Proton Jumbuck Review
Published: 22nd October 2004
Proton Jumbuck GLS
How It Drove - Performance
The Proton Jumbuck GLS is powered by a 1.5 litre, 12 valve, four cylinder, 86 bhp engine enabling the Jumbuck to accelerate from 0-60mph in 14.6 seconds and continue to a top speed of 96 mph.
The Jumbuck's 1.5 petrol engine performed well around town and it coped well on 'A' and 'B' roads. However, on the Motorway it did feel slightly underpowered and when climbing steep hills you found yourself having to change down to 4th or even 3rd gear to keep a constant speed. Both road noise and engine noise were minimal and the 5-speed manual gearbox was excellent offering fluid, positive changes.
How It Drove - Ride/Handling
The front wheel drive Jumbuck is based on the Proton Wira platform and consists of a monocoque body with two seat cab connected to a load bearing ladder frame chassis. Lotus have played a key role in the Jumbuck's development and this is instantly apparant when you drive it. Bearing in mind it is a pick-up truck it handles particularly well and is almost car-like to drive. Although there is not a great deal of feedback from the progressive power assisted steering it is well weighted but it does tend to buck (excuse the pun) on uneven road surfaces. This is in part due to the rear suspension set-up as it is designed to carry loads (up to 645 kg payload and an 800 litre load capacity) in the rear and we tested it unladen.
Although the Jumbuck is not a four wheel drive vehicle it does boast 170 mm of ground clearance enabling it to negotiate areas unsuitable for some cars. This level of ground clearance has been achieved by using a longer front strut body with longer travel shock absorbers which provide better wheel articulation and grip.
The brakes have been upgraded to 10 inch ventilated front disc brakes and calipers linked through a load sensing proportioning valve to 9 inch rear drum brakes.
