TEST DRIVE, PROTON PERSONA

Jauh tuu harris p test drive Persona... kat KL takdak ka.?? /mod KUANTAN, 18/8/2007: Location: GIANT KUANTAN, PAHANG. AGENDA: UP CLOSE AN PERSONAL with the new PROTON PERSONA.... REPORT: My first thought, "WHY DOES THIS CAR LOOK SO FAMILIAR" .... Then it strikes me.... "TOYOTA VIOS" .... noooooo .. it cant be. Maybe the way it was display, and add some extra lighting etc... VIOLA .... ( serius, masa tu, aku n wife n sepupu agree, dari sudut tepi, nampak macam VIOS, n my cousin DRIVES a TOYOTA, camry that is). So, 1st thing. BOOT SIZE. ..... As compared to my SAGA, PERSONA's BOOT ROOM, is quite spacious. I can fit 2, " 3 ball bowling bag " inside... IT IS NOT WIDE, but built further down .. (panjang ler sikit) .... BUT, the SPEAKERS n WIRING are not concealed properly, (they shld have put a SOFT BOARD, the very least)... NEXT, BACK SET ..... OK wa cakap lu ... (IHSAN, there is a few inches extra lahhh)... if the driver and the CO PILOT is not YAO MING, it think, the passenger will be very comfortable indeed. Generous leg room. HIGH ROOF .. (THIS IS IHSAN MAIN CONCERNS).... so ... if 3 full grown adults duduk belakang .... it will be not as cramped as your normal SEDAN .... NEXT, the COCKPIT...... hmmmmm, Better design than the GEN 2 ... looks can be deceiving ..... still the same plastiky feel ... but ... COME ON LAAHHHH, you are not buying a MASERATI or BMW M6....... ... extra leg room, so that you will be relaxed and have a smooth drive either to the grocery shop 400 metres away, or a 7 hours drive back to BESUT / SETIU...... DRIVE / HANDLING: Maybe I was tooo impressed by the looks, i seems to feel that, I am driving a VOLVO S40... hehehehe (getting overboard here)... ok back to reality .... it is a smooth as a normal sedan ... I dont think that the engine is as efficient as HONDA IDSI or TOYOTA VVTI. But, it is not damn incompetent as KIA's own SPECTRA .... back to test drive ...( as you know, jalan-jalan in KUANTAN nie, byk ler sgt tak rata nya) so considering WHAT I AM DRIVING ... it is quite satisfying to know that, LOTUS has done a competent JOB..... ABS, AIRBAG etc ... aku tak rasa as bumpy as when I did in a WAJA ... nor did i hear SQUEKING SOUND when I was in a WIRA .... so there, ..... another satisfied potential customer. CONCLUSION: Bear in mind, I am comparing like for like in terms of RM, RM , RM , RM , RM ....... MAYBE proton is going in the right direction ...... PROTON 55k vs KIA 55k? Then ... no question, I wll choose PROTON ....(parts pun easily available n murah) ... FOR TOYOTA or HONDA to be at the same PRICE RANGE, I have to wait for 4-6 years ... VIOS 2005, CITY 2003/04 is within the price range ....But another EXTRA FROM PERSONA = 175,000 km warranty .... JAUH TU ...... ... So my point of view ..... RM 55.6k for a full spec PERSONA, is far worth it if you are comparing LIKE for LIKE .. and at 45k for a basic model .... I rather BUY NOW, rather than, wait 5 years to buy a USED VIOS.. YOUR CALL. Me? ( I am still waiting 'the good news' from MAYBANK's BOARD ) :D hehehehehehe Yours Sincerely, Ahmad Harris Khaidzir,