1994 Proton Mpi SE Saloon review from UK and Ireland

Exhaust front pipe blew, but had been on the car for twelve years!

Other than the exhaust, this car has just had routine servicing, and that is all that she has ever required. She starts first time every time, and never lets me down.

Performance is very good for an engine of her size, and she tends to be able to pull away first from the lights most of the time. I've had her off the speedo and she's pulled upto 7,200rpm closing in on approximately 130mph. Fuel economy is not that great, unless driving with a very cautious right foot!

Body styling is dated, but that has never bothered me, and the interior is dated but well built. Being the top of the range model, she had thicker carpets, and velour recaro style interior with all electrics. Nothing has ever stopped working; the only problem being the back doors getting stiff through lack of use, but a bit of grease soon sorted that!

Brakes are good, but tend to fade if having to brake rapidly from high speed. The only downfall on the handling side is the soft suspension, but then she was never designed for slalom racing, so high speeds are best left for the straighter roads i.e motorways.

The bodywork has no rust, she has no rust underneath or on the sills, paintwork is polished at least once a fortnight, and is still like a mirror with no scratches or dents anywhere.

This is a dated but seriously underrated car, always go for the top spec SE model, and if looked after this car will last just about forever.