Proton Gen.2: worst car in the world?

According to AutoZine Awards 2005 (link is now dead), but available at discussion at motortrader.com.my:

The Gen.2 was designed and engineered mostly by Lotus, but that doesn’t guarantee success. Build quality is the first issue Lotus cannot help. The Malaysian way of quality control is the biggest problem, not only at Proton’s assembly plant but also the parts suppliers. Whenever the Gen.2 rides on bumps, its loosely fitted parts squeak while a lot of suspension noise and harshness enter the cabin. The nasty plastics, filmsy cupholders, low grade door trim and flawed driving position worsen quality feel further. The Campro engine is weak on torque and noisy at high rev. The cheap tires lack grip. The rear seats are short of headroom… Gen.2 is easily the worst car of the year.

Considering the author Mark Wan is non afilliated with any carmaker nor with any sponsors (no ads whatsoever) that could very well be true.

Some other reviews [1], [2] are not so scathing in their remarks, but the same “not up to scratch” comments keep cropping up.

but the best thing would be to test drive the car yourself for a few days……………