1993 Proton Iswara GLS 1.3 multi point injection from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Cheap, reliable, and surprisingly fast

Faults:

Nothing just a yearly oil change and a few spark plugs.

General Comments:

The car was quicker than first thought; 120mph on the motorway.

The car inside was a bit dated, but Proton were just making it into the UK market.

The spec was OK; electric front windows, sunroof, cassette player, alloy wheels, and the boot space was good too.

The looks were a great improvement on the previous Saga.

Our local dealer was fantastic.

A great used car bargain.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 3rd July, 2008

1998 Proton Iswara iswara aeroback 1.3 from Malaysia

Summary:

Budget car

General Comments:

It is people who kept saying we should be thankful that we have a car, when others are listing the Actual problems they have with their iswara, that kept the car's quality the way it is from its first production until now. Of course we are thankful to have cars, but not so thankful to close our eyes to the cars' faults that we bought with our hard earned cash.

And if the manufacturer actually takes notes of the complains and put more into QC it would probably be world renown, since it is already cheap and nice looking, and quite comfy - all things aside.

I actually liked my iswara very much. It's old, but I would still choose it over a new myvi. But I am just too frustrated over all its "hiccups" over the years, and I can definitely see a new car coming in the near future.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 7th May, 2007

2003 Proton Iswara S 1.3 SOHC carb from Malaysia

Summary:

Innocuous workhorse

Faults:

Rattling dashboard. Rattling bonnet prop when not in use! Slight water vapour problem in one of the reversing lights.

General Comments:

Nippy and economical.

So-so build quality with a tinny body. Poor quality material used for the interior.

It is a reliable car.

Very, very mediocre ride and handling.

Needs the optional power steering as the unassisted steering is heavy.

Slick 5 speed manual gearbox and light clutch.

Noisy at speed.

A no-frills workhorse which doesn't require nor draw much attention.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 9th June, 2006

1997 Proton Iswara 1.3 m 1.3 from Malaysia

Summary:

Workhorse with little complaints

Faults:

Problems with steering column and antenna way back when I first bought it in 1997 - fixed under warranty.

General Comments:

Very reliable, low consumption, cheap maintenance, easy to fix. Good for getting from point a to b. Not handsome, not comfortable, not super powerful, but it does the job.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 5th February, 2006

23rd Oct 2008, 02:01

Agree.. I also own an iswara sedan 1997.. after 11 years riding it.. it's a cheap car.. well you know what I meant..

10th Nov 2008, 17:39

My 1.3 Iswara Aeroback is now 14 years old and it is still running smoothly and steadily. Only the door auto-locks and auto-windows have always been troublesome, as seems common with most Proton cars. Wonder why Proton has refused to fix this widespread problem all these long years. Apart from the pesky doors, my Isawara has proven to be sturdy, durable and effective - a no-frills hardworking car. A great investment!

18th May 2010, 20:34

Bought a 2nd hand Iswara 1.3 manual. Built in 2000, I've been using it 4 years already.

I really love this car, it's a very reliable workhorse. So far just done routine maintenance and it's been trouble free. Cheap to maintain.

Prior to this I'd been using 1 Brand new Toyota GL model 1982, Toyota ke 30 model '76, Ford Laser model '84, Nissan Sunny 130Y model '85, Subaru custom model 1979, Toyota Liteace 1991 and Proton Tiara 1996.

The worst car was the Tiara; always breaking down and high cost of maintenance.

My verdict is the Iswara is equivalent to Japanese quality. After using the Iswara I have confidence in national cars, and recently my wife bought a brand new Saga BLM. We've been using it almost 2 years, with no problem so far. It is a good car, quite comfy, with good road handling.

Good job Proton, keep it up, keep on improving to become a world beater.