About Proton Satria Neo
The Malaysian carmaker Proton introduced the second generation of its sporty hatchback Satria in 2006 and renamed-it as Satria Neo.
While the Satria' first generation was a re-badged Mitsubishi Colt, the Satria Neo was a completely different story. It was built on a new platform developed by Proton and since the Malaysian company owned the Lotus sports-car manufacturer, some involvement from the British side. The result was a spectacular vehicle in the supermini segment.
In 2006 there were a lot of supermini hatchbacks on the market, but Proton was not discouraged by that. The Satria Neo looked fresh with its rounded lines and the unique design for the headlights. Maybe the double-arched lower sides of the front lamps resembled the BMW 3-Series E46 facelift, but it looked different on Proton.
Inside, despite its length, it showed a surprisingly roomy interior for up to four passengers and was limited for five due to the narrow hip area. It featured a split-folding rear bench so the owner could extend the trunk. For the dashboard, the Proton designers made a binocular-style instrument cluster with two large dials for the speedometer and tachometer that incorporated the fuel level and coolant temperature gauges. A small LCD found its place at the bottom of the instrument panel for the odometer.
Under the hood, Proton offered the Satra Neo with a choice of two engines: a 1.3-liter and a 1.6-liter. The latter was developed with some help from Lotus. It wasn't a masterpiece with too much power, but it was just right for the car's destination as a city vehicle. The 1.6-liter version was available with a 4-speed automatic, while the standard transmission for both engines was a 5-speed manual.