Proton GEN-2 Review
Published: 2nd March 2005
Proton GEN-2
Safety and Security 
The following safety & security equipment is standard on the Proton GEN-2 1.6 GLS:
Driver and passenger front airbags, front seatbelts with pre-tensioners and load limiters, front seatbelts - height adjustable, three rear shoulder seatbelts, reverse distance sensors, side impact protection bars, crumple zones (front and rear), anti-roll bar (rear), ventilated front disc brakes, solid rear disc brakes, side protection strips, child locks, ISOFIX child restraint fixing, multi-function alarm, engine immobiliser, remote central locking, internal boot release, internal fuel release and visible VIN security plate.
ABS is not standard (optional at extra cost) on the model we tested and we were not too pleased to see a car lacking what we would consider to be one of the most fundamental pieces of safety equipment.
Comfort and Refinement
The cabin is spacious with good head and leg room in the front although rear seat passengers depending on their height may find that headroom is more restricted.
We found the GEN-2 an easy vehicle to get in and out of - the front
doors open to reveal wide access making the GEN-2 an excellent choice
for people with mobility problems.
The seats were firm but comfortable with good under thigh support.
The driver’s seat is adjustable for height and reach and the
front seats have integrated head restraints. The steering wheel
is height and tilt adjustable but it is far too hard to the touch
and after a while it actually hurt the bones in our hands - it needs
to be more tactile to be comfortable.
Inside the cabin is not the quietest of places to be as the engine is audible at all speeds, although road noise was minimal. The 1.6 GLS model benefits from air-conditioning with a pollen filter, but disappointingly our test car was only equipped with front electric windows.
We cannot say that in this day and age that we like to manually adjust our door mirrors, electric mirrors are featured as standard only on the top of the range model.
How It Looks - Exterior
The exterior of the GEN-2 is pleasing and it works well at most angles, the front reminded us of the Mazda corporate look. If people judge a car from the exterior styling we would expect the GEN-2 to sell relatively well.
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