3rd Gen Proton Saga open for booking,Teaser Pics & SHORT TEST DRIVE of all variants

The Proton Saga. A Malaysian icon. Like Nasi Lemak, Roti Canai and Fried Mamak Mee. A symbol of something affordable for the masses. It has been awhile since PROTON started selling the 2^nd generation Saga BLM and now they've come up with a replacement which will be prices from RM37,000 to RM45,000. The car is scheduled to be launched very soon and here you have some teaser pics of the car, some technical details, some other details and my very short test drive of ALL of the variants that would be on sale 



I had 2 laps in each of the 4 variants (1.3 Standard Manual, 1.3 Standard CVT automatic, 1.3 Executive CVT and the full specced 1.3 Premium CVT) at the Proton banked oval test track and numerous times as passenger in the front and at the rear seats. No pics were allowed as usual at the test track. 

A lot of equipment for an entry level car!

First up. The new 3^rd generation Proton Saga is a small city 4 door sedan or an A segment sized car. The target market is for first time car buyers especially those in the 20 to 30 years old market segment. It has been given a 4 star rating from ASEAN NCAP and according to Proton this is because it offers the best compromise in terms of price and safety features – The cars all feature 2 airbags, ABS brakes with EBD (electronic brake distribution) with the top specced Premium model coming in with Electronic Stability Control (ESC) systems.

It is actually based on the 2^nd Generation Saga BLM platform with 60% carry over of parts. The base floorpan comes from the BLM but the rest of the structure is new and is more rigid (about 10% stiffer from the looks of it). The car is slightly longer, wider but not taller than before. It now offers more shoulder and legroom but keeps the same wheelbase as the Saga BLM. It has a larger 420liter capacity boot up from 403liters. And whilst some may say that it is small compared to that other Malaysian A segment car (503liters) or even Proton's newly launched and slightly larger Persona (510liters), I think it is good enough for most people. And it does not compromise the styling and looks of the car. It is also more aerodynamic – CD0.32 from 0.33.

And the new Saga does look good. It does not look as dumpy as the BLM. So much nicer on the eye. You guys are going to agree with me once you see it on the roads. And kudos to Proton's team of designers as the car really looks like something that a German car maker would design – I personally think the front end would look super at home on a small Volkswagen, but according to Proton's Head of Design, this was unintentional as Proton's design concept has always been to make it European in terms of looks. Coincidental, but whatever it is this car will look so much better than the one it will replace.

There are a lot of nice character lines (even on the roof). There are also family styling cues that make the new Saga feel like it came from the same mould as the very newly launched Proton Persona and the new Proton Perdana too. The front end has that similar Proton chrome wing that connects the lights and the rear also has similarities to what you would see on the larger cars mentioned earlier. It feels like it is part of the family but it is not a Perdana or a Persona photoshopped into a few sizes smaller. Each car is similar, but it will not be mistaken for one another.

The 1.3liter engine has Variable Valve Timing (VVT) and is the same with the one used in the Proton Iriz (which makes it a newer, non-IAFM/CPS evolution of the CamPro engine). It has 3 more solid engine mounts replacing the older 4 mount type and this reduces some vibration and harshness in the new Saga. The automatic CVT gearbox by Punch has been reworked so that it works well with the engine for efficiency (which translates to fuel economy) and decent performance with am increase in smoothness (for a refined drive). According to Proton the new Saga should sip petrol in the region of 5.4liters/100km.

The interior is of course less styled as its larger brothers. Being an entry level car, it features a simple cabin in trendy black. No two tone interior here and it should be liked by most Malaysians out there. The plastics used inside feel robust and the seats (in all variants) are fabric – it makes sense as leather isn't cheap and is actually hot under the sun. The interior will not win any beauty prizes but it is practical and usable. It actually sits 4 adults comfortably (5 would be possible for short distances). I had no problems getting in and out of the car even for someone big like me. I would need to be a little careful getting into the driver's seat as it is a small car.

Rear ingress and exit is also surprisingly good. There are cupholders up front in the center console (meant to fit small cans and small water bottles in terms of size), a decent audio system and even a USB port charger at the rear. The higher specced Executive and Premium models get more goodies than the base car like front parking sensors, a better audio system and a in-the rear view mirror rear camera (shown above- I'd actually prefer a larger screen like the one fitted to an infotainment system though).

Fold-down rear seatback (without any split)

The gripes about the new Saga are the exposed screws in the inner door release handle plastic cover which make the interior a tad unpolished (if you look closely at the handles). Then there is the fact that the rear seat back does not have a 60:40 like split seat back to access the boot. It however has the 100:0 seatback access as the whole seatback folds down instead. I suppose this brings down the costs slightly as it would be definitely to engineer a one-piece folding rear seat.

And another slight issue I do have is the steering wheel in the Premium variant has its 'mode' and 'telephone' buttons placed too closely to the steering grip area. If you hold it at the nine o'clock and the three o'clock position you could be suddenly changing radio stations or muting the radio or choosing a different function. The ones without the multi-function steering wheel are fine. This are some of the items I noticed whilst trying out the car. Of course, the car is engineered down to a price. The most affordable A segment sedan with a 1.3liter engine you can buy kind of price.

Which brings us to the price of the car – Proton has stated that the car would be priced from RM37,000 to RM46,000. It is available for booking starting from today, Saturday 24^th September 2016. This is the most affordable 1.3liter car you can buy that actually looks quite good and drives decently well.

So how does it drive?

It's a Proton. It does the driving part really well. The base 1.3 CVT and Manual are equipped with small 13inch steel wheels and tyres. The mid-specced Executive gets 185/60/14 on alloy wheels whilst the top specced ones come with 15inch alloy wheels and tyres. All ride comfortably at the Proton test track which isn't one of the smoothest test tracks there is actually (this is unlike something like the ones European manufacturers have which are usually billiard table smooth). The car also corners well with the premium having the most grip and the assistance of ESC traction control (which works effectively as we tried it out doing 120kmh on the highest part of the banked oval).

The car in-extremis acts very, very predictably. It would actually give you enough feedback from the helm, tells you it is understeering whilst you power on and then if you're stubborn and press on at very high speeds into a corner, the Saga will enter into a slight four wheel drift out stance IF you had enough road to play with, like on a test track –do note that this was in the non-ESC equipped Executive model with the mid-sized 14inch alloys. The ESC would actually reel you in even more and trim the power from under you. Which actually works for most people. But I have to say that the Saga tracks the road well, corners well and has a steering that responds well to input. Proton has got handling worked out to the tee with this new Saga.

But the most surprising thing is the refinement levels in the car. I think Proton has scored another point in terms of offering a car with pretty good levels of refinement at such a low price. The car is extremely refined for what they are offering. This sub RM50,000 car is as comfortable as some C segment cars in terms of ride and in terms of the levels of road noise and wind noise. It is quieter inside than most of the B segment Japanese cars out there (bar the Toyota of course, which it whoops in the handling bit actually). The car is that good and it comes close to the new Proton Persona 1.6's levels of refinement (which come close to that Volkswagen Vento thingy actually – for much cheaper). It is shocking that Proton's NVH engineers have come this far. At 140kmh the car feels safe, secure and actually decently refined.

Alloy wheels on the higher specced variants

The cheapest, most affordable variant of the lot - the Saga CVT and Manual standard variants come with the smallest tyre size offered, 175/70/13 series tyres which are somehow slightly noisier than the ones equipped with the wider 14 and 15 inch ones. The Silverstone M3 tyres chosen are of a harder longer lasting compound compared to the higher specced cars and are noisier. You gain tyre longevity but a little more tyre noise. Usually the thin and narrow 13inch tyres are quieter, but somehow this time it goes to show that this isn't always true.

Dammit Proton. The car is pretty good! Your engineers have matured a fair bit since the Proton Iriz. A car which I didn't really like when it was first launched. I also didn't quite like the styling of the Saga BLM too so I was never keen on that Saga also. I think Proton is now on a roll since the launch of the new Perdana (which you can read about here - in 2.0liter form). It has continued with the newly launched Persona (read about it here) and now to this soon to be launched Saga.

The new Saga is indeed something that Malaysians can be proud of. Exactly like the time the first one was launched in 1985. But this time its because the Saga will offer budget motoring that isn't truly budget in feel at all. This is the best A segment car out there that will be on sale in Malaysia. I honestly wouldn't mind driving around in one as it looks good, drives well and has that refinement that a spoilt little 44 year old kid like me would find acceptable.

Yes, I do like the car. A lot. It will be very affordable yet it will offer a decent driving experience. It is quite rare that the lower rung cars feel as good as this. I cannot wait to see them on the roads of Malaysia. And since bookings are now open, the launch is soon!

Conclusion: This is the Saga that is worth buying. It drives well, it is very refined in terms of ride and NVH dampening, it is well equipped (even the base variant is liveable) and the most important thing is that it does not look like a dumpy looking car as it is well proportioned for such a small sedan. Wait till it is launched and you get to see it in the flesh. Oh...if you cannot wait, the spy shots of the car which has been circulating around for a while that you see below IS the actual car.  

 ISOFIX 

 Rear USB Charging point

 This spoiler is fitted to the top-spec Premium variant