I was with my brother around Puchong Jaya the other day and we passed by a Proton showroom where this shining red Saga FLX SE caught our attention. So we decided to drop by and check it out.
The 'fire red' FLX SE test drive unit
The red on the new FLX SE is brighter and of a redder tone compared to the pre-FL SE's brilliant red which looks more like maroon. The red car in brochures looks awful, but in real life, it looks pretty good (maybe because the test drive unit comes with those stripes?). There was another unit in solid white in the showroom. Touched here and there, noticed that the build quality and fittings feel notably a little better compared to my car. The main differences of the FLX SE compared to the standard FLX is the 1.6 IAFM engine mated to a CVT transmission, two-toned bodykit, and leather seats.
I own a pre-FL Saga SE and i could spot several differences between the new and my old SE. The new one has a darker interior tone (tempest grey) which gives the interior a more classy feeling, darker coloured aircond vents, leather wrapped handbrake lever (pre-FL SE doesn't have this), and two features i would love to have on my car: radio unit with USB and steering radio controls and rear powered windows. On the outside, side mirrors now comes with turn indicators, 15-inch rims (nice!) with 195/50 Continental rubbers and smoked rear LED combi lights which complement the looks. The two-toned bodykit is more like a love-or-hate thingy, but it seriously didn't look that bad in flesh. Quality of the leather hide feels of a higher grade too, compared to the old SE.
The SA at the Puchong branch was friendly, and gave a short test drive to see how the 1.6 CVT delivers. I've never driven a car with a CVT before, so the drive was interesting to me. At low RPM range, the transmission feels a little jerky, but once pushed along a straight empty road, it accelerates effortlessly. But honestly it didn't have much of a punch, I would have expected the 1.6 would feel more powerful compared to my 1.3 Saga with a slushbox. Perhaps the test drive unit's engine and transmission is still tight until a couple of regular service intervals. The SAT feature is interesting too (at least to me), as it mimics a conventional auto gear changes but it still feels smoother compared to a torque-converter autobox.
The 15-inchers with lower profile tyres didn't feel any rougher compared to the standard Saga's 14-inchers. I went through several small potholes and humps along the brief drive and it feels as comfortable compared to my pre-FL SE. I heard that the suspension system had been revised to match the new shoes (not too sure about that), so expect a more enjoyable uphill run up to Genting mated with its new 1.6 engine and CVT. :)
My bro gave it a thumbs up! haha
My verdict: 7.5/10 stars. It is so far the best Proton Saga you can buy today but i would love it to have more power. It comes only with CVT (there's no manual FLX SE) and retails OTR for RM49,499 (white) and RM49,849 (fire red). Waiting list is expected to be around 1 month, but knowing SAs, they will promise a short delivery time to lure customers and you will have to wait for ages until it actually arrives.
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