BEING branded an A-segment vehicle can be rather deceptive these days.
We always get the impression that the car, given its affordability, wouldn’t offer much in the way of excitement.
Kudos to Proton for raising the benchmark in that respect with the new Saga especially in the top variant.
Not to make light of the more affordable options, but the features in the Premium automatically elevates the national automaker’s most affordable model into the only car you’ll need where budget is concerned.
Safety in the Premium for example vastly outclasses the lower variants with finally, the availability of the Level 1 Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS).
The system offers nine intelligent safety functions including Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), Rear Collision Warning (RCW), Door Opening Warning (DOW), Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Lane Change Assist (LCA), Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA), Intelligent High Beam Control (IHBC), and Front Departure Alert (FDA).
These functions work alongside the car’s Proton Reinforced Safety Structure (RESS) with Hot Press Forming (HPF) components.
Not only does the Standard and Executive choices miss out on the ADAS system but they also only come with two airbags unlike the Premium’s six airbags.
It is these collective features that earn the car its four-star Asean NCAP rating.
Only in the Premium do you also get leatherette interior materials (fabric in the other two), a full LED taillight bar, auto fold side mirrors, and two-tone 15-inch alloy wheels - executive comes with a single-tone 15-inch alloys while the Standard is 14 inches.
Most importantly is the gear transmission. Exclusive to the Premium is the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) while the Standard and Executive variants get four-speed automatic transmission (4AT).
It doesn’t seem like much on paper since all three house the new i-GT 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine under the hood that produces the same maximum power of 120PS and 150Nm of torque.
Even Electric Power Steering (EPS) as with the minor re-tuned for improved manoeuvrability over the predecessor was standard across the board.
Our media drive to Gerik in Perak from Proton’s Centre of Excellence however yielded a distinct experience between the two with the CVT coming out as the victor after spending more time with it.
Initially both transmissions only felt marginally different during traffic and on the highways.
It is in these conditions that the 4AT seemed like it was a lot more manageable with its familiar predictable gear shifts.
Everything flipped itself while we were nearing the Belum Rainforest Resort when the 4AT struggled to pace itself against the CVT during the climb.
We found that it was at this point that the 4AT’s gear would dipped greatly with each minor brake or release of the accelerator. This in turn required you to apply a lot more force on the pedal to keep up with the pack as you make your way up.
In contrast the CVT was able to hold its gears in place which allowed us greater speed control and acceleration going up and downhill.
From then on we got a better understanding on why the CVT was used in the flagship model and how to better control its performance on the various road conditions.
Make no mistake that either transmissions are capable enough to get you to where you need to go. The difference is that the CVT would proof to offer a more seamless drive experience.
Not just against one another, but the CVT handled itself fairly well even against other cars during our climb. Just be mindful that the maximum speed tops out 165kph.
The icing on the cake is that according to Proton, the CVT setup rates the Saga’s fuel consumption at just 4.9 litres/100km based on the Malaysia Driving Cycle (MDC).
The 4AT’s on the other hand is 5.1 litres/100km.
But lets say the transmission is the least of your concern and in-car features are more your thing. Alternatively the Executive does hold on its own for sharing a number of features with the Premium.
This includes a 16-inch Integrated Dual Screen which merges the digital instrument cluster and infotainment display (7-inch TFT meter combination on the Standard), wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay (AACP) compatibility, and daytime running lights (DRL).
Built on Proton’s Advanced Modular Architecture (AMA) platform, the new four-door Saga sedan comes in three variants of Standard, Executive, and Premium is respectively priced at RM38,990, RM44,900 and RM48,990.
