2016 Proton Persona (official)
The 2016 Proton Persona will soon make
its debut in Malaysia, after the national carmaker teased the model’s arrival
yesterday. The new model will be open for booking from August 15, before its
official launch on August 23. Before all that, we have some initial
specifications and details on the upcoming model.
Four variants will be offered to
Malaysians at launch – Standard, Executive, Premium and Premium SE. Under the
hood, all variants are fitted with a 1.6 litre VVT petrol engine lifted from
the Iriz, with updated three-point engine mounts (instead of four) for better
refinement – it’s said to be up to six decibels quieter than the equivalent Iriz.
The engine is mechanically identical to
that on the Iriz 1.6, with 107 hp at 5,750 rpm and 150 Nm at 4,000 rpm, but it
has been calibrated for the sedan, with a new ECU. Transmission options include
a five-speed manual (Standard only) and a CVT (all variants). According to the
carmaker, the CVT has been tuned to offer a more linear power delivery than
before.
In terms of performance, the Persona
will make the 0-100 km/h sprint in 10.9 seconds, and use 5.6 litres per 100 km
for the manual, or 6.1 l/100 km for the CVT – both at 90 km/h. With VVT, Proton
added that CVT models are 10% more fuel efficient than before, while the manual
version is up to 13% better.
Aside from the improved fuel economy,
the new Persona also gets better braking performance. With the use of front
discs and rear drums setup (as opposed to all-round discs in the outgoing
Persona), it will need just 41.4 metres to come to a stop from 100 km/h rather
than 44.6 metres previously.
The new Persona is up to 20 kg lighter
than its predecessor, but up to 30 kg heavier when compared to the Iriz. The
latter is to be expected given the different body styles of both models
(hatchback vs sedan).
Now comes the important bit – the
equipment each variant will receive. We’ll start with the entry-level Standard,
which is offered with both transmission choices. The big ticket item here is
Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), which comes as standard, Isofix child seat
anchors, dual airbags, a single-DIN head unit, rear fog lamps and grey-finished
15-inch wheels (wrapped in Silverstone Kruizer tyres). It also gets unpainted
wing mirrors and door handles, fabric seats and no front fog lamps.
Next up, the Executive, which only comes
with a CVT, adds on a double-DIN radio head unit (with gloss grey centre
console housing), body-coloured wing mirrors and door handles, front fog lamps,
rear bootlid spoiler and twin USB charging ports. A 60:40 split-folding feature
for the rear seats is also added here.
The Premium on the other hand, gets a
lot more goodies – leather seats and steering wheel, colour touchscreen head
unit with reverse camera, keyless entry, power-retractable wing mirrors,
silver-finished 15-inch wheels (wrapped in Goodyear Assurance tyres) and six
airbags. The Premium SE is identical to the Premium, but with the addition of
an all-around two-tone bodykit.
On the outside, all models get reflector
headlamps with no DRLs, and the tail lights use conventional bulbs rather than
LEDs. Both front and rear light clusters, though, feature prominent Proton
letterings, as seen on the Iriz (front only) and Perdana (both).
Inside, CVT variants get a new-design
gear lever with a thumb button, while all models get a two-tone black and beige
(lower half) interior, which Proton claims gives a better sense of space like
the previous model. The Persona has a 510-litre boot (up from 430 from before)
and a space-saver spare tyre.
The Persona will be the second model to
be introduced this year after the Perdana, and the company is hoping to shift
about 3,000 units per month.
Source : Paultan
