05/04/2026

Contributing Editor Keshy Dhillon / keshy@piston.my Editorial

T: 03-7784 6688 F: 03-7785 2625 E: lifestyle@thesundaily.com Advertising T: 03-7784 8888 E: advertise@thesundaily.com

SUNDAY | APR 5, 2026

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You will still need to press the rubber button to lock or unlock the car.

The giant front grille takes some getting used to but the focus should be on the full LED lighting.

Efficient but sterile but sterile New Proton Saga has the right recipe but lacks something

Dual-tone 15-inch rims wrapped in Atlas AS380 tyres.

by, consider the job done and dusted. The Saga has amassed over 100,000 bookings in just two months, more than all new Bezzas sold in the entirety of 2025. On paper, the Saga ticks every single box expected of an entry-level A-segment sedan, and then some. If the perfect car was as simple as filling out the checklist of fea tures to have and then just piecing them all together like jigsaw puzzle, the Saga would be the more than the sum of its parts. Now, do not get us wrong, the Saga is very much unbeatable in this form and seg ment. Call it the perfect appliance. However, just like any appliance in your household, it gets the job done but is never really a memorable tool. Prior to this, the Saga was never this

BY DINESH APPAVU

The engine bay could use some tidying, or at least a trim piece to cover it.

EVERY time a new Proton Saga hits the road, the court of public opinion never fails to mete out harsh words. Nobody can be blamed though, even if the plucky compact sedan may have seen its position as the quintessential kerete rakyat shaken over the last decade, it always claws back stronger. This time however, the new Proton Saga MC3 may have just spun its greatest yarn yet. In the face of mounting competition from its arch nemesis, the Perodua Bezza, the Saga has had to up its game to strengthen its grip on the throne. If initial impressions are anything to go

Rear legroom is more than sufficient but still loses out to the Bezza.

Front seats are comfortable but a little too elevated.