Car Statistics: Proton - Gen2 Series 08 (1 star)

Styling (3 stars)

The least bad feature of the car - hardly eye-catching, but neat and contemporary.

Handling (2 stars)

Obscure Asian tyres don't do the roadholding any favours, but it points well enough at moderate speeds.

Comfort (2 stars)

Assuming you don't cut yourself on any of the hard interior plastics, it is reasonably comfortable, with sporty, high-back seats in the upmarket versions. The suspension is not the most compliant, but it's not terrible overall. If you don't mind the unscheduled noises the rest of the car makes, the engine note should present no problems.

Quality (1 star)

Truly, madly, deeply awful. From the nasty featherweight little key to the way the boot crashes shut, you just cannot believe that anyone could still make a car this way. In the past, Protons had a reputation for not breaking down but, on this evidence, we are making no predictions as to the longevity of current versions.

Performance (2 stars)

Performance is available if you are prepared to rag the engine, but you could hardly call it willing. Loud engine noise dissuades you from using all 110 bhp.

Roominess (2 stars)

Assuming you are the same shape as the people who designed the car, and you can get comfortable in the driver's seat, interior room is perfectly adequate. However, nobody from our office (or any other magazine we have come across) happens to be that shape.

Costs (1 star)

Fuel economy is fairly average for a 1.6 petrol - but, of course, there is no diesel option. The real killer will be depreciation - believe us, no-one queues to buy a used Gen-2.

Value (1 star)

There is no way this is worth up to £11,000. In the rest of Europe, you can buy the similarly-sized, but far better-made Renault Logan for the equivalent of £7,000. We reckon that would be about right for the Gen-2 - at least for people that prefer lots of electronic toys to fundamental design quality.

Stereo (3 stars)

The stereo comes from Blaupunkt, which is a relief. It works pretty well although, as the only high-point of the cabin, it has been rather over-designed.