Print & Online Volkswagen Car Repair Manuals
Volkswagen was created in 1936 but its origins go back to 1925, when an 18-year-old student, Bela Barenyi, submitted chassis designs for a 鈥榲olkswagen鈥? which translates as 鈥榩eople鈥檚 car鈥? Plans were put in place in the 1930s, under the orders of a certain Adolf Hitler, to create a basic vehicle that could transport two adults and two children at 62mph. And so the Beetle was born. VW was revived after World War 2 and the Wolfsburg factory was offered by the British to several foreign car makers, but all rejected it as a project doomed to fail. But it didn鈥檛, and the Beetle was soon followed by the Type 2 (VW Camper) and Karmann Ghia sports car. Volkswagen鈥檚 acquisition of the Audi brand helped it to launch the Golf, Passat, Polo, which have stood the test of time, and it now produces models all over the world. At Haynes, we have an extensive range of Audi repair manuals and online procedures available for professional mechanics and DIY car enthusiasts alike. We can give you all the guidance you need.
It was also very, very stable when I slammed on the brakes at that speed to a standstill. The surprising thing was that I found out that the Preve's ABS system is so unobtrusive that in the dry conditions I tested the car it would not engage until the very last moment. Most cars' ABS systems usually engage quite early, but this one engages late and engaging late would mean that driver's who love trail braking late in corners would appreciate such a gesture. And I do appreciate it as I actually enjoyed how the Preve drives and handles. This is actually a car that I could drive fast from the start. The steering weight feels fabulous (not feel, which is about average, but its weight). The ergonomics are correct and the car actually does what you want. So as it gives me the confidence to go faster I find out the more important details of the Proton Preve 1.6CFE Premium. What I found out was that the Preve I drove had a tight engine or that it was lazy.
If you leave it in 'D' the car seems to be sluggish. It may have 205Nm but it needs to be prodded and then stabbed. Maybe the engineers decided to make the CVT a little lazy in order to make the car economical. Or maybe it was the weight. The Preve weighs 1340kg, which is actually very very heavy considering its size is smaller than the Proton Inspira 2.0 (a.k.a Mitsubishi Lancer) but is only 5kg lighter than that car. The Proton Preve wakes up if you're brutal with the acclerator (or happy) pedal and if you really shift down a gear or two via the paddle shifts. Leaving it in 'D' or 'S' isn't sufficient. The CVT isn't laggy if you do so and the engine somehow wakes up a little. The Preve will pull from about 50km/h in 2nd gear all the way to about 140km/h at a decent pace.
Proton claims around 9.6seconds from nought to a hundred kilometers, and it feels it would achieve such a time. Somehow the 1.6liter turbocharged (a BorgWarner turbine) engine isn't that awesome. It could be the weight of the car, or that the engine is tight. But if Proton put a mid-9second time, I have to think its the weight that blunting ultimate acceleration - the price to pay for refinement. There isn't any turbo lag or CVT rubber-band. It is just a linear rate of climb, typical of modern day turbocharged engines like the VW 1.4 TSI twin charger or Fiat's 1.4Multijet where you get a slightly linear power delivery instead of an explosion at a preset rpm. But the Preve's engine doesn't have the technical complexities of direct injection which is why the Golf 1.4 feels like it has more torque from the start. I also felt that the Preve's mid-range is pretty good for a 1.6liter car IF you stoke it through the gears. The engine makes the car feel like a normally aspirated 2.0liter car.
So if you were expecting a Golf GTI killer or a Evo fighter, don't. This is a car that has to do so many things - make Proton's name shine brightly, carry a family of 8 (3 in front, 5 at the rear), carry durians, make people buy Protons over Toyotas and so on. So I have now told you that the car is slightly overweight and the weight blunts the acceleration slightly so you have got to be a little rough with the Preve. It is faster than all the 1.6liter cars out there, but it is only as fast as a 2.0liter normally aspirated sedan, i.e the Inspira. But you do pay 1.6liter road tax, which is a good thing. Now once you get in terms how to keep the fire burning you can really enjoy the rest of the car. The Preve can be thrown into corners with some abandon.
