Exclusive: Returning Proton Saga price and specs revealed

Having hinted at the arrival of the reimagined Saga earlier this month, Proton has now officially detailed its first sedan and also smallest model that benefitted from a mid-life facelift in Malaysia last year.

Developed and produced without any assistance from parent company Geely, the Saga, known internally as the MC2, has been on-sale since 2016 and for South Africa, almost follows the same trim level denominators with the exception being the Premium S that remains forbidden fruit for the local market.

Spec

Measuring 4 335 mm in overall length with a wheelbase of 2 465 mm, height of 1 515 mm and width of 1 690 mm, the Saga has rated boot space of 420-litres with the rear seats up, and on the mentioned trim level front, a choice of two derivatives; Standard and Premium.

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In the case of the former, specification consist of an LCD instrument cluster display, electric windows, air-conditioning, an LCD audio system with two-speakers and a single USB port, electric mirrors, keyless entry, height adjustable driver’s seat, rear parking sensors, dual front airbags, ABS and EBD.

On models fitted with the five-speed manual gearbox, the 14-inch wheels are steel items with plastic covers, while versions fitted with the four-speed automatic gain alloys of the same size, a second USB port, Hill Descent Control, Hill Hold Assist and traction control.

At the top of the range, the Premium only comes with the automatic ‘box and besides swapping the halogen daytime running lights for LED diodes, gains a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus:

• four-speaker sound system
• 15-inch alloy wheels
• front parking sensors
• reverse camera

Grunt

Up front, Proton has carried over the engine from the Malaysian-market Saga, a normally aspirated 1.3-litre petrol outputting 70kW/120Nm. No performance or fuel consumption figures were revealed.

As for colours, five have been allocated; Snow White, Armour Silver, Rosewood Maroon and surprisingly, Ruby Red, a colour reserved only for the Premium S.

Price

Standard across the Saga range is a five-year/150 000 km warranty with a service plan being optional. Pricing kicks-off at R199 900 for the Standard manual and at R219 900 for the automatic. The Premium meanwhile rounds the range off at R239 900.

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