Proton’s Centre Of Excellence (COE) was the starting point for the journey and off we took to an altitude of one foot off the ground and a maximum cruising speed of 80kph.
Along the way, the 30-car convoy which included the Persona and Saga models, made stops at Perigi Batu Pahat and Tanjung Piai National Park as well as other checkpoints that needed to be reached within a specified time.
After an overnight stay in JB, the ended at a petrol station as the final checkpoint before continuing back to COE.
For many, fuel efficiency has always been one of the main factors when it comes to buying a vehicle with many tips and tricks on how to be frugal on fuel.
One of the main ways, as arduous as it can sometimes be, is to consistently apply copious amounts of restraint on the right foot. Jamming on the throttle will only dump fuel into the engine which makes it work harder - but not efficiently.
The trick is to slowly and ever so slightly ease into the throttle pedal just enough to have the Iriz gently and gradually build up speed to 80kph which puts the engine revving around 1,500rpm and then maintain.
The most painful ordeals were the numerous uphill slopes which negated any or all efforts placed into getting the car up to speed and only managed to up the level frustration. Nonetheless, perseverance was necessary to complete the distance.
At the final checkpoint (a refuelling stop), many drivers breathed a very large sigh of relief, as did we, considering the car’s instrument cluster displayed the car’s remaining range as “ - - “ - 45 minutes prior to reaching the final checkpoint.
With the Malaysia Speed Festival scrutineers, the Iriz’s fuel usage was measured at 37.496 litres for an average of 5.69 litres per 100km over the 650km distance.
Out for the three models, the Iriz managed to achieve the best fuel consumption which was measured at 4.94 litres per 100km while the Persona and Saga achieved a best of 4.98 litres and 5.43 litres per 100km respectively.
Impressive indeed for the Iriz which can now officially add “efficiency” to its already long list of positive attributes that include fun, comfortable, compact and feature-packed among others.
