Anyone reading this would know which one is the Proton Saga, right? No, I’m not talking about the new models but the old ones, with manual tranny or auto? Well, if you’ve had a Saga before when you’ve just gotten your license or driven one, then you know that the old Saga is neither the grandest nor the most luxury of cars. It may be cheap, may be the weapon of choice when participating in a certain race in Pasir Gudang, and it may be your daily driven car now.

But have you driven the new Saga? I’m talking about the new Saga SE. This one:

The new Saga SE is running on CamPro IAFM 4-cylinder DOHC 16v 1.3L engine, with 94horses running at 6,000rpm and 120Nm of torque at 4,000rpm. The numbers may not impress, but seriously, you’ve got to take one for a drive to really notice the difference.

Driving the car around changed my preliminary perspective towards the car, from opening the door all the way to cruising on the highway at… errr… “legal” speed. The car feels solid and that’s not just the feel of the steering. The doors are heavier, and definitely feel like they’ve added a few extra kilos of something to make them tougher.

Sitting in the driver’s seat, you can see the meter cluster (more sporty design) with bright orange lights everywhere. The chair feels comfortable, but it may require a little bit of getting used to for you to really let your ass to adjust itself to the seat.

The gear knob, round and metallic, felt like it meant business. It wiggles a little too much though, but that’s okay. The aircond, as what Proton’s aircond is known for, is superb. Enough said.

From zero, slam the pedal and you’ll feel the car lurch. It may not get the zero-to-hundred-in-5-seconds thingy, but you can definitely feel some power there. It may be enough for you to feel a little bit of adrenaline rush, but we’re not talking about a sportscar here.

Some may see this car as something totally sporty, with wheels and suspension to match. Hello, we know that the car’s handling is tuned by Lotus, that doesn’t mean that they’re sport-tuned to match your crazy need for speed, no offence.

Truth be told, the car’s handling is really nice. If you feel like it, going through corners is good enough with not so much bodily-roll to make the ride feel uncomfortable or dangerous. We figured that with the right tyres and rims, with stiffer suspension and maybe lower the car a little, you’re going to end-up with something to challenge Botak’s Satria right there, but that may just be a little bit of wishful thinking.

The suspension set-up is really comfortable. I ended up with sleeping occupants, excluding my ever-willing partner whom I forced to stay awake. But if you’re considering something for your family, something comfortable to drive around with, this should definitely something you should consider. Of course, if you’re planning to buy a Range Rover Sport for that, we have absolutely nothing to say.

The space available from the car is not bad as well. My occupants sat comfortably in the car, which include a… err… big-bone friend. My luggage, my stuff, as well as the one guy whom we asked to stay in the trunk for a little while didn’t complain much.

The sound system come straight from Clarion, and it’s good. Well, good enough if you want to keep it, that is. If you’re a bass-freak or have the ambition to turn your car into a complete club, we have absolutely nothing to say to that either.

Fuel-consumption wise is not that bad to speak of. We have no exact figure, but I went quite a distant with RM30 of fuel. That’s Cheras-Cyberjaya-Shah Alam-Setiawangsa-Cheras, in one day. But, well, by the end of the run, I was left with reserve. So, good enough, eh?

Priced at RM45,500.00 for the auto tranny and RM43,000.00 for the manual tranny, you really shouldn’t pass judgement before you test drive one of these. Call Proton Edar at 1-300-880-888 or visit their website here.

text & pix: Al-mu Syahrisyawal Ahmad