2007 Proton Persona M-Line 1.6 "CAMPRO" from Malaysia

Summary:

Another poorly build car that can only sell under the government's protection

Faults:

Boot lid shut with different gap on the left and right.

Reflector on the rear bumper fell off.

Aircond emit strange chemical smell.

Glove box rattling when going over rough road.

Pain peel off on the gear knob.

Fogged up left fog lamp.

Disc jammed in the CD player.

Driver side power window jammed, twice.

Inner B-Pillar trim loose.

General Comments:

I first thought this car will be the turning point for Proton, so I booked my car prior to the launch. But this car turned out to be a lemon!! The car seems to be fine when I drive home from the showroom, but the following weeks, problems began to emerged. The boot lid shut with gap on the left and right near the rear windscreen, I only notice this after a week. I took it to the Proton service center on the 1st service, but the peoples there said nothing can be done! After 4 days, I noticed that the reflector on the rear bumper had gone missing, but was replaced under warranty. Then, the aircond begin to emit strange smell especially on morning start. The glove box also rattle when going over painted yellow strips on the road and the inner trim on the driver side B-Pillar came off. after 2 months, the listed problems came on one by one and I was so frustrated that I don't care about it anymore!! This car still sell well in Malaysia because the government tax heavily on foreign cars. As a result, most Malaysian, including me, cannot afford Japanese makes. If you can afford, stay away with Persona!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 22nd January, 2008

1st Jan 2009, 23:46

And I say that I tried to get away from my Latio, and regretted letting go of my Persona after owning it over 4 months. The only problems of my Persona were unsmooth closed power windows, and the alarm system; no more than that.

I took my friend's advice to buy Latio, and now I forced myself to drive the boxy, underpowered, low-grip-road-holding vehicle on the road, with a quality issues problem compared to my problem-less Persona every day to my workplace.

The only advantage of Latio was luxury feel interior. Persona interior was simple, spacious but headroom was lower than the Latio. The interior also comes with fully leather dashboard and seats. I admit that the Persona handling may be the best in its class.

I shouldn't be taking my friend's advice, and should have kept my Persona for my personal use, and now I'm regretting letting my baby go. I'm stuck with my higher monthly installments for 7 years. Oh man, what should I do? If you are really upset with this car, think again. I don't think that Japanese cars have any quality problems.