Proton Saga

All the variants of the Proton Saga come standard with an all-black theme for the cabin, which looks functional and a tad too simple. However, in the top-spec Premium S variant, this all-black cabin gets contrast red surrounds for the AC vents on the dashboard. There are more red accents on the steering wheel controls and red stitching on the steering wheel, seats and floor mats.

Seats and upholstery

The top-spec Premium S AT variant of the Proton Saga comes with a combination of semi-leatherette and fabric for its seats, while the other three variants have simple fabric seats. In all these variants, the height of the driver’s seat can be manually adjusted, while the front seats come with back pockets behind them. Also standard in all the variants is a foldable rear seat. 

Comfort and convenience

While the cabin of the Proton Saga might not look too modern and youthful, what impresses here is the decent amount of features it offers, despite its entry-level positioning. The instrument console might look a bit boring with too simple-looking dials, though the monotone MID positioned in the middle serves all the required data. The three-spoke steering wheel gets audio and Bluetooth controls in the Premium and Premium S variants, and in the latter variant, it also is leather-wrapped. In all the variants, the steering wheel is a tilt-adjustable unit.

The cabin of the Proton Saga is further equipped with other essential features like all four power windows (one-touch up and down for the driver side window), ECO Drive assist, manual AC with N95 cabin filter, push start-stop button (only in Premium S AT), keyless entry and a 12V charging outlet.

Entertainment, information and communication

The Proton Saga features a modern 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system in the Premium and Premium S variants. In both these variants, this system gets Android connectivity, with the system in the Premium S variant also getting iOS compatibility. Both these variants also get four speakers for the audio system. The lower-spec Standard MT and Standard AT variants get a 2-DIN audio system with two speakers. While the Standard MT variant gets a USB port for audio streaming, the other variants also get two additional USB ports for charging. 

Storage

There are not many storage spaces in the cabin of the Proton Saga, with the car getting a closed glovebox on the co-passenger side, cup holders in the lower centre armrest and map pockets in the door panels.

Compared to the pre-facelift model, this facelifted third-generation model of the Proton Saga wears Proton’s most recent ‘infinite weave’ design language, which keeps it up with the rest of the Proton’s lineup, but is still not enough to make it feel modern and up-to-date. The basic looks of the Saga are enough to let you remind that this car is built to a cost.

The simple and no-nonsense front fascia of the Proton Saga looks wide in its layout, with the long and horizontally laid grille in the middle and the large headlamps flanking the grille on its either edges. The grille in the middle gets angular zig-zag sating dark chrome inserts besides the Proton logo in the middle and has a kinked body-coloured strip below it, which extends towards the lower middle parts of the headlamps.

The sweptback headlamps here look very basic with their all-halogen setup, which also houses clear lens turn indicators in their inner corners. The front bumper adds some character to the front profile of the Proton Saga, which has C-shaped inserts for the daytime running LED strips placed on the faux air dams on the corners. These C-shaped inserts are garnished by a gloss-black finish, which stretches towards the bottom of the lower air dam. In a rather surprising move, the Proton Saga also comes with body-coloured front and side skirting to add some sportiness to the otherwise plain design of the car.

There are a couple of design attributes in the side profile of the Proton Saga, which do need a special mention here. There is a sharp crease flowing through the door panels and body-coloured door handles of the Saga. While the Premium and Premium S variants get 15-inch dual-tone machined alloy wheels, the Standard AT variant gets 14-inch grey alloy wheels. The base-spec Standard MT variant gets steel wheels with wheel caps. The rearview mirrors of the Saga also come integrated with LED turn indicators.

In our opinion, it is the rear profile which is the best angle to look at the Proton Saga. The car looks wide and modern here, thanks to the large and sweptback trapezoidal combination tail lamps. The license plate housing is placed on the boot lid, which is characterized by a gloss black strip above it that houses the lettered logo of Proton. The rear bumper gets a blacked-out diffuser at the bottom and vertical faux air outlets in the corners. 

The Proton Saga has a length of 4,335 mm, a width of 1,690 mm and 1,515 mm wide, thus finding itself in the entry-level space of the midsize sedan territory. It also gets a wheelbase of 2,465 mm, which makes it look long and gives a traditional planted stance of a sedan to the Saga. 

Having a conventional suspension setup of Macpherson struts with a stabilizer bar at the front and a torsion beam at the rear, the 2022 Proton Saga is a fairly comfortable car to drive and be seated in. The steering setup feels light, which is good enough to make it a decent city slicker. Though, the Proton Saga is far from being a driver’s delight, as it lacks the required stiffness for remaining planted at higher speeds and precision in its steering. The 2022 Saga retains the FLX platform of its predecessor. While it gets 185/55 R15 tyres in the Premium and Premium S variants, the Standard MT and Standard AT variants ride on 175/65 R14 tyres.

The  new Proton Saga shares its 1.3-litre four-cylinder naturally-aspirated petrol engine with the smallest offering from the carmaker, the Iriz hatchback. Paired to a 5-speed manual transmission in the base-spec Standard MT variant and a 4-speed torque converter in the other three variants, this engine in the Saga churns out a maximum power output of 95 PS and a peak torque output of 120 Nm. While these figures are surely not fire-breathing, they are decent enough to not let the Saga feel underpowered, especially at city speeds. It is only during the triple-digit speeds that the Saga feels like it could do with more power. Proton claims a fuel efficiency of 6.7 l/100 km, which comes to around 14.92 km/l.

While the all-new Proton Saga might not be having a rich list of comfort and convenience features, where it secures a few brownie points is the impressive list of safety features. All the variants of the Proton Saga come standard with dual front airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist, reverse parking sensors and ISOFIX mounts for child seats. Starting from the Standard AT variant, the 2022 Saga also gets electronic stability control, traction control and hill hold assist. The Premium and Premium S variants also get a reverse camera and front parking sensors as standard.

Warranty

All the variants of the 2022 Proton Saga are being offered with a standard warranty of 5 years or 150,000 km (whichever comes earlier).

Proton Saga vs the competition

Priced similarly to compact hatchbacks, the Proton Saga is the most affordable three-box sedan currently available in Malaysia right now. Following are three other midsize entry-level sedans priced near the pricing range of Proton Saga:

Perodua Bezza – The only other midsize sedan which has a similar basic level of designing and engineering as the Proton Saga is the Perodua Bezza. Just like the Saga, the Perodua Bezza is also a very popular offering in the Malaysian car market due to its affordable value-for-money proposition. The Bezza is available in Malaysia with two engine options – 1.0-litre petrol and 1.3-litre petrol, both of which offer class-leading fuel-efficiency results. 

Toyota Vios – While the Toyota Vios feels like one segment above that of the Proton Saga, which is very evident in its size and specifications, the entry-level variants of the Vios are priced near to the higher-spec variants of the Saga. Just like in other markets, the Malaysian car market is also offered the latest global-spec facelifted version of the Vios, which is on sale with a single 1.5-liter four-cylinder petrol engine option.

Nissan Almera – Apart from the Toyota Vios, another Japanese sedan which is positioned one segment above that of the Proton Saga, but has its entry-level variants priced close to the premium variants of the Saga is the Nissan Almera. In its latest global-spec version, the Almera looks and feels the most modern in its class and is available with a combination of a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with a CVT gearbox as standard.

Final words

The 2022 Proton Saga is certainly not the most desirable option for the lack of features and latest design norms. But there is a solid reason why the Proton Saga is one of the highest-selling models in the Malaysian car market. The key highlight behind the success of the Proton Saga is its pricing – the entry-level positioning and affordable pricing of the Proton Saga, which is similar to a compact hatchback, makes it a stellar value for the price at which it is offered. While it lacks several new-age features as a compromise for the lower pricing, the Saga scores good on key parameters like space, efficiency and ride quality, which makes it an undisputable choice for those car buyers who seek minimum from their vehicle.