Proton Persona

Overview

The Proton Persona is definitely one of the most popular passenger sedans to be seen on the roads. Looking at the styling, it sure looks like the Iriz hatchback. Of course, this is the fate that most of the hatchback-turned-sedans face these days, resemble the hatchback counterpart heavily.

The present Proton Persona is one of the most reliable and preferred sedans in the country and goes up strong against the Perodua Bezza, another stalwart in the Malaysian automobile scene. However, the biggest highlight of the Persona is the way it is designed. Despite not being an outright sporty sedan, the company has managed to give it a very urban and edgy styling. Any true automobile fan would easily simply fall in love with the design.

The current Proton Persona was launched back in 2016 and replaced the second generation of the car that was introduced in 2007. However, the latest iteration of the sedan is still smaller than the outgone model.

Interior & Features

The Proton Persona is a very comfortable car all around, and the same goes for the interior as well. The settings and layout look quite similar to the Iriz hatchback. Things look quite soothing and extremely voluminous. The semi-sculpted seats are designed to be ergonomic and comfortable at the same time. Moreover, due credit should be given for adding good quality fabric or leather upholstery. However, the interior colour scheme is different for the bottom and top two trims, where the lower variants get the matte black setting and the top two get titanium chrome finish.

The higher trim gets a 2-DIN touchscreen infotainment system along with GPS navigation, Bluetooth connectivity, USB and AUX-in ports. The top two trims get steering-mounted audio controls and rear USB charging point. Moreover, the rear seat can be folded 60:40 in the top trims. There are two speakers for the base variant while the top trims get four. The center console too gets an analog-digital touch, that is, it comes with a digital MID display placed in the centre of two analog dials, a tachometer, and a speedo.

The trunk lid has a 510-litre capacity and can be remotely released with a button inside. The guide from the reverse camera is routed to the display screen on the dashboard.

Exterior

The Proton Persona seems to have its roots cleared out for the public to know. However, some of the features that it has derived from the Iriz hatchback help it to look distinctly different. As for an example, though it gets the same sweeping windscreen at both the ends, the addition of the extra boot makes the front hood looks shorter.

That said, the design isn’t anything to be hated. The sleek, sweptback headlamps are perfected by the addition of blacked grille and a thin chrome car passing along. However, since the upper grille does not fulfill the purpose completely, the lower trapezoidal grille, on the bumper, makes it more assertive.

The B-segment sedan is a little under 4.5 meters in length and has a good wheelbase of 2,555 mm. However, the mere 155 mm ground clearance isn’t very good and taking it to a bad road may be a wrong idea.

The Proton Persona has rear fog lamps given on all the trims, though the front ones are missed in the two lower variants. Front and rear sensors are given as standard in all the trims. Other features that are restricted to the top trims are the follow-me-home lamps, auto on/off headlights, body kit and electric fold mirrors.

Mileage Running Cost

On a daily bases, it is very important for a car to be economically sound. The Proton Persona has the ability to cruise comfortably at speed by striking the consumption of 6.6 liters of fuel per 100Km for manual and 6.8 liters of fuel per 100Km for automatic variant. These statistics points towards an adequate amount of fuel consumption leaving the fuel economy to be generous.

Engine & Fuel Consumption

The Proton Persona is offered in just one engine option across all the four variants. This motor is a 1.6-litre, four-cylinder engine with 16 valves (four per cylinder) and MP injection (multi-point injection). This engine is capable of making a maximum power of 107 hp at 5,750 rpm and a peak torque of 150 Nm, which comes at 4,000 rpm.

The power is sent down to the front wheels by a 5-speed manual in the base variant. However, all the other trims have the CVT gearbox on offer. Though the figures appear to be similar to the other cars with the same engine, Proton has done minor changes to extract a better performance.

The use of the three-point engine mount on the Persona instead of the four contributes to the smoother and quieter performance. Moreover, the power delivery is linear in all the rev range and the boominess at low revs are now no more found. The tyre noise is no longer heard even at high speeds and the only noise you get is of the wind blast at high speeds.

The Persona is also one of the most fuel-efficient sedans you will find plying on the roads. The manual gearbox trim offers 17.85 kmpl mileage while the other CVT gearbox variants are good enough for 16.4 kmpl.

Braking & Safety

The Proton Persona is one of the safest cars in this price range as the company has made sure that not many cars could practically be in competition. It is quite amazing to know that the sedan scored a 5-star rating at the ASEAN NCAP, and this rating has been received on all the variants and not just the top end trims.

Two airbags are standard in all the trims while the top end trims get as many as six, with the addition of side and curtain airbags. Apart from these, there are ISOFIX and dual pre-tensioner seat belts as standard. Braking duties are handled by ventilated disc brakes on the front wheels and drums at the rear. Moreover, the front disc brakes have ABS (with EBD) and Brake Assist as a standard for all the trims.

The Proton Persona cruises at the top speed without having a scary handling. The electronic stability control (ESC) and traction control help to keep the ride firm and avoid mishandling. These, along with hill hold assist are added to all the variants. There is vehicle immobiliser too, along with an alarm system to check unattended forces. However, reverse parking camera is added to the top-end trim only.