Proton Waja

Manufacturer	Proton
Also called	Proton Impian (United Kingdom)
Production	2000-2011
Successor	Proton Inspira
Class	Compact
Body style	4-door saloon
Engine	1.6 L Mitsubishi 4G18 I4 1.6 L Proton Campro S4PH I4 1.8 L Renault F4P I4 2.0 L Mitsubishi 6A12 V6 Campro S4PP(T) CPS with turbo intercooler I4
Transmission	MT/AT
Wheelbase	2,600 mm (102.4 in)
Length	4,470 mm (176.0 in)
Width	1,740 mm (68.5 in)
Height	1,420 mm (55.9 in)
Curb weight	1,215 kg (2,678.6 lb) - 1,235 kg (2,722.7 lb)
Related	Volvo S40 Mitsubishi Carisma

The Proton Waja is a saloon car designed in-house by Malaysian automotive company, Proton, first released in August 2000.

The Waja is the first Malaysian-designed car. The name Waja, which means "the king", meaning it is the "king" of all of the previous models. The name was chosen partly to counter the perception in the domestic market that Proton cars were durable compared to its competitors.

In the United Kingdom, the Waja was sold as Proton Impian, "Impian" being another derivative of the Malay language, meaning "dream".

History

The Proton Waja is the first model designed in-house by Proton. The development of the Waja began at the end of the 1999 together with the Campro engine, however, the development of the Campro engine was still in progress at the time of its launch and therefore Proton had to source the 4G18 engine for the Waja from Mitsubishi, before switching to CamPro engines in 2006.

It was launched in August 2000, together with the introduction of Proton's new corporate logo. Early batches of the Waja had no airbags, ABS, and came with fabric seats only. In 2002, a 1.6 variant 'X', was launched.

It was equipped with more luxurious items like climate control, traction control, auto-flip mirror, driver's airbag, wood grain interior and fully leather seats and door trim. Proton made minor changes to the seats by adding rear armrest with cup holder (what a normal Waja did not have), rear seats adjustable head rest and lumbar support for driver seats.

Due to the underpower issue, Proton launched new waja version, the 1.8X. It used the Renault F4P engine, found in the Renault Laguna. It used the same interior as the 1.6X Premium, but a passengers airbag was added as safety feature. This model engine are highly to maintain and some buyers replaced it with Mitsubishi engine.

The Waja was facelifted in 2005. The first minor facelift was rear boot spoiler, new alloy-rims, new interior scheme (brown & cream), new meter cluster, and two airbags and ABS fitted as standard. The 2007 Proton Waja had a Campro engine introduced. This was Proton's first model to be fitted with a Campro engine. The exterior was given minor changes and new color.

At the end of 2005, Proton additionally introduced another variant of the Waja, known as Proton Waja Chancellor, to be used by representatives of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) during the meeting of ASEAN leaders in the KLCC, shortly before its launch in 2006.

The Waja Chancellor had a longer wheelbase, and a 2.0-litre V6 engine similar to that used in Proton Perdana V6, also sourced from Mitsubishi.

For the 2007 Waja, it was fitted with a Campro CPS engine. it's a powerful 128bhp.it was given a new grille which was nearly identical to the Savvy, and new taillights which were nearly identical to the E60 BMW 5 Series. The 2008 Waja CPS also includes both ABS and air bag as standard for the Malaysian market, which were previously optional equipment.

United Kingdom

Waja sales in the United Kingdom, where it was rebadged as the Impian, did not begin until April 2001, and it has continued virtually unchanged ever since. The Impian was only available with right hand drive while left hand drive models were available elsewhere in Europe.

Sales were not strong, as it was behind the best of the competition at its launch and virtually all of its competitors were all replaced since. Its decent ride and handling, generous equipment levels, competitive asking price and comprehensive aftersales package are perhaps the only things that keep it going with British buyers.

Specifications

Safety Features

The Royal Malaysian Police Proton Waja (first generation, first facelift) police car.

The Waja/Impian is currently the only Proton car to have undergone a Euro NCAP test, receiving only moderate-to-mediocre results in a 2002 crash test.^[1]

Euro NCAP 2002 crash test ratings

• Adult Occupant Rating -
• Pedestrian Rating -

Proton claims that the Impian is the first of a new generation of cars that are designed to Euro NCAP standards and is the first Proton car evaluated by Euro NCAP. It scored 3 stars for adult occupant safety but only 1 star for pedestrian safety. This was a disappointing performance but Proton says it intends to improve future designs. But it has not yet been done till now.

The car's body was damaged so badly by the impact that it became unstable. The driver and front passenger risked serious injury. The child restraints performed poorly and it became apparent that, in development, too little thought had been given to their use.}}

The tested configuration with side airbags were never sold by Proton in Malaysia.

Top Gear aired a segment which featured a damaged Proton Waja alongside a damaged Toyota Avensis to show the differences between a 3-star EURO NCAP car and a 5-star EURO NCAP car after a head-on collision on a deformable steel concrete wall.

Variants

Proton Waja Chancellor

The Waja Chancellor, which launched 2006, featured a longer wheelbase and was powered by a Mitsubishi 6A12 2.0L V6 engine similar to that used in Proton Perdana V6, also sourced from Mitsubishi. The car is also available only with a 4-speed automatic transmission.

By January 2012, the Campro CPS Turbo engine will be finally used to power the Waja CE. Although the engine is similar to the engine used in the Proton Gen-2 CPS and Proton Waja CPS, the Campro CPS Turbo engine used in the Waja CE will have higher power and torque, because of the use of a TD04 turbo with intercooler and to the use of R3 tuned ECU and MSD Ignition Coil ECU with newly improved chassis, suspension and brake to accommodate its increased power. This model was developed as a prototype for the Exora due to its lack of power and finding a new way to increase engine power without increasing the displacement. S4PP(T) is still in a prototype state and that's why is now using a code name S4P (Prototype Turbo) Badge. Price may range from RM70,000 to RM80,000.

Racing

For three years the Waja was entered in the British Touring Car Championship between 2002-2004. The car was entered as a BTC spec under the team name Petronas Syntium Proton. The team enjoyed moderate success with no race wins despite having experienced drivers David Leslie and Phil Bennett for the first two years. In 2004 the team hired two new drivers in Shaun Watson-Smith and Malaysian star Fariqe Hairuman, but after no podium finishes, they withdrew from the championship at the end of the year.

Replacement model

Proton developed a Waja replacement called Proton Inspira, previously codenamed New Sedan and P309A. It is actually a rebadged Mitsubishi Lancer.The Proton Waja is to be discontinued and the Proton Inspira will be introduced as a new model that will be competing in the B segment and C segment markets.

References

2. Paul Tan: New Proton Waja replacement based on Lancer in Penang!. Paul Tan, 2010-08-02. Retrieved on 2010-08-19, Reader Fahmil spotted the elusive “Waja Lancer” soon to be launched out in the open near Masjid Kapitan Keling in Penang last Friday, along with an Exora ‘escort’.“(html, English) [1]

Official Websites

• Proton Waja overview
• Proton Holdings Berhad
• Proton Waja at a glance
• EON ACE Proton Limousine