Tuesday, December 29, 2009
2010 Proton Persona facelift sighted on test!
Drex Chan sent in these great photos of what appears to be the Proton Persona facelift that’s due next year. The Persona was first launched in 2007, so mid next year would be about the right time for a facelift if you follow a 5 year model lifecycle, though most of us probably feel like a replacement is due since the Persona is actually a GEN2 sedan, and the GEN2 has been around a long time.
Labels:
proton,
proton edar,
proton persona
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
Test Drive: Proton Persona
When Proton introduced the Gen.2 many thought it was a mistake because Malaysia is a sedan market so when the Persona came out many had high expectations for it. However those who were waiting for the car were not looking for outright performance, instead they wanted a sensible, roomy and comfortable ride for the family.
Proton said they listened to their customers but sensible, roomy and comfortable are the ingredients for a boring car. is the Persona a boring car?
The Proton Persona is the car that should have come out before the Gen.2 as the real replacement to the Wira and judging from the popularity of the car, it seems that Proton has made the right decision introducing a sedan.
Malaysians want a car that is reasonably priced, roomy and looks good and the Persona scores highly on all three counts.
Obviously the looks are slightly dated, given that it is a five year old design but it is still a relatively modern shape.
Proton has been quite successful in injecting Lotus DNA into their cars and all their products now offer decent ride and handling, in fact I would go as far as to say that they are among the best handling cars in the price range .
The Persona continues with this tradition. However we have to keep in mind that the Persona is a car that is aimed at the mass market and because of this, Proton cannot tune the handling to be too aggressive but it is still a car that can be driven hard on your favourite winding roads.
The only complaint that I have is the wooden steering. The feedback is not as intimate as I would like but there is sufficient communication between tyre and driver to make sure that you know what the car is doing.
The grip limit on the Persona is not very high, although the spiderweb graph of ride and handling shows that the lateral grip level is comparable to the best cars in the class. Of course manufacturers can tune their cars to achieve higher lateral grip figures but this may come at the expense of predictability. Cars with very high lateral grip tend to give way suddenly and this can be handful for the average driver to catch.
More important than pure grip is predictability and this is what Proton engineers have focused on. If you chuck the car hard into a corner, it will tell you in advance if the rear is losing grip and this early warning will help drivers keep their cool and take early remedial action.
The Persona also has decent ride quality, it strikes a good balance between body control and suspension suppleness. This is easily demonstrated when the car drives over speedbumps and undulating roads without crashing on its bumpstops.
Secondary ride is also impressive as it absorbs minor road imperfections without shaking the occupants too much. Proton has also done a good job insulating suspension and road noise from the cabin, this helps to further enhance the feeling of chassis rigidity and stiffness.
These are of course relative measurements but I think that the Persona has the ride and handling characteristics of a European car from the 1990s rather than a Japanese model from the same time period .
In fact if I were to see a Honda City or Toyota Vios on a winding road, the Persona would be the perfect foil for a game of tag with them. In fact I dare say that I prefer the Persona’s sure-footedness over the other two which are softer sprung.
If the Persona were to lose to the City or Vios it will be down to the lack of power. The IAFM module may have improved the mid-range torque spread but the engine simply does not generate enough power to make it an exciting drive. You really have to play with the ratio and let fuel consumption suffer if you want to smile on your favourite back road.
The Persona is not really an exciting car but it manages to avoid being boring by a hair thanks to the Lotus-tuned suspension but don’t kid yourself into thinking that it is some kind of BMW beater or Civic chaser even. It would leave any Perodua in the handling stakes and can put all entry level Japanese sedans in their place but that is about it.
I think that is more than what the average customer expects.
Comfort is an important factor to consider when choosing a family car and a lot of it is determined by cabin dimensions such as leg, knee, head and shoulder room.
The Gen.2 came under heavy fire for the lack of rear headroom for taller passengers and this problem has been addressed by the revised roofline which free up a few extra milimetres of space.
In terms of overall cabin space, it can fit five average sized Malaysian adults without too much complaint although on really long drives, it is best if you travel four-up rather than five.
The cabin design has been thoroughly reworked although most of the effort was concentrated on the door panel design and materials. The door panels are now less dramatic with more conventional handles and cloth padding but this more mature look will help the car age better.
I used to hate the upholstery on the Gen.2 because it reminded me of cheap nylon trousers so it is great to see that the Persona has ditched it in favour of a more conventional weave.
Sadly the company could not afford to redesign and engineer a new dashboard, that would cost too many millions and the Gen.2 weak sales means that the original design has yet to pay for itself.
My pet peeve is the fiddly radio controls in the centre console, in fact I actually hate the the round display and tiny buttons. It reminds me too much of crop circles or the controls of an alien mothership in a really cheap sci-fi. Ugh…
I really hope that strong Personal sales will give them extra cash to redesign the dashboard soon.
Malaysians like to travel in large groups, they like to pack as many people as possible into the car and this means the bot has to be big enough to swallow all their luggage.
The Persona’s high bootline creates a big load area and it should be enough to hold four people’s weekend luggage without problems.
The Persona is not the best family sedan you can buy but that is a factor of price and what people are willing to pay for a Proton. I believe that the company already has the capability to design a car that can impress the global market but their brand strength is still very low and this prevents them from packing a lot of luxuries into their models and charging a premium.
Thankfully that has not stopped them from fitting the highline models with twin airbags and anti-lock brakes. Well if it was up to me, the car should have side airbags and a curtain bag but that may make it a bit too expensive. We Malaysians are still not willing to pay too much extra for safety features are we?
On a scale of one to ten, the Persona gets a strong six but if you factor in the price, that rating goes up one notch to seven. Give better quality interior and I may even be persuaded to give it a 7.2.
If Proton can come up with a 1.8 variant ten this car would be a great little number.
Proton said they listened to their customers but sensible, roomy and comfortable are the ingredients for a boring car. is the Persona a boring car?
The Proton Persona is the car that should have come out before the Gen.2 as the real replacement to the Wira and judging from the popularity of the car, it seems that Proton has made the right decision introducing a sedan.
Malaysians want a car that is reasonably priced, roomy and looks good and the Persona scores highly on all three counts.
Obviously the looks are slightly dated, given that it is a five year old design but it is still a relatively modern shape.
Proton has been quite successful in injecting Lotus DNA into their cars and all their products now offer decent ride and handling, in fact I would go as far as to say that they are among the best handling cars in the price range .
The Persona continues with this tradition. However we have to keep in mind that the Persona is a car that is aimed at the mass market and because of this, Proton cannot tune the handling to be too aggressive but it is still a car that can be driven hard on your favourite winding roads.
The only complaint that I have is the wooden steering. The feedback is not as intimate as I would like but there is sufficient communication between tyre and driver to make sure that you know what the car is doing.
The grip limit on the Persona is not very high, although the spiderweb graph of ride and handling shows that the lateral grip level is comparable to the best cars in the class. Of course manufacturers can tune their cars to achieve higher lateral grip figures but this may come at the expense of predictability. Cars with very high lateral grip tend to give way suddenly and this can be handful for the average driver to catch.
More important than pure grip is predictability and this is what Proton engineers have focused on. If you chuck the car hard into a corner, it will tell you in advance if the rear is losing grip and this early warning will help drivers keep their cool and take early remedial action.
The Persona also has decent ride quality, it strikes a good balance between body control and suspension suppleness. This is easily demonstrated when the car drives over speedbumps and undulating roads without crashing on its bumpstops.
Secondary ride is also impressive as it absorbs minor road imperfections without shaking the occupants too much. Proton has also done a good job insulating suspension and road noise from the cabin, this helps to further enhance the feeling of chassis rigidity and stiffness.
These are of course relative measurements but I think that the Persona has the ride and handling characteristics of a European car from the 1990s rather than a Japanese model from the same time period .
In fact if I were to see a Honda City or Toyota Vios on a winding road, the Persona would be the perfect foil for a game of tag with them. In fact I dare say that I prefer the Persona’s sure-footedness over the other two which are softer sprung.
If the Persona were to lose to the City or Vios it will be down to the lack of power. The IAFM module may have improved the mid-range torque spread but the engine simply does not generate enough power to make it an exciting drive. You really have to play with the ratio and let fuel consumption suffer if you want to smile on your favourite back road.
The Persona is not really an exciting car but it manages to avoid being boring by a hair thanks to the Lotus-tuned suspension but don’t kid yourself into thinking that it is some kind of BMW beater or Civic chaser even. It would leave any Perodua in the handling stakes and can put all entry level Japanese sedans in their place but that is about it.
I think that is more than what the average customer expects.
Comfort is an important factor to consider when choosing a family car and a lot of it is determined by cabin dimensions such as leg, knee, head and shoulder room.
The Gen.2 came under heavy fire for the lack of rear headroom for taller passengers and this problem has been addressed by the revised roofline which free up a few extra milimetres of space.
In terms of overall cabin space, it can fit five average sized Malaysian adults without too much complaint although on really long drives, it is best if you travel four-up rather than five.
The cabin design has been thoroughly reworked although most of the effort was concentrated on the door panel design and materials. The door panels are now less dramatic with more conventional handles and cloth padding but this more mature look will help the car age better.
I used to hate the upholstery on the Gen.2 because it reminded me of cheap nylon trousers so it is great to see that the Persona has ditched it in favour of a more conventional weave.
Sadly the company could not afford to redesign and engineer a new dashboard, that would cost too many millions and the Gen.2 weak sales means that the original design has yet to pay for itself.
My pet peeve is the fiddly radio controls in the centre console, in fact I actually hate the the round display and tiny buttons. It reminds me too much of crop circles or the controls of an alien mothership in a really cheap sci-fi. Ugh…
I really hope that strong Personal sales will give them extra cash to redesign the dashboard soon.
Malaysians like to travel in large groups, they like to pack as many people as possible into the car and this means the bot has to be big enough to swallow all their luggage.
The Persona’s high bootline creates a big load area and it should be enough to hold four people’s weekend luggage without problems.
The Persona is not the best family sedan you can buy but that is a factor of price and what people are willing to pay for a Proton. I believe that the company already has the capability to design a car that can impress the global market but their brand strength is still very low and this prevents them from packing a lot of luxuries into their models and charging a premium.
Thankfully that has not stopped them from fitting the highline models with twin airbags and anti-lock brakes. Well if it was up to me, the car should have side airbags and a curtain bag but that may make it a bit too expensive. We Malaysians are still not willing to pay too much extra for safety features are we?
On a scale of one to ten, the Persona gets a strong six but if you factor in the price, that rating goes up one notch to seven. Give better quality interior and I may even be persuaded to give it a 7.2.
If Proton can come up with a 1.8 variant ten this car would be a great little number.
Labels:
proton,
proton edar,
proton persona
Archive for Proton Persona
YThe Proton Persona is now in Saudi Arabia, making it the third Proton model offered by Proton’s Saudi Arabian distributor Al Rashed & Al Thunayan Auto Co. The first two models offered there are the Proton Waja and the Proton GEN2, and after the Proton Persona will soon come the Proton Saga.
Last I checked, Proton’s distributorship contract with Al Rashed & Al Thunayan Auto Co is for 5 years beginning the year 2006, and involves a volume commitment of 2,400 units for 2008. They hope this will grow to between 4,000 to 5,000 units annually in the future
Last I checked, Proton’s distributorship contract with Al Rashed & Al Thunayan Auto Co is for 5 years beginning the year 2006, and involves a volume commitment of 2,400 units for 2008. They hope this will grow to between 4,000 to 5,000 units annually in the future
Labels:
proton,
proton persona
Proton Persona Price
1.6AT H-LINE
OTR - RM 55,800.00
1.6MT M-LINE
OTR - RM 49,800.00
1.6AT M-LINE
OTR - RM 52,800.00
1.6MT L-LINE SOLID
OTR 45,350.00
1.6AT L-LINE SOLID
OTR - 48,350.00
1.6MT L-LINE METALLIC
OTR RM 45,800.00
1.6AT L-LINE METALLIC
OTR - RM 48,300.00
Now the new persona is equiped with IAFM and the price might be slightly differ from the above price.
Proton Persona IAFM Hi-Line = RM 56,350.00
Proton Persona IAFM Med-Line = RM 49,850.00
Proton Persona IAFM B-Line = RM 45,499.00
OTR - RM 55,800.00
1.6MT M-LINE
OTR - RM 49,800.00
1.6AT M-LINE
OTR - RM 52,800.00
1.6MT L-LINE SOLID
OTR 45,350.00
1.6AT L-LINE SOLID
OTR - 48,350.00
1.6MT L-LINE METALLIC
OTR RM 45,800.00
1.6AT L-LINE METALLIC
OTR - RM 48,300.00
Now the new persona is equiped with IAFM and the price might be slightly differ from the above price.
Proton Persona IAFM Hi-Line = RM 56,350.00
Proton Persona IAFM Med-Line = RM 49,850.00
Proton Persona IAFM B-Line = RM 45,499.00
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Complaints - Proton Persona
I got my new car few months ago (5th May 09). It was the first day i got my new car Proton Persona, feel with happy and exciting, at night, I drove out to test my car with my friends and family members.
I had my supper at KK food court which located at Cheras, Taman Len Sen. After my supper, I tried to start my car, but cannot. I tried it for a few times, the engine starts for 10 sec, it broke down again. Within 24 hours, my new car broke down!! In this situation, I called my proton sales agent to come. Eventhough he arrived, but yet the car still cant start, nothing we can do, he called the tolling service. My car being tolled to Proton Service Centre which located at Jalan Chan Sow Lin.
The next day, i went to the Proton service centre, the mechanic said is just wiring problem, so the service centre change the "chip set" for my car. And ensure that the problem already solved. So on 7th May evening, I drove my car back.
Until today morning (8th May), I tried to start my car, again, it broke down! I cant imagine why a new car will have numerous problem. I contact my sales agent again, and my car was tolled to Proton Service Centre (Jalan chan sow lin). The service centre mechanic told me, they still cant figure out what is the problem, as this is a different problem with the 1st day problem. They request me to left my car at the service centre till next Monday.
I really feel disappointed and dissatisfied with Proton's car. I bought it within 24 hours, it broke down in the midnight, really horrible and bad quality. I wonder, does the QC department really checked the car carefully before they gave it to the customer? Does the car really pass the PDI?
NCCC Advise to consumers : In the event anyone faced a similar situation our advised will following;
In the event its happens at first day or within few months your good self discover any major defects or quality problems please make the complaint as soon as possile and get our advise to proceed with further steps.
Send a complaint to us " include any attachment "Take photo if necessary" which is relevant, illustrate your complaint in the chronological manner so that any authorities can understand the facts clearly.
As a consumer we have the right to received a product as promised and should meet the merchantible quality. A product which is produced to the customer should be in satisfactory quality and firt for the purpose. If its not then the consumer has all the right to demand for refund or replacement.
So complaint as soon as possible to enforce your rights against irresponsible merchants. Please refer to laws enacted below in order to protect consumers rights.
We would kindly like to draw your attention to The Consumer Protection Act 1999, Section 46 specifically states:-
46. Consumer's option of refund or replacement.
(1) Where the consumer exercises the right to reject goods conferred under this Act, the consumer may choose to have-
(a) a refund of any money paid or other consideration provided by the consumer in respect of the rejected goods; or
(b) goods of the same type and of similar value to replace the rejected goods where such goods are reasonably available to the supplier as part of the stock of the supplier, and the supplier shall make provision accordingly.
(2) A refund referred to in paragraph (1)(a) means a refund in cash of the money paid or the value of any other consideration provided, or both, as the case may require.
We draw your attention to Section 16 Sales of Goods Act 1957 which states the following:-
16. Implied condition as to quality or fitness.
(1) Subject to this Act and of any other law for the time being in force, there is no implied warranty or condition as to the quality or fitness for any particular purpose of goods supplied under a contract of sale, except as follows -
(a) Where the buyer, expressly or by implication makes known to the seller the particular purpose for which the goods are required, so as to show that the buyer relies on the seller's skill or judgment, and the goods are of a description which it is in the course of the seller's business to supply (whether he is the manufacturer or producer or not) there is an implied condition that the goods shall be reasonably fit for such purpose:
Provided that, in the case of a contract for the sale of a specified article under its patent or other trade name there is no implied condition as to its fitness for any particular purpose
(b) Where goods are bought by description from a seller who deals in goods of that description (whether he is the manufacturer or producer or not) there is an implied condition that the goods shall be of merchantable quality:
Provided that if the buyer has examined the goods, there shall be no implied condition as regards defects which such examined ought to have revealed.
(2) An implied warranty or condition as to quality or fitness for a particular purpose may be annexed by the usage of trade.
(3) An express warranty or condition does not negative a warranty or condition implied by this Act unless inconsistent therewith.
I had my supper at KK food court which located at Cheras, Taman Len Sen. After my supper, I tried to start my car, but cannot. I tried it for a few times, the engine starts for 10 sec, it broke down again. Within 24 hours, my new car broke down!! In this situation, I called my proton sales agent to come. Eventhough he arrived, but yet the car still cant start, nothing we can do, he called the tolling service. My car being tolled to Proton Service Centre which located at Jalan Chan Sow Lin.
The next day, i went to the Proton service centre, the mechanic said is just wiring problem, so the service centre change the "chip set" for my car. And ensure that the problem already solved. So on 7th May evening, I drove my car back.
Until today morning (8th May), I tried to start my car, again, it broke down! I cant imagine why a new car will have numerous problem. I contact my sales agent again, and my car was tolled to Proton Service Centre (Jalan chan sow lin). The service centre mechanic told me, they still cant figure out what is the problem, as this is a different problem with the 1st day problem. They request me to left my car at the service centre till next Monday.
I really feel disappointed and dissatisfied with Proton's car. I bought it within 24 hours, it broke down in the midnight, really horrible and bad quality. I wonder, does the QC department really checked the car carefully before they gave it to the customer? Does the car really pass the PDI?
NCCC Advise to consumers : In the event anyone faced a similar situation our advised will following;
In the event its happens at first day or within few months your good self discover any major defects or quality problems please make the complaint as soon as possile and get our advise to proceed with further steps.
Send a complaint to us " include any attachment "Take photo if necessary" which is relevant, illustrate your complaint in the chronological manner so that any authorities can understand the facts clearly.
As a consumer we have the right to received a product as promised and should meet the merchantible quality. A product which is produced to the customer should be in satisfactory quality and firt for the purpose. If its not then the consumer has all the right to demand for refund or replacement.
So complaint as soon as possible to enforce your rights against irresponsible merchants. Please refer to laws enacted below in order to protect consumers rights.
We would kindly like to draw your attention to The Consumer Protection Act 1999, Section 46 specifically states:-
46. Consumer's option of refund or replacement.
(1) Where the consumer exercises the right to reject goods conferred under this Act, the consumer may choose to have-
(a) a refund of any money paid or other consideration provided by the consumer in respect of the rejected goods; or
(b) goods of the same type and of similar value to replace the rejected goods where such goods are reasonably available to the supplier as part of the stock of the supplier, and the supplier shall make provision accordingly.
(2) A refund referred to in paragraph (1)(a) means a refund in cash of the money paid or the value of any other consideration provided, or both, as the case may require.
We draw your attention to Section 16 Sales of Goods Act 1957 which states the following:-
16. Implied condition as to quality or fitness.
(1) Subject to this Act and of any other law for the time being in force, there is no implied warranty or condition as to the quality or fitness for any particular purpose of goods supplied under a contract of sale, except as follows -
(a) Where the buyer, expressly or by implication makes known to the seller the particular purpose for which the goods are required, so as to show that the buyer relies on the seller's skill or judgment, and the goods are of a description which it is in the course of the seller's business to supply (whether he is the manufacturer or producer or not) there is an implied condition that the goods shall be reasonably fit for such purpose:
Provided that, in the case of a contract for the sale of a specified article under its patent or other trade name there is no implied condition as to its fitness for any particular purpose
(b) Where goods are bought by description from a seller who deals in goods of that description (whether he is the manufacturer or producer or not) there is an implied condition that the goods shall be of merchantable quality:
Provided that if the buyer has examined the goods, there shall be no implied condition as regards defects which such examined ought to have revealed.
(2) An implied warranty or condition as to quality or fitness for a particular purpose may be annexed by the usage of trade.
(3) An express warranty or condition does not negative a warranty or condition implied by this Act unless inconsistent therewith.
Labels:
proton,
proton edar,
proton persona
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Opinion - Proton PERSONA
My final choice is getting a Proton Persona "M-Line" Manual - Black ... From Proton service centers, the labor charges would be expensive. ...
Labels:
proton,
proton persona
Kereta Persona
When Proton introduced the Gen.2 many thought it was a mistake because Malaysia is a sedan market so when the Persona came out many had high expectations ...
keretapersona.blogspot.com/
keretapersona.blogspot.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)