Insurance Group: 16
MPG: 36.2
CO2: 184
0-62 Mph: 13.6 secs
BHP: 110 BHP
Range: N/A miles
PROS: The GEN-2 is cheap, fairly practical and relatively competent handling-wise.
CONS: The interior quality is absolutely awful and the engine is very noisy. The whole car feels like it was built to a price.
The GEN-2's 1.6-litre petrol engine is quite a capable performer, developing 110bhp at 6000rpm and 109lb-ft of torque. However, it is extremely coarse and noisy, especially at higher revs.
The ride is quite composed and the handling is fairly good thanks to the Lotus-derived chassis. However, the Proton still can't match its European rivals for driving enjoyment.
The GEN-2's refinement is absolutely shocking. In addition to the engine noise, wind and road noise are evident even at moderate speeds, making the cabin very uncomfortable indeed.
The wide array of equipment available on the car includes air-conditioning, remote central locking, a CD player, electric front windows, alloy wheels, cruise control and rear parking sensors.
Although the cabin’s styling is neat and contemporary, it is well behind the times when it comes to quality. The interior is awash with unappealing hard and shiny plastics with a poor finish in many places. All in all, the build quality is similarly disappointing, while many of the controls feel cheap and flimsy.
There’s decent legroom in both the front and rear, but the steeply sloping roofline compromises the available headroom. Even average height passengers sitting in the back will find themselves craning their necks. There is a decent 460-litres of boot space on offer with the rear seats up and 850-litres with the seats down.
You get driver, passenger and side airbags, which should protect you in the event of a crash, and electronic brakeforce distribution. Stability control is not available.
At £11,995, the GEN-2 1.6 GSX ecoLogic Auto 5dr is very cheap but the low price may be a false economy when the car's weak resale values are taken into account. The entire car also feels very cheaply made so it can't even be said that the Proton represents good value for money.
It won't even offer rock-bottom running costs thanks to the thirsty petrol engine which averages 36.2mpg. CO2 emissions of 184g/km also mean that the Proton falls under VED band I which is high for a car of this type.
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