Owner Review: The final driving persona, from proton - My 2021 Proton Persona MC1

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Basic information about my car:

2021 Proton Persona MC1, RM42,300

Reasons why I bought this car(purpose):

To replace my old Proton Saga BLM 2008 M-line MT, my first car since I started working. My BLM has served as a family car for 13 years, which started to give me problems lately. Although it's still a good car to drive, the engines and gearbox are working perfectly, but other places of wear and tear are slowly burning a hole in my pocket and I think it's not worth it anymore. That's why I wanted to buy a new car.

Car Selection Process

• I had a budget of：RM60,000
• Models that I have considered include: Persona MC2 and MC1, Saga VVT Premium, Bezza AV

I started scouting by trying out the Bezza AV, the whole package is ok, but the joy of driving is not there, and i'm not confident driving it as it gives me a feel of driving a 'sampan'. so i omitted it from the list. My wife has a Saga VVT which I drive once in a while, but being an ex  BLM owner, I wanted to have something a little bit more powerful, so I chose Persona in the end.

At first I wanted to wait for Persona MC2 as I knew that Persona MC2 will be launched in 2021. So I waited and saw whether I could have a better deal by waiting for a newer face-lift. But once I knew that MT would be discontinued for Persona MC2,  I straight away made up my mind that it's now or never. Compared to MC2, MC1 line has more features for Standard variants compared to MC2, for example, the front parking sensor has been stripped from standard variants in MC2, a feature that i use quite often. Furthermore, the colour happened to be snow white, which is just the colour that I wanted.

For MC2, Snow white is not available for the Standard variant (till now i am still wondering, white more expensive is it? haha) although MC2 comes with quite a few upgrades like armrest, digital air con control, etc, those things are not the deal breaker, I can live without those upgrades as aftermarket accessories are always available. But all in all, the solid reason I chose this car is still ~ Manual Is The best! and Real Man Use 3 Pedals! 

User Experience

• I have already done 1,000 km.
• My average fuel consumption is 8.3L/100km.

Since I had my BLM last time, I'm already a big fan of Proton Ride and Handling. This time, I can only say the driving experience is being upgraded. The steering is light but not lacking feedback. You can really do sharp turns with lots of confidence. For me, the real driving enjoyment brought by Proton is best paired with a manual transmission!!

The ability to shift gears whenever you like really adds up to a better control over the vehicle. I once tried downhill Road from Cameron Highland with 5th gears, I was really amazed by how stable it can be, just swing between clutch pedal and brakes pedal. to get this kind of handling in this class you can only opt for continental brand which costs double of the price, so i am more than satisfied with my car!

Fuel consumption wise is still considered OK, with an 8.3 liter / 100km average. I know there are other brands which are better in terms of Fuel consumption, but Proton Ride and handling is something you cannot leave out! For  me, it's more than just a car to get me from point A to B, it's a tool of enjoyment.

Pros and Cons

Pros of my car

1. MANUAL is the best. The opportunity to play launch once in a while is fun.

2. Proton Ride & Handling, nuff said. I wonder why it is still somehow under-appreciated

3. MC1 generation is the generation where all 3 variants have not many differences Among them. The package is quite complete though Standard Variants less 2 air bags, touch screen infotainment system plus reverse camera and Rim design, but because of it's "kosong"ness, I can freely upgrade the things I wanted

4. The black spoiler, which is standard across all variants, is a gem to the eye, and is perfectly matched with white body colour. (Proton has realized it and put black spoiler exclusive for premium variant only on Persona MC2 haha)

Cons

1. Higher fuel consumptions compared to other same class vehicles.

2. Although Proton is well known for its cool aircon, the air con on Persona happens to have a smaller blower than Other Proton models. The 4th speed air con in my wife's Saga VVT and my old BLM is noticeably stronger than my personal 4th speed blower. 

3. Too bad no more new Persona MT zzz...

Total Score: 4

Performance: 4

Quality & Features: 4

Space: 4

Ride comfort: 5

Fuel Economy: 3

Price & cost: 4

Summary:

I started my driving life with an Iswara, then Iswara Aeroback, then my BLM, all of them are MT. My father also keeps educating me with the advantages of MT, including lower maintenance fee and the ability to start the car even when the battery is down. Since then I'm a big fan of manual cars. Since end of last year (2020) my BLM started to give me problems after problems which cost me a small fortune, the idea of changing the car sparked out from my head.

After comparing all the models, i finally decided to keep with Proton and choose the Persona. I knew MC2 will come out in 2021 so i waited for the launching. But unfortunately, the news of Proton cutting the MT from Persona have me made up my mind to take MC1 instead. I straight away called my sales agent immediately to book the only MT Persona MC1 that he still hold. I'm lucky that I can settle my loan within a week and managed to lock in the car.

The moment my salesman confirmed that I was locked in the car, I was very happy and couldn't wait to take my car. But immediately after confirmation, FMCO started, I waited and waited until September when the SOP finally changed to allow showrooms to open, then I managed to get my car. When i checked the manufacture date, the date is early May, so it is confirmed my car the last batch of Persona MC1 Manual. suddenly i feel a sense of lucky as i managed to "steal" the last 'rare' item.                                                                                                                                              

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