Proton Persona

Great car, if you look after it, it will look after you – im the second owner of my 2009 CM Persona manual sedan. Bought for $2k with 120k on the odo and now just hit 150k with no major issues at all, engine light came on once, cleared it with a cheap ebay obd2 scan tool and changed spark plugs which i knew were worn and knew they were the problem.. no problems since. zippy little motor backed by a… Read more

short throw 5spd manual gearbox reminds me of driving a post 2002 lancer coupe. trip computer constantly showing fuel consumption figures of 7.1L/ 100km even mix of highway and city driving and not necessarily gentle driving either....full electrics, nicely designed instrument cluster and funky looking aircon/heater controls. i have removed original stereo and put in a pioneer double din media unit myself which was simple as and made my own fascia surround to make it my own lol. would rate 5 stars and i should do so but taking 1 off for difficulty finding and price of some parts that i want to personally replace, be them 2nd hand or new. As i have done so with all cars ive owned ( and theres been 30+ ) i religiously check under the hood every week, fluids, filters and connections/wiring and service myself every 10k and it hasnt let me down at all. will i drive it til it dies? i dont think so, im looking for a ute in the near future for firewood and home reno runs, but it will be a difficult decision to sell. awesome car that has surprised me to no end.

Reliable car – Proton took me by shock as I never thought its that reliable. 2 years now and still going great. I never had any issues with it. Very economical car as well. Show details

Great car – A good car for the price I paid. Car is used every day for commuting and daily activities. Economical, compact and mechanically sound. Have traveled long distance many times and have had no major issues. There have been some minor problems with the front bender. It is quite low and many parking bays have concrete “stoppers” which I keep hitting Overall though -Highly recommended.  Show details

Great cat for the price gets me from A to B in style – This is my first ever modern car (2012 model) & it has everything I want in a car except Bluetooth or aux capabilities! I use cds/ plug in aux cord to cigarette lighter like old school which I’m used too from having older cars if I had the money I’d buy apple car play or something. Basic speakers decent & basic steering wheel controls work %100 as… Read more

do all buttons & dials

It’s comfortable & roomy without sacrificing fuel costs, has a massive boot. Always comfortable to drive even long distance. I wouldn’t have any concerns driving interstate in this car.

I love some of the quirky designs of this car like the centre console

Some of the interior pieces such as cloths & the hand bar things up the top were broken when I got the car but nothing has happened since I bought it. Haven’t bothered fixing lol

Costs roughly 40-50 to fill usually get 500k or thereabouts

For a car that was 5 years old (when bought) & under 5k.. can’t beat that! my dad got a proton before me they have both been very reliable both with necessary services. A Toyota or Honda of the same year might be double or triple the cost, have slightly better interior quality but proton is on par with realibility & looks for a much better price. And people who snob them as a brand.. remember these cars have to pass Australian standards so we aren’t getting crap quality overseas ones. have now had car nearly a year no problems my dads had his nearly 3 years.

All in all don’t be put off by the price tag take one for a drive happy to compromise a few things if it saves me money meaning I can afford to upgrade my cars sooner & more often!

Overall happy with this car I would buy another one if mine crashed or died

Nothing but dramas with my Proton – From day dot when i bought the car i have had nothing but trouble, hand brake does not work properly, the back window clip broke over $200 spent to get fixed, engine light has come on twice over $200 each time, glove box handle broken, the fuel cap broken and not to mention my both back doors cant open them at all from inside or out i am very… Read more

disappointed considering the amount i payed i'm lucky to get $500 as it is. Not happy at all i have 2 children and cant put them in through the back doors like a normal car so i would not advice to get a Proton Persona 2008 sedan i am in the middle of going through fair trading because it is nothing but a Lemon.

Proton motor on – This is my second proton car that I have owned and will have to say they have tried improving on the previous model. The updated 32 bit ecu is a vast improvement over the 16 bit version which makes the motor rev more freely and slightly more positive. The interior has the leather seats /steering wheel and is well put together though again the… Read more

plastics can scratch easily.

The updated stereo and led cluster are a vast improvement over the old model .

Outside the persona has gained the gen 2 nose and spoiler kit and looks a treat.

Overall a great improvement of the final model.

One of the final things I want to say is ive never had a warranty issue knocked back,they do support you in that way.

If you need a low budget transport then give it a go.

Best money ever spent! – I bought a 2010 Proton Persona back in April, and it is AWESOME! I arrived in Australia from the UK and was led to believe that only a Holden Commodore, or a Ford Falcon would actually manage to roll down the road here. I looked at plenty of these with massive km's on the dial before coming across a shiny new looking Persona, amongst all these… Read more

more highly regarded sedans. It only had 37,000km on the dial, and looked like it had never been off the forecourt.

I went home to do my research, so I came to this site. Lets just say, I was not so keen after reading a few reviews. BUT SHAME ON YOU! This car is the most amazing deal I have ever had! I haggled down to $7500, and got a car that runs like a dream. Ok, so the central locking only opens the doors it wants to, when it wants to, and yeah the volume button on the steering wheel sometimes skips tracks instead. But who cares, it is quiet, fuel efficient, cheap to insure and turns the ladies heads when I cruise by.

I would implore you to give it a go. Vote Proton, and all your wildest dreams could come true! Inexpensive, energy effiennt, street-cred No build quality

Decent for my first new car – After being the owner of a 1984 Volvo 360, to which was my first car, and I really did like, I was in the market to get a more modern, more reliable vehicle. Looking around at a few dealerships, we came across the Proton Persona Elegance in April, which was a test-driven vehicle, but had only test driven 45kms! (Yes, I know, people don't like… Read more

Proton and avoid them before they even try driving them).

Me and my dad were genuinely surprised: we had always heard the reputation of Protons being buckets of [censored word removed]. The dealer offered us a test drive, and we gave it a go. It was a little hard to get used to at first (the manual version, the gear doesn't seem to engage until the clutch pedal is let right out, whereas on other manual cars I have driven, the car at least starts to move when the clutch is half way out).

The car was last year's model, and after a few days of thinking about it, I decided it's what I wanted. It was reduced from $16990 to $14000 so it was a decent price.

Haven't had any problems with it. :) Some of the interior is a bit cheap, plasticy and [censored word removed] looking, but it seems to feel even sporty to drive.

The stereo is decent, its great having stereo-controls on the steering wheel, and the middle air-conditioning part is a bit of a design flair :)

So all in all, I'm pretty happy with it. Based on the reputation Proton have received, I get the impression this car will not last very long, but time will tell. It's very clean, very nice car. Great for price, comfortable, leather seats, very nice car, great on fuel Bit cheap & plasticy, engine needs more guts, no iPod/iPhone support

Massive disappointment – Bought the 2012 Elegance model in late 2012 based on price and fuel economy. Stupid stupid stupid! Countless ECU problems, [censored word removed] fuel economy - 370km from a full tank. really? My old 6 cylinder car did better! [censored word removed] all on the inside, only your basics. Stupid location of aircon controls, useless wipers (the… Read more

paint on them peeled within weeks of purchase not to mention they dance across the windscreen rather than actually clean it.) Leather seats are a waste of time, uncomfortable and very cheap low grade stuff. Gutless wonder, don't even contemplate overtaking anything on the highway, it just doesn't have the guts. I've had plenty of cars with the same size engine with more oomph. And why tune it so you have to run 95 fuel? It's not like it's some exotic fancy pants performance car.

Auto locking drives you insane with no way to disable it, stereo is sub-par, gears are sticky and there is absolutely no torque down low. If you want any sort of performance you have to wring its neck rpm-wise. The whole body feels and sounds tinny, I was afraid to sneeze near it in case I dented it. Paint is very poor, chips off far too easily. Sold it after owning it for 8 months and am buying a real car, some some lame wannabe. Avoid Proton at all costs, it will to nothing but disappointment. In today's market the inclusions are woeful and safety is below par, plenty of other cars in the same price bracket with far more to offer. I was ashamed to drive it, I don't know how the dealers aren't ashamed to sell them. Good points? Well, I guess it does have a generous boot, that's about it really.

It looks like a car but really, it's just a pile of garbage. Stuff all, boot size was good.

Happy Owner – I have a 2010 Persona 5speed manual.I was looking for a used car at the Personas new drive away price and took a chance with this low profile brand.As a retired auto painter I was aware of Protons poor reputuation,but got a pleasant surprise .It is a reliable and capable car with reasonable if not sporty performance.The only problem I have had… Read more ·  1

with it in 45,000 k.m.so far has been a blown tail light globe.

Nothing rattles or has fallen off,good on fuel even though it uses 95 unleaded. Drive away price,roomy,well equipped,big boot and nice styling. Remote locking and immobiliser has plays up sometimes and is very sensitive to alarm going off.

Excelent Car for that price – Good interior good option very good petrol consumption for a small car and it has a huge boot The auto lock option nice and secure the kids, with the reverse parking sensors not worry any more when reverse or doing the parallel parking good size car with big boot size and good petrol consumption.  Show details ·  1

Great Drive, Terrible Interior – This car is my first "brand new" auto purchase I have ever had and it came at a great price. Overall I love this car, it drives lovely, the reverse sensors are soo handy and its just easy to use. The motor is great and it is comfy. Its ultimate downfall is the "little things". I am forever having to "glue" things back in that fall off. So far I… Read more

have had the door trim come out about 5 times, the driver door handle came loose, the speakers blew twice (without having them loud) and one of the buttons on the steering wheel gets stuck on and off. So if you can live with the not so good accessories it is a great car. Looks nice, drives great Interior is likely to fall apart.

Proton an absolute terrible automotive car maker – After selling my car after having it for less than one year, I decided to send proton my feelings of disgust for the poor manufacture of what they call a car and to no surprise what so ever they did not respond back. From day dot the car was a lemon. From the clip falling off my fuel cap, plastics coming off seat, faulty speedo, faulty fuel gauge,… Read more

faulty suspension, ecu problems, paint peeling, audio not working, fog lamps leaking, rubber seals perishing, central locking, inlet manifold noise and the list goes on and on and on. I made a promise to proton that i would tell as many people as i could of the rubbish they bring into australia. They couldnt even get my breakdown assistance warranty card date correct. The dealership I bought from regents were not any better either!

Avoid this lemon because it will leave a very sour taste long after its gone Nothing in the end Where do you want me to start?

Lemon – Just traded away my 08 Persona,it is a terrible car with many problems: cheap plastics inside, car rattles, pedals squeak, very little power in the engine, inferior parts ie: door handle breaking off, cheap stereo malfunctions, rear sensors malfunctions, central locking is temperamental. There would have been more to list if we had kept it any… Read more

longer, but it was a liability of money and my safety, judging by the Proton Jumbuck safety tests scoring 1 out of 5 stars. Exterior looks nice Bad customer service from Proton, dangerous, lemon