV is poised to rock the presence of the Toyota Avanza and Honda Freed, the latter rumoured to have a starting price of nearly B900,000 when it is launched on Nov 17.
The Exora is going to be a bitter pill for Honda to swallow because it has many outstanding aspects on paper, although Proton is keen to say that its model isn't a direct competitor for the Japanese.
In terms of size, the Exora is longer and wider than both the Freed and Avanza, although it is the least tall of the trio. Being shortest isn't a bad thing: it helps give the Exora a more dynamic appearance than the other two.
More importantly, however, there is no lack of headroom for any of the seven occupants, as Motoring found out during its first-hand experience of the car last week at Proton's proving grounds in Malaysia.
Legroom isn't an issue too, although space in the third row is a little tight. To give you a clearer picture of interior space, the Exora sits between the Toyota Innova and Avanza. Or put it this way: it's nearly as cavernous as the Toyota Wish.
What's good as well in the Exora is versatility. The second and third row seats can fold flat like in the Wish and it is something neither the Avanza nor Freed can do. In terms of packaging, the Exora is ahead of these two and it's no wonder why Proton doesn't want to go into direct comparison with them.
There's no five-seat option and Proton has dismissed any plans of making one available. Perhaps, it could come later in the lifecycle should the Malaysians want to maintain sales zest. Imagine a circa B650,000 Exora attracting fleet buyers like taxis who might want to opt for a CNG conversion...
One thing the Exora won't obviously excel over the Freed is the conventional hinged rear doors; the Honda has sliding doors - features said by insiders to be responsible for the car's high pricing.
Since we're talking about a sub-B1m MPV attracting buyers on a rather tight budget, one can't expect superb plastics or a great appearance inside the Exora. But mind you, the faux leather in the test cars are mixed with suede-like materials making it reasonably garish.
The orange-lit instrumentation is clearly legible and helps lift the sombre grey-coloured cabin. It's quite surprising to see that the Exora's steering wheel isn't shared with the Persona as such, the car which lends its platform.
While practicality is something the Japanese can worry about, the driving manners of the Exora is no exception. The handling and ride balance is very typical of Proton: taut, but not uncomfortable and adequate on grip and composure - which is quite important for people-carriers that are subject to long distance driving as well.
Performance has never been a strong point in most MPVs in the market due to the weight they have to carry around, which is also the case for the Exora, even though it boasts higher ouputs than in the Avanza and Freed.
The 1.6-litre petrol engine - capable of running on E20 - is the familiar Campro unit as used in the Persona, which is to say that it isn't refined or flexible at low engine speeds.
You would constantly find yourself ending up in kickdown when you want more surge - even when you're really not driving that fast. Fortunately, the Japanese don't excel in this aspect too.
Which means that the Exora is going to be quite a decent choice at such prices. Proton will be offering at least two trims with the range-topper getting anti-lock brakes, dual airbags and a host of multi-media features like LCD screen for occupants to view.
More importantly, the Exora has more metal and versatility than its rivals - factors buyers are likely to weigh on their own - has better driving manners yet not as expensive as the Freed, in particular. The Avanza (B650,000-700,000 in automatic trim) is the smallest in its class and, at over six years, the oldest.
To sum up, the Exora is going to be great value if you take sheer product substance into consideration. From this particular point of view, Honda should have every reason to be worried - even if the Japanese is way ahead of the Malaysian in terms of brand presence in Thailand."
Konklusi :
1. Exora di pasaran Thailand secara tidak langsung memberi impak kepada jualan Avanza dan Freed oleh kerana harganya yang berpatutan walaupun bukan untuk bersaing dengan syarikat automotif Jepun tetapi kelebihan yang ada pada Exora boleh menenggelamkan MPV Jepun di pasaran Thailand
2. Kelebihan tempat duduk penumpang Exora yang boleh dilipat sepenuhnya dengan aras yang sama rata juga memberi tamparan hebat kepada Avanza dan Freed yang sebaliknya.
3. Tidak terkecuali aspek pemanduan yang didapati bersesuaian sebagai sebuah ciri MPV yang tidak melihat kepada kuasa semata-mata dimana hanya mengunakan 1.6 liter Campro CPS menambahkan lagi kerisauan kepada syarikat pengeluar MPV yang lain.
4. Tawaran aksesori tambahan untuk Exora nyata mampu memikat pembeli di Thailand untuk memiliki Exora ditambah pula harga Exora yang amat rendah untuk sebuah produk Proton yang berjaya sebagai sebuah MPV dengan harga yang amat berpatutan.
