2007 Proton Savvy First Steer – what do you get for $13,990?
July 19, 2007 by Alborz Fallah
When Proton announced a significant price cut for the struggling Proton Savvy, I simply had to go drive this car. In case you’re not aware, I am not a fan of cheap and nasty cars. I have taken most of my anger out on the Holden Barina so far this year but something tells me I have a new target, the Proton Savvy.
Test Model: 2007 Proton Savvy 1.2-litre Manual
CarAdvice rating: 
Options Fitted: None
Starting at just $13,990 driveaway for the manual, it almost seems like the bargain of the century, even more so when you consider the features.
With a Renault sourced 1.2-litre engine that produces 55kW of power (5.7 litres/100km fuel consumption), a five-speed manual transmission, ABS, dual front airbags, 15 inch alloys, rear parking sensors and keyless entry, I couldn’t fault the car on paper… so I went for a drive.
I am delighted to say that as far as this Proton goes, you really get what you pay for. With an interior resembling a 1990s Hyundai Excel, a gear stick that vibrates in 3rd and 4th gear and an engine which can deafen you in less than 5 minutes, I couldn’t run away fast enough.
Let’s start with the looks, although styling is subjective – this is an ugly, ugly car. It’s not like other small cars where it can be ugly but still cute, this car is just ugly! The front is barely passable, but from the back, the sagging rear lights resemble a baby rat stuck in a mouse trap.
Proton obviously doesnt’t have focus groups in Malaysia to seek public reaction before designing a car. I can’t imagine any young driver walking out of a Proton dealership thinking “damn, that savvy is hot”.
If you buy this car, what you will end up doing is approaching it with your eyes closed as much as possible, just so you don’t have to look at it too much. But the real horror starts inside.
With uneven and unfinished edges as well as plastic sharp enough to cut your skin, the Savvy gives a hint of what we should expect from other developing manufacturing nations (such as China) in the next few years.
My biggest problem with the car is engine noise. There is next to no sound proofing and given the 1.2-litre powerplant struggles, you really have to redline on every gear change if you intend to keep up with traffic.
As I attempted to join the highway, my ear drums were ready to explode from the screaming whine of the engine – this can scare you at first since no engine should sound like Avril Lavign on drugs, but no – its just part of the fun! If you intend to go past 5,000 RPM, make sure you bring some industrial strength ear muffs because you’ll need it!
But wait, there is more, cruise along in 3rd of 4th gear and the second you lift your foot of the accelerator the gear stick vibrates like a race dog trying to shag your leg. So along with unbearable engine noise and the vibrating gear stick, the Proton is not exactly a fun car to drive.
Surely I had a broken car? Nothing can be this bad! I took the car back and kindly informed the lovely gentlemen (who was keen to tell me the Savvy is Lotus inspired) that he owes me a set of new eardrums and a new Savvy.
He decided to come with me so I can point out the problems, he informed me the engine noise is normal, at least for a Malaysian car and as for the vibrating gearstick, “oh yeah that happens in the Gen.2s as well sometimes, it goes away after a while… I wouldn’t worry about it” uha… a car with 150kms on the clock should not have vibrating issues!
In fairness, it’s not ALL bad, the Savvy does have some Lotus blood in it after all. As far as handling goes, it would run circles around the competition (once it gets to speed). Comparing this to the Rio, Swift and Colt, the Savvy is easily the best handling small car. But that’s a small victory in war Proton have already lost.
The stereo is also rather impressive for a $13,990 car. Using a Clarion headunit and worthy speakers, Proton have supplied a very reasonable stereo so that you can overcome the unbearable engine noise.
Why on earth have Proton stuck rear parking sensors to this thing? If you can’t park this, you shouldn’t drive. Rear visibility is very clear and as far as dimensions go, it’s comparable to a micro car! Sure it’s free and yes, why not, but don’t let it persuade you, rear parking sensors in a car this small are pointless!
My friends, do yourself a big favour and give this (and the Barina) a miss – don’t be fooled by the $13,990 price tag – think of it this way, if you value your hearing and sanity – its not worth the $2,000 saving!
If you’re after a small car, have a look at the Mitsubishi Colt or the Kia Rio, or better yet, save a few more dollars and buy a Suzuki Swift!
Alborz Fallah
Print it: 
1 
0 
FIRST!
Your much to kind in your report
The punters wont be fooled, its a P.O.S. every vehicle from that brand is, always was, always will be
$13,990 LOL is that for 10 of them?
JUNK!
I’ll steer clear of this car and the Proton brand as a whole.
I’ve driven the Kia Rio with an auto box and for a few bucks more – you get a decent car that looks quite good.
The only thing I actually like about the Proton is the single, centre mounted exhaust tip!!! Perhaps KIA and Hyundai can use this in their future cars as it seems about the only thing worthy of mention, from this rubbish from Malaysia.
You would either be blind, female or both to buy this car.
I guess that’s the last Proton you’ll be receiving for testing Alborz! …for a while anyway.
Does it have a “tuned by Lotus” badge on it? …those always give me a chuckle, just like the Ssangyong Musso owners deluding themselves with a Mercedes badge.
I actually quite like the looks but i would still never buy a malaysian car (especially since mitsu no longer owns Proton) or a Korean car for that matter.
Proton don’t make ANY good cars, the Savvy looks so damn ugly that it’s just not funny!!
YUK!
In Protons case I think “Tuned by Lotus” means that a Lotus staff member tuned the radio stations in.
ahahaha @ Stevo!
I am just trying to spread the word, DONT BUY THIS CAR, spend the extra 2g and buy a car you wont hate driving everyday
The vibrating gearstick is due to direct rod linkage to the gearbox – it has more solid feel compare to the cable type mechanism.
You can get the right timing for the gear shift if you could hear the engine note properly. The auto version of this car has a manual gearbox with clutchless transmission, you still need to lift off the throttle a bit when you feel the gearbox starts to shift.
This reviewer doesn’t his stuffs.
This car wasnt really targeted at Australians used to larger ~1400-1600kg cars. It’s a supermini so dont expect the same levels of comfort as a ford falcon.
It’s a 1000kg car, and a budget one at it. Dont expect top quality but from what i’ve read, it is still a decent car for the price you pay.
Remember 14000 is an OTR price. If you got a Swift, for example, you’d have to cough up another AUD6k. ..That’s 6k to spend on fuel and whatnot extra.
It has good fuel economy and has proven itself safe in a number of crashes (back in msia and singapore).
I’d like to know how the engine noise compares to the Yaris’ – that i find just.. em, bad. Yet few people complain about it because it’s from toyota.
This model was aimed at the supermini market in Europe, and i guess it’s doing better over there.
Auto, regardless of how the manual transmission is setup, there should be no reason why the gearstick should vibrate at such an excessive rate while cruising, it is simply unbearable!
The timing for gearshifts was not an issue, it actually changes gears rather smoothly and I was happy with the gearbox, the issue was when cruising, the gearstick would vibrate! The reality is, it doesn’t matter how its built, if it makes THAT much noise.. its not worth it!
As for engine noise, having driven the Rio, Swift, Yaris, Fiesta, I can tell you, this car is the loudest.
I didn’t get to drive the auto as the Auto version is priced at $17g! There should be no reason to buy the auto Savvy over say an Auto Yaris which costs less!!!
As for Ezra, the Kia rio starts at 14,990, and you can walk out of a dealer with that price if you haggle, so your only saving $1,000 with the Savvy and the Rio is a far better car.
? The links i posted seemed to not appear – maybe this blog doesnt allow links.
Google “Proton Savvy Review” and do check out other reviews – UK sites seem to rate it better than the aussie sites.
Personally i can understand why a supermini wouldnt appeal to the Australian masses.
Kinda wished i got to try the Savvy before getting the Jazz. Couldnt find the dealer. Oh well, If anyone is looking for a small car, do check out the Savvy in addition to the Fiesta, Swift, Jazz, Rio, Getz and Mazda2. Have fun with the test drives. Who knows, a supermini may be to your liking.
I’ve not driven a savvy, but i’ve been a passenger in one. I think it’s quite ok.
Ezra, post the links again, since we get so much spam they get automatically removed sometimes.
Mini cars are taking of in Australia, the new Suzuki Splash and Nissan Micra are set to come back, so I think the Savvy is going to have an ever harder time competing. Nonetheless its a small car more than it is a mini car.
Alborz, I guess it’s the vibrating silver plastic trim on the gearknob making that noise. It could be easily taken out and put some foam tape underneath to dampen the noise. A little niggling problem that could be solved easily. This is one issue that some savvy is having but certainly not all Savvy experience that kind of noise.
Sorry if I say you don’t know the stuffs. It’s good to have author to interact with his readers at such manner.
Savvy is a driver’s car. Did you try to see if the engine noise is too loud from the rear & side passenger seats. It’s a good handling car we could overlook other small problems.
Auto, I dont think it was the plastic as the second I put my hand on the knob it would stop the noise, as I said, I had a feeling the car I had was a little .. well.. not well. but with only 150ks on the clock, it wasn’t exactly what you’d expect!
The point is, you dont have to take apart the plastic and sticky tape things back together in a brand new car, it shows lack of QC and attention to detail.
It definitely does handle better that all the other small cars, as I mentioned. If you want a car that handles, this is it, but as I said, people that buy these cars dont buy them for mountain runs, they buy them to get from A->B, and for that, this is not the ideal car.
One work
JUNK!
F-O
It’s the plastic alright. The gear knob could be separated from the stick. There’s a silver plastic trim on top of the gearknob which is the source of noise.
You’ve got a point there. Proton made a big mistake for over-engineered the chassis and exterior while the interior plastics are nasty. The chassis rigidity is much higher than some larger cars which contributes a lot to its good handling trait.
Mitsubishi has plans to release the “i” car here too. Wheels had a review of it recently and loved it. It is already on sale in NZ and they sell about 40k a year in Japan.
Like I have said before – buying a Savvy will only depress you – the Kia Rio, even with auto, could be said to be automotive heaven when compared to the Savvy.
You Get what you pay for – most times!
what is the deal with those mags on the Savvy? They look like they have been laid out on Newspaper and sprayed by a can of silver paint in a backyard shed! UGLY
Thank god for some honesty in a road test. I know it is a POS and you do too but at the risk of upsetting advertisers, most journalists are too scared to say anything negative about rubbish cars like this.
My local paper took one around the block (at most) and wrote a rave review. I expect the “Car Show” on TV would be the same (but it is such drivel I can not watch it).
Keep it up !
Ditto above about calling a dog-car a dog!
F-O
Vibrating gear stick im leaving this one right alone!
Girls car for sure LOL….
Lost out there… we do call it how it is, we are a blog afterall, advertisers or not, we built our reputation on honesty and thats how we intend to keep it – thanks for the comment!
According to the author’s subjective opinion, the car is Ugly. Not so with other reviewers, especially in Europe.
I know Aussies are not familiar with cars of this size – it’s a really far cry from the large falcons and commodores im sure most aussies are used to driving.
…but those cars cost 30k+
Compare apples with apples, oranges with oranges.
Ultimately – If your budget happens to be 14000 OTR for a car, then the savvy is a contender. So is the Getz.
Test drive both and see if you’re happy. The “jeremy clarkson” style review of this blog (eg. subjectively declaring it “ugly”; nitpicking; etc…) is nice to read but does not give a good perspective.
I just got a feeling this car was designed for a different market with different needs. Im from malaysia and the parking sensors, for example, come standard on most cars. No insult to malaysian drivers. They have good driving skills actually…Traffic in msia is bad and more chaotic than in melbourne’s well planned streets. Why parking sensors? It’s just what the market here expects.
In response to Ezra…no, the car IS ugly! No ifs and no buts!
I like the cutout in the top of the drivers door – looks just right for resting your arm on, the tops of the doors are just getting too high these days
And here’s how a Savvy looks like after a very recent accident.
Pretty strong for a little car, I say.
http://www.savoc.net/forum/vie.....43dd17edcb
Ezra, the market here doesnt expect rattles, noisy engine ,cheap plastic parts and a design only the designers could love. The Parking sensors are a gimmick for a car that rates so poorly in every other respect.
I have actually sold a new Saavy, the customers love it. he was a big boy and the lotus suspension handles his weight great
however I still have trouble sleeping at night and could not bring myself to sell another one again.
Erien, that Savvy looks much better the way it’s shown in that pic!
U still gave it 2-stars [ok steering wheels]
Was that meant to be NEGATIVE 2? :-)
F-O
How many of you guys puttin’ sh** on the Savvy have actually driven one?
test drove one. it actually is shit. spend 2 weeks wages more and get a jazz or a swift. higher quality, bullet proof mechanics.
saves you the nightmares looking at your car everyday.
just 2 weeks will do. you’ll get the money back and more when it comes to selling time.
At $13990 not really all that cheap for what it is as reported.There has to be better small car buys on the used or not so used market even if you go over this price by $1000-$2000 depending on the haggle & timing.
To me the clutch & gear shift operation & engine noise are major issues & negates the handling advantage which may mean nothing in the real world of day to day use.
Cheap car with a better than average sound system & the overrated parking sensors says it all.
A manufacturer in 2007 that can’t execute the basics from the start should be left alone
I f**ked up and bought one, i wanted a cheap car with a warranty and good on fuel.
What i got was a cheap car, that needs to be looked at by the dealer once a fortnight for issues like the keys not working, the gear knob rattling to no end, blown globes all over the joint. Oh and the fuel economy, not worth p*ssing on. I get 360 – 400 kms out of a 40 lt tank, And it is all highway driving, my old AU falcon did better figures than this.
Oh and if you need support, no one knows how to fix them, and no one answers any of the proton customer care numbers, and if you try to email them, all emails come back rejected as they don’t exist.
Please don’t buy one, don’t do it, buy a 10 year old falcon or commodore it will serve you better that this peice of sh*t.
Proud Sh*t Owner
JD
Learnt to be patient and to say thanks thats how we should live. Should you don’t prefer savvy that’s just fine, you have your own choice. But you don’t have to really smack them up.
Savy – as tougher which claimable by Proton with renault engine actually is a good car if it only manufacture by other Car Manufacture rather than Proton which only target on Max Profit with 3rd world mindset.
Quality wise is the worst part where they appoint all their cronies to source a low quality parts at premium prices. So which ever new model came out from proton is equavalent to junk if they still using the same supplier from this cronies.
Proton – the failure of the country’s pride.
tony said
July 19 2007 @ 8:07 am
I’ll steer clear of this car and the Proton brand as a whole.
I’ve driven the Kia Rio with an auto box and for a few bucks more – you get a decent car that looks quite good.
The only thing I actually like about the Proton is the single, centre mounted exhaust tip!!! Perhaps KIA and Hyundai can use this in their future cars as it seems about the only thing worthy of mention, from this rubbish from Malaysia.
—————————————————–
IF you think a Kia Rio is even worth a mention its pretty obvious you don’t know anything about cars.
Some of you need to be shot! One! Have you taken one for a drive? Doubt it! Now i own one and have done so for last 11 months!!!
Never had to take it in to proton for this or that! Fuel econonomy is excellent! As for noise..yeah there is but so does getz rio etc…
Has the best handling i have ever seen or felt!
And not one person has told me its ugly…
You anticipate so much for crappy chinese made cars but u seem to forget that alot of compromise on quality is because of the cost, enssentially you get what you pay for! It not that these Chinese can’t make cars, the VW polos here are made in China, but since the quality cars made there have no brand recognition or significant cost advantage with established brands its dictated by its market position to begin with cheap and nasty cars as Hyundai did in the beginning. Thats just how this market works. Sure they can make quality cars (eg the new Roewe W2 or 750 are examples) that are relatively cheaper, but whos gonna buy a no name Chinese car when for $1-2K more they can get a suposedly better Korean car? It seems that we are all too quick to dismiss Chinese cars without really recognising that at the end of the day, you get what you oay for, theres no miracles there.
Thanks guys wanted to buy one but changed mind now you save me time and money cheers
damoscorners@hotmail.com
Whatever you do never buy a Savvy as i learned the hard way. The car is very ugly, the interior is ugly. The tuned by Lotus is just to encourage you to buy it. Never buy a Savvy Never buy a Proton and Never buy a Malaysian car coz they are all crap.
I agree with David. Had one for the last 6 months and have never had to take it back for repairs or what not. I really wonder how many of you critics have actually owned one or are you just a bunch of wanabe armchair car critics. Half of you probably don’t even drive. This little car I have has only attracted great comments on its looks. On a last note for all you experts, this car may not be up to Japanese standards, but hey….neither is the price…Cheers.
HAHAHAHA ^_^
So much of good & bad points!
I’m going to trade in my beloved,
2004 Gen 2 1.6AT for Savy 1.2AT HL :D
Gen 2 served me well!
Raced with me against Mercs, Civic, Waja,
JB-KL in 2hrs @ 185km/hr, in heavy rain,
Handling good good good!
In the middle of our little street race,
Those rich balless Proudass retired!
LOL Mercs & Civic RETIRED!
Next was my little 20mins race,
With a cocky Singapore white Fairlady!
That balless gave up after 20mins!
He cant even overtake me!
I’d got totally nothing to lose!
So I tried my bloody best!
It was one of my blood boiling street race which i love!
At times, it’s not abt ur ride!
It’s our stubborn spirit to bow to big cars!
LOL Fight on my strong brothers!
They’ve nothing to be proud if they beat us with big cars!
Strong ones used “Trash” to beat imported ones!
They call “Trash” for they r themselves trash!
LOL :P
Alborz, you’re a bit simple minded aren’t you, and very subjective. People judge books by their cover or from previous ascertions or popular opinion, which is a sign of stupidity. Sad, as you’re missing out. You clearly wrote off this car before you even saw it, due to previous Proton offerings. Dumb thing to do, especially as you are meant to provide all of us with a meaningful test of the car. The Savvy is actually a cute little car, quite different from the crap you spin about it’s looks. And the chassis is one of the best. What lets it down is the interior plastics, and a small engine. Other than that, this car is one of the mroe intersting propositions on the market in this area. Quite the opposite of the rubbish you’ve come up with.
Luke, I’m inclined to agree with Alborz on this one. I don’t like the looks at all. Any review is the reviewer’s opinion on the car from their experiences with it, and it is not suprising that you and some others have varying opinions.
Proton have always been overpriced in Australia IMHO..
So far as i know, Mitsubishi didn’t own them
they had an affilation with Mitsubishi , using their engines and old body styles ..
I’ve never driven one, but have heard more bad things and no good things about them…
They do own Lotus…
they have been trying to affilate with other car companies
for designs etc…
I know Volkswagen stopped talks a while ago..
there was another company involved but I can’t remember who…
The reviewer makes a typically elitist report on the Savvy, in line with Top Gear rev heads and similar others – I can still read the contemptuous reviews of the Misub Colt – an excellent small car and innovative and well made.
The Savvy does what it is designed to do – work as a city car. The parking sensors make a lot of sense when using tight car parks and street parking.
The engine revs freely when it loosens up and it handles brilliantly. Looks are always subjective – some $100,000 plus cars are very ugly.
Anyone who owns a Rio should receive a sympathy card.
And for the record, I have owned a Rio, a Colt and now a Savvy.
Doug, if you look under car reviews, u will see that we have reviewed both the Colt and the Rio, with positive reviews, the Savvy is not in the same level of quality