Built in Tanjung Malim, the Proton Gen.2 is an attractive piece of machinery, and my “vigour red” 1,6 GLX unit drew admiring glances, especially with its rather aerodynamic boot with spoiler, clean flowing lines, and attractive 16-inch alloy wheels.
The Malaysians have certainly perfected the art of styling in a short space of time. The front grille and colour-coded bumpers are pleasing to the eye, as are the tiger’s eye headlights. A distinctive badge, the neatly integrated fog lights and squat appearance are pleasing too.
Lotus has had an enormous influence on this five-door hatch, including the interior, suspension and the gently rounded roof. This leads down to the rear lights that are positioned on the high and contoured tail end of the car, along with a high-visibility brake light.
The Gen.2 is well-appointed internally, and the 1,6 GLX has almost everything that opens and shuts. The instrument panel is tidy, with a pleasant pseudo-aluminium background. The controls for the ventilation are, however, low down on the dashboard in front of the gear stick, and aren’t easily accessible. The radio is centrally mounted on the dash, while paddles on the smaller-than-usual steering wheel control the search and volume levels. The steering wheel is height adjustable, as are the seat belt mounts. Proton has done away with the conventional glove box and replaced it with a shelf. A large compartment that doubles as a comfy armrest can be found between the two front seats.
Touches of luxury include climate control, electric windows and central locking, while the external mirrors are also electronic.
Remote fuel and boot openers avoid the inconvenience of getting out of the car. The boot opens to reveal one of those thin spare wheels placed in 370 litres of space (with the seats upright), or 700 litres (with the seats down). The operation of the boot lid does, however, require a little attention from the Proton engineers — it is heavier to lift than other hatchbacks.
The Gen.2 is powered by a lightweight four-cylinder, 1600cc, multi-point injection, double-overhead-camshaft engine.
In terms of performance, the engine delivers a maximum power of 82kW at 6 000rpm and 142Nm of torque at 4 000rpm, red-lining at 7 000rpm. It is rated for a maximum speed of 190kph. Power is fed to the front wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox whose ratios are well suited to our roads.
The test car arrived with a mere 1 500km on the clock, which was evident on the gear changes. Although the selection of gears was good, it still felt a bit notchy, but this is likely to disappear as the car ages. The engine felt a bit tight too, and on gear changes there was a noticeable over-run as the revs decreased and another gear engaged.
Handling was good and the Proton soaked up road imperfections with ease and, on smoother roads, delivered a great ride. Fast corners were met with gusto, while some understeer appeared with extreme cornering. Steering input seemed well weighted and quite precise, although the turning circle, a claimed 5,4m, seemed unrealistic. The car proved difficult to park and took a little getting used to.
Suspension up front consists of McPherson struts with a direct acting stabiliser bar, and a multi-link and stabiliser bar set-up for the rear. The selection of 195/55 rubber on attractive five-spoke alloys proved ideal, and provided a good balance between handling and comfort.
Safe braking is ensured by discs all round and, along with antilock braking system (ABS) and electronic brake-force distributor (EBD), slow the car quite smoothly and smartly. If that doesn’t help, front and side airbags protect front passengers, while seatbelts are pre-tensioned.
Fuel consumption is not one of the Proton’s better traits, though, and the best we could eke out of the onboard computer was eight litres per 100km, while the manufacturers claim it will sip 5,8 litres over the same distance at a steady 90kph.
Other dislikes are a rather narrow rear windscreen, which, along with a rear spoiler, limits vision quite drastically, and the door handles need a solid squeeze to release the doors, which don’t close with the desired thud.
At R149 995 and with its three year/60 000km warranty and the three year/75 000km service plan, the Proton does represent good value for money.