Very good
A good car with European feeling and solidly built. No problem so far with quality interior and design. Good handling and easily could reach up to 120 km on country roads without to worry about loosing control. Salute! proton.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 16th February, 2005
Powertrain refinement and usable performance from the past
Engine speed related rattle in dashboard from delivery.
Road speed related buzz in driver's door.
Vibrating driver's door rear view mirror.
Remote control function of alarm is weak (need to be near and at certain angle to arm/disarm).
Sloppy interior controls (seat adjustments, turn indicator stalk, remote rear mirror adjustment multi-way switch)
Excessive wind-noise over 90km/hr.
Much cheaper than competition here in Malaysia due to preferential duty structure for this home-grown product. The equivalent Hyundai for example costs 30 percent more.
To these eyes, nice overall design both inside and out. But very nasty interior build quality and materials. Some strange ergonomics in seat height to steering wheel positioning, steering wheel rim shape, poor line of sight to some controls and instruments.
World class ride and handling for a car in this category, thanks to Lotus Engineering subsidiary. But amount of road noise is higher than average.
Power delivery and refinement of engine reminiscent of early 70's (hot) Lotus engined Ford Escorts (no thanks to Lotus Engineering subsidiary). Power-train for normal motoring is actually a worse compromise than that in my (low mileage) 18 year old (!) Honda Accord automatic. Gen2's torque is meek at low revs and auto-gearbox gets confused when trying to help out. Engine only gets into its stride over 4000RPM, but at that engine speed and above, deafening unpleasant sounds from under the bonnet will frighten off all except the most die-hard press on motorist.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 16th January, 2005
Rattling sound from dashboard, probably due to aftermarket CD player installation poor workmanship.
The Gen2's Sime tyre really letting me down.
The Gen2 is a fantastic car, very quick and the handling round corners is superb. Lotus Midas's touch really make sense here.
I would recommend this car to anyone. I use it every day and commute to and from work even though I have my Toyota Harrier. This car really value for money!
It has a spartan interior, but is surprisingly comfortable, even on long journeys.
Can't believe this is a Proton car. Should be a continental car.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 29th November, 2004
Handling is superb.
You have a harrier and actually think that the Gen 2 is a value for money? Think again!!
Performance? Pathetic. Because? You need to get it to a very hi rev for it's so-called horsepower. I've test driven it and it's nothing to shout about.
Quality? Look at the finishings. Look at the door panels, dashboard quality and see if your head would hit the roof if you had sat in the back!! Hey check out the plastic quality. The side view mirrors are popular for rattling!
I need to wait so long for the sparepart.
I've just returned from a holiday in Malaysia where they live and breath Protons. After seeing a mass of ugly looking Saga models (what we call the MPI) being used as taxi cabs, it was a shock when I noticed the GEN-2, and then to discovered that this was indeed a Proton. Very nice, was my initial thought as this looks a gem of a car, especially the model with the alloys and metallic paint. Now only back home for two days and I've visited the web site to research the cost. £6995 for the 1.3 LE model, which I have to say is very respectable indeed. The only negative part of a purchase is the poor warranty (only 12 months). If they gave a 36 months warranty for the LE model, then I would seriously consider buying one. Still, nice looking car.
20th Feb 2005, 19:48
Yes..the high-revving engine really exciting.Can't wait what Campro engine with CPS+VIM feature can deliver.