QUOTE(jepakazoid_82 @ Sep 28 2016, 06:23 PM)
Ya no test drive review yet? Wondering how is the response of the CVT.
QUOTE(Aquariusdenz @ Sep 28 2016, 06:18 PM)
Cant wait for the driving impression
Seen and test drove the new saga earlier evening. Here is my review:
Exterior design:
Exterior design is subjective. To me, i prefer the flx smaller headlamp compared to the new one. But overall its ok to me.
The rims are actually nicer than in picture actually. They are in a darker silver tone ( not in the standard variant rim cap ).
Everything is nice, the door feels solid like u get in persona. No more milo tin sound! Since the car is heavier than be**a, the car dont shake when u shut the door.
Boot toggle is effortless to operate. And there is only one way to open the boot, which is from inside. No key or boot button operation. I like the LED signal on the side mirror !!
Interior:
The fit and finish looks improved to me. The steering isnt as bulky as those in preve. Maybe proton has shrunken it. However, the downside is the meter cluster looks extremely small. Somehow the hole in the steering isnt big enough still to see thru.
Aircond switch, the row of buttons above it are fitted in nicely with decent feel to the quality. The only button that isnt nice to press is the one on the radio. They feel shaky and hard to press.
Signal toggle is tight too, so u need more effort to switch the signal on, whereas the toggle for the wiper is much lighter.
Buttons on the steering are also of decent quality. Power window switch are brought forward from flx, so theres no one touch open or close function to it.
Glovebox has shrunken, and now u only can fit in your manual and nothing else. U can even see the wires after u open it. The good point is the front passanger's leg wont be hit after u open the glovebox because it dont open any larger.
3 usb port across the range, with 1 front, and 2 behind.
All radio comes with bluetooth connectivity.
Seats are pretty comfortable for thinner peoples. They are more supportive than those of flx, but since they are more supportive, it means its huggy and larger people will suffer abit here and there. If there is an option, the one in iriz or persona is much much comfy as they are large.
Rear seat's headroom is decent for people of 175cm. Legroom is the same as persona, so its still acceptable. ( yes. It loses to be**a ). Shoulder room is of course smaller than persona but smaller size ppl wouldnt complain much. The seats have been reclined too, which means now u can sleep !
Gear tunnel have shrunken too, means middle seater wont complain much in longer journey.
No armrest thou. But the seats do fold down fully for ikea shopping.
The faux stitching on the dash is abit more up class to my taste. Feels better.
The metal gun finish around the aircond for premium spec feels very nice and makes the interior looks less dull. Its much better than the fake piano plastic across the dash on the be**a.
The aircond feels a little cheap, especially the area where u switch the direction of the air. It feels like its gonna drop one day. Oh ya! No leg blower or whatsoever. Only 1 mode.
The door handle is in metal gun too. Nice! But 1 complain. Why there is no cover to the screw hole?? Is that 1cm x 1cm plastic expensive?
The central locking button on the dash isnt functional when any of the door is open, including the engine hood. So pls take note ya! Safety feature!
Driving :
One thing for sure is an improvement is the sound insulation. The cabin feels much much much more quiet than the predecessor. Minimal tyre roll road noise, wind noise and engine noise. Even if i floor the gas paddle, the engine still roars gently. In fact, very gently. Not because its not roaring, its because the sound insulation is in a whole new level for saga!
100km/h is still the same, the increment in outside noise is too insignificant!
Steering feels a little lighter, yet i still feel like driving a hydraulic power steering pick up. Abit on the heavier side still, but at least i know what the tyre is doing and facing.
No vibration on the steering in low rev. Control on the steering is ok but not very precise imho. But one thing is i feel confident on corners at high speed, even at speed 100km/h.
Throttle response is slow. Throttle lag is another issue but thats the characteristic of cvt. Compared to the outgoing flx, the new one is laggier. This means that the rpm go up first, and then suddenly the car move forward out of sudden when the rpm goes down to where the rpm supposed to be at that speed.
When u wanna overtake, u will need to think twice as the car lags of power. Even if u floor the paddle, the car acceletates very very gently. So there is no point for u to floor other than slowly press the gas paddle. Its the same on axia. Exactly the same. To save fuel i suppose...
A very greatly appreciated update will be the new cvt gearbox. Super refined and smooth compared to the previous gen..
Brake is decent for local cars. Hild hold assist (HHA) is very useful especially in slopes.
Gear knob shifting feels cheap. When ure trying to engage another gear, the feeling on the knob is abit on the loose side. It feels incompete or untidy. U can feel it when u put between R and N, or between any gears. This really need improvement. Its like asking the owner "are u sure?". Funny...
Reverse camera works like a charm. Because its displayed at the rear view mirror, it means that the display is small, and leads to better and sharper resolution. Its bright too. Very helpful, but im really not used to it.. weird...
Best part is that the safety belt reminder dont sound annoying

it ask u to wear your safety belt gently and calmly. Sweet!
My comment:
Proton should have abs for the standard variant at least. Take go the rear fog lamp, 1 usb slot and reduce 1 speed for the aircond ( the aircond is already powerful at speed 2 ). But pls return me the abs at leastttttt..
And, pls, dont use the old proton saga key fob. Real shame. I like the flip flop like samurai small pen knife

so cool!
I like how it sound when i start the engine. Actually its quite silent hahahaha
Thats all for my review!
Pls take note, its just my review. Dont condemn me pls
This post has been edited by ShengHeng: Sep 29 2016, 12:38 AM