THOSE who held out for either a Proton Iriz or Persona are in for a treat as they have been updated and are ready for booking.
It's all in the visuals, with the 2022 Iriz Active and Persona Premium variants enjoying the best treatment.
The new Iriz Active takes a page out of the X50's aesthetics with a black roof and roof rails in a two-tone colour scheme.
New all-around body mouldings run from the front bumper across the wheel arches and side sills before ending at the rear bumper.
All Iriz variants share a front exterior that now sports an iconic Infinite Weave front bumper design with Ethereal Bow grille and red underlining.
The Persona Premium variant's seats and door trims are covered in brown leatherette, the same shade that debuted on the X70, to complement the new interior design.
All new Persona variants also have additional chrome at the front to better frame the Proton logo.
They also offer 510 litres of boot space that can be expanded by folding the rear seats.
Both updated models also have LED headlamps that support auto on/off and follow-me-home functions.
The design is complemented by 16-inch alloy wheels (15-inch alloy wheels for the Standard variants), a black roof finish and new finishing on the rear combination lamps.
For a more youthful approach, the Iriz now comes in Citric Orange or Passion Red exterior colour options while the Persona gets Space Grey.
A noticeable change to the interior of both models is the new eight-inch floating infotainment head unit with voice command functions that have been updated to control the air-conditioning and driver's window.
They come with a total of six USB ports - three at the front, two at the rear, and one behind the rear-view mirror to power a dashcam.
The new head unit, housed at the top of the instrument panel for easy access, is matched with repositioned air vents while new controls for the air-conditioning now come with a digital display and a N95 cabin filter fitted as standard.
The new centre console has enhanced functionality providing an armrest as well as improved storage space.
Pushing the sporty feel, the Iriz Active comes with aluminium sport pedals. The interior ambience is lifted further by red highlights - Active embroidery on the front seats, door trims and carpet mats, as well as red stitching on the steering wheel and red seat belts.
Both models have received the five-star Asean NCAP rating and come with safety features such as reinforced body structure using hot press formed steel, electronic stability control, traction control system and hill hold assist.
Additionally, all of them come with reverse camera and parking sensors to provide visual and audible parking assistance while an Eco mode offers improved fuel consumption.
All variants run on a combination of a 1.6L engine (four-cylinder in-Line, 16-valve DOHC, VVT) with continuous variable transmission (CVT), delivering a max power of 109PS power at 5750rpm and 150Nm torque at 4000rpm.
The exception is the Iriz Standard, which sports a 1.3L engine that delivers 95PS at 5,750rpm and 120Nm at 4,000rpm. Those pining for a manual transmission will unfortunately find that it is absent this round altogether.
The 2022 Iriz variants are priced at RM40,300 for the 1.3L Standard), RM47,100 (1.6L Executive), and RM54,000 (1.6L Active).
The 2022 Persona variants are priced at RM45,200 for the 1.6L Standard, RM50,100 (1.6L Executive), and RM54,900 (1.6L Premium).
All prices are on-the-road without insurance and with sales tax exemption for Peninsular Malaysia.