Priced from RM 45k, CVT-only 2022 Proton Persona facelift (MC2) launched, MT dropped

After much teasing, the 2022 Proton Persona facelift MC2 is officially launched in Malaysia, alongside the refreshed 2022 Proton Iriz (you can read about that here). Proton's B-segment sedan has been given some timely updates as it continues its fight against the Toyota Vios, Honda City and Nissan Almera.

What's the pricing and line up like?

Prices for the facelifted Proton Persona starts at RM 45,200 and tops out at RM 54,900. These include SST discounts that are valid till 31-December 2021. 

The 2022 Proton Persona range consists of 3 variants, beginning with the Standard all the way to the range-topping Premium. The manual variant (1.6 Standard MT) has been scrapped, sorry manual-transmission fans.

Also read: Wait, no 4AT? 2021 Proton Iriz and Proton Persona MC2 might retain Punch CVT

Great, so what's new this time?

The most prominent change on the outside of the facelifted Proton Persona are the redesigned front bumper that sports the new Infinite Weave grille. This is similar to the Proton X50 and brings a cleaner and more streamlined corporate profile. 

Also new are 16 inch wheels (the the Executive and Premium variants) which sport a fresh design, and black roof finish (Premium variant) to complete the facelift exterior touches. 

Also bringing a more premium touch on the exterior is the inclusion of LED headlamps (only in the Premium variant) this time round. About time as well seeing that all its segment rivals feature this as well.

On the inside, the facelifted Persona features a host of new improvements made such as:

• New leather seats
• New interior colour
• New centre console
• Floating-style infotainment display
• Digital AC
• Voice control for windows and AC
• Central armrest
• 6 USB ports
• Eco mode button

If you were anticipating the integration of Android Auto / Apple CarPlay, well you'd be disappointed. That's still not available. Boot space for the Persona remains at a competitive 510 litres. 

Also read: Why isn’t Proton accepting Apple CarPlay/Android Auto yet? The simple answer is user data

Manual option is dead, and still no ADAS

All variants of the Persona are powered by the familiar 1.6-litre, 4-cylinder engine (109 PS, 150 Nm). This powerplant continues to be partnered by the Punch-sourced CVT transmission, with the 5-speed manual (1.6 Standard MT variant) phased out completely for this update.

As for safety features, we've included a table below to detail what are the standard safety features across the facelifted Proton Persona range.

Also read: 2021 Proton Iriz and Persona get 5-star ASEAN NCAP rating, with ADAS?

While the 2022 Proton Persona retains its 5-star ASEAN-NCAP safety rating, the assessment was performed under the ASEAN NCAP protocol and rating system for 2017-2020. 

There's still no ADAS in this latest MC2 facelift. This is quite a glaring omission on the Persona's part, chiefly because all of its segment rivals like the Toyota Vios, Honda City and Nissan Almera come equipped with ADAS.

Additionally, the 2022 Proton Persona comes with a Launch Package. Said package consists of:

• 5-year / 150,000 km warranty (whichever comes first)
• 3 times free Labour Service
• 5-year Data Package with 1GB quota monthly (only for the Premium variant)

All said and done, there are still quite a lot of improvements made to the 2022 Proton Persona facelift. Question is, will it be enough for it to do battle in this tightly-contested B-segment sedan marketplace? Watch this space!