Here we go again. We know what some of you are thinking, but really, this post is not what you think it is. Despite how the headline reads, this isn’t meant to be one of those clickbait posts purposely going the other direction to get noticed.
Instead, these are five Proton variants that we think you should skip, because there are other ones in the range that you should instead focus your hard earned money on. Our buyers guide is based on price, value and features, with a strong emphasis on safety kit.
The previous instalment titled “5 Perodua variants you should not buy” was not a knock on the market leader – we were recommending our top picks from elsewhere in the Perodua range, and not other makes. Many took the cue to bash the company for rolling out unsafe cars – that’s puzzling, because Perodua has of late been pushing the safety glass ceiling and making other automakers look stingy even.
Perodua’s sales lead is comfortable, but Proton has been pushing hard to regain prominence. Although the spotlight has been on the CKD X70 and just-around-the-corner X50 SUVs, Proton has been improving its bread and butter models in the affordable segment. Last year, the carmaker updated the Saga, Iriz, Persona and Exora with revised looks and more kit, coupled with lower pricing.
In an ideal world, we’ll get all safety equipment across every model range on sale, even for brands playing in the entry level like Proton and Perodua. But as with everything in life, it doesn’t work that way, and something has to give. With that said, here are five Protons that we think you should skip in favour of other variants.
Proton Saga Standard AT
The latest version of the Proton Saga, introduced in August 2019, brought significant changes to the brand’s entry level sedan, ranging from a new gearbox (Hyundai’s 4AT replaces old CVT) to a revamped dashboard. The mid-level Executive variant was dropped, leaving only the Standard (MT and AT) and the Premium (AT only).
The Saga facelift range kicks off with the Standard MT at RM32,400 (with 2020 sales tax exemption, as with all prices in this story), and RM2,900 more (RM35,300) will buy you the 4AT version of the base trim level, adding on alloys, LED map lights, rear USB ports and damped grab handles in the process.
The Standard AT is good value, but adding RM4,000 will net you extras worth a fair bit more than the difference. The Saga Premium looks significantly better with 15-inch two-tone alloys, LED daytime running lights, body-colour door mirrors and handles, and black trim on the B pillars.
Inside, Premium buyers get nicer seat fabric, audio/call buttons on the steering wheel plus an Android touchscreen head unit with four speakers (the floating design looks odd with a non-touchscreen HU). All those things are already worth more than RM4k, but we haven’t even touched on the most important area – safety.
The range-topping Saga is the only one that comes with electronic stability control (ESC), and while unseen, that’s the most valuable upgrade. Also exclusive to the Premium are hill-hold assist, front parking sensors and a reverse camera. If you can afford the difference, there should be only one choice if you’re going for an automatic Saga. Cosmetics can be retrofitted later on, but not ESC.
Proton Iriz and Persona Standard CVT
Now, we’re fans of manual cars on this channel (unlike keyboard warriors, we have an actual collection of stick shifters in various shapes and sizes), but we’re also not the kind you’ll find uttering “if only it was a manual” or “if manual, I buy” at every car launch.
It’s not for everyone, but if you’re game with a manual as a daily driver, Proton has some under-appreciated gems in its range. Most Iriz and Persona punters skip the stick for the CVT, but as Hafriz Shah puts it: paying RM3k and RM2k extra (Iriz Standard 1.3 CVT and Persona Standard 1.6 CVT are priced at RM39,200 and RM44,000 respectively) for a worse car is never a good deal is it?
Here’s the argument. The CVT on the latest Iriz/Persona isn’t as annoying as earlier versions, as constant improvements rolled out since 2014 have made it an OK daily companion. Not quite at the level of the CVTs from Honda and Toyota, but serviceable lah.
On the flip side, the manual ‘box in the B-segment sisters are reportedly very good and are “much better than Perodua MTs”. Now, I haven’t driven a Proton manual in ages so I can’t corroborate Hafriz’s statement, but my daily is a Myvi G3 MT (rarer than a Ferrari you know), and objectively speaking, the clutch and shift isn’t great. Based on trend, he should be right.
Hafriz, who occasionally drives an Iriz MT, adds that Proton’s 5MT has good shift feel and a clutch pedal that’s easy to modulate. There’s even hill hold assist, a feature that I no longer have and truly miss. “Driven back to back, the MT Iriz/Persona is far superior to the CVT,” he says.
Rowing your own gears in the daily urban grind isn’t for most, of course, but if you’re opting for the CVT, we recommend the Executive CVT variants pictured here, which are priced at RM44,100 for the Iriz 1.3L and RM48,900 for the Persona 1.6L.
For a RM5k premium, the mid spec adds on a fair bit, which includes bigger wheels and auto headlamps for the Iriz; and LED DRLs, remote trunk release, keyless entry/push start and touchscreen head unit with reverse camera for both. The add-ons, and the convenience they will provide over the years, are good value for RM5k. If you can afford the higher monthly instalments of the Exec over the Standard CVT, go for it.
We understand that RM5k isn’t insignificant in this price bracket, and loan approval can be down to fine margins, but at least the price difference is spread across a loan tenure of up to nine years. Accessorising your car down the road would require cash upfront.
Proton Exora Executive
More than a decade on, the Proton Exora is still around. Despite getting a running change last year, the seven-seat MPV feels dated and is getting hard to recommend these days. However, like the equally-old Perodua Alza, it still serves a segment of the motoring public – large families on a budget – and is relevant because of that.
But we can only stand behind the RM64,800 Premium variant. The Executive at RM57,300 may be cheaper by RM7,500, but it lacks ESC, and a family MPV not having stability control is unacceptable.
The other differences include LED DRLs, rear fog lamp, electric fold wing mirrors, side skirts, rear spoiler, black roof/rear garnish, leather steering, steering buttons, cruise control, semi-leatherette seats, driver’s vanity mirror, front row fold-down armrests, reverse camera and a seven-inch “Hi Proton” head unit. All are good to have, but ESC is the biggest point.
On the topic of safety, it’s very unfortunate that Proton removed the option of having side airbags in the Exora in 2017 (since then, just two airbags across the board), having already spent money to develop it for the model. It’s a clear cost-cutting move in order to provide more showroom-friendly features.
Proton X50 1.5T Standard
The launch of the Proton X50 is just around the corner now, and we’ve brought to you plenty of details over the past weeks. We know the specs and the line-up of the much-anticipated SUV, but not the prices.
Basically, there are four variants – Standard, Executive, Premium and Flagship – and two 1.5L three-cylinder turbo engines. The Flagship gets a 177 PS/255 Nm direct injection unit while the other variants receive a 150 PS/226 Nm port-injected version of the same motor. When we first saw the spec sheet and feature spread, one thing popped out – only four airbags for the Standard.
Four airbags is not acceptable for a brand new 2020 release, more so a model that’s billed as technologically advanced. We’ll see how much cheaper the Standard is compared to the Executive, but anyhow, there shouldn’t be a price on safety, and this isn’t a bargain basement segment. Even the Perodua Aruz, a much less sophisticated product meant for developing markets, has six airbags across the board.
We’ll have to wait for official pricing, but if the gap between the Premium and Flagship proves to be small (we’re expecting at least RM10k, which is not insignificant), then the Premium will be included in this list, as the range-topper not only comes with a more powerful engine, but it’s the only one to have the full ADAS driver assist suite.
Yup, looks like it’s all or nothing for the X50 in terms of driver assist safety features, as the other three variants don’t even come with autonomous emergency braking (AEB) or blind spot warning.
In comparison, the X70’s spec breakdown appears to be better thought out. There’s significant visual difference between the base Standard and mid Executive variants, justifying the price difference, but the bigger SUV gets six airbags across the range.
So there you go, five Proton variants that we think you should not buy, and why. Some would argue that the X70 Premium X should be included here too, but we think that RM3k is a fair price to pay for those who want the sunroof, which is one of those “love it or absolutely don’t care for it” features. At least Proton is giving X70 buyers a choice instead of lumping it all into the flagship, like what they’re doing with the X50 Flagship.
Of course, all variants exist for a reason, and at some price segments, every 100 ringgit counts when it comes to affordability and loan approval. But if you can afford it, go for the better and/or better value car. There are some features that once used can never be “unused”, and while safety features can’t be seen, they make all the difference in the most crucial of moments.
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No no Danny. I love this kind of post. Let’s continue with this please.
Promotion article? So buy full spec only la?
Sorry to say , drove passat b8 before, the DSG , again the DSG is newhere better than. P1 CVT. The lag is still there , forget the powerful engine, the gearbox sometimes cannot deliver its true power to the wheels. Jepunis? Oh it doesn’t deserve anyhing to say, worst.
Twist
Tesla is saying kimchi Atos 4AT > Proton Saga Iriz Punch CVT > VW DSG
The Exora is very outdated. I dont know what Proton is thinking, it should be discontinued. While there is no news about the upcoming next gen Exora, we do get a news about the upcoming next gen Alza. This is trullly an exciting news. This is why you should not buy the Exora, wait for Game-Changing DNGA based Alza.
Where is this neww about your Alza replacement? Perodua are still selling Alza without Stability control so you lack credibility to critic Exora.
I cannot stop laughing These are all Proton models. That means all Proton cars are not worthy of our money.
X50 and X70 are China cars. So, without X50 and X70, sure Proton never gave us worthy cars to drive. So shameful
as above. I hope same does not apply for the X50
Forget local Proton cars
Malaysian car should be cheaper for Malaysians and not cheaper for China
Last time kutuk China and say balik tongsan etc but now crawl to China and beg for help. Lucky China is so kind hearted and helped Proton with a great product
Proton X50 not yet officially launched. But alredi ended up Proton variant we should not buy – Thats very worrying, very worried. Perodua Rocky
Copy paste: “Arguably the X50 standard is just there to round things off and make haters feel better about themselves. It still has far better safety features when comparing to non-nationals of similar price bracket like BR-V (only 2 airbags).
When the brand has to backpedal because of market demands, it isn’t the fault of that brand but safety awareness of the market is too low. They don’t think Safety First.”
Lucky China, Li Chunrong and Geely have given us such great products like the X50 and X70 that is safe and worthy of our investments.
For 30 years we have waited for a safe car from our National car maker, finally we got one.
Thank you Geely, I only wished this car was designed , invented and made by Malaysians for Malaysians.
There are more reasons why people should not buy Proton. First is their aftersales service which is very frustating, it took months just for the parts we order to arrive. Second is the RV, Proton RV drop like a waterfall. Third is their service attitude, when you bring your car to SC, the mechanic can only complain a lot rather than fixing the car. Fourth is the questionable reliability, Proton and reliability cannot be combined together, they are opposite. These 4 reasons are why you must consider twice before buying a Proton. Might as well just consider a Perodua since Perodua is Malaysian’s favourite car
Can’t blame Proton for trading in safety features for more bling since that is what the customers wants. If the rakyat don’t care about safety (judging by the number of Perodua car they bought), why should Proton bother to try anymore?
Rakyat cares about how much money is coming out of their pocket, you don’t know their financial situation – they may not be able to afford expensive variants. It is up to the government to implement regulations to ensure the safety of all Malaysians – no matter the vehicle they are able to afford.
@Afeeq again the gist is isn’t proton fault for giving what their customers wants.
Safety should not be compromised! This is a terrible Game Over decision made by Proton to include just 4 airbags on the upcoming 1.5 Standard X50. I dont understand why my first national carmaker could not give us the complete safety feature package. This is very frustating indeed. This is also the reason why you should wait for Perodua D55L. I believe our second national carmaker will fit complete safety feature on all of their Game-Changing Perodua D55L variants
Perodua is much more safe too, as it has much less power. Low speed n low acceleration > less accidents
Perodua is the car the people shouldnt buy very unsafe not stable lots of problem after 2-3 years dashboard rattling power window out aircond out high fuel consumption. Just bcos its Toyota thats why people get conned and buy it including me. Prefer my 9 years old still running smooth & good
The way you twist stuff is just immature. I tip my hat for you.
You buy because it is the cheapest and most economical. Thats all.
Betui.. We buy Proton X50 because it is the cheapest.
Summore jimat minyak,
Low maintenance,
Tiptop safety and autonomous spek,
Gooding resale value.
But local pipul mau jaga air muka. Pakai proton NO face la, depan Family saudara mara, jiran2, coliqs, member2 kat Kampong…Pakai proton jek? bile nk maju bro?? Cuba tgk depan rumah kite, parking Vellfire n sekenhen Mini Cooper… baru nampak acah2 oghang kaya. balik kampong br bleh angkat muka bangga, HAHA! ford Mustang Next!
X50 and x70 more for lower income group like in China.
Mini cooper is ugly better hide your face
Somehow i see a lot of Saga Standard AT on the road
Too Much of Anything Is Bad For You.
Of the cars above, you could only cross off Saga AT as something undeserving of Proton’s brand image.
For the Iriz & Persona Executive and Exora Standard, these shouldn’t have lesser safety features if only the market had been more appreciative when they initially came with all the safety bells & whistles.
Arguably the X50 standard is just there to round things off and make haters feel better about themselves. It still has far better safety features when comparing to non-nationals of similar price bracket like BR-V (only 2 airbags).
When the brand has to backpedal because of market demands, it isn’t the fault of that brand but safety awareness of the market is too low. They don’t think Safety First.
RM4000 difference from Premium spec is a lot for buyer in this segment..
This is trully a well-written and professional article. Very informative and clear! Kudos to PT team for this Game-Changing article, you deserve a praise for this masterpiece. After reading this article, I completely agree with your opinion, nothing to argue here.
And here comes the shilling as what @Gary had predicted.
Roti john is not Kunta.
Copy paste: “Gerenti you he will then come in with his multitudes of dupes, singing praises of PT and copy pasta his boring act of whacking Proton. Seen enough of him to know.”
Don’t worry, PT should published next article “five honda models you should not buy.” article? I hope PT will do it soon.
Roti john is not Kunta.
A reader caught your Mee Hailam dupe using Kunta spiel and I caught your Roti John dupe using Mee Hailam comments, ergo we can infer who Roti john can be traced to just as MOH can trace the origins of a cluster infection.
Mee Hailam is Kunta, not mine bro.
@Roti john. Your act of repeatedly downvoting @Dr Strange’s comments proves that he was spot on.
Next will be 5 TNH variants you should not buy.
Fuyoh, the fanbois Vs the haters in 3,. 2,. 1,.
Now for our locals to gips full sapot this China car, assembled here. rmmbr is enjin Volvo, dun gatal2 go buy jepunis
Hidden due to lowcomment rating. Click here to see.
Ok buddy. I guess we can’t do anything right anymore, can we?
Hard pill to swallow, I know. You can choose to listen or ignore, up to you.
Next you should do a Game-Changing article about Five Honda models you should not buy. Hope PT Team will do that soon.
Next you should do about Five Honda models you should not buy. Hope PT Team will do that soon.
Bruh, paultan is doing it. So I’m also looking forward about the article for the reason for not buying honda. I hope honda SA will accept and not post fake feedbacks and not complaining
Dude, you really can’t feel the sarcasm? Funny to see you ‘kembang hidung’ thinking a few of your comments can really affect PT. The majority of readers approved of PT’s neutrality, so you and your brigade of trolls and haters are just like a drop in an ocean. By brigade I mean 4 or 5 of you guys using multiple dupes.
Ignore these trolls. They’re just immature butthurt fanbois who just want to hear and see nothing but accolades and gushing praises for their supported car brand.
According to this logic, PT is a salesman for every car brand since you guys also reported about vw, lambo, heck even a salesman for fuel. Can’t understand these peoples.
Btw, thanks for ron95 weekly update. Genuinely appreciate that.
In all fairness, all Proton FL models sell like hotcakes since Geely-rized. DRB done a really bad job, how about 5 failures DRB done to Proton. and let’s not start with the billions RM bailout DRB took, tutup2 la.
You guys are doing great. No need to give a damn to those haters. Haters are haters. Nobody needs their opinion anyway.
What’s with the clickbait off late? Paultan is better than this. Review how other countries pushing for EVs and how we can learn from it or how the policy make the sector one of drivers to Malaysia’s recovery out of Covid-19.
Perhaps you should get some inspiration from the smaller and lesser read ones. Their articles can be interesting some times.
Maybe its time these trolls and bait-biters leave PT in peace and go infect their hatred on these more interesting sites.
i absolutely agree with this, sir. recently it becomes more of a deterrent for me to click this kind of ‘interesting topics’ from pt.org. nothing special, just trying to sensationalize a no-brainer in the first place.
I find nothing wrong with Paultan,s team. Everyone has freedom of expression. You can choose not to follow what’s written or showing in Paultan.org. In fact I followed every single video (however short) Hafriz put up about the new X50 and found it very informative.
Why so butthurt?? Did paultan do something to you ah?
Paul Tan forgot to provide him the vaseline cream when they launched a series of X50 write ups, now he is feeling wretched pain in the … hehehe.
Haters, Trolls, & Bashers Convention
Main hater: Hey look guys! Paul Tan is releasing a series of Proton articles and the car is shit good. What can we talk bad about? Anything guys?
Minion hater: We could hate the brand?
Main hater: Doesn’t work, people don’t hate Proton nor Geely anymore. Next!
Trolls: Hehehe. We could troll about vibrating 3cyl engine and power windows…
Main hater: Sorry bro. PT have explained on the massive attention by Geely & Volvo to resolve all the issues with 3pots and last I heard nobody remembers when the last time Proton power windows failed. Next!
Basher: Ooh ooh I know! If we can’t talk about the brand or car, lets just bash the writers and the website.
Main hater: Nice thinking! Let’s go deploy our army of haters, trolls & bashers right now. Wait a sec, there are only 4 of us here. No choice, let’s deploy our army of dupes!
Absolutely bro spot on…. now power windows and other problems transfer to Perodua now. Soon they will lose their throne
ayohh sapot China. Gogo China!!
Good article, BUT i cannot grab the issue with Iriz. I thought this model has ESC as standard? Correct me if I’m wrong.
Dare say the WORST Proton would be …… Gen2
That car marked the beginning of the downfall of Proton. Gen2 was not only badly conceived (no thanks to the interference of the flamboyant ex racing driver CEO) but also debuted that horrible Campro engine (satu lagi projek syiok sendiri yang makan wang rakyat). Interior plastics, fit and finish, NVH was incredibly even worse than the Saga / Iswara.
It was perplexing when that flamboyant ex racing driver CEO exclaimed that Proton was Asia’s answer to BMW !!!
To quote Georges Jacques Danton, ” l’audace,l’audace, toujours l’audace “
Yes and no. While the initial variants of Gen2 were poor, otoh the facelifted variant with CPS engine was the sweetest car I ever drove. They made bad decisions in the furnish(which got fixed anyways in the facelift) but the engineering into that car was solid.
And after 35 long years spent & 35 Billion wasted… finally Proton can design own front grille. Although still most expensive front car grille in history, but let’s give our local boys a pat on the back. Nice grille indeed, way to go boys!
Must be quite comfy living in a cave for 35 years. What made you came out all of a sudden?
X70 base variant is well thought of.. At 89k, what a steal. And it’s the fastest and most fuel economical compared to the other variants!
I felt thats most makan minyak in the sub RM150k category
Even a 500Nm Hilux Ranger more fuel saving
It is stupid to compare diesel and petrol vehicles that are not the same.
Not stupid.. Bigger and more productivity for a Fortuner Pickup/Everest Pickup?
Even Hilux also got self driving cruise control AEB now.
Probably the geely x70 pickup more stupid, lagi makan minyak and underpowered, yet smaller cabin and loading space.
https://paultan.org/2020/09/21/chinas-farizon-fx-is-a-geely-boyue-pro-pick-up-truck/
If you have to transport kambing then Hilux is much better than X70!
I hope after the launch, after market 360 camera kit will be available
Even with those “Proton variants that should not buy” poverty spec also at least they still got bloody temperature gauge unlike cheap and nasty overpriced Berukdua that can’t even put that damn important instrument.
temperature gauge is important as the car aged, much much noticable than a small temperature icon
My view is that customers purchases are centered on “X”, the “rubbing” expected from Geely on other vehicle models should have occurred by now.
100% agree with the writer. Safety should NOT be comprised no matter the version and price of the vehicle
dont buy any variant of proton or perodua, period
i thought Waja is in the list too… my brother’s & BIL’s waja having same power window problm
Why no mention about X70 spare part problem?
ahhh..no more buying from proton. spent tons of money on wira and savvy. couldnt trust proton. love my myvi..
Would love to see articles for other brands too
I guess all the models stated here has their own pros and cons. In the end, you have to just value your car like your family member. I drove Proton Iriz 1.3 Exec first batch and until now, I haven’t encounter any problem. Our skills on the road does matters. Safety should be utmost priority than makeover or RVs.
Danny, I have a suggestion. Please write an article regarding the best 5 manual transmission cars under RM100k we can currently buy in Malaysia.
Advised by Paultan expert, but
Proton posted 33.6% sales jump in Sept 2020.
So many people complaining about the 4 airbags in the standard proton x50 but seriously how many times in your entire life have you crashed a car that you need to worry about airbags. But aside from that the car is considered high performance for that price range.
You may think you don’t need extra airbags. Until you do.
Don’t take chances.