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Cheerfully cheap

YOU ARE GOING TO BE LURED TO THE SAGA FOR ITS PRICES - AND NOT FOR SUBSTANCE

• Published: 31/01/2011 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: Life

Proton has been quite good in stealing the action from the March, the country's first Ecocar. Before the five-door Nissan hit showrooms, Malaysia's national car brand quickly brought over the Savvy hatchback to Thai shores at prices ranging from 399,000-469,000 baht.

And now that Nissan has already informally told the Thai media that they are readying the introduction of the March in saloon form later this year, Proton has added the four-door Saga to the Thai model lineup last month.
With the Savvy's similar pricing strategy, the Saga is now the country's cheapest saloon at 399,000-464,000 baht.
You could say that the Saga is essentially the saloon version of the Savvy, for it sits on a stretched platform of the Savvy's.
But the engine and transmission are different. While the Savvy uses a Renault-sourced 1.2-litre four-pot petrol engine and five-speed automated manual gearbox, the Saga employs a 1.3-litre variation coupled to a four-speed speed torque-convertor automatic from Mitsubishi.
Since the Saga has 94hp performance, Proton is keen to point out that it is a B-segment car that potentially competes with the Chevrolet Aveo and Ford Fiesta in the baseline front as both come with similarly powered 1.4-litre motors.
But you really can't match the Saga against those two American brands. First, the Aveo and Fiesta are priced roughly 100,000 baht more than the Saga - such a difference should be too sensitive for buyers to sacrifice in this price strata.
Second, the Saga is smaller in all dimensions than its intended opposition and should be considered more as a sub-B car. Because of that, the Saga is more or less without a direct competitor in the Thai market at the moment.

Is Proton's latest addition a great car? Well, if all you ever crave for is cheap purchase price, then the answer is probably yes. But if you also want substance, then the Saga is mostly short of it.Auto Review , auto shipping reviews.
The exterior appearance, for one, is so yesteryear. Despite a reasonably sharp-looking front end aping that of the Nissan Tiida, the rest of the car looks bland with a rather staid profile and unlively rear design.
The same goes for the interior that bags mixed feelings. The brand's familiar, chunky three-spoke steering and panel dials may look good. But elsewhere, it doesn't feel as inspiring and comes with cheap materials and plastics.
In fact, the cabin smells like a Mitsubishi of the nineties. You could argue wholeheartedly that we're talking about a 400,000 baht car, but the March feels a more modern car and dismisses the Saga's proletarian sense.
There are two trims for the Saga: Base and Medium Lines, with the latter commanding a 30,000 baht premium thanks to more creature comfort features and dual airbags.
But that's just about it; no anti-lock brakes or rear head restraints are available across the range.
Despite being a smaller car than the Aveo and Fiesta, the Saga still has enough room for six-footers. Squeezing three people in the rear will definitely be far more cramped than in those two cars because you can sense the Saga's noticeably inferior cabin width.

Proton is making bold claims that the Saga comes with a boot with class-leading capacity of 413 litres. To ordinary eyes, it feels equally as commodious with most other B-segment saloons and should suffice for users who won't use the Saga as a frequent holiday traveller.
When it comes to the driving bit, the Saga has both merits and flaws. As with other Proton cars on sale in Thailand, the Saga has weak performance which is probably due to the fact that the brand buys old tech from other makers and merely tweak it to qualify for current emissions standards.
The so-called Campro 1.3-litre engine lacks low-rev torque and needs to be pushed to higher engine speeds to get a kick out of things. And it is here when the motor sounds noisy - a dreadful quality also infected in the bigger 1.6-litre.
At least, the Saga's smaller capacity doesn't feel like it's going to fall into pieces at the redline. If you don't push the car, the engine is refined but lazy.
A good thing in the Saga over the Savvy is the gearbox. Transmission aficionados will know that automated 'boxes (like Alfa's Selespeed and BMW's SMG of yore) don't have seamless gearshifting, but the average Joe will certainly despise it.
And it is for this reason that the Saga could make the Savvy hard to sell because the more familiar automatic dispels the jerkiness and slower-responding kickdown of the Savvy's transmission.Auto Review , auto shipping reviews.

The cockpit can look good and cheap at the same time.

But with just four forward speeds and short gearing, economy in the Saga isn't great. On a trip to the Ratchaburi combining highways and country roads with speeds between 100-120kph, the Saga returned a disappointing 10kpl. Proton claims some 16kpl, but that's done at a steady 90kph.
As with all other Protons, the Saga comes with a capable chassis, thanks to Lotus's help. Be it on urban pock-marked streets or high-speed road undulations, the Saga has an impressively stable and taut ride that rarely feels uncomfortable.
The steering is also crisp and direct to make handling far better than in the March, but it can feel heavy at low speeds making it quite detrimental for buyers needing cheap urban transport. Moreover, you really can't say a turning radius of 5.3m is remarkable for a car of this size.
The Saga's chassis tuning seems to suit highway driving, but it is also here that another shortcoming is revealed. Coupled to the occasional need to rev the engine, the suppression of external noise is poor at cruising speeds.
Whether you're going to look at the Saga from a dynamic or static point of view, its flaws seem to be more pronounced than its virtues. As said earlier, you are going to be lured to the Saga for its prices and not for substance. Simply put, you get what you pay for.

The rear has just enough space.

The front end apes the Nissan Tiida’s.

The rear lights look too meek.

The 94hp 1.3-litre engine is peaky.

The chassis is a strong point.
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AT A GLANCE

Styling 5/10
Despite sharp cues on the front, the rest of the car looks proletarian. The same goes for the interior.
Performance 4/10
The motor lacks low-rev torque and needs to be pushed to high engine speeds to get a kick out things.
Handling/ride 7/10
This is probably the Saga's forte: a taut yet comfy ride and meaty steering, if slightly heavy at low speeds.
Practicality 6/10
It isn't as big as some of its intended saloon rivals, but it has just enough occupant and boot space.
Safety kit 4/10
There are only dual airbags and no anti-lock brakes. Opt to save 30,000 baht for the baseline, and you don't get any.
VERDICT 5/10
It's the cheapest saloon available so far. So for those who don't care about substance - which the Saga hardly has - your wheels on a budget has arrived.

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OR TRY THESE

NISSAN MARCH 1.2

Price: 459,000-537,000 baht!
Power: 79hp 1.2-litre inline-three petrol!
Gearbox: CVT automatic!
Wheelbase: 2,450mm!
We think: The only credible alternative in price terms that alternates with a hatch body and has easier driving manners and better economy.
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Relate Search: Nissan Tiida