Owner Review: Aggressive look and many mods available - My 2010 Proton Inspira 2.0 P

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Basic information

2010 Proton Inspira 2.0P

Reason why I bought this car

I bought this car to replace my old Proton Wira 1.5, suiting the need for monthly long distance travel from Tanjung Malim to Kedah, and frequent travelling to K.L as well. As a 130kg man, the size of the car plays an important role as the D-segment car seems to be pricey and petrol guzzler. Going for the mainstream B-segment car seems ridiculous.

• I had a budget of: RM45000 cash. Not wanting to do a loan for my first bought car, as i might make a mistake in choosing the vehicle or as they said "young blood" always want more.
• Models that I have considered include: Almost all C-segment cars available in Malaysia such as Honda Civic FD, Toyota Corolla Altis, Proton Preve, Kia Forte, Mazda 6 (old model), Elantra, Sonata, and eastern car but not continental.

The reason why I choose this car

User experience

I have already done 198200 km.

In short, the experience is the same as what Proton projected in their commercial ads for Proton Inspira. Watch it in youtube. You don't want to stop driving. You want to go further. Long version, let's look at it by aspects.

Space

As a 1.8 meter/130kg man, the size of the interior is everything. I've tested many cars before finally buying this car. Most of them have issues around leg/thigh area, seat position, roof line, and head clearance for driver and rear passenger. Looking from the outside, the high roof with a non-sloping back gives you a different experience when you are in the car. Comparing this to Honda Civic FD, I felt the rear passenger roof closer to my head, but not inspira.

From the driver perspective, the way the seat being positioned is good enough for someone of my height, without compromising the field of view. What I meant was that, in certain C-segment cars, the view when driving may feel enough for highway driving as you will only be looking at the front. But when driving in the city, there's a need to look up at the traffic light, name of the building, etc.

When test driving another car, I find myself to be in a difficult situation where I can't see anything beyond my usual position. I need to move my head more, sometimes right on top of the steering wheel, just to see if the traffic light has turned green yet or not. However, it's not all sweet. One main issue pertaining to driving views on Inspira would be the enormous A-pillar.  It's so big, when going out of a junction, you have to really look at the side to ensure it's safe. But this is an easy fix. Just stop a little bit back from the line, providing enough space for motorcycles to stop in front of you.

Apart from that, there's a hidden feature or trick that I always utilise whenever I go long distance travel. Because the centre console is low, level to the seat, I use that as a dining table. At RNR, put gear to park, put that rectangle Siamese pillow (google it), and with my high-rise aftermarket armrest, it works as a bench or mini dining table, enough for me to put my food or Tupperware. As for beverages, there's enough space between the gear lever and the dashboard. I remember my trip back to my hometown during Ramadhan, when it's time for iftar, rather than hustling at the crowded RNR food court, I simply enjoy my food in my car, and be done with it. 

Fuel Consumption

As a 2.0 litre engine, in a simple word I would say it is above average in terms of fuel saving. But bear in mind, this car is what Two-Face is to Batman. While every car fuel consumption is usually separated into city and highway driving, Inspira does indeed mark the difference here. For city driving, I usually get around 8-10km/ litre. I believe this is due to its weight and CVT gearbox which always rev at medium to high rpm whenever you start moving. But, it is not a bad thing though.

I travelled on a daily basis of a total 180km (+-) per day on highway and I managed to get around 13-16km/litre. Why the big range you ask? Depends on the traffic. I truly believe that FC for Inspira really influenced the stop-go situation. There are times on the highway when you are being high-beamed by The King, and you move aside, but they are still tailgating behind you. You know you can go faster but wanting to save fuel but you can only be patient so much, until you step on it, leaving The King to the horizon. And once done, here comes the regret looking at the fuel gauge. 

Ride comfortability and handling

If you have the experience of taking ETS to a destination, you may feel the same experience with Inspira. The suspension is so smooth, with the proper tyre, you will feel like you are gliding on the road. It's so smooth, many times when I have friends carpooling with me, they end up sleeping soundly. Proton is famous for it's ice cold air conditioning and inspira is not any different. However, this is all on stock setup. The soft suspension and cozy driving experience made me think that it doesn't tally with the aggressive look. Like a castrated tiger. And I, a young blood during that time, coming from a modified Proton Wira, for sure will not be satisfied with it.

A simple upgrade to 215/50/17 wheel and APM sport spring for first phase, as Joe Flizzow said, the action has "kejut harimau yang sedang tidur". A simple modification changes everything. You feel planted to the ground. You see corners everywhere. Everyone else drives so slow and you just have to overtake them. Shifting to manual/Tiptronic function, changing gears through paddle shifters, I find myself to constantly need to remind myself that I am not playing Forza 4. You want to go and do more. The only thing stops you is that fuel gauge. The thrill you get from it is ecstasy. This is quite a cheap car, and I can't imagine how it would feel in those racing, high-end cars.

However, as time goes by, you will miss the comfort stock suspension provided. You long for a relaxing ride, after a long day at work. My friends suggested upgrading to adjustable but I don't think so. So I revert to the stock suspension, and the comfort is bliss. No more scraping bumpers, no more road feeling sensation. Just a smooth ride home. 

Performance

A 2.0 litre 4b11 engine, and I believe the same engine used in Mitsubishi Outlander as well, is a no-complaint engine. Is it powerful? That would be an overclaim. Is it under power? That would be an underclaim. I prefer adequate and enough. You'll have the power when you need it. I've tried 200km/h easily. (polis don't saman). I want to go more but I guess I'm not that of daredevil. This is stock, and when there are a lot of aftermarket performance kits, different stages, and many experts specialising on inspira/lancer/evo platform, there's so much more this car can offer. CVT gearbox might fright you but whenever in doubt, shift to manual, and enjoy. Steering response is on point, if paired with a high-quality set of tyre. Inspira is an android of a car and is fully customizable.

Features

Mine, as what I've been told, was the cbu unit as it was the earliest model after launch. Equipped with cruise control( not adaptive, this is an old car), auto wiper, auto headlight, headlight levelling, auto power window for driver, Tiptronic and paddle shifter, semi-digital meter cluster, automatic climate control, rest reminder, service reminder, signal sound changer( yes, this car has two signal sound) and many more, looking at the age and time this car was launched, I could say it is far better that today's most cars of the same price tag as a secondhand inspira. Not to mention that there are more hidden functions waiting for you to enable it through it etac. Since this is the "EVO" long lost cousin twice removed, there are a lot of features from it that can be plugged here such as keyless entry, boot button, etc. The possibilities are there. 

Maintenance cost

I have my rule of thumb of finding out if a car is high maintenance or not. Look if there's any government department using it as an official car. And for Inspira, a lot of government departments use it. Then you'll know it is not that hassle to maintain it. But, if you are comparing the maintenance cost of Inspira to a kancil, then better only walk. To put into perspective, in 2020, something bad happened which required me to change the engine. The 4b11 engine cost me RM2.5k only. You can do your own math from here. As for periodical service, it uses 4.3litre of engine oil and it usually costs me around as low as RM190 to RM350 every three months with fully synthetic engine oil.

Electronic wise, not an issue. Bulb replacement can be done easily even in front of Mr. DIY store. Tyres on the other hand are depending on your rim, but I see myself changing it with the range from RM1200 to RM2000, and of course this is depending on the brand itself. Westlake or Rovelo might be the option to choose should you want to save a bit but my suggestion, don't cheap out on tyres or you will miss the best of Inspira. 

Modification Availability. 

Have you ever wondered why so many Proton Inspira owner change their bumper to lancer, evo, varis, etc? the answer is simple. BECAUSE THEY CAN. There are abundance of parts available be it cosmetic wise or performance wise. And at an interesting price too. I myself had done many cosmetic and electronic modification, and mostly by myself because it is so easy to D.I.Y it. There are a lot of tutorials on youtube, if not for Inspira, perhaps lancer or Evo.

I had installed 10.1 inch android head unit with side install of android auto capability, led light bulbs and interior lighting, Proton R3 skirting, a 360 camera system, amplifier, aftermarket speakers, and 3-way DVR, all by myself as a weekend project. You name it, for sure they have it for Inspira. If you join official facebook group for Inspira owners, i promise you will be "poisoned" with a lot of modification capabilities. It's a good sleeper car as well should that be the path to be taken.

Ratings

Total Score: 5
Performance: 4
Quality & Features: 4
Space: 5
Ride Comfort: 5
Fuel Economy: 4
Price & Cost: 5

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Spacious
• Power available when you need
• Super comfortable with smooth ride
• Aggresive look
• Tonnes of modification and parts available
• Kinda fuel saving for long distance (only)
• Super reliable

Cons

• NVH kinda below average
• Wallet killing for town driving

Summary 

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