Malaysian automaker Proton has been active in South Africa since late 2004, but for the past 12 months or so has had a fairly low profile in terms of model activity – although its national dealer footprint increased to 18.
This year, though, is a busy one for the company with the launch of the Saga base model that will be followed by higher spec versions later in the year and the launch of the all-new Gen II still to come.
The Saga is a 1300 city car with a sedan body style (where others have gone the hatch route) backed with high spec and low pricing – the car is launched at R119 995 including a 2-year service plan.
The standard feature pack includes air-conditioner, alloy wheels, integrated Clarion 4 speaker CD Sound system, central locking, colour-coded bumpers, mirrors and door handles, drivers SRS air bag, power windows and mirrors, front fog lamps, interior boot and fuel flap release, park distance control and power steering.
Not a bad package…but where are the second air bag and the anti-lock braking I hear you ask.
“We will be introducing additional models to the Saga range during the year that will include dual air bags and anti-lock braking,” says Albert Venter, managing director of Proton SA. “There are a number of options available to us and we are considering all of them.”
The Saga is fitted with a 1,3 fuel injected 16-valve CAMPRO engine with an integrated air fuel module, which helps the engine breathe. It is coupled to a 5-speed manual gearbox and delivers 70 kW at 6 000 r/min and 120 Nm of torque at 4 000 r/min. Acceleration is claimed as 13 seconds to 100 km/h and top speed is 160 km/h. Consumption is claimed at 5,5 litres/100 km so the 40-litre tank should get around 700 km on the cruise.
Let’s be clear – this is a city car and absolutely ideal for company reps or people just needing to get to and from work with a minimum of fuss every day. It is not going to set speed records and you need to be prepared to row through the gearbox on steeper inclines.
Basic handling is pretty good – it should be! Proton also owns Lotus and makes extensive use of the technology Lotus has developed to fine-tune the suspension setups of its cars – and the Saga is no different and goes on the road as a neutral handler with just a hint of understeer when pressed into a corner. Taken way too hot, this understeer becomes far more dramatic and without oodles of power to help it out, generally more terminal.
Treat it for what it was designed for and it returns a comfortable ride, no histrionics, and with enough interior space to fit a bunch of adults quite easily. The boot is around 415 litres so will swallow pretty much anybody’s everyday needs from work to golf and holiday.
Don’t be fooled into thinking it’s small inside though, it has real headroom and the driver has the added benefit of both height adjustable seat and steering and it has a boot that literally swallows up a heap of luggage…
Proton is redefining its entire range of vehicles with the specific aim of establishing a presence that will disassociate future Proton cars from being perceived as rebadged variants belonging to Mitsubishi – the Saga clearly part of this process that will even more evident when the new Gen II is launched.
Colin Windell is the editor of Fleet magazine and contributor to SACarFan.
