Six years ago, when my 2004 Rover 45 1.4 Club SE was worth less than £1,000, and had numerous problems including a leaking head gasket (yes, another Rover K-series classic problem), I decided I needed to buy a new car. I had been blessed to have inherited some money, and so I had a bit more budget than usual. This was an interesting time in automotive history, as diesels were incredibly popular, but there was still a fascination with LPG (liquified petroleum gas), which these days no longer seems to enter into anyone's discussion about new cars.
At the time, Proton were at the tail end of their time selling new cars in Britain (they had withdrawn entirely by 2014), and their most exciting model was the five door hatchback Proton Gen-2, which had a saloon cousin in the Gen-2 Persona. Before anyone asks, no, it did not have one. At all. Similarly, the Mitsubishi Carisma of ten years before had none whatsoever. I get suspicious of the way in which manufacturers name their cars and trim levels at the best of times, but when marketing executives try to assure us that their cars have personality and charisma in their model names, it does strike of desperation. Anyway, the Gen-2 (and, shudder, Persona) were being offered with a free factory LPG conversion in a desperate effort to stay relevant in the modern automotive climate, which was at least interesting.
Looking at the deals on offer, and realising that, on paper at least, the Gen-2 could lead to very low running costs, I decided to travel to a dealership and try one out. The small Proton franchised dealer was in the middle of the countryside, and had just one demonstrator, which was a four year old 1.6 GSX Ecologic Gen-2 Persona in purple with the LPG conversion. I wasn't interested in the saloon, but as it was mechanically identical to the hatchback, it would certainly serve a purpose.
Proton, which has for about 20 years been in the same group of companies as Lotus, made a big deal when the Gen-2 was new in 2004 about the gauges and front seats being inspired by a 1970s Porsche 911 and the Lotus-tuned ride and handling. James May, when he reviewed the Gen-2 on Top Gear in around 2004, said that he would "gladly trade in some Lotus-tuned suspension for some Toyota-developed door trim". Indeed. The later Gen-2s had the best interior, including leather seats, but despite those natty 911-inspired dials, the build quality was still shocking, the seat was too high and the steering wheel, although aesthetically pleasing, was set too low. When I sat in the back of the Persona, legroom was restricted and the headroom was not brilliant, and I imagine the Gen-2 was not much better. It also had some of the worst upholstery I have seen on a car of this century, which reminded me of an old pair of swirly patterned curtains. Not a very good start, then.
One nice thing about the Gen-2 was the driving experience. The steering was communicative, the Campro engine (developed by Proton themselves) was willing enough and the handling was nice and sharp. It was also easy to switch between LPG and petrol thanks to a switch on the centre console which also showed the level of gas remaining. There didn't seem to be any discernable performance difference between the two fuels, but apparently economy and performance with LPG is down by around 10-15%. There are petrol stations still offering LPG, and there were probably even more six years ago, so the infrastructure was, and is, very much still practical to use. On the Continent, things are even better for LPG, as it was much more popular.
One thing to bear in mind with a car so converted, be it from the factory or otherwise, is the LPG tank has to go in the boot and rob it of space. Ultimately, this is what put me off most, in that the car had around 30% less boot space than standard, and, given my mileage was not very high at the time, the savings in fuel were not worth the compromise in practicality. I bought a superb 2011 Chevrolet Cruze 1.6 LT instead, and loved it.
Proton might have once been a very appealing option for budget conscious motorists, and they did make cars which were handsome and good value for money with nice driving characteristics. However, the poor interior quality, terrible residual values and poor ergonomics, combined with virtually no brand awareness, contributed to their demise in Britain. I would certainly consider a Gen-2 as a short term transportation solution, but even then I would have to get used to explaining why it had such a stupid name. If it was a Persona, the swirly patterned seats and even more ridiculous name would probably be even harder to justify. At least it wouldn't be a Mitsubishi Carisma...
