Proton Saga reviewed...

As an addition to my post on small cars here, I'm including this review of the 2nd gen Proton Saga. This was actually prompted by a friend asking me for my thoughts on this car, and though I had driven it I didn't include it in the original post as I was thinking more of hatches than sedans. But seeing as it shares the same price bracket (and more...) with the Savvy, it would make sense to include it here.

Firstly, as any Malaysian knows the first gen Proton Saga was the first model of national car, and lasted an unprecedented 20-over years, by midway through its life becoming the butt of many jokes. It also went through more facelifts than Michael Jackson, surely no mean feat...

The launch of the new 2nd gen Saga then was a turning point of sorts for Proton under the new management, and represented a casting off of the doldrums which had plagued the national automaker in recent years.

My first impression of the car is that it looks very handsome in a mainstream way, with not a line out of place, no idiosyncracies of note. This could also mean that it was boring to look at, but it certainly offended no one, and for a mass market car, could only be an asset.

The interior too is admirable. Conventionally laid out instruments, lots of room all round, especially the headroom, giving the car an airy feel. Dash materials feel decent enough, though the slippery and thin door lock knob is a cause for concern, but really isn't a big deal at all. Stereo is a 1-DIN Clarion unit which should make it easy to upgrade. Driving position is spot-on, and as it is based on the Savvy which is good in this area, is no real surprise.

A quick note first: I drove the M-Line Auto. On driving it out, I was pleasantly surprised that it had a big-car feel about it, and taking a corner or two didn't change my opinion. Comfort was good, definitely one of the better small cars in this area, though the tall suspension did dull its handling and contributed to more than a bit of body roll. It was certainly unlike its donor car in this respect, but then this is made up by its comfort and load carrying ability the tall suspension affords.

Engine was up to scratch, hauling the car with acceptable pace, but got a bit buzzy when stretched. The manual transmission should improve on this, without losing power to the slushbox. Brakes were decent with progressive travel that should make it easy to modulate and good bite despite the disc-drum setup, which is acceptable for a car this size.

Built quality looked good all round, with no particular areas to note. the only drawbacks are the safety gear which even in current M-line form has only a single airbag and no ABS. But still better than a certain Japanese car going for less than 70k...

All in a very, very good car for the price (less than 42k even for the top spec), and trumps all other competitors (err, what competitors?). Seriously, at this price, for this size, it simply has no peer for now. And it shows in the huge order book, with a reported waiting list of up to 6 months!

Another friend, an owner of a Japanese sedan, having seen it up close, remarked to me he couldn't see why anyone would pay twice as much for a City or Vios. Interesting question indeed...