Last time I have this problem, and I choose FLX SE over Persona B-Line becoz I'm very happy with the additional equipment (including leather seat and leather steering wheel) provided by the FLX SE, so I thought it would be more value for money, but think carefully, the Saga is never a Persona, even though people can say it's fast (1.6-litre Campro IAFM+ with CVT), it looks good (15-inch rim with body kit), the fact is that after I bought the car, it feels quite basic with cheap dashboard (it doesn't feel solid as the Persona),

The Saga has no auto driver power window like Persona, no auto door lock like Persona, no function from Persona like wiping the windscreen one time to remove mist, the door also feels very thin compared to Persona and doesn't close as solid as Persona, it does have leather seat and leather steering wheel but the steering tends to vibrate while the car is idle (Persona also like this but much-lesser vibration) and noise insulation is almost non-existant,

I can promise you the passenger on Saga will have a hard time talking to you when you travel on 120km/j and you will have difficulty hearing what they say, on Saga, noise from radio also will be overshadowed by the sound of engine, wind, and tyre roar, of course noise insulation material can be installed after you bought the car but it's a tedious work of opening the door panel and taking out the seats and mats for the installation, the installation also doesn't come cheap and it takes a while to install a full noise insulation material (covering floor, roof, engine compartment, door panel), Persona has this installed from factory

the CVT gearbox will give more jerk on traffic jam, sure it saves fuel but not much since the Saga is only 40-litre fuel tank capacity while Persona has 50-litre (about RM10 fuel filling difference?), so I think both lasted about the same mileage which is around 300km to 350km if you drive gently which is enough for my traveling requirement, Saga's digital fuel meter is also inaccurate compared to Myvi while Persona has a much better fuel gauge (not to mention Persona's speedometer always light up, very cool and convenient when going through tunnel or basement car park),

I do have concern over fuel consumption of Persona but I expect that the fuel save is not much different compared to FLX SE, mine can do 11-12km/liter, I expect Persona does a bit less but should still be in the affordable region of RM300 per month of my fuel budget, in the end until now I'm still thinking what if I bought Persona...., anyway good luck choosing the car you want

Yup, i agree with the point, Persona not only feel solid, but it definitely more solid when i sit in. The door close is 'thud', thick door, good NVH, well i full soundproof my Saga but yet it only can reach stock Persona NVH, but mind you my Saga is the B-line BLM worth 36.5k @ new, even i add 4k soundproof my car still 40k only. Imagine FLX SE is a 50k car, how much soundproof you want to add? 4k also? Then better top up 6-7k more to Preve IAFM+, CVT also, but with much better ride and comfort.

I definitely agree, Saga is Saga, it will never be a Persona even add in all those accessories, because this car is just a basic affordable Sedan at 1st launch, without Myvi, i dun think Proton will release the face lift for this car again and again.

Really appreciate both of your feedback regarding the details expirience on the car, I think I'll get the persona

True, if the 2 contenders were a M-line Persona(and above), and the FLX SE.

It has been established that Saga has the worst NVH and comfort. As for sound insulation, can be done aftermarket. Chassis stiffness, surprisingly Saga actually has a stiffer chassis than the Persona (Persona based on the old Gen-2 Chassis), so the feeling of "solidness", well I dunno what went wrong in between.

The kicker is, if I spend RM 4k to soundproof my Saga to have NVH similiar to a stock B-line Persona, how much do I have to pay to get 2 airbags and ABS+EBD into a B-line Persona?

By the logic that instead of spending 4k more on a Saga, might as well buy a IAFM Preve, then I suggest to forget the Persona B-line altogether and get the Preve instead.

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Added on June 12, 2012, 3:06 amAlso, if you are impressed by meters that are constantly lit up and the wipe-once function, you will also have to live with the lack of electronic side mirrors (means you use your fingers to poke), steering mounted audio controls, fog lights and so on.

Not trying to defend my car, but again, if you plan to get the Persona, try to find M-line and above. Sorry, but in this time and age when <50k can get you a car with 2 airbags and ABS, it's silly to pay more for one that has neither.

This post has been edited by dares: Jun 12 2012, 03:29 AM

good point also bro dares, it's up to personal preference

So which car that TS choose at the end..?

Btw I personally choose Saga SE because of leather seats and safety stuff like airbag, abs, ebd etc.. TS if you really want Persona, don't buy basic one.. Think of future.. Safety is not expensive..

This thread is really helpful for me to choose between those 2 cars, wont regret reading this when your budget <50K and wanting a small family car. last entry was the cherry on top.

The Persona has been upgraded since last year, the cheapest SV now has 2 airbags, all disc brakes and ABS.

My previous comparison (2012!!!) between FLX SE and Persona B-line is no longer valid