Proton Persona

* Great pricing
* Plenty of equipment
* Spacious interior and big boot
* Lotus-tuned suspension delivers quality ride and handling


* Bad


* Horrible interior plastics
* Some poorly executed ergonomics
* Engine is under-sized for segment and uses 95 RON fuel
* Safety equipment level is behind the times


2 Minute road test (See full review)
Price and equipment

At $16,990, the Persona's price attracts attention. Then there's the equipment list that includes airconditioning, 15-inch alloy wheels, reversing sensors, foglights, power windows and mirrors, remote central locking, an alarm and single-CD audio with steering wheel controls but only a space-saver spare tyre.

The Persona, with its 1.6-litre engine, misses out under the bonnet as popular small car rivals have either 1.8 or 2.0-litre engines. The Persona's Campro engine, as it is known, also runs on more expensive premium unleaded. The five-speed manual gearbox, as tested here, is standard.

Replacing it with a four-speed automatic adds $2000.

The Persona's price pitches it at the bargain basement of the small-car market, lining up against the Thai-built Nissan Tiida ST ($17,990) and the Korean-built Holden Viva ($18,490).

Persona is also cheaper than the $17,990 entry-level Toyota YRS sedan, which is a whole class smaller.
Under the bonnet

A 1.6-litre engine is a performance negative for a small car. But in these days of fuel prices above $1.50 a litre, Proton is invoking the economy argument.

The official claim for the 82 kW/148 Nm engine is 6.6 L/100 km for the manual and 6.7 L/100 km for the auto.

Our result was 8.3 L/100 km and 198g CO2/km, about what you'd expect from a small car with a 1.8 or 2.0-litre engine.

The Persona would benefit from an extra gear, as in fifth gear it buzzes along at a relatively high 2800 rpm.

Proton claims the Persona accelerates from 0-100 km/h in about 12 seconds. It doesn't feel that slow in the real world.

The manual gear change is co-operative and quite snappy. Work the throttle enthusiastically and the Persona will keep up with traffic.

The ambience of the engine is quite pleasant. It is boomy around 4000 rpm and there's some tingling through the pedals close to the engine's red line, but it is mostly composed.
How it drives

The Persona's ride and handling have been fine-tuned with the assistance of sports car marque Lotus, which is now a part of Proton.

The influence of the English chassis expert is obvious. The Persona displays good manners when cruising and trawling the suburbs. In these circumstances its main weaknesses are a limited rear vision while reversing - the parking sensors are much-needed kit - and a large 10.8-metre turning circle.

The Persona drives quietly, rides well, handles with assurance and steers quickly ... up to a point.

Coarse surfaces get the otherwise impressive Goodyear NCT tyres humming, while rough or bumpy roads can generate shake through the steering wheel.

Nevertheless, the driving behaviour of the Persona is one of its most impressive attributes.
Comfort and practicality

Immediate benefits that the Persona has over its hatch-back Gen 2 sibling include more passenger room, a glovebox (the Satria lacks one) and a 430-litre boot space that grows with the split-fold rear seat.

The two cars share a simple instrument panel, the circular theme for audio controls and the way the three dials for the air-conditioning sit vertically on the lower part of the centre stack.

The Persona has adequate storage for cups, mobile phones and more.

Behind the wheel, the driver has to make do with only rake adjustment.

Space in the back, with the front seat occupied, is good enough for a 180-centimetre adult. Wide-opening doors provide easy access.

But the Persona's plastics are so unforgivingly hard that fingers, knuckles and elbows get scraped and bruised. The lid for the centre bin not only inflicts pain but also sits too high so it fouls every gear change. It has to be left flipped up, only to come flopping down during braking.

The driver at times has to reach around the gearshift to adjust the airconditioning dials, and the glovebox falls open without any damping.

Other annoyances included the interior's strong chemical smell and some squeaks and rattles.
Safety

No independent crash-test rating exists for the Persona or its hatchbased sibling, the Gen 2. Safety equipment includes dual front airbags, ABS with EBD and lap-sash seatbelts for all five passengers.

The front belts include pretensioners. The Persona does not have stability control or side and curtain airbags available even as an option, flagging a major safety concern.
Overall verdict

* Three Star


The Persona is unfinished business.

The basic mechanical package, interior space, pricing and equipment level are all appealing or at least satisfactory. But its crude interior detailing, some poor ergonomics and the offensively cheap materials hold it back.

It's not like Proton has to look far up market to see how it should be done - Korean car makers now produce some of the best budget interiors.

Proton has come a long way with the Persona but it still has work to do.