Car reviews

Introduction

The Wira is a car for people on a very tight budget. As it is cheaper than the budget Kia and Hyundai cars, you will not be surprised to hear that the Wira is not a good car. As soon as you climb into the car you will see why. There is limited interior space and cheap-quality materials have been used throughout. The drive is unlikely to impress you either with its vague steering and uncomfortable ride qualities. There’s lots of body roll in the corners. If you can, look elsewhere for a car as in many cases a Proton Wira just isn’t worth it.

Exterior & Interior

The Wira comes as either a five-door hatchback or a four-door saloon with both providing the same amount of space as the only thing that differs is the way the boot opens. There is limited space inside with the back seat passengers receiving very little legroom and the boot is only big enough for a couple of suitcases. The seats aren’t very supportive either and the three passengers at the rear will find longer journeys very uncomfortable and cramped. The driving position isn’t very good either with only limited height adjustments which will make finding a comfortable driving position difficult. The dash and central console along with the rest of the cabin trim all look extremely cheap and tacky and lots of the buttons and switches are hard to find and use.

There is a good choice of trim levels, but there are none that offer everything you are likely to want. We advise going for the LXi SE, the LUX or the SRi trim levels as they offer a decent amount of kit including air-con, CD player, electric windows and alloys. Its best to avoid the entry level Li trim as all you receive is a height adjustable driver’s seat and body coloured bumpers.

Drive

Proton used Lotus to try and improve the Wira’s handling as they are Lotus’ parent company, however, the ride is still far behind that of its rivals. There is too much body roll in the corners and the steering feels so vague you could be pointing your front tyres at a 90 degree angle and you wouldn’t know. The ride is also extremely uncomfortable with every bump and flaw in the tarmac being transferred through to the cabin. Go over 30mph and the engine noise starts to creep up. Reach 60mph and you’ll wish you hadn’t, there is lots of engine, road and wind noise and you are likely to have a headache within minutes.

Faults & Repairs

There have been a few complaints about the Proton Wira, but not many. Firstly, there was a recall over possible power failure in the 1.5-litre engine so make sure that this work has been carried out if you’re looking for one of these models. The automatic gearbox has also been known to give up so we’d avoid those and just stick with the manual. As the trim was never well constructed and is of the cheapest quality possible, make sure to test all the switches thoroughly to be certain that they all work and that there are no loose trim panelling. Apart from that, you shouldn’t experience many other problems with the Wira and can always look out for one with a valid 100,000 mile powertrain warranty, or just look for one with the lowest mileage possible.

Servicing costs are well below the average, which is one of its redeeming factors. However, it needs to be serviced every 9,000 miles which is sooner than all of its rivals.