Paul Tan's Automotive News» New Proton Saga at Paul Tan’s Automotive News

Saga 1.6 set for Aussie launch in November

Paul Tan — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 05:15:54 +0000

Proton will be launching a 1.6 liter IAFM variant of the Saga in Australia soon (November 2009 ETA) and has put up a teaser website for it at newsedan.com.au. It won’t be called the Saga in Australia though – a new name will be picked. Prices will begin at under AU$13,000, or under RM37,895 for the 1.6 liter manual, but an automatic option as well as a smaller engine (likely the 1.3) will be available from February 2010 onwards.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:30:53 +0800.

Proton previews the Proton Saga EV Concept

Paul Tan — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 07:47:01 +0000

Proton previewed an all-electric version of the Proton Saga sedan in University Putra Malaysia, Serdang during the “Proton Exora – The Making” seminar organized by SAE International earlier this week. The “Proton” name would definitely make sense on this particular car!

You might expect this plug-in electric vehicle to have been co-developed with Detroit Electric which have a deal to produce electric cars based on the Proton GEN2 and the Proton Persona for certain overseas markets under the Detroit Electric brand. But on the contrary, what you see above is an in-house project done with the help of unnamed suppliers and partners.

This means that unlike the Detroit Electric e46 (based on the Proton Gen 2) and the Detroit Electric e63 (based on the Proton Persona), the electric Saga (officially called the Proton Saga EV Green Propulsion Concept for now) is probably being considered for the local market, although the auto maker is very tight-lipped about possible launch dates. It could take years.

The emissions-free Proton Saga EV on display features a 125kW (168hp) brushless DC electric motor, mated to a 5 speed manual transmission. It has a 20kWh Lithium Ion Polymer battery pack (12 separate batteries stored in the trunk). Because of the batteries, truckspace is pretty much non-existent but this is quite normal with concept electric cars based on a chassis that was originally designed to take a regular combustion engine and fuel tank. A production car would ideally have neater integration of the batteries.

According to Proton, the Saga EV can sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 10.1 seconds, up to a top speed of 161 km/h, with a driving range of 109 kilometers over a full charge. Both the Detroit Electric e46 and e63 will feature a 150kW Axial Magnetic Flux motor instead.

There is more! The “green-mobil” also features re-generative braking and an electric power steering, apart from a built-in Batter Management System (BCMU), a plug-in charger (with a household power outlet), air conditioning as well as an In-Vehicle display screen that displays various information pertaining to the electric vehicle functions. Sources also revealed that Proton has plans to built an electric Exora MPV, and, is currently working on some hybrid vehicles as well, for research and development.

Since Proton took the trouble to produce a fully functioning Saga EV Concept, I am sure it is a matter of time till we actually see Proton-built electric cars on the road, but it doesn’t end at just producing such emissions-free vehicles. There has to an infrastructure ready to accommodate charging in the outdoors, which is something that will involve the government, apart from the private sector.

Continue reading to view an image gallery.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:30:53 +0800.

New Proton Saga SE in showrooms from 15th August

Paul Tan — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 10:16:33 +0000

We now have more details on the new Proton Saga SE, which is positioned as a premium variant of one of Proton’s cheapest cars right now. The Saga SE continues using the 1.3 liter Campro IAFM engine that’s found in the rest of the Saga range except for the taxi model, so what exactly does “SE” mean? Here are the full details:

Only two colours – brilliant red or solid white with a black finish roof top.
New front, rear (with faux diffuser design) and side skirts.
A new front grille with black finish.
Leather seats, door trim and steering wheel
Pearl white instrument cluster
Dark chrome air-conditioning vents
CD player with MP3 support

As previously mentioned, the Saga SE manual is priced at RM43,000 while the automatic transmission model is priced at RM45,500. It is available for booking now for RM500, but the cars will only be in the showrooms from the 15th of August 2009 onwards.

Look after the jump for more photos of the Saga SE.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:30:53 +0800.

Proton launches Saga SE and Exora Manual – more details to come later!

Paul Tan — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 05:28:00 +0000

Proton launched two new models at the Felda Settlers Day in Johor today – the Proton Saga SE and the Proton Exora 1.6 manual.

From the info I am getting now, the Saga SE uses a 1.3 liter Campro IAFM engine as before (the sole 1.6 liter model continues in taxi spec), but comes with aesthetic and equipment changes, while the Proton Exora 1.6 M/T like its namesake comes with a manual transmission. The Proton team is having trouble sending full specs and press release over because they are in an area without internet access now but at least we have the prices:

Proton Saga SE Manual – RM43,000
Proton Saga SE Auto – RM45,500
Proton Exora M/T Solid – RM64,548.00
Proton Exora M/T Metallic – RM64,998.00

More details and photos of the new car to come later.

UPDATE: Look after the jump for an event photo gallery of the Saga SE.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:30:53 +0800.

Proton Saga 1.6 B-Line M/T now available for booking at Proton Edar’s website!

Paul Tan — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 00:02:56 +0000

The Proton Saga 1.6 liter B-Line with manual transmission is now available for public booking on Proton Edar’s website. The B-Line M/T listed at RM39,000 is the sole 1.6 liter model on sale, and is only available in Chilli Red. That’s about roughly a RM3k premium over the 1.3 liter B-Line M/T.

No specs for the B-Line 1.6L M/T have been made known on the site but based on various ads placed on online classifieds: it has power windows for the front, air conditioning, an alarm system and a CD player so it should satisfy the bare requirements of creature comforts, but with no safety features as there is no airbag.

The car comes with steel wheels so if you want to spend some money you can quickly junk them and put something else on to match the more powerful engine.

Interestingly the cheapest and most affordable N-Line which was priced at RM31.5k seems to be completely gone from Proton Edar’s website now.

It is not unusual for car manufacturers to launch a car model with the very baseline model priced without profit or even at a loss to draw customers to showrooms, and then later get the sales staff to try to sell them the more profitable trim levels. This baseline model will then be phased out later.

Also, is it just me or have the prices changed since launch?

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:30:53 +0800.

Proton Persona and Proton Saga on test in India

Paul Tan — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 05:49:21 +0000

India’s DNA Money reports that the Proton Saga and the Proton Persona have been spotted on test on the Greater Noida Expressway in India. These may be Proton’s initial model range in the Indian market which is good as niche cars like the 3-door Satria Neo do not make sense at the moment. Interestingly the same report also considers Proton vehicles “high-end” but with quality and finishing issues. When contacted by DNA Money, officials from Proton and rumoured partner Argentum declined to comment.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:30:53 +0800.

Lucky draw for Proton Saga buyers

Paul Tan — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 19:00:23 +0000

There are currently long waiting lists for the Proton Saga, but there might be a way you could get delivery of your car in 2 weeks via a new lucky draw scheme by Proton. No, you don’t get a free Saga, but what you might win in the lucky draw is a chance to skip the long queue that currently takes months and get your Proton Saga delivered in approximately 2 weeks.

The lucky draw will be held weekly and will be carried out in the presence of an internal auditor. Every week, ten lucky customers will be picked, and will be able to get their cars delivered within 2 weeks of the draw. Winners must meet all the buying criteria – the settlement of the full down payment and receipt of the Letter of Undertaking (LOU) from the finance company.

BTW, any Proton Saga owners here? How is your ownership experience so far?

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:30:53 +0800.

VIDEO: Proton Saga TVC: “Cabin Space”

Paul Tan — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 00:03:58 +0000

This the final video of a new set of 3 30 second TV commericals which are focused on the new Proton Saga’s features. This video features Dr. Kenny Lee again, using the Proton Saga to brig his patients to the hospital. Watch the video after the jump. You will also find links to the other two 30 second TV commercials, and also the original 1 minute plus length ones.

VIDEO: Proton Saga TVC: “Cabin Space”

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:30:53 +0800.

VIDEO: Proton Saga TVC: “Boot Space”

Paul Tan — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 23:54:33 +0000

This the second of a new set of 3 TV Commericals which are focused on the new Proton Saga’s features and they are about 30 seconds each. This video features David Arumugam of the Alleycats and he demonstrates how you can use the new Proton Saga’s 413 liter boot space, although I wouldn’t really recommend it. Watch the video after the jump.

VIDEO: Proton Saga TVC: “Boot Space”

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:30:53 +0800.

VIDEO: Proton Saga TVC: “Acceleration”

Paul Tan — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 23:45:27 +0000

We’ve previously seen the set of 3 TV commercials promoting the new Proton Saga which were about 1 minute long each featuring local personalities such as Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor our Malaysian Angkawasan, David Arumugam of the popular Alleycats band as well as Dr Kenny who serves the rural areas in East Malaysia. There is another set of 3 videos which are more focused on the car’s features and they are about 30 seconds each. Here is the first of three, featuring our Angkawasan again. Video after jump.

VIDEO: Proton Saga TVC: “Acceleration”

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:30:53 +0800.

Proton Saga: 23,000 bookings, 5 month wait!

Paul Tan — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 22:24:03 +0000

Bookings for the new Proton Saga “mark II” has reached a total of over 23,000 and the waiting period for delivery is now between 5 to 6 months. This is another sales success for Proton, right after the Proton Persona, which just goes to show that if the right car is produced for the right market and at the right price (something which Proton enjoys in our market), cars will fly off the shelves.

Of this 23,000, over 9,000 units were from EON outlets, and EON’s recent EON Karnival 2008 in Shah Alam saw over 300 potential customers getting to test drive the new Proton Saga to get a first hand touch and feel of the new Proton sedan.

Right car, right market, right price – the only thing that remains to be seen now is whether it has the right build quality.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:30:53 +0800.

Proton Saga “GTi” Artist’s Impression and more!

Paul Tan — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 21:12:17 +0000

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The Proton Saga is still quite a hot conversation topic right now, as it is the latest and most affordable brand new 3-box sedan on the market to date. Here is Theophilus Chin’s artist’s impression of a kitted up Proton Saga – it looks very similiar to the Proton Saga RED Concept actually but it was actually done before the RED Concept was unveiled.

The Saga “GTi” Concept as Theophilus wishes to call it has a revised front grille that features a blackened area and a chrome top, a revised front bumper with an air intake beneath the grille with a chrome spoiler lip, different fog lamp housings, an Audi-like aluminium side mirror with lower half in matte black, and a blackened B-pillar. The headlamps have smaller turn indicators and the wheels are bigger.

You will find after the jump more photos of the Proton Saga that I snapped at the press preview held before the launch. Enjoy!

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This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:30:53 +0800.

VIDEO: Proton Saga Dr. Kenny Advertisement

Paul Tan — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 06:30:21 +0000

This is the third video in a series of Proton Saga TV Commercials being aired on national TV now. It features a selfless doctor who chose to serve the rural community and natives in East Malaysia named Dr. Kenny Lee. The other two videos in the series featuring our Angkasawan and David Arumugam of the Alleycats are linked below in the related posts section.

VIDEO: Proton Saga Dr. Kenny Advertisement

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:30:53 +0800.

VIDEO: Proton Saga Alleycats Advertisement

Paul Tan — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 08:58:23 +0000

The previous Proton Saga advertisement posted here featuring our Angkasawan received some interesting feedback. Here is another Proton Saga advertisement video, this time featuring David Arumugam of the Alleycats.

I guess now we know where that Proton Saga sighted with the number plate came from, it’s the same car in this video!

VIDEO: Proton Saga Alleycats Advertisement

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:30:53 +0800.

VIDEO: Proton Saga Angkasawan Advertisement

Paul Tan — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 17:01:31 +0000

Usually when there is a new Proton car launch, this blog will feature the car’s TV commercial (for free, sheesh) as most of us are interested in how Proton is marketing the product. As requested by readers, here is Proton’s “Angkawasan” TV commercial for the new Proton Saga! This is despite me feeling a little wary about the resulting comments, as we all know how the majority of the rakyat feel about our Angkasawan project. So please, if you decide to share your thoughts in the comments, focus on the ad and not the Angkasawan.

UPDATE: Watch another video in this series of TV commercials promoting the new Proton Saga, this time featuring David Arumugam of The Alleycats.

VIDEO: Proton Saga Angkasawan Advertisement

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:30:53 +0800.

Proton Saga RED Concept by Proton Design

Paul Tan — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 17:17:50 +0000

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Here are some photos of the Proton Saga “RED” Concept by Proton Design, which will let some of you soon to be new Proton Saga owners know what modifications could be possible with the car’s aesthetics. Having a special kitted up version of each new model launch has been a tradition now, and I hope this continues.

The Proton Saga “RED” Concept features a nice metallic red paintwork, a black roof, nice light grey grill surrounds, and large wheels, complete with a minimal tyre to fender gap. The interior gets a two-tone black and grey design, with red door trim, red seats and a grey-red trimmed steering wheel.

Check out more photos after the jump.

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This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:30:53 +0800.

New Proton Saga Launch and Test Drive Report

Paul Tan — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 09:30:23 +0000

This is probably the most anticipated car in the history that I have had this blog running, the car that will mark the retirement of the old Proton Saga and mark the beginning of a new saga in the history of Proton. It is what both we and Proton call “the People’s Car”.

It is the car that signifies Proton is going back to the basics and fulfilling its responsibility as the national car manufacturer to actually produce national cars that the majority of the people actually need – a cheap, economical run-about car with a sedan bodystyle.

That car is the new second generation 2008 Proton Saga, known to us for the past few months as the Proton BLM.

As most of you should know by now, the new Proton Saga was engineered from the Proton Savvy’s platform, by a team that was led by Proton engineers together with external consultants, including LG CNS. It was developed in a record period of 17 months from the design freeze stage to the SOP stage. It was designed to be a simple, affordable and practical entry level sedan. You could call it the people’s car if you wish, something the original Volkswagen Beetle was a long time ago.

Proton decided to do away with any attempts at making this car “different”, from the beginning it was decided that its design was to be smart and simple. The front features a hexagonal mesh front grille, swept-back headlamps, and prominent lower air intakes on the bumper, while the rear of the car features wraparound crystal cluster lights and a concave boot lid. From the side you can see prominent wheel arches, which give the car a sportier look.

Thankfully, there are no design quirkiness to be seen, and the car lacks the typical hatch turned sedan awkward look that the Suzuki Swift Sedan and the Nissan Latio have.

For a small sedan like the Saga, what many will be looking at is how much interior space it has. So let’s have a look at how the new Proton fares in that area.

The new Proton Saga is bigger than its predecessor in pretty much every way possible. You’ll probably be able to guess what cars Competitor M and Competitor V are. Numbers are good, but they remain just figures on a piece of paper until you actually try getting into the car.

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Here we have regular PAULTAN.ORG contributor Shannon Teoh in the rear seat of the car. You can see clearly the legroom and headroom available to the rear passenger – surprisingly good! The only concern would be the width of the car, it is narrower but acceptable given that this is a small B-segment sedan.

Either 2 adults or 3 children will sit comfortably in the rear bench, and there are seatbelts for 3 people, so if the government enforces the rear seatbelt rule anytime soon, the Proton Saga will be ready for it.

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Interior conveniences include two cupholders in the front, one cupholder in the rear, an open storage compartment where the passenger airbag would be expected to be, a glove compartment, two rear bottle holders, door pockets on each door, seatback pockets, a 1-DIN storage area below the 1-DIN CD player, and finally a little compartment just below the steering wheel column.

The Proton Saga has a standard car power outlet socket positioned at a 90 degree horizontal angle just below the air conditioning controls. This might cause a problem with some of the longer devices that you might want to insert into the socket, like mobile phone chargers and etc, as it might get into the way of the gear lever. If you have drinks in the front cupholders, these might obstruct the power outlet as well.

The air conditioning controls themselves (click image on the left to enlarge) are very simple and intuitively designed. This is an improvement over the Proton Persona’s air conditioning controls where the temperature dial was somewhat confusing. Previously readers who have seen the dials have said they look like they were recycled from the old Mitsubishi-generation Protons, but these are new stepped dials. I’m not sure what the proper term is, but it means that when you twist the dial, you feel feedback from the dials, they “click” from setting to setting, while the old dials in the Saga/Iswara/Satria/Wira were stepless, you just twisted them around and they don’t give any feedback as to whether you’ve actually achieved anything or not.

The only stepless dial is the one where you control whether the air conditioning system recirculates the air or takes in fresh air from outside. This has been made into a dial instead of a button of sorts because the control actually requires the action of you twisting the knob to close the external air intake vent – basically its a manual system.

The air conditioning vents integrate angle and open/close functions in a single action, much like the ones on the Satria Neo. The dashboard plastics do not fall into the soft touch category, but Proton has added texture so that they do not look or feel cheap, and I appreciate that thought. I do not really have a problem with the plastics. The stepped dials and switches do not have a cheap feel to them, and all of them provide feedback as to whether you’ve actually pressed them, which is an improvement over the Persona’s feedbackless dashboard buttons.

The switches, knobs and dials are all placed in intuitive positions. My only issue with the interior is not something major. It’s just that Proton does not seem to have a standard Human Interface Design template for their interiors. A little button with a dot on it activates the central locking system in the Proton Persona, but the same button in the Saga is used to deactivate the alarm system! The same design, but different meanings in different cars. This will have to change in the next generation of cars.

Audio is provided by a single CD Clarion head unit, and either 2 speakers for the N-Line and B-Line, or 4 speakers for the M-Line. The silver head unit lights up with red backlighting, matching the rest of the car.

I wish Proton has specified to Clarion that the volume knob be on the right side of the head unit instead of on the left, as this is a right hand drive market. If you notice, the Clarion 2-DIN head unit used in the Mitsubishi-generation Protons and the Waja had the volume knob on the right. Nevertheless, the audio output through the speakers was rather decent, but being a 1-DIN unit there will be many who will swap everything out for their own custom ICE setup.

I am not completely sure, but I reckon that if you take out the 1-DIN storage compartment module from below the 1-DIN head unit, you’ll probably be able to install a 2-DIN unit.

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The picture above shows how the front passenger area of the Proton Saga would typically be looking like. The passenger’s legs are in the photo to let you judge the interior width of the car better. The driving position for both the manual and automatic versions were decent without issues.

For the manual version, the clutch pedal was adequately spaced away from the brake and accelerator pedals, unlike some previous Protons. The automatic shifter uses the P-R-N-D-3-2-L shift pattern – no shiftronic-like features here.

The manual shifter is really something I’ve never seen before! The shift lever is so tall and the shift throw is rather long. The high position of the shift knob shortens the distance your hand has to travel from steering wheel to shifter, so many it was intentional. The lever’s free play both in neutral and in gear was also quite noticable, and it all reminded me of a pickup truck’s manual shift lever, although the lever did not vibrate like how a pick up truck’s normally would. Shifts felt rubbery and disconnected, not very fun but nevertheless it gets the job done.

Clutch engagement and disengagement for the manual transmission happens quite far into the clutch release. It should be quite safe if you accidentally shift without pressing the clutch pedal to the very deepest, as somewhere past mid point the clutch would have already fully disengaged.

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On to the new Proton Saga’s best kept secret. The new 1.3 liter Campro IAFM engine. Let’s get to the low down on whats changed since the last iteration of the Campro 1.3 found in the Proton Satria Neo. Firstly, the manual gearbox that comes with this engine is now sourced from Aichi Kikai instead of Mitsubishi, which Proton engineers say allows them greater flexibility in specifying gear ratios, something that Mitsubishi did not provide.

Next, the engine has an Integrated Air Fuel Module which integrates a variable length intake manifold system. I will not go into lengths explaining what a variable length intake manifold system is since I have already done that before (click here to read).

The electrical system has also been updated. Ignition now uses coil-on-plug ignition, which eliminates spark plug cables from the ignition system. This eliminates some power losses caused by spark plug cables. The starter is now of a smaller physical size, but has a bigger capacity. If you listen to how this Campro IAFM 1.3 engine starts compared to the Campro 1.3 in the Satria Neo, you can hear the difference. Think of how the Perdana V6 sounds like when it starts.

The Campro IAFM engine keeps the Campro 1.3’s 94 horsepower at 6,000rpm and 120Nm of torque at 4,000rpm figures, with changes only to the way the power and torque is delivered instead of any change in the peak power and torque. Proton’s dyno tests of the new Campro IAFM engine reveals power ratings of up to 98 horsepower is achievable, but Proton prefers to publish the power figures in brochures at 94 horses for some reason, perhaps for consistency sake as not all engines may be able to achieve the 98 horses figure.

As you can see from the scanned dyno chart comparison above, the original Campro 1.3 was making slightly more than its 120Nm rated torque at peaks, but there are some serious dips in torque in the low to mid rev ranges. The new Campro 1.3 with the IAFM module has a very different torque curve. Its peak torque is lower, but still achieves the 120Nm target. There is also more torque between 2,800rpm and 4,000rpm.

I am happy to report that with my brief Proton Saga review test drive around Cyberjaya there is no annoying torque dip with the new Campro engine now, but nevertheless it still did not feel particularly torquey at low to medium revs. One would expect a VIM system to provide stronger than usual low end torque, but I guess in this case the VIM only manages to fix the Campro’s naturally bad torque curve.

Throttle response still leaves a little to be wanting – the engine is slightly slow to come on and slow to taper off when responding to throttle movements – nothing dangerous but it can be noticed. The laggy throttle response is why you sometimes have a little throttle blip when you shift gears on the Campro, whats happening is the throttle still continues to be open when you’ve lifted your foot off the accelerator pedal and disengaged the clutch, so the result is a little blip.

Proton quotes expected fuel economy for the manual model to be 6 liters per 100km, and 6.3 liters per 100km for the automatic model, at a constant speed of 90km/h.

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Ride and handling is not the typical feel you would expect from a Proton. While the Persona has very decent handling for a 4 door family sedan, the ride comfort for this new second generation Proton Saga is good, but unfortunately the body roll angle is rather significant! However, the roll rate is at an acceptable rate so the roll is not overly uncomfortable during normal driving. Go abit aggressive and the rear passengers can be thrown about. What makes it worse is the lack of any rear assist grips to hold on to, even though it looks like there are mounting points for the grips!

The seats are your average baseline sedan seats – only the Nissan Latio excels in this area with their oversized seats. We did not drive very far so at the moment we can’t really tell if they are comfortable during long journeys or not. The rear bench does not do the whole split-fold-down thing, so this will be a concern for those who want to carry long things often, that require the sedan’s boot length to be extended to within the cabin.

The rear windows do not go down fully. I discovered this when I got into the back seat of the Saga so I could stick my head and camera out and take moving shots of the car while we were on our test laps around Putrajaya. The window only came down about two thirds of the way – there was no way I could stuff my head out that.

The new Proton Saga uses a MacPherson strut suspension at the front, and a torsion beam suspension at the rear. These suspension bits were based off the Savvy but tweaked to suit the new car. The front has a lower spring rate, while the rear has a higher spring rate to compensate for the heavier boot. There is a front stabilier bar directly connected to the damper body instead of the lower control arm.

Tyres are 13 inch steel wheels wrapped with 175/70R13 tyres for the N-Line and B-Line models, and 14 inch alloys wrapped with 185/60R14 tyres for the M-Line model. Brakes are 13 inch ventilated discs at the front, and 7 inch drums at the rear. The M-Line has a single driver’s airbag, but none of the line-up has ABS brakes. The boot is a decent 413 liters and comes with a full sized steel spare tyre.

Fitting its purpose as a family car, the new Saga comes with child lock functions for the rear doors. All models also have central locking, but the N-Line does not have an alarm or remote activation of the central locking.

Click to enlarge and view specifications list for each model

I think the new Proton Saga is a great little family car, with an amazingly adequate interior space that can fit 4 people comfortably, or 5 people if you must. There are a little issues here and there that make me unhappy, for example the central locking knobs are very hard knobs with a small diameter. The small diameter hurts your finger when you press it down to lock the door.

But I can live with all of this, and most people would not even notice the small little details I’ve pointed out in this article.

The car drives well and handles like a Savvy with a softer suspension, the Campro’s annoying torque dip is gone, the interior is decent with good legroom and headroom, and a 1.3 liter engine should prove to be fuel economical. People, this is your car!

The only thing that worries me is that Proton’s assembly line still seems to be a hit or miss affair, I have a friend with a perfect Proton Satria Neo, while some others find that they’ve mistakenly purchased moving aquariums with failing power windows. I hope Proton will continue to improve on their QC efforts.

The aftermarket industry should quickly look into designing sportier springs, anti-roll bars, and a short shifter for this car, as I believe these will really be in demand for those who wish for a more engaging drive from their economical buy.

Proton Saga N-Line Manual – RM31,500
Proton Saga B-Line Manual – RM34,998
Proton Saga B-Line Auto – RM37,998
Proton Saga M-Line Manual – RM37,498
Proton Saga M-Line Auto – RM39,998

It is available in 7 colours – Metallic Black, Granite Grey, Solid White, Genetic Silver, Chili Red, Mountain Blue, and Zircon Green.

Please post any questions in the comments if you want to know more about the car. I will try my best to answer with whatever I remember of the car from the short media test drive we had on Monday.

Please enjoy the following additional photos:

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Manual transmission meter panel – Click to enlarge

Automatic transmission meter panel – Click to enlarge

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Chili Red

Metallic Black

B-Line Genetic Silver, with N-Line Solid White in background

Mountain Blue

N-Line Solid White

Zircon Green

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This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:30:53 +0800.

The Proton BLM: watch this space tomorrow!

Paul Tan — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 08:18:57 +0000

Tomorrow is the launch day of the new Proton BLM, which will replace the “classic” Proton Saga with a new modern model with updated crash safety, and updated internals.

Can Proton produce something that is baseline yet still looks stylish? Something that when you look at it, you may think that the owner could have afforded something else but decided to buy the BLM instead because of its value of money. Basically not something that you are forced to buy because of price alone. If Proton manages to achieve this with the Proton BLM, it will have a huge one up over cars like the Renault Logan.

You’ll find out when you come back to this blog at 5:30PM on the 18th of January 2008 (tomorrow) to find out the full scoop on the new Proton Saga replacement, including a short test drive report.

In the meanwhile, read the previous posts on the BLM linked below:

Related Posts:

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:30:53 +0800.

2nd Proton BLM Stage-by-Stage Teaser Demo

Paul Tan — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 09:32:46 +0000

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Proton had their second stage-by-stage build up teaser for the new Proton Saga replacement, codenamed the Proton BLM last night at Cineleisure Mutiara Damansara. I actually got there late and it was all over, so here are the photos I snapped of the end result of the 2nd night of the build-up activity.

We have already seen a new teaser chassis with a complete roof frame instead of the roofless chassis on the first night, so this 2nd “stage” of teaser might not be very new to us. Proton has added one of the car’s four doors and front fenders and the rest of the roof to the demo car. On the last night of the build up which is on the 17th, we will most probably see the car get front and rear bumpers, the rest of its doors and interior trim.

More photos after the jump, with a total of 8 in this post.

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Related Proton BLM Buildup Teaser Posts:

Proton BLM pre-launch teaser campaign
Proton BLM stage-by-stage build-up teaser – (6th January 2008)
Updated Proton BLM stage-by-stage build-up teaser – (10th January 2008)

Related Proton BLM Posts:

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:30:53 +0800.

Updated Proton BLM Stage-by-Stage Teaser

Paul Tan — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 19:41:54 +0000

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Proton has updated their Cineleisure Mutiara Damansara chassis with a new one that has a roof structure and some body panels. Compare this to the previous bare chassis here. Now we are able to see clearly the roofline of the car in person without disguise.

It’s not awkward like some Japanese hatch-turned-sedan cars, but I did notice that the BLM is a taller than average sedan, probably to improve the headroom in the interior.

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It’s hard to tell from photos, but you will be able to visualize the shape and size of the Proton BLM’s boot space better in person. Looks acceptable for a small car.

Three more photos available after the jump.

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This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:30:53 +0800.

Proton BLM Step-by-Step Build Up Teaser

Paul Tan — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 15:03:32 +0000

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I was at the entrance of Cineleisure Mutiara Damansara this evening to watch Proton’s step by step build up teaser for the new Proton Saga replacement model, codenamed the Proton BLM. It was quite an interesting experience.

By the time I arrived the build up had already begun. There was a huge crowd around the demonstration area even though it was raining. I am guessing a baseline car such as the BLM is truly a car everyone has an interest or “stake” in, as potential owners could be any one of us – either for ourselves, our spouses or our children, etc.

The frame you see in these photos is not the actual frame of a car but a special frame prepared by the prototype shop for this teaser demonstration purpose – hence it does not have a roof. The real full monocoque frame will have the roof structure attached to it. The segments painted with yellow in the frame are specific to the crash performance of the car – these were either crumple zones or areas that absorb most of the collision energy.

The Proton assembly engineers did some work on the bare frame, starting off with things like the wheels and the handbrake lever. By the end of the day the result is what you see in these photos. The next build up date is on the 11th of January 2008 at 8pm where more stuff will be added on to the car.

Some details on the specifications of the car is revealed from the frame. We can see the design of the 14 inch alloy wheels which have Silverstone 185/60R14 tyres wrapping them. We can also see the design of the rear suspension which is of a torsion beam setup, similiar to the Proton Savvy. This is natural as the Proton BLM is essentially built on a stretched Proton Savvy platform. The compact design of a torsion beam rear suspension will benefit the boot space – a Proton staff at the teaser demo told me the boot capacity will be in the regions of more than 400 liters.

The Proton BLM will have a wheelbase of 2465mm, which is 70mm longer than the Proton Savvy’s because of the extended platform. The car is 4257mm long. Width has also been increased to 1680mm not inclusive of wing mirrors, compared to the Perodua Myvi’s 1665mm and the Viva’s 1475mm. Front and rear track is 1446mm, 26mm wider than the Savvy’s.

We also got to see the new 1.3 liter Campro engine with the IAFM module in the engine bay of the frame – in this car it was mated to a 5-speed manual transmission, but the driveshafts were not connected to the front wheels. The IAFM module is essentially a variable intake geometry system.

No official specs on the engine at the moment, but Proton managing director Syed Zainal himself noted that he had personally test driven the car and throttle response was quite spritely, unlike the lethargic feeling you get at low revs with the original Campro engine.

With all the leaked information, photos and spyshots of the Proton BLM all over the internet, how the new IAFM-equipped Campro engine drives is perhaps the car’s best guarded secret, and one of the most important things about the car.

Proton also aims to sell between 4,500 to 5,000 units of the new Proton BLM every month. The Proton BLM will be launched on the 18th of January 2007. 3,000 bookings for the car have been made since bookings opened on the 1st this month.

More parts will be added to the build-up demo frame on the 11th of January 2008 at 8pm, so expect another update after that time!

All photos from the build-up session with more detail as well as a price list after the jump.

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Click the above pricelist to enlarge it. It shows the various Proton BLM variants, which right now consist of the N-Line, B-Line and the M-Line as well as tentative prices.

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An assembly line engineer fitting on the 7-spoke 14 inch alloy wheels. 14 inchers means less tyre replacement cost, and some fuel economy improvements as its logical for a 14 inch wheel and tyre to be lighter than larger ones.

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This photo is specially for certain readers – it shows Proton did not just weld on a butt to the Savvy platform, but properly re-engineered it. According to a Proton engineer, the Proton BLM has been designed to accomodate an NGV system for taxi usage without compromising too much boot space.

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Fitting the handbrake lever – nothing funky here, no pirate sword style etc.

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In the engine bay of the Proton BLM sits the new 1.3 liter Campro engine with IAFM variable intake geometry.

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The front suspension uses the usual McPherson struts, and the front wheels have disc brakes.

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The rear suspension uses a torsion beam setup, and its drum brakes for the rear wheels.

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Related Proton BLM Posts:

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:30:53 +0800.

Proton BLM Pre-Launch Teaser Campaign

Paul Tan — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 17:57:37 +0000

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I am sure all of you will remember the Persona pre-launch campaign where Proton placed Proton Personas in shopping malls, hidden in boxes with peekholes for you to peek in. To build up excitement for the new Proton Saga, codenamed the Proton BLM, Proton will demonstrate a stage-by-stage build up of the Proton BLM to enable the public to have a sequential view of the process involved in the development of a car.

The stage by stage build up shows the models’ key selling points – its reinforced chassis, fuel-efficient IAFM (integrated air fuel module), strong body structure, and spacious for class interior. These demonstrations will be held during the following times and places:

Cineleisure Mutiara Damansara: 5pm 6th Jan, 8pm 11th Jan, 8pm 17th Jan
Queensbay Mall Penang: 5pm 10th Jan, 5pm 13th Jan, 8pm 17th Jan
Plaza Angsana Johor Baru: 5pm 10th Jan, 5pm 13th Jan, 8pm 17th Jan

I’ll be at Cineleisure Mutiara Damansara on the 6th to snap some photos and maybe take a video. The second part of the pre-launch activity includes a completely built up new Proton BLM in boxes with peek holes drilled into them, similiar to the Proton Persona peekaboo campaign. These boxed up cars will be carried on trailers and will go around the country, including rural areas and townships.

The truck route for the boxed up Proton BLM is available after the jump.

Related Proton BLM Posts:

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This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:30:53 +0800.

Proton BLM: New Proton Saga Teaser Video

Paul Tan — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 06:35:49 +0000

Happy New Year 2008! Proton has produced a teaser video for the new Proton Saga replacement model, codenamed the Proton BLM. The car is expected to be priced between RM30,000 to RM40,000 (updated) but these are indicative prices released by Proton as a teaser… the final price for the cheapest model could be slightly lower! As mentioned earlier, bookings are now open starting from today.

You can also book online, and the booking fee is RM500. Surf over to the online booking page and you will find out that the new Proton Saga will be available in 7 colours – Zircon Green, Metallic Black, Granite Grey, Genetic Silver, Chilli Red, Solid White, and Blue.

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UPDATE: EON Glenmarie sales representative Mohd Arif Iqbal has indicated that tentative prices for the 1.3 liter BLM started at RM31,500 for the N-Line model up to RM39,500 for the fully specced M-Line version, which comes with airbags.

The video below shows the car’s key styling details, and one difference from the models we’ve seen in spyshots are that the rear lamp cluster now appears to have a slightly more orange signal indicator lense instead of a clear lense.

Watch the video below!

Video: New Proton Saga BLM Teaser

Related Proton BLM Posts:

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:30:53 +0800.

Proton BLM: new Saga booking open

Paul Tan — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 12:23:52 +0000

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Proton dealers will be accepting official bookings for the new Proton Saga replacement known to us as the Proton BLM tomorrow. TV3 reports quoting official Proton sources that the 1.3 liter 4 door sedan will be sold at prices of between RM30,000 to RM35,000.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:30:53 +0800.

New Saga replacement Proton BLM sighted with minimal disguise on the road!

Paul Tan — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 08:27:04 +0000

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Now this is something really really strange. The upcoming replacement for the Proton Saga codenamed the Proton BLM has been spotted on the road, without any camouflage, and registered! Yes, the car had a proper number plate instead of a trade plate, but I’ve censored it off these photos. If you notice, there’s even a road tax sticker on the windscreen. The car only had its Proton badges removed/covered up, but other than that it shows pretty much the full details of the car.

The Proton BLM looks rather decent, and the rear will remind people of the outgoing Mercedes Benz W203 C-Class. Proton has taken the conservative route to the BLM’s styling as it has to have a huge mass appeal, and being safe is always a good idea when it comes to designing a car for volume sales, just look at Toyota’s design language. There are no oddities like the step-up window line of the Savvy, or the bling turbine wheels of the Satria Neo.

It looks like a nice, compact and anonymous-looking small B-segment sedan, with a boot that looks like it could store an estimated 400 to 450 liters of luggage. If Proton continues its new philosophy of designing cars for the consumers, expect nifty conveniences such as hinges that do not intrude into boot space, a decent amount of interior storage space, and a frugal 1.3 liter engine with both manual and automatic gearboxes.

The interior design should take cues from the current Proton Saga, which has had its interior updated with the latest facelift. Expect the interior to be a sensible one, something more Persona than Satria Neo – this means no crazy bright blue lights to light up your meter panel unlike the current Saga interior.

The word through the grapevines is that Proton is looking to a launch date sometime in the first half of January 2008. I cannot wait to see the old Proton Saga finally replaced! Not sure what the name is, but Proton might decide to keep the Proton Saga name for continuity, just like how it kept the Persona name for its new Wira replacement, as Persona was the Wira’s export name.

Spyshots snapped by 0hmyg0d and posted with permission.

Two more spyshots after the jump.

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This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:30:53 +0800.

Proton BLM Spyshots – a recap

Paul Tan — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 09:02:31 +0000

The new Proton BLM which will replace the age old Proton Saga is expected to be launched sometime in mid January 2008, with indicative pricing expected to be somewhere in the RM30,000 range, with perhaps a basic “BLM Lite” model that dips just under the RM30,000 mark.

The new car is based off the Proton Savvy platform but its wheelbase may and most probably will be extended to allow for greater interior room. Here is a list of spyshots of the car spotted on public roads:

New Proton BLM sighted with minimal disguise on the road! – HOT! LATEST SPYSHOT: A Proton BLM without any disguise except for its Proton badges removed has been snapped on the road – the strange thing about this particular car is it had a proper registration plate and even a road tax sticker instead of carrying trade plates!
Black and white Proton BLM spyshot – This post shows the Proton BLM from a side view. For the first time the car has also been spotted without steel wheels, so you can see an attractive 7-spoke alloy wheel design.
New Proton BLM Spyshot – The car in these shots are covered up quite heavily with tape but you can see the shape of the headlamps which seem quite Toyota Altezza-like, as well as the sporty front bumper design (looks rather like a BMW M Sport bumper actually) which feature a prominent lower air intake. The car is a shade of green, so now we know one of the colour options.
Another rear shot of the Proton BLM – This post is one of the first few spyshots of the Proton BLM. This angle makes it look very much like a sedan version of the Proton Savvy, but not much detail is revealed.
Clearer Proton BLM Side Profile Spyshots – These nice shots of a white BLM were snapped by a Lensa Malaysia photography forum member with a rather good camera, so the shots turned out pretty clear.
Proton BLM Artist’s Impression by Maru – PAULTAN.ORG Forumer Maru whipped up these 2D impressions of a Proton BLM, who based it on a Proton Savvy but modified it to look like a 3-box sedan.
Is this the new Proton BLM? – This is the very first sighting of the Proton BLM on this blog – not much detail can be seen in this photo except the fact that the car is white in colour and the rear tail lamps seem to be detailed with a mix of crystal-like red and white.

For those who have sent in photos of the Proton BLM fully undisguised, I have received them and I appreciate the kindness but unfortunately I am unable to post them up. In these times where many parties take legal action against websites it is unsafe to publish the photos because the undisguised car was snapped inside a private building and not on public roads.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:30:53 +0800.

Black and white Proton BLM spyshot

Paul Tan — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 18:31:24 +0000

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These are more spyshots of the Proton Saga Replacement Model or better known as the Proton BLM, which is a codename that stands for Base Line Model. This new Proton will be the most affordable model in Proton’s stables – a three box sedan said to be based on the Proton Savvy with space for 5 and a proper boot for luggage.

Reader december who sent these shots in apologizes for them being in black and white because he shot them with his mobile phone camera that was pre-set to black and white mode. Well, I say no need for an apology mate – you’ve been generous enough to share this with us and the car is clearly visible.

Perhaps being black and white we are able to better guess the shape of the car because there is less distraction from the camouflage tape.

One more shot after the jump.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:30:53 +0800.

New Proton BLM Spyshot

Paul Tan — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 03:22:19 +0000

These shots (posted with permission) of the upcoming Saga/Iswara Replacement Model, the Proton BLM was shot by ephique74. If anything, it reveals to us one of the colour options available for the new Proton BLM, a turquoise-ish colour similar to the one available with the new iPod Nano.

We can see a little detail of how the front bumper will look like. This model doesn’t seem to have any foglamps, but since it is a test unit is not really indicative of whether the final product line-up will have a model that comes equipped with fog lamps. The headlamps look like they are reflectors instead of projectors, which isn’t surprising as this is a baseline budget model.

Tug-type door handles instead of the normal lift-up type gives the occupant more flexibility on how he wants to open the door – gripping from the bottom or from the top, which will be useful if he is carrying things.

There are also other spyshots floating around in email forwards which show a little of the interior of the car but I am unable to post it here as I do not know who the photographer is, so I am unable to obtain permission to post. If you look around the usual forums you’ll probably be able to see it posted up.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:30:53 +0800.

Another rear shot of the Proton BLM

Paul Tan — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 07:07:25 +0000

Here is another shot of the Proton BLM contributed by reader Barney Low, but unfortunately it doesn’t really reveal much details that we haven’t seen already in previous spyshots of the Proton BLM here on this site.

However, still seeing this car prowling the highways on tests assures us that the project is still on-going, and soon we’ll be able to look at Proton’s idea of what a successor to it’s bread and butter Proton Saga should be.

Previous Proton BLM Spyshots:
Is this the new Proton BLM?
Clearer Proton BLM side profile spyshots
Proton BLM Artist’s Impression by Maru

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:30:53 +0800.

Clearer Proton BLM Side Profile Spyshots

Paul Tan — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 07:28:25 +0000

These clear photos were shot by KM_Survivor of the Lensa Malaysia forums, a Malaysian photography forum, which explains why the photos are of such good quality! It shows the side profile of the new Proton BLM very clearly, so we can have a rough idea of headroom and interior space as well as the general proportions of the car.

Just a recap for those who are not in the loop – the Proton BLM is supposed to be Proton’s base line model, a replacement for the aging Proton Saga/Proton Iswara model. It is said to be based on a modified Proton Savvy platform.

Two more photos after the jump.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:30:53 +0800.