Proton Persona 400

Proton Persona 400 key specifications

By our calculation, the 1.6 carries about 12.2 kg per kW and the 1.8 DOHC about 9.8 kg per kW. Check those ratios against other cars with the 1cars power-to-weight calculator.

Wira, Persona or 400: one car, three names

In Malaysia the car was the Proton Wira. When it reached Britain in November 1993, it was renamed the Proton Persona, and European cars carried 400-series model names. Australia received it in May 1995 and adopted the Persona name in November 1996. The Wira was sold in more than seventy countries and assembled in Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines.

The old 1cars text dated the car to 1996, the year it became widely known as the Persona 400 in some export markets. In fact, the saloon was launched on 21 May 1993. The hatchback, first badged Aeroback, followed in October 1993, and the 1.3 GL saloon and 1.5 GL hatchback joined in 1994.

Mitsubishi roots and design

Proton built the Wira on the fourth-generation Mitsubishi Lancer, known in some markets as the Mirage. Mitsubishi was then a partner of Proton, which explains the shared platform and engines. The front end came from Proton's Iswara, a member of the Saga family, so the car looked like a Proton rather than a rebadged Mitsubishi.

The saloon is 4,270 mm long on a 2,500 mm wheelbase, according to Wikipedia; the old 1cars text gave 4,360 mm. Either way, it was a compact family car in the class of the Ford Escort and Vauxhall Astra of the time. Related Proton models, including the Satria hatchback and the Putra coupé, shared its front styling.

Engines and gearboxes

All versions have front-wheel drive, and the 1.8 DOHC was the sporting top model. The diesels made 123 Nm without a turbocharger and 172 Nm with one. The table leaves power blank where no reliable figure was found.

Lotus tuning, special editions and the police GTI

In 1996 Proton bought the British sports car maker Lotus, and the link showed in the Wira. When the car was updated in 2001, Lotus tuned the suspension. Two years earlier, a 1.8-litre Compact GTI developed with Lotus produced 133 bhp (99 kW) and was trialled by Humberside Police in England.

A homologation special came first. In 1996 Proton built 2,500 Wira 1.8 EXi DOHC cars for rallying rules: 2,450 in Majorca Black and 50 white RS versions. The Wira SE of 2004, based on the 1.5 GLi Aeroback, added its own seats, exhaust, wheels and trim. The story of the company and its links with Lotus and Mitsubishi is told in the history of Proton.

Cabin, equipment and safety

The cabin is simple and practical. The old 1cars text lists fabric seats, power steering, an adjustable steering column, a driver's airbag on many cars, air conditioning and a radio. The rear seat folds to extend the boot.

Safety equipment depended on the market. Base Malaysian models had only three-point belts with pretensioners and a laminated windscreen. Export models added a driver airbag, side-impact bars in the doors and anti-lock brakes; ABS later became an option in Malaysia too. No Euro NCAP crash test of the car was published.

Production numbers and the end of the Wira

The Wira was a big success at home. Malaysian registrations peaked at 98,211 in 2002 and fell to 1,990 in 2009; by our calculation, that is about 2 % of the peak. Sales in the last years were 14,908 in 2007, 1,907 in 2008 and 1,974 in 2009. The last UK registrations came in 2006.

Proton replaced the hatchback with the Gen-2 in 2004 and the saloon with the new Persona (CM) in 2007, which reused the name for a different car. Wira production ended in June 2009 after 952,216 cars.

Rivals in Europe and how it compared

The Persona shared its mechanicals with the Lancer and competed mainly on price and simplicity. Use the 1cars comparison tool to set it against other budget cars of the 1990s.

Is a used Proton Persona 400 worth buying?

Today the Persona 400 is a cheap, simple car for owners who can maintain an older Mitsubishi-based design. The 1.6 with a manual gearbox is the best all-round choice, and parts are shared with many Lancer and Proton models. The 1.8 DOHC is the quickest version, and an original EXi homologation car is the rarest. Check for rust, worn suspension bushes and the service history of the automatic gearbox. Other Proton models are on the Proton brand page, and the Mitsubishi history explains the technology behind the car.