The Good
1) MUCH roomier for rear passenger. ample head space and leg space.
2) Massive trunk space, bigger then waja.
3) Boot abosrber thingy which ease opening and closing of boot. no longer have to slam the boot shut with force.
4) Lots of sound proofing material in the boot, should be a quiet ride (haven't test drive yet though)
5) For performance freaks, the rear strut bar mounting point is easily accessable where the sound proof piece covering it, can be removed since it's stuck on with velcro.
no such luxury was found in the neo and those who want to install rear struts have to have their rear pannel removed or have a hole cut into them.
6) Comfortable driver seats, although not as bucket as the neo.
7) Door closes with a solid thud, although the door is very light in feeling, unlike the heavy doors of neo.
8) Really affordable price tag. at RM49 800 (M-line manual), it's only RM1300 more then my Neo at introduction price. If the neo and Persona launched at the same time, i would've got the persona instead.

The Bad
1) Engine bay setup 100% identical to Gen2 where the battery is located  at the back of the front passenger headlamps, leaving little room for intake mods.
2) I find the rear passenger seats a little too upright. if it's reclined further could be more comfortable.

The Ugly
1) UGLY steering wheel! looks really cheap, feels really cheap. They should've used the neo steering wheel instead.
2) They could've done better with the interior design (especially color scheme). I prefer the neo's interior design the best.