Owner Review: The only car I considered - My Proton Saga CVT

Basic information

2017 Proton Saga CVT

Reasons why I bought this car

To replace my brother's 2011 Saga FL 1.3 for my daily use during study and personal travel.

Car selection process

• I had a budget of: 50k below
• Reasons why I chose this car: Pretty much sold the moment I had test driven it with my father.The ride quality felt luxurious compared to the executive FL.

User experience

• I have already done 55,555 km.

Throughout the ownership the car has served its purpose very well, I used it to drive my family, friends and even grab car passenger.The positive feedback I'm happy to receive from one passenger was how comfortable it was to sit behind. I had driven it to Cameron too with my mother and father as the passenger, my mother could sleep well despite I was driving aggressively downhill. Uphill however, I wish the car has a bit more torque and power so I can overtake confidently (1.6 engine maybe? haha)

Pros & Cons

Pros

1. Same price as Saga FL, but multiple times better in build quality.
2. Good sound insulation (compared to FL and Axia at least)
3. Superb handling, better than FL, and Myvi gen.2.
4. Clarion Head unit serve well as company during solo drive.(turn up VAPS mode on with Bass and Treble high).
5. Easily accessible aftermarket parts (performance and aesthetic).
6. USB charging port allow me to charge my device during travel.

Cons

1. No centre console, I had to buy one aftermarket to store more items.
2. I had to change the power window relay once (claim for free).
3. It's a Proton, people look at it with disgust :p
4. CVT, do I have to explain more? haha
5. Had a problem with uneven gap clearance on the boot. (fixed it with my pal)

Ratings

Total Score: 4/5

Performance: 4/5

Quality & Features: 4/5

Space: 5/5

Ride Comfort: 5/5

Fuel Economy: 4/5

Price & Cost: 5/5

Conclusion

When I first got my license, my brother borrowed me his 1.3 Saga FL for me to use daily. It was a reliable but fuel-thirsty car (I normally did 300 km per tank). After he moved out and about to get married. The car is about to be sold, around that time the new Saga had launched a year earlier. Upon testing the new saga (2017) at the dealer, both my dad and I liked it so much and was literally sold by the time we returned the key to the dealer. Since then, it was a lot of positive experience. A full tank is now at more than 400 km (same tank size), and chasing my friend's E36 in empty road is fun too.

I had done several upgrades to the car. First I did ECU remap to fix the CVT lag problem and improve mid power band. The throttle responds quickly compared to stock tune, then I replaced it with wider rubber (195/55/R15) which gave it better stability during high-speed cruise and corners, better grip in the wet (Goodyear assurance). Finally, in recent times, I've equipped it with Ftuned Comfort Lowering Spring which further improves the cars cornering ability. The car did feel a bit stiffer than stock but still rides comfortably during the daily commute. It can handle the sharp turns up to Cameron Highland at 90-100 km/h confidently while getting tailgated by the E36 friends I mentioned before. On the way down we swap our cars, his E36 is well-tuned as I can confidently take the corners at 100 kmh, but surprisingly he drove my saga so fast, and he was on the E36 tail the whole time!I never knew my saga could do that, but he pushed it to the limit than I would ever do.