Proton - Satria

Proton came to prominence in the late 'eighties as a value manufacturer, but its hard not to conclude that with cars like the Satria the Malaysian maker has all-but lost its way. It's awful, frankly, with a crashy ride, inaccurate handling, poor refinement and none of the equipment or impact protection offered by more modern European, Japanese or even Korean rivals. A cramped cabin and optimistic pricing means that it is effectively competing with the larger of the new generation of superminis, despite being pitched as a mid-sized hatchback, negating what little price advantage it has. Lotus-tuned GTI the sole bright spot in the range, but it's expensive and rare.