Car sales in South Africa are continuing to break records, luring ever more brands to the country, mostly from Asia. Indian brands Tata and Mahindra have launched here in the past couple of years and Malaysia's Proton set up shop in August with the Gen-2 hatchback as its first product offering.
Proton SA has big plans for a countrywide dealer network with five dealers in Gauteng initially, expanding into kwaZulu-Natal later this year to create 14 outlets. The Savvy mini-hatchback will join the local product line up later to compete with cars such as Kia's Picanto and the Chevrolet Spark.
Proton is distributed locally by Pearl Automotive, a subsidiary of the Imperial group that also imports Lotus, Bentley and, until recently, MG Rover.
Consumers will no doubt be wary of the "Made-in-Malaysia" tag (as they were initially with Korean cars which have now become mainstream) but Proton is quite a big player back in its home market.
Perusahaan Otomobile Nasional Berhard (Proton) began assembling cars in 1983 and upgraded its engineering capabilities when it bought the UK's Lotus Group in 2003.
The state-controlled company claims to be south-east Asia's most advanced automotive infrastructure and is developing 20 new models. The company also owns the MV Agusta motorcycle brand.
The Gen-2 is a 1.6-litre five-door hatchback, available in two specification levels: basic GL retailing for R137 995 and the more luxurious GLX (tested here) selling at R149 995. A five-speed manual transmission is standard but both versions are also available with four-speed automatics.
The pricing is attractive against rivals such as the Toyota RunX, Opel Astra and Renault Megane and the Gen-2 comes with a three year or 75 000km service plan, though its three-year or 60 000km warranty is shorter than the three-year / 100 000km industry standard.
The Lotus influence is evident in the Gen-2's handsome looks; the Malaysians have got the styling right as a first step to enticing people away from their trusted Toyota Corollas and Hyundai Elantras.
Proton calls it a "wide-shouldered upper body and a front end that has been deliberately designed to intimidate". We wouldn't go quite that far but the car does have a modern, aerodynamic shape with a sporty edge - it stands out in a car park.
Chronograph-style instruments
The interior styling also goes off the beaten path with a chronograph-style instruments and three-spoked steering wheel adding some sporty zest. The car's quality comes across as a previous generation Toyota or Nissan.
It appears to be reasonably robust and well built but using low-rent, hard plastic for the fascia rather than the soft-touch type cheapens the effect, although this is offset by the leather seats offered in the GLX.
There's plenty of room up front but rear passenger space is limited; if you're more than 1.8m tall your head will touch the headlining and your knees will make contact with the front seat backrests.
The rear seats can be folded flat to create extra cargo space and there's a deep centre console between the front seats that makes a handy stowage space.
It's an easy, unobtrusive car to drive with light controls and good visibility.
Parking sensor
Manoeuvering through heavy traffic is painless thanks to power steering and a light clutch. If you're hopeless at parallel parking you're in luck as well, as there's a rear parking sensor which sounds a warning beep if you're getting too close to an object - an unusual feature usually found in much more expensive cars.
The Gen-2 GLX is also one of the few cars in its class with leather upholstery and its features-per-rand tally is pretty generous, including a trip data computer, remote-controlled central locking, a radio/CD system that's purpose-fitted to discourage thieves and automatic air-conditioning
The steering column is height adjustable but has a fixed reach,so longer-legged drivers tend to sit with their legs bent more than is entirely comfortable. The various functions are neatly laid out and simple to use, with additional audio control buttons on the steering wheel adding to the convenience.
Front-row occupants get front and side crash bags while the front seat belts have pre-tensioners with load limiters.
The car's pretty refined, cruising along the freeway without any major wind or road noise, but the engine becomes vocal when it's being revved hard and there is a slight whine from what we suspect is the transmission.
The Gen-2 is what we expected for a 1.6-litre petrol car, reaching 100km/h in 13 seconds on the Reef, which is fast enough not to feel annoyingly sluggish - it should be around a second quicker at sea level.
Regular downshifting
Top speed is a useful 190km/h but the 16-valve engine needs to be revved to deliver its best and regular downshifting is required for overtaking.
The trip data computer showed an average consumption of 7.7 litres/100km in a combination of town and freeway driving.
The Malaysian car is not scared of corners; Lotus' suspension tweaks are evident in its roadholding. It has clean, neutral handling that doesn't understeer too readily and there's no shortage of traction from the 195mm tyres.
It also has comfortable ride quality without feeling wallowy in the bends, thanks in part to front and rear stabiliser bars.
Arresting speed is no sweat thanks to all-disc ABS and electronic brake force distribution.
Summary
On first sight, not a bad effort. This Malaysian import has attractive styling, a long equipment list, decent handling, and costs 10 to 20 grand less than most of its Japanese and European rivals.
The cabin feels a tad low-rent and Proton is an unknown brand in South Africa; it remains to be seen whether its price advantage is enough to seduce punters in this most competitive of market segments. - Star Motoring