Amirul
Resident Journalist
What’s the deal?
Proton has finally unveiled the all-new 2016 Proton Persona today. Built on the Iriz platform, this new B-segment sedan is said to include intricate engineering on both mechanical and aesthetical aspects.
The all-new Persona is the 2nd generation of the Persona family since its first introduction in 2007. The car will encapsulate the ‘sporty and executive’ theme, apart from improved refinement and NVH level. It is also the first Proton car to be equipped with Eco Drive Assist indicator.
4 variants are offered; Standard, Executive, Premium and Premium SE to suit customers’ different needs.
2016 Proton Persona 1.6 VVT
Engine: 1.6-litre Variable Valve Timing 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 107hp at 5,750 rpm
Torque: 150Nm at 4,000 rpm
Zerotohundred: 10.9 seconds
Transmissions: 5-speed manual or CVT
Dimensions: 4,387mm (L), 1,722mm (W), 1,554mm (H)
Weight from: 1,155kg
Price: Standard 5MT - RM46,350 (solid), RM46,800 (metallic); Standard CVT - RM49,350 (solid), RM49,800 (metallic); Executive CVT - RM55,350 (solid), RM55,800 (metallic); Premium CVT - RM59,350 (solid), RM59,800 (metallic)
Exterior
The all new Proton Persona sports a sleek appearance and includes what the designer calls, ‘slippery’ design and is said to have low drag coefficient (Cd), thus improving fuel economy.
The front fascia is dominated by a pair of sharp headlights with electric auto levelling, ‘Proton Wing’ signature and a large lower grille, giving a dynamic look to the car. The headlights however are reflector units with no DRLs, as opposed to projectors on the equivalent Iriz hatchback.
Moving to the rear, the new Persona gets freshly-designed tail lights with a chrome bar connecting the two. Its rear bumper features rear fog light which is a standard across all variants.
The Standard and Executive will get body-coloured B-pillars and the Premium gets black B-pillars. The side mirrors and door handles on the Standard variant are unpainted, while the Executive and Premium get body-coloured ones.
Wheels are 15-inch on all 4 variants, but grey on the Standard and Executive variants while silver wheels are unique to Premium variant. The new Persona is available in six colours – Cotton White, Fire Red, Sterling Silver, Graphite Grey, Quartz Black and a new colour, Carnelian Brown.
Interior
Encompassing ‘elegance and practicality’, Proton applies a two-tone black and beige concept for the interior, which is claimed to give a sense of spaciousness. The seats on the Standard and Executive are fabric while the Premium gets leather seats.
As for the infotainment, the Standard variant is equipped with a Single-DIN radio unit, then on the Executive, is a Double-DIN radio unit, while on the Premium, there is a colour touchscreen head unit with reverse camera.
Elsewhere, new Persona comes with 60:40 split-folding capability for the rear seats and USB charging ports (Executive and Premium). The Premium variant is further packed with equipment like keyless entry, power-retractable wing mirrors and a new-design gear lever with thumb button (Premium CVT only). There is also the Premium SE which is differentiated with an all-round two-tone bodykit.
Compared to the previous Persona, Proton also claimed an improvement in terms of NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness) level, with 2 decibel (dB) lower noise, measured in the cabin at cruising speed. Boot space is a whopping 510-litre, an increase from 430-litre on the previous Persona.
Engine
The Proton Persona will be powered by a sole 1.6-litre VVT engine across all variants, the similar unit from the Iriz hatchback, good for 107hp at 5,750 rpm and 150Nm of torque at 4,000 rpm. The engine however has undergone further calibration for the sedan, with a new ECU.
Other improvements include updated 3-point engine mounts (as opposed to 4-point on the Iriz) which Proton claim for better refinement. The 1.6-litre VVT could either be paired to a 5-speed manual (Standard only) or a CVT (all variants). According to Proton, the CVT has also been tuned to provide a more linear power delivery.
Zerotohundred time is at 10.9 seconds, reduced by almost one second compared to the previous Persona. Fuel economy is claimed at 5.6 l/100km for the manual or 6.1 l/100km for the CVT, a significant 10% and 13% improvement respectively. There is an ECO Drive Assist indicator that lights up when the car detects it's being driven economically, the first ever in Proton cars.
Braking performance sees improvement, too. Despite only utilizing disc brakes up front and drums at the rear, the new Persona takes 41.4m to stop from 100km/h, 3.2m less distance compared to the previous Persona that even posses 4 discs all around, thanks to the more superior braking system and lighter kerb weight of the new car.
Proton also states that the chassis and suspension from the Iriz has been tweaked for the new Persona to cope with the sedan’s different body and weight.
Safety
Now comes the Persona’s big card – safety. The all-new Persona packages ABS with EBD and Brake Assist, Traction Control, Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Hill-hold Assist and ISOFIX child seat anchors with top tether as standard on all variants.
The car also scores a full 5-Star on ASEAN NCAP rating system. Airbags are 2 on Standard and Executive variants, whilst the Premium variant is packed with 6 airbags.
Wondering how the all-new Persona drives? Kindly head to the link below to see our first impression of Proton's new B-segment sedan: http://www.zerotohundred.com/2016/first-impression-2016-proton-persona-cvt-and-manual-driven/
Proton has finally unveiled the all-new 2016 Proton Persona today. Built on the Iriz platform, this new B-segment sedan is said to include intricate engineering on both mechanical and aesthetical aspects.
The all-new Persona is the 2nd generation of the Persona family since its first introduction in 2007. The car will encapsulate the ‘sporty and executive’ theme, apart from improved refinement and NVH level. It is also the first Proton car to be equipped with Eco Drive Assist indicator.
4 variants are offered; Standard, Executive, Premium and Premium SE to suit customers’ different needs.
2016 Proton Persona 1.6 VVT
Engine: 1.6-litre Variable Valve Timing 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 107hp at 5,750 rpm
Torque: 150Nm at 4,000 rpm
Zerotohundred: 10.9 seconds
Transmissions: 5-speed manual or CVT
Dimensions: 4,387mm (L), 1,722mm (W), 1,554mm (H)
Weight from: 1,155kg
Price: Standard 5MT - RM46,350 (solid), RM46,800 (metallic); Standard CVT - RM49,350 (solid), RM49,800 (metallic); Executive CVT - RM55,350 (solid), RM55,800 (metallic); Premium CVT - RM59,350 (solid), RM59,800 (metallic)
Exterior
The all new Proton Persona sports a sleek appearance and includes what the designer calls, ‘slippery’ design and is said to have low drag coefficient (Cd), thus improving fuel economy.
The front fascia is dominated by a pair of sharp headlights with electric auto levelling, ‘Proton Wing’ signature and a large lower grille, giving a dynamic look to the car. The headlights however are reflector units with no DRLs, as opposed to projectors on the equivalent Iriz hatchback.
Moving to the rear, the new Persona gets freshly-designed tail lights with a chrome bar connecting the two. Its rear bumper features rear fog light which is a standard across all variants.
The Standard and Executive will get body-coloured B-pillars and the Premium gets black B-pillars. The side mirrors and door handles on the Standard variant are unpainted, while the Executive and Premium get body-coloured ones.
Wheels are 15-inch on all 4 variants, but grey on the Standard and Executive variants while silver wheels are unique to Premium variant. The new Persona is available in six colours – Cotton White, Fire Red, Sterling Silver, Graphite Grey, Quartz Black and a new colour, Carnelian Brown.
Interior
Encompassing ‘elegance and practicality’, Proton applies a two-tone black and beige concept for the interior, which is claimed to give a sense of spaciousness. The seats on the Standard and Executive are fabric while the Premium gets leather seats.
As for the infotainment, the Standard variant is equipped with a Single-DIN radio unit, then on the Executive, is a Double-DIN radio unit, while on the Premium, there is a colour touchscreen head unit with reverse camera.
Elsewhere, new Persona comes with 60:40 split-folding capability for the rear seats and USB charging ports (Executive and Premium). The Premium variant is further packed with equipment like keyless entry, power-retractable wing mirrors and a new-design gear lever with thumb button (Premium CVT only). There is also the Premium SE which is differentiated with an all-round two-tone bodykit.
Compared to the previous Persona, Proton also claimed an improvement in terms of NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness) level, with 2 decibel (dB) lower noise, measured in the cabin at cruising speed. Boot space is a whopping 510-litre, an increase from 430-litre on the previous Persona.
Engine
The Proton Persona will be powered by a sole 1.6-litre VVT engine across all variants, the similar unit from the Iriz hatchback, good for 107hp at 5,750 rpm and 150Nm of torque at 4,000 rpm. The engine however has undergone further calibration for the sedan, with a new ECU.
Other improvements include updated 3-point engine mounts (as opposed to 4-point on the Iriz) which Proton claim for better refinement. The 1.6-litre VVT could either be paired to a 5-speed manual (Standard only) or a CVT (all variants). According to Proton, the CVT has also been tuned to provide a more linear power delivery.
Zerotohundred time is at 10.9 seconds, reduced by almost one second compared to the previous Persona. Fuel economy is claimed at 5.6 l/100km for the manual or 6.1 l/100km for the CVT, a significant 10% and 13% improvement respectively. There is an ECO Drive Assist indicator that lights up when the car detects it's being driven economically, the first ever in Proton cars.
Braking performance sees improvement, too. Despite only utilizing disc brakes up front and drums at the rear, the new Persona takes 41.4m to stop from 100km/h, 3.2m less distance compared to the previous Persona that even posses 4 discs all around, thanks to the more superior braking system and lighter kerb weight of the new car.
Proton also states that the chassis and suspension from the Iriz has been tweaked for the new Persona to cope with the sedan’s different body and weight.
Safety
Now comes the Persona’s big card – safety. The all-new Persona packages ABS with EBD and Brake Assist, Traction Control, Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Hill-hold Assist and ISOFIX child seat anchors with top tether as standard on all variants.
The car also scores a full 5-Star on ASEAN NCAP rating system. Airbags are 2 on Standard and Executive variants, whilst the Premium variant is packed with 6 airbags.
Wondering how the all-new Persona drives? Kindly head to the link below to see our first impression of Proton's new B-segment sedan: http://www.zerotohundred.com/2016/first-impression-2016-proton-persona-cvt-and-manual-driven/
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