Proton Saga Review

By
cyrildason
-
19
2300

Changed my road tax today.  Yup.  She is 1 year old.  She still retains her normal body shape, and is as sexy as ever, despite her new ass, which had to be replaced after an Toyota Estima kissed it a few months ago.

So what if Proton decided to unveil the Proton Exora’s name?  An MPV is a family car.  I’m into SUVs, and not MPVs but I like the name anyway.

It’s about time Proton came out with nice names.  Modern names.  They need it badly to go international.

I know, a lot of you out there have been wondering how the SAGA BLM is performing.  Famous keywords to my blog are mostly about the Proton Saga.

The wonder continues for those whom are still thinking to get one, and those whom have huge skepticism on Proton cars.  I’ve been driving my saga BLM for a year… so, I guess I have the justification to review it as an owner. If my review is different, well.. frankly, what do I know about cars?? hhehehehe….

So far.. these are the things I can conclude…

  • Fuel is about RM0.12 per liter (when fuel was RM2.15 a liter)
  • Comfort is acceptable as its spacious, but I admit, it still can’t beat MyVi which brings out that ‘rich’ feel, and that awesome driving experience.
  • There is problems with the door, as I found it hard to close, as if its not fitting, but this is a relatively small matter.
  • The air condition in the car is awesome. On a hot day, you could feel the breeze within minutes.
  • Speed is also awesome for an automatic car.  You could feel the pick up of the car the minute you press the accelerator.  The only thing is, the raving engine sound would spoil your excitement.
  • Insulation of noise in the cabin is not as they claim.  They say its quite on the inside, but I beg to differ.  You could hear the engine roaring, and its not really pleasant when your moving at medium speed.
  • The seats are comfortable, but it traps dust.
  • The fog lamps should not be switched on at night with your normal headlights.  Other road users see this as ‘high-light’.  Also noticed that my fog lamps get ‘misty’, as if water is trapped inside.
  • There is a problem with the door sensor.  Sometimes when all doors are shut, it still tells you that some door is not.  A visit to the Proton Service Center took care of this for good.
  • Disliked dashboard and steering wheel position.  The steering hides the displays panels  on the dashboard.
  • Till now, I have no idea of the huge hole compartment on the dashboard.  Putting a tissue there is useless as most tissue boxed do not fit at all.
  • The sound system is good enough for an average user.  So far, blasting at ‘Volume 23’ for RnB music is no problem and fulfilling.
  • I spotted some rust on the exhaust, but I guess that’s common.
  • The absorber adapts well to bumpy roads, but its not the best if compared to Vios.
  • On a sharp turn, you’d get some over-steer…
  • The spring of the bonnet door could be changed for a better one.  Changed mine after the incident with the Estima, and it now closes with a flick, instead of having to bang it hard like when I first purchased the car.
  • The break oil tube is located somewhere unpractical, and seems to be un-lasting.  Was told I should get it changed.
  • The alarm is awful.. I wish they provided something different to the hon based alarm they include.
  • Dislike the door lock as its just too simple, but then again, it is handy when hanging small stuff.
  • Rear seat belts are not fitted properly.  They look like they were forced to be there.

On another note, the car is just ready for modification.  If you are into modification of cars, get the cheaper car coz you do not need the airbag and sport rim.  I think the colours which stand out for this model is Solid White and Metalic Black.

Granite grey is also nice, but my ultimate pick would still be White.  If I had money, I’d easily throw in a new sports rim, a spoiler and a skirt to enhance my car.  I tinted my car the minute I got it and I have been lucky that I’ve passed numerous JPJ and police roadblocks.

Anyway, I could easily conclude that the Proton Saga BLM is indeed a good car, given its price.  You could hardly complain about it because it serves well as a car, and a medium of transport.

The problems I faced so far, can be ignored, and are not major.  I’d recommend this car to anyone, to be frank… but it goes down to your luck also when you get a car.  Some people are just darn unlucky, and end up with problematic cars while others get the best deals with little to complaint.

So, to my car, happy birthday babe!!

p/s: Didn’t manage to get photo’s of the car.  Maybe next time.

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19 COMMENTS

  3. I think the position of the signal lever is ridiculous, esp if you are driving a manual. I just could not figure out why Proton want to do this in the first place. My left hand was busy changing gear and giving signal, my right hand pinky finger was idle doing nothing. Maybe pakai korek hidong kot.

    [cdason]
    They say, they are trying to follow Mercedes.. but yeah.. I agree with you. I prefer it to be on the right.. Now, my right hand also for korek hidung.. hahaha

  4. Bout the steering blocking the display panel, I had the same problem too initially with Proton Persona. But it was fixed once I adjust the steering height. Perhaps it could work for u too? 😛

    [cdason]
    I did that, and its still blocking.. The design of the dashboard is just bad.

  6. Great insight into a real proton owner and not from those magazines that are paid by Proton to do reviews….. 🙂 have you tried the Drift test with the car 🙂

    [cdason]
    No drift test bro. Sayang my car.. No money to buy a new one.

  8. Good for you bro…Saga should be better compared to Iswara. Hahaha…and it’s value for money, so couldn’t expect it to be like Honda City. :p

    P.s: Maybe i should review my 1-year-old Viva as well…hahahaha

    [cdason]
    Yalah.. true. Well, it would be nice to hear about the Viva, altough, I am not impressed with the Viva. My choice of cars (Malaysia made la) would be MyVi, Satria, and then the Saga…

  10. Hi i am pradeep i read your article and it is really cool and awesome. Your Blog seem to be cool and Good theme too…This is my FIRST entry in having a blog I want to make new friends from all over the country and share my new experiences that i am going to have in my upcoming whole life.I think we can share everything and know more about each other….PLEASE HELP ME IN MAKING YOU AS MY FRIEND….hahaha… :lol:i have added your link kindly visit my blog and add my link.

    [cdason]
    Sure this Pradeep. Will do soon ASAP. PLease be patient though.. k?

  11. “Comfort is acceptable as its spacious, but I admit, it still can’t beat MyVi which brings out that ‘rich’ feel, and that awesome driving experience.”

    Yeah?

    -MyVi owner 🙂

    [cdason]
    Yeah.. still stand on that point..heehhehe

  12. 1 year? yeay! pakcik kaya! ambik gik rebate nun. Kah dah abis… heheh. Proton is a good reliable car. Dont worry what other people think. 🙂

    [cdason]
    Dah amik, but gone just like that coz insurans cost RM600++

  14. there seems to be lots of can-be-ignore-problem in your list here…but in the end, she still won your heart. are you really sure this isn’t bcos you have already spend ur money on her? 😉

    this is a good review though.

    [cdason]
    Nothing to do with the money spent on her. The car is worth every comment i posted.

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