VIDEO: Tun M tries out the 2019 Proton Saga facelift

Over the weekend, prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad took the 2019 Proton Saga facelift out for a spin around the city. The event was highlighted in a short 41-second clip posted on his official Facebook page.

In the video, Dr Mahathir is given a walkaround briefing on the car, a Ruby Red example, by Proton engineering director Hazrin Fazail Haroon. Also in attendance at the session were Proton chairman Datuk Seri Syed Faisal Albar and the automaker’s deputy CEO Datuk Radzaif Mohamed.

The Saga facelift was launched on August 6, and is available in three variant forms – Standard MT, Standard AT and Premium AT. Exterior styling revisions include a new “Infinite Weave” grille and front bumper, along with new LED DRLs. There’s also a new rear bumper and the inclusion of Proton script above the number plate as well as new wheel designs.

Inside, the car gets a reworked centre stack, with the air-con vents shifted downwards to accomodate the new floating 7.0-inch colour touchscreen Android head unit. Other interior revisions include a new instrument panel, updated fabric for the upholstery, Tricot headlining and a new automatic gear lever.

The 1.3 litre four-cylinder DOHC VVT mill continues on unchanged, with 95 PS at 5,750 rpm and 120 Nm of torque at 4,000 rpm, but there’s a switch in transmission – the CVT has been replaced by a four-speed torque converter automatic gearbox, sourced from Hyundai.

Read our test drive report of the 2019 Proton Saga facelift.

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Anthony Lim

Anthony Lim believes that nothing is better than a good smoke and a car with character, with good handling aspects being top of the prize heap. Having spent more than a decade and a half with an English tabloid daily never being able to grasp the meaning of brevity or being succinct, he wags his tail furiously at the idea of waffling - in greater detail - about cars and all their intrinsic peculiarities here.

 

Comments

  • Nasi kandar on Aug 19, 2019 at 10:34 am

    I hope Proton can realize their mistake and discontinue the Saga FL soon. Already Saga have failed, Proton wasted their money to facelift this game over sedan.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 57
    • lembu on Aug 19, 2019 at 11:41 am

      Test drive both cars yesterday and I felt that Bezza is a better choice. Game changing Bezza have better build quality, design, fuel consumption and RV.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 54
      • abd rahim on Aug 19, 2019 at 12:22 pm

        1985 – kini, Saga kebanggan Proton baru.

        Proton Saga kekal menjadi pilihan rakyat Malaysia dek kerana harganya yang berpatutan dan sinonim dikenali sebagai kereta rakyat

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 17 Thumb down 1
        • saga put mesia on world map. on Aug 19, 2019 at 2:34 pm

          Proton Geely Lotus > all

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0
        • Antappp on Aug 20, 2019 at 9:56 am

          Why wanna buy kuat makan minyak saga if there is jimat minyak bezza u can buy.

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 14
      • abd rahim on Aug 19, 2019 at 12:34 pm

        1985 – kini, Saga kebanggan Proton baru.

        Proton Saga kekal menjadi pilihan rakyat Malaysia dek kerana harganya yang berpatutan dan sinonim dikenali sebagai kereta rakyat

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 0
      • A P2 troll’s words. Does they worth anything?

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 16 Thumb down 0
        • Why r u triggered by a dupe??

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
          • Aura89 on Aug 20, 2019 at 5:36 pm

            People believe trolls when no one calls them out for their nonsense. Not everyone who follows these or any forums are educated enough to not get pulled in and believe the pure fabrication that comes out of people like our resident dupe troll.

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
        • Celup King on Aug 19, 2019 at 10:21 pm

          HELL NO!!!

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0
        • Aura89 on Aug 20, 2019 at 8:14 am

          We need to keep someone like him around the forum for sh!ts and giggles.

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
      • rally_fan (Member) on Aug 19, 2019 at 2:44 pm

        wow.. AMAZING.. just by test driving a BEZA, you know it has better RV and fuel consumption.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 4
      • Li Peng on Aug 19, 2019 at 3:28 pm

        The Bezza is the better car for old people, as it’s not so powerful and fast as the Saga.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 0
      • Ya laa…2018 1.3 Premium only cost RM28500, best RV
        Rubbish car test by u also comment good quality and best RV.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 0
    • U tok kok laa…now Bezza game over dy…hahaha

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 15 Thumb down 2
  • Hahaha.. More cheaper.. More quality.. yess.. all under geely.. Thanks DSNR

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 21 Thumb down 5
    • Rakyat Malaysia on Aug 19, 2019 at 12:05 pm

      Thanks higher DSNR.

      https://paultan.org/2018/07/31/malaysians-to-be-gifted-with-higher-car-prices-najib/

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 14 Thumb down 0
      • Celup King on Aug 19, 2019 at 5:39 pm

        Yup PM Najib predicted which came true

        https://paultan.org/2019/06/13/toyota-camry-price-increased-by-7k-now-rm196888/

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0
  • Magma 1.5S on Aug 19, 2019 at 10:48 am

    15 months on. Thumbs up Tun! Keep it up wokay!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 17
  • newme on Aug 19, 2019 at 11:05 am

    Automaker should stop inviting him to test or whatever presentation. It just feeding him with idea mengarut like 3rd national car, flying car, submarine car, space car.. etc.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 33 Thumb down 6
  • mig29ria on Aug 19, 2019 at 11:20 am

    Tun still love Proton even after kick-out by DRB Hicom from Proton itself. Yes because he is in power now.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 8
    • John Loo on Aug 19, 2019 at 1:41 pm

      The kick out was ordered by DSNR, just so you know.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 0
      • Anonymous on Aug 19, 2019 at 3:13 pm

        No one from BN Govt ordered it. DRB Hicom owned by SyedMokhtar sould not go on it alone and needed a startegic partner. DRB picked Geely.
        BN Govt did not interfere. Grow up and move on.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 1
      • Celup King on Aug 19, 2019 at 5:41 pm

        Good riddance!!! An albatross around Proton’s neck for so long.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • vVivi Zurianti on Aug 19, 2019 at 11:37 am

    Name is Proton, hidden behind it is Geely. Now, it has kimchi gearbox……

    Is national car is just a name? or there is a special definition of what is “National” by Proton?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 20
    • redpilled on Aug 19, 2019 at 12:37 pm

      What a shallow mind you have. Nobody made a big fuss about Lotus when P1 owned them or was JLR any less British under TATA?

      And so what about the gearbox? Now it’s Hyundai’s, previous version used Polish tranny and before that was Aisin from Japan.

      That Saga is made in Malaysia by Malaysians on a Malaysian designed chassis, powered by Malaysian made engines and rolls on Malaysian tuned and made suspension. So what if it uses a ………….. (Insert country) transmission? Most if not, all, car manufacturers are doing the same thing.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 25 Thumb down 2
      • bluepilled on Aug 19, 2019 at 3:30 pm

        your argument wont age well. all next proton models will be Geely rebadge. the next saga will be a car rebadged from a car with weird chinese name. no campro or proton-built engines too in the future. proton will be our national car re-badger. it should already cease calling itself a national car.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 3
    • Ex VGM staff on Aug 19, 2019 at 1:43 pm

      Nope, that’s why Tun suggested for us to have a new carmaker. Because proton can no longer be known as local. Except for the fact that it started in Malaysia, with an assembly plants in Malaysia and majority of locals working in it.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 11
      • redpilled on Aug 19, 2019 at 2:38 pm

        yes and that new company oso going to you use Daihatsu/foreign core components… and yet that is okay, but not for P1 working with Geely? would you think the same if P1 was working with VW instead?
        not local anymore? what your brain just switched off issit? forgot about local designed platforms and chassis since Waja? forgot about selfmade powertrain since Gen2? forgot about in house tuned suspension since GTI and PV6?

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 0
      • rally_fan (Member) on Aug 19, 2019 at 2:47 pm

        ex VGM staff.. saga, persona, iriz, exora, preve are all cars still on sale today that are running a Proton developed chassis and engine. designed, developed, tested and built by malaysians. x70 is only 1 model rebadged from Geely. Even then , CKD X70 promises to have more input on new improvements for the malaysian market.. improvements that were done here in Malaysia by Malaysians. please do a bit more research the next time you decide to post something.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 0
      • mig29ria on Aug 19, 2019 at 3:08 pm

        Proton now is going to focusing on manufacturing dan distributor of the car. The current model will be phase out with the model from Geely. The business model is the same as NAZA, but it fails because NAZA doesn’t hold national car status.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
        • redpilled on Aug 20, 2019 at 1:18 pm

          Wow. Did you get all that info directly from Dr Li himself? Or did you just spoke/ typed straight out of your ar5e?

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • lilytan on Aug 19, 2019 at 12:09 pm

    Ur fruit of labor after 30+ years. Proud?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 0
  • Ksatria on Aug 19, 2019 at 12:54 pm

    I really hope Tun can come to his senses & do what’s best for the nation not just in automotive industry.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
    • Anonymous on Aug 19, 2019 at 3:17 pm

      Agree. Industry players bidding for HSR project willing to invest and work with local instituitions to share training and skills development for HSR industry growth.
      BUT TunM not willing to proceed with HSR because it was not his idea… just because it was from DSNajib and previous BN Govt. Have to wait till end of May 2020 to know the fate of Sg-KL HSR.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • Jeffrey Chew on Aug 19, 2019 at 1:02 pm

    Perhaps the Geely TX5 aka London Taxi parked at the sheltered lot can capture more attention. Who owns this black cab??

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • John Doe on Aug 19, 2019 at 1:51 pm

    Wish I can be as free…
    My priorities are wrong, it seems the higher you go up, the more free you get.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 1
    • Pi Leng on Aug 19, 2019 at 3:33 pm

      You cannot testdrive a Saga “over the weekend”? Poor guy…

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • So whats next. Proton to go for ergonomic perfection. Even my naive wife said. ” i have to raise my knee just to step on the brakes” . So means tha brake pedal is tad higher. And she said ” i hurt my back for long hour driving”…..yes its the seat

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Anonymous on Aug 19, 2019 at 3:09 pm

    MEH…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Your new car project may lose to proton.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 10 Thumb down 0
  • Ben Yap on Aug 20, 2019 at 10:13 am

    Tun M tells to himself after he test drive the Saga…..”hmmm… should i plonk in a 4-speeder into my flying car too?”

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Daddykasi on Aug 20, 2019 at 10:32 am

    Bye2 NNCP.. Go proton & perodua.. Kah kah kah!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
 

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