PROTON Suprima S Models/Series Timeline, Specifications & Photos

The Malaysian automaker Proton started to make its way on the car market and created the Suprima S, a hatchback aimed at young customers with a sporty design.

Creating a vehicle from scratch was not a big problem for the automaker. The real problem came when it was with the car's design. They just didn't know how to make it appealing, and that's why they called Italdesign Giugiaro to give them a lending hand.

The Suprima S was considered by many as a game-changer for the Malaysian brand, mainly due to its look. Its front fascia looked like it was a knight's visor, with that V-shape formed by the grille and the angular headlights. Moreover, the lower bumper split into three parts sported a center grille flanked by the side scoops that hosted the fog lamps. From its profile, the Suprima S featured an ascending beltline that emphasized the car's sportiness. At the back, Proton installed the taillights only on the quarter panels, flanking the raked-forward tailgate that offered a decent width for easier loading and unloading.

Inside, Proton worked hard to deliver a much better vehicle than it used to. For that, it offered various comfort features such as power windows, buttons on the steering wheels, and a decent infotainment system. In addition, for vehicles fitted with the CVT, it even provided paddle shifters behind the steering wheel. Depending on the options, the Suprima S came with keyless-entry and start-stop button. The front bucket seats were fine for normal driving, and so was the rear split-folding bench.

Under the hood, the Suprima S came fitted with only one powertrain option, a 1.6-liter turbocharged gasoline unit that was paired as standard with a CVT gearbox that provided seven-speed fixed ratios for manually changing gears.