SA Roadtests
South Africa
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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. We drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under South African conditions. It also just happens that most of the vehicles we drive are world cars as well, so what you read here probably applies to the models you can get at home.
*To read one of our road tests, just select from the menu on the left.
*Please remember too, that prices quoted were those ruling on the days I wrote the stories.
This is a launch report. In other words, it's simply a new model announcement. The driving experience was limited to a short drive over a prepared course chosen to make the product look good. We can therefore not tell you what it will be like to live with over an extended period, how economical it is, or how reliable it will be. A very brief first impression is all we can give you until such time as we get an actual test unit for trial. Thank you for your patience.
Pics supplied by importer
Published in The Witness Motoring on Wednesday January 20, 2009
The Aussies don’t seem to think Proton’s newest Saga is particularly good looking, so they hired their Miss Universe contestant Rachael Finch to pose with it and pretty-up the scenery a bit. While the Finch is easy enough to look at, having placed fourth in the big pageant, I personally think the Saga is cute enough to stand on its own. Cars are not bought on looks alone, however.
Since acquiring Lotus a few years ago and incorporating some of that firm’s engineering know-how into their suspension design, Proton’s reputation for building sweet-handling cars has been confirmed by road testers both locally and overseas. Quality control has also been spotlighted, with internally monitored “concerns per car” dropping to an average of less than 0,5.
Introduced to the press at a briefing near Johannesburg recently, this second-generation Saga is the latest version of the Malaysian manufacturer’s bread and butter vehicle, which has been its top earner since 1985. In South Africa it replaces the Savvy and is based on a stretched version of that platform.
Offered initially in SA as a market-testing 1300 to home market specification (the Aussies leaped straight in with a higher-spec 1600) the Saga is a four-door small saloon with a decently sized boot for its class and enough head and knee room for six-footers sitting in the back.
Standard equipment includes air conditioning, 14” alloy wheels, integrated Clarion four speaker CD sound system, central locking with keyless entry, colour-coded bumpers, mirrors and door handles, drivers side SRS airbag, electric windows in front, electric mirrors, front fog lamps, parking distance control and power steering.
Power is supplied by Proton’s 1 332 cc Campro 16-valve DOHC engine, putting out 70 kW at 6 000 rpm and 120 Nm of torque at 4 000 rpm. Claimed zero to 100 km/h and top speed figures are 13 seconds and 160 km/h respectively.
Suspension is by means of McPherson struts with stabiliser bar in front and a torsion beam axle at the rear. Brakes are 13” vented discs in front and 7” drums at the back.
A brief ride and drive over a variety of roads showed the Saga to be an attractively finished unit with loads of room for its size. Comfortable over poorly maintained asphalt roads and with the kind of performance one can expect of a naturally aspirated 1300 at Reef altitude, this latest Malaysian appears well priced for what it offers.
The Saga’s launch price of R119 995 includes a three-year warranty and a two-year service plan. Colours include black, white, red and silver.
This is a one-man show, which means that road test cars entrusted to me are driven only by me. Some reviewers hand test cars over to their partners to use as day-to-day transport and barely experience them for themselves.
What this means to you is that every car reviewed is given my own personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every car goes through real world testing; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.
I am based in Pietermaritzburg, KZN, South Africa. This is the central hub of the KZN Midlands farming community; the place farmers go to to buy their supplies and equipment, truck their goods to market, send their kids to school and go to kick back and relax.
So occasionally a cow, a goat or a horse may add a little local colour by finding its way into the story or one of the pictures. It's all part of the ambience!
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SA Roadtests
South Africa
ctjag8