Among the motoring journalists who attended the special preview and test-drive of the new Proton Saga earlier this week, I was the only one who also had the privilege of attending the same type of event for the original Saga in 1985. So it was as much a special occasion for me as it was for Proton and one which I had eagerly looked forward to (even to the extent of declining to attend two events overseas this month!). Of course, there have been other Protons launched too but the successor to the first Malaysian National Car is something special, a model which has long been awaited.

Due to the need for secrecy, Proton had considered a few places outside the Klang Valley for the event but eventually had to settle for Cyberjaya and accept that there would be some exposure of undisguised cars running on the roads in the area. However, to minimise the exposure, we were made to drive in convoy from the hotel to the Putrajaya Convention Centre and back, which was okay to get an idea of how the new model goes.

But let’s talk about the looks first. In the spy photos which usually had the cars taped up, the car looked bulbous and somewhat out of proportion but the real thing looks better than the pictures. Though sharing the Savvy platform, it doesn’t look like a ‘Savvy sedan’ and if one comes out behind you, it is unlikely that you will think “Savvy’, which is unlike the Persona where you may sometimes mistake it for a Gen2 from the front. The front end of the new Saga is bold and the ‘V’ (or ‘U) shape of the grille and air intake look suspiciously like what you find on Audis. The rear end is neat with a short ‘third box’ that hides a pretty deep boot inside. And where the grille seems like Audi’s, those rear lights reminded me of the Mercedes C-Class!

Manufacturers these days aim to reduce gaps between body panels and with the new Saga, Proton has certainly done well. Perhaps they are not as obsessed like Toyota but the gapping on the cars we saw were pretty narrow and though there were some inconsistencies, these were the exception rather than the rule.

With TATA having launched its US$2,200 Nano last week and seeing how they had achieved it by leaving out a lot of things, I was keen to see how Proton had produced an affordable new sedan. For sure, it’s no Nano and for the asking prices of between RM31,500 and RM39,998, customers get what they pay for. The problem peculiar to the Malaysian market is that many buyers want a lot of goodies but complain when the cost goes up so it is a challenge, especially when selling an entry-level product like the new Saga.

The interior fit and finish is good and having a grey colour scheme is good as dirt will be less obvious. All those light-coloured interiors get dirty after a while and the interior then looks old. The dashboard is a simple affair and all the switches and knobs felt solid enough. I still found the driving position to be awkward for some reason (same feeling in the Savvy) even though there is adjustment for the steering wheel angle. The M-Line driver’s seat has adjustable height but I didn’t go in this version so I can’t say if it would make a difference.

No grab handle over the rear doors!

Moving to the back, the legroom was impressive and so was headroom. Dato’ Syed Zainal said that the ceiling is so high up that even those with turbans should feel comfortable. Actually, the cabin feels very spacious all round and I think it also has to do with the size of the windows which make things feel more airy. As for the width, I had one other person in the back with me and we were naturally very comfortable and three average-sized people should be comfortable too.

As I have said, when you pay a low price, don’t expect a lot of features as standard. The manual  window winders for the rear doors is fine (your son will be able to have the ‘pleasure’ of winding down the glass which you had when you were his age and sitting in the back of your father’s Saga!) – I can accept that – but it really surprised me to find no assist grips above the rear doors on the two cheaper versions. It was something anyone would take for granted that they are there and when I reached up to grab a handle while my driver tested the ‘Lotus handling’, I grabbed empty air and was thrown to the other side! I can’t remember any other car which didn’t have rear assist grips and in fact, some cars even come with an assist grip for the driver.

Someone suggested that I should be belted in so there won’t be an issue of me being thrown around but the thing is, the assist grip is something which is still useful for people to steady themselves. And where are people going to hang their clothes after collecting them from the laundry shop? If Proton had to think of cost, I am sure that some other item could have been left out instead.

Proton’s MD highlighted the cupholders in the car which is nice. Back when the first Saga was designed, cupholders were a rarity but today, you need them. Many people carry water bottles so providing a proper place to stow them is appreciated. The Proton MD mentioned ‘Starbucks cups’ and while I am sure that some Saga occupants will go to such places, it is more likely that many more would go to the mamak stall and drink teh tarik. And many will ask for a take-away which is typically carried in plastic bag. Where do they put it in the Saga? In the old model and also in other models, I’ve seen people hanging such things on the window winders or the stud to lock the door. A crude solution but that’s excusable since those were older cars.

There is such a thing as a grocery hook now offered with some cars (the one in some Toyota models is the best design I’ve seen) and in some others, a fold-out hook is provided behind the front seat. I have often suggested this item to Proton designers, saying that it is one of the things that Malaysians need in the same way that Americans must have their cupholders. Even if they don’t hang a teh tarik bag, they still carry stuff in plastic bags so why does a car developed by Malaysians not have this? Okay, enough of ranting about the teh tarik hook. The Proton guys said they will look into it and I have been assured that the next new model (the MPV) will definitely have it.

For the drive, I had a M-Line automatic and one of the first things I noticed as I left the hotel and headed down a slope was that the brakes didn’t seem to grab well. The feel was strange and when I mentioned it to an engineer, he said that it was possible that the brakes were still new but that should not affect the feel. Anyway, no one else commented on it so it may have only been my car.

The new Campro engine felt pretty much like a 1.3-litre engine and had good acceleration at the low end, as promised by the presence of the IAFM. I found the shifting a bit abrupt when the engine was pushed hard and the noise level was also too intrusive at high revs. It’s not unacceptable for the engine to be loud but maybe the harsh note can be eliminated.

That's where the ECU (Proton EMS) is situated

I didn’t have a chance to try to manual but others who did reported that the shifting feel was rubbery and imprecise. One of them said he had never felt this before in any Proton and was disappointed. Proton engineers acknowledge this issue and said that they are already discussing counter-measures with the transmission manufacturer.

Noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) is also an area that manufacturers like to shout about improvements being made with each new generation. Proton does not make any strong claims about reduced NVH with the new Saga and modestly states that it has a ‘quiet interior and improved noise suppression as well as isolation from vibrations’. When they put it like that, it’s hard to then challenge them if the feeling is not as promised and what I experienced was that it is noisy when you drive hard but once you cruise at a steady speed, things are not too bad. Some wind noise was heard above 90 km/h but it was not the turbulent type so it was probably the sealing of the windows allowing wind noise through.

When I drove the first Saga in August 1985, it was over a period of 10 days and that gave me a chance to make a better assessment of the car. This time, the drive was less than 30 minutes which provided just a genearl idea of how it goes and if you ask me whether you should make a booking or wait for more extensive test reports from motoring journalists later on, I would say you should go and book now. It’s a good car for the money you are asked to pay and for most people, what it comes with should be satisfactory.

Incidentally, I asked Dato Syed Zainal whether we will see this same generation around in 2030 (when my son will say he remembered his father rushing to finish this report to meet the 5:30 pm deadline) and he said ‘Absolutely not!’. He said that at this time, model life cycles for Proton are planned for seven years at most and they will not keep a model in production for as long as before.

• The new Proton Saga in detail