Saga 1.3 Flx Review !

guys , any mid term report owners of FLX willing to give?

i got one coming up soon.....my mileage reached 9000km...!

stay tuned !

so this is a midterm report on my 1 year old saga flx 1.3 excutive

well , in two weeks time its gonna be one yr anyway !

curent mileage is around 8800km.....

when new , it did take me quite a while to get used to the cvt characteristics...specialy in low speed traffic jam situation where it was hard to modulate the throttle to avoid that 'jumping' feeling....but as time went by , it got better....well abt 80% of the time anyway as sometimes it does catch me out....maybe the combination of getting used to it and the cvt itself getting loosened up helps.....

the cvt itself is creamy smooth which helps the speed to rise gratually without fuss and without high rpm....

the SAT function is actually very nice to use although i dismissed it at the begining.....its has a better more sensitive throttle response thus it makes it feel it has a better pickup n pull....but the issue is the 'virtual shifting' of the gears is not smooth when SAT is enabled....although u do feel its a software operated rather than mechanical , it is jerky in nature....i do feel if it was smoother , i wd use it all the time

engine wise , i think after one year the loosen up period is over....power is good, more than adequate actually , the early torque helps....although it is noisy in operation , 3000rpm is all u need to to make it shout at u....
the engine reliablity is good , no leaking , no funny sound,no warenty claim....although very very occasionaly , i do get that engine stutter when stationary , as others have reported as well , i really believe its sting to do with either bad sparkplugs or plug cables or plug coil....

suspension wise is stil as tight as new....although about 2 weeks ago ,i noticed by chance that my left rear absorber showing signs of leak....bt no funny sounds so i can wait til my next service to claim

that dreaded rear drum tik tik sound is stil thr....at the begining , it was all the time n everytime i braked...bt thn it sudenly gone n now only apears when really braking hard....i dont think i want to claim it anyway thy wil probably replace it with the same thing same brand same quality....i will probably service the rear drums n buy a diferent brand or some beter quality parts for it.....

interior wise , not much to report , the plastics are fine bt little scratchy , driver door sound got some rattling as well as the rear boot spring lash....

its spacious . bt high seat n low steering is stil iritating....i canot remember the last time i actually saw the signal indicater on top of the meter cluster....!

accident wise i have been very unlucky....car park some one banged my rear bumer replaced at rm190
front bumper TWICE , both occasions some stupid girls reverse into me(so much for girls are beter drivers!)
front bumper is rm230 n it cracked my front headlight , one unit only , rm440 original parts , obviously i didnt pay for anyting...thankfully thy are minor tings .....malaysian drivers is totally another topic !

i havnt had any issues in the SC , usually around 1 hr n i get my car ready , maybe bcos i havnt had anyting to claim bt so far normal as any other SC

so far so good , i stil think its ALOT of car for the money , its reliable n it does wat it says n it doesnt pretend to be anyting else....
thr are few things i havent mention such as noise,handling,ride because i have changed and modified so it might not give the true picture of the report...

anyway here is the list of things changed/added/modified

- full sound proof,including 4 doors , floor pan,rear boot
- full Auto Foam Treatment including chasis , A,B,C pillars
- UR front 2 point absorber bar and lower arm 4 point bar
- k&N drop in filter
- Kenwood Player
- Kenwood Front Component speakers and rear 6.5' 3-in-1 speakers
- Front Metal King Brake pads n New brake oil
- michelin xm2 tyres

results of those tings that have been done is awesome! (for me atleast)
the car feels so solid , no flexing no noting....whether its highway drive or town bumpy drive...
its around 40% quiter when new....only when driven around 130km/h the the HUGE side mirrors(which is great for viewing btw) generate abit of wind noise....

i had an issue with the brakes wen i got the car...very mushy in feel...u couldnt modulate it...it was either on or off....bt after changed pads n brake fluids its ALOT beter now....
most importantly i can now adjust brake lever by how much preassue is applied..

i have not tried top speed . its kinda lame actually....bt on duke i did go til 140 n its pretty much easy going thr....

and finaly fuel consumption....this is a very sensive ting to gauge
if u try n feather the throttle ,i can max out til around 420km full tank.....bt wen stimes u do press on...it goes down to 330km...alot of diference in mileage....

anyway this is jus a guide to owning the saga flx 1.3 excutive.....
maybe its beneficial for those who want to buy bt worried abt long term reliability n such things.....
i wil update again wen im around 20k mileage

Hi Nabworld, nice to know somebody actually wrote about the 1.3 FLX.

I've had my share of FLX 1.3 M and Myvi 1.3 M

Both new and belongs to my kakak dalam undang-undang and I get to drive the rally rated roads from Sarikei - Sibu - Belawai (talk about long blind corners, uneven roads and invisible bump)

First the Myvi

Parking is a bliss, FC meter showed 17.4km per liter with me driving. I get to skid the tyres most of the time esp in corners. Can't get that small thing above 100kmph since I can't keep it in a straight line. Parking is a bliss...really!

Then the FLX

I'm not sure why my sis in law driving so fast with 4 of us in the car, until I get behind the wheel. Quickly roared to 100kmph++, I think this car has much more power than myvi (as long as you don't miss the gear) Nice handling and braking. Eats myvi for breakfast at the above road.

Manage to change my wife mind about getting a myvi for herself, now she prefers the FLX instead.

The only thing that sort of scares me is the FC. How is ur Distance per Fuel fill up? any chance RM50 at 400km++? I also notice CVT full service is at RM500+ on proton site, done at 60,000km. Have your mileage reach this far?

RM 50 can reach 400km with 1st batch BLM under normal driving.
CVT can reach that easily under normal driving.
The again, when i drove the blm last time it was mostly alone.

Once u get a little agressive it will drop below 350km per tank.

Looks like it's a run between a FLX 1.3 cvt standard (or executive if I can cough up the extra dough)
Not sure if the ABS/EBD is worth the extras. Then again it did save my Exora once from crash.

Still looking at Myvi cause it's easy and shorter to park in the house.

Get the Saga Executive. I own a manual because I prefer control of the gears and the power from the engine. Also in the long run Manuals have always been cheaper and less prone to gearbox failure.

with the Executive you dont only get the ABS but also factory fitted Alloy Rims and 14" Tyres. No need to spend money on new rims or tyres, as 13" tyres in the Standard doesnt feel right.

Why not the Myvi? Simple, a much bigger, comfortable and stable Saga compared to a small more expensive Myvi. Just imagine driving KL to Penang with 4 adults and luggage for 4 adults, can a Myvi do the job?

It will do the job provided everybody is skinny and don't carry much and I have both hands on the steering wheel all the time.

On the Saga I will be driving with one hand, while the other fingering my nose.

Still, parking at home is limited, there's already a Proton MPV. House aint that big.

p.s. : Yes, the exec package is quite nice.

if you want the Executive trim but wish to save some cash, take the solid white. it still looks good and you save Rm400+ for it.

my journeys with my Saga have included Malacca to Klang, KLIA, Sunway,JB to Penang, Malacca to Hatyai. But on regular basis Malacca to JB, Malacca to KL.

Only things is during the warranty period, you need to go to Authorised Service Centres, look for EON SCs instead of Proton Edar ones. Much better service and more customer orientated. Also use the Petronas Fully Synthethic oils. them Petronas Semi Synthethic sucks. under warranty, you have no choice but to use their Petronas oils. mine is coming to 1 year now.

before u decide...make sure u chck out the discounts thy r offering for the flx 1.6 cvt !!

ya lor! Trim is very nice. No need to upgrade. Maybe with discount become same price with the 1.3 exec

Just no sure if I want another Campro 1.6 fuel guzzler. The MPV is already driving my foot crazy.