2003 Proton Jumbuck 1.5 4 cylinder from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

A potentially good little ute let down by shocking build quality, resale value, and an old motor

Faults:

Broken fog light. Nobody can tell me that parts for Malaysian cars are cheap. Our local Proton dealer quoted $400 for one small fog light. I found a quality set of Narva driving lights which would fit in the mountings. This cost me $120 for a pair of these driving lights and they are so much brighter and better quality than the Proton lights.

Drivers seat belt buckle jams, this is hazardous if it jammed in a car accident!

Dash board had rattles and squeaks by 10,000 kms. The vinyl on top of the dashboard has already bubbled.

A squeaky belt in the motor already.

The rubber seals around the rear tailgate have already fallen off.

General Comments:

Very disappointed in the Jumbuck. Proton have tried to make a ute that would fill the gap left by the Subaru Brumby, but if they continue with this ute, they will never come close to matching the legendary Brumby.

It may be cheap to buy, but the technology is recycled 10 year old Mitsubishi components. Absolutely terrible built quality. Cheap plastics, road noise and a dull motor let this little ute down.

Shocking resale value! Mine is only a couple of years old and we can only get $9,000-$10,000 trade in.

The good things about this ute however are yes they are cheap, relatively good on fuel (could be better if Proton updated the motor), fun handling, nice gear shirt, neat looking ute.

This ute has potential to be very successful. A 1.8 litre motor with rear or 4wd drivetrain and improved sound deadening is so much more desirable.

This ute would appeal to businesses that need a run-around to transport small loads.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 13th December, 2005

16th Feb 2006, 00:26

Very nice looking and practical Ute. Thanks proton.

2nd Jan 2007, 05:10

Had my Jumbuck 3.5 years now. Nothing has gone wrong yet, great versatile little ute. It's not a race car though, and was never meant to be. It carries every load I have asked of it, with no hassles. Love the Jumbuck. Thanks Proton.

24th Apr 2012, 07:49

I'll agree, good little ute for the money. 1 star ANCAP rating is a little scary though.

15th Dec 2012, 09:57

Jumbuck happy owner here. It's value for money. A great little reliable ute. It's fun to drive and it does its job well. People seem to expect F1 grunt, limo road noise & Roller fit quality.