Bought used, Owned for 1 Year
Fuel Economy: 8.0 km/litre (12.5 L/100 km), RON95, Mileage: 1,000 km/month
Having owned this car (a government issued vehicle) recently, I must say that the engine and transmission package is absolutely smooth and hassle free. You get the immediate response of torque quite early during the acceleration, and this is handy during drives along twisty B segment roads. But the car's ride really shines when it's cruising on the highways , with speeds up to 130-140km/h achievable seamlessly and unobtrusively, with lots of breath to spare still. I like the interior - buttons and interface layout is practical and not needing much know how to use initially. Seats (2.0L version) have a good mix of leather and fabric - which is a more practical and comfortable layout vs the full leather finish in the 2.4L. It takes corners very, very steadily for such a large car. And I like it that a reverse camera is standard across the board, as reversing confidently without it can be a dicey proposition. Coming standard with 6 airbags, this is a definite upgrade to the original accord back then.
Driving within the limits of highway speed gives a very good fuel consumption of about 15km/L, of course , one shouldnt be expecting a similar figure upon town driving.
Unsurprising,the downside remains proton's QC - which is a tad suspect, as compared to the accordana (2013-2015/6 model), as fit and finish overall feels better, despite its age in the latter model (I've inspected a few units of 5/6 year old models, and the original honda made perdana's feels a firmer fit). Mind you, this is pre-Geely management, as the post QC production has been quite satisfactory.
Parking sensors have a bit of delay in deactivating , and i was told by Proton SC that this is normal. Original silver plastic trim across the dashboard has been resprayed black, and just feels like a slap dash job. There are other small niggles which I've sent to Proton to rectify (perdana badge glue peeling off, peeling off the front lamps which has been recently changed this year, and too thin a fabric over the boot interior) but none affecting the overall drive quality. I hope Dr Li Chun Rong is reading this, as having Geely on board in 2017 really helped improved the QC of their assembly from that point onwards - I just wished Dr Li may help us Perdana owners (pre Geely ownership) to ensure that if there are issues beyond the 5 year warranty period, Proton may continually assist with rectification if not free, but at a fair (and subsidised) cost. Certain things like the head lamp's surface peeling off within months, well, this really should be Proton's responsibility...
To improve
Otherwise, a reliable and solidly engineered vehicle to own at even 3+ years going. This is a Honda's ride and engineering with Proton's cosmetic take. Just needing Proton / Dr Li Chun Rong to have some grace for us customers, in rectifying certain cosmetic / QC issues of the vehicle which is unfortunately a 'congenital issue' . I've had many relations and parents who have owned protons from the saga/iswara/satria/wira/waja/persona/saga BLM times- so many, till i've lost count, and we hope to continue supporting the brand. Hope you are reading this!
Yes, I would recommend this car