I've driven an auto Neo for over a year now and I can say it's got more downs than ups. The ups of course are the soundproofing, handling (better than SGTi), meaty steering wheel, dashboard design and exterior looks. That's where it ends, though.
The throttle response is absolute rubbish, and even when you get up the trashy sounding revs, you can only expect performance on par with Jap 1.5's after 4000rpm. Below that, a bicycle can be faster. Hence the poor fuel consumption since you constantly have to rev high. Having 4 gears on a slushy auto doesn't help either.
Then there's the ergonomics; this car was really designed by/for midgets. The seat is too high and too close to the ceiling. Imagine, if you pulled down the sun-visor you cannot see the road! The rear is also meant for kids who'd prolly tear a ligament on the way in past the obstructive B-pillar.
To top it all off, the resale value is just mindboggling; 40% gone in just 2 years! Even my previous Protons weren't that bad.