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Saga For Proton
It was 1986 when a young father purchased the newly launched Saga. Looks, maintenance and performance wise, it was quite on par having been tested and proven by Mitsubishi with the additional touch of national pride.
Almost two decades later, his daughter arrived home in her new car. Seeing the Proton badge, he praised her for making the right decision. He then encountered déjà vu upon entering the vehicle. Dashboard color and steering wheel aside, he was quite certain it was a complete rip off from his old car.
The old Saga is a legend, endowing countless face-lifts and special editions with engine options from the maiden 1.3cc 8-valve Orion to the 1.5 12-valve Magma. So with the new successor, Proton has all reasons making sure it lives up to its predecessor’s name.
Skin deep…
Chassis was from the Savvy and as proven by the 3rd generation Honda City and Suzuki SX4 Sedan, merely strapping a boot to the hatchback donor is by no means a masterpiece. However with help from a Kim-Chi land design house, the design is very well streamlined.
While other areas are just plain and average, the tug-type door handles and crystal rear lamps mimicking those from the Mercedes W203 C Class, gave it a sense of identity.
Step inside…
Similar to small family cars trends of today, most effort was put into maximizing interior space. Placing the A and C pillars at the farthest corners, passenger leg and headspace is above average. Color scheme is rather ‘sporty’ with red colored meters combined with grey colored seats and panels. Driver’s seat and steering are height adjustable.
Though being budget car, the omission of powered rear windows and misaligned glove box puts it behind par. Another half-baked idea is the so called ‘tissue box holder’ which was obviously meant for the passenger air bag.
The point of a sedan…
The boot is deep and even the lid is carpeted, improving noise insulation. With a low boot lip, loading and unloading is painless. I was hoping for an optional fold-down rear seats since this is a family saloon that may involve the occasional balik kampung or IKEA trip. Under the floorboard hides a full sized spare wheel.
Unfortunately the boot hinge design is flawed, intruding too much into the goods space when closed. Another issue is the weak springs holding the boot lid up and combined with a maximum opening at slightly over 90 degrees, it is likely to close itself often.
Driving It…
While the Savvy utilizes a 1.2cc unit from Renault, in it’s bay is a 1.3cc Campro non-CPS unit rated at 94bhp @ 6000rpm with maximum torque at 120Nm at 4000rpm. With an automatic shifter, performance is brisk but rather lethargic when full load. Highway speeds, the engine churns close to 3.8k rpm and can be rather vocal onwards.
Corners are taken with confidence with sufficient steering feedback despite the rear torsion beam setup while ride quality is on the firm side.
Owning it…
4000km plus down the road and driven light-footed, my average fuel consumption is 350km per tank. Nonetheless, I am impressed as panel fittings are still tight and firm when yesteryear Protons would creak and groan within its infant months out of the dealer.
Should I or Shouldn’t I
While there was a time when the reasons not to own a Proton was only overshadowed by its selling price, recent models churned out under the current management seem to be turning the tables around.
So with a budget within RM50K, you cant go wrong with the current Saga.
Comments
One Comment on Saga For Proton
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Yew Jin on
Thu, 8th Apr 2010 2:36 am
I use to sell these at a Proton showroom. No complains really albeit customers rather prefer the responsiveness of a Mitsubishi engine. With all prices rising in the country, it’s just good to see the Saga maintain (and lower) it’s price range.
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