TEST GUIDE: 2026 Proton Saga MC3 – a preliminary overview of engine, transmission and handling performance – paultan.org

In addition to going through every detail of the 2026 Proton Saga MC3 at the Proton Tanjung Malim factory during a media preview session last week, we also got the chance to participate in a short test drive of the model at the test track where the facility is located.

There are not many aspects to test, but it is enough to first simply ‘hail the introduction’ to imagine the real performance of Proton’s most affordable sedan that has been improved in several aspects, especially in terms of the powertrain and also the updates made to the chassis.

The author will continue this article straight to the test drive aspect as the full details on this saga have already been covered and you can read it at THIS LINK. And at this session Proton only offers the Saga MC3 2026 in the highest variant, namely Premium.

So let’s get into the cabin. In this room you will experience a new atmosphere with a completely new dashboard. It feels like there’s an invitation to drive immediately after you hold the handlebars, which are now smaller and flat at the bottom, taken directly from Geely-Proton models like the X50 and even the S70.

But the feeling of being in a Saga is still palpable. This is because it still has much the same seat as before, which gives a slightly ‘squat’ seating position, and the shoulders feel like they drop way down when pulling down the handbrake lever.

The ‘Saga feeling’ is also contributed by the fact that the width of the Saga MC3 is still the same, and for the writer who is quite tall, it feels almost shoulder to shoulder when there is a passenger next to him. But the position of the gear knob is still high and easy to reach and move, as are the controls on the center console, especially for the air conditioning system.

Once D gear is selected and the accelerator pedal is depressed, the Saga continues to take off responsively, but still produces the classic roar of any vehicle mated to a CVT gearbox. But the roar doesn’t last long once the engine speed and gearbox reach the ‘matching point’ and produce a good ride.

To be honest, he didn’t feel anything at first acceleration delay happen and taste rubber band effect also not significant. And this experience was already palpable before the writer found out that this Saga MC3 actually still comes with a CVT gearbox from Punch Powertrain and still uses the mechanism start link move, instead of torque converter.

For the uninitiated, this 2026 Saga also gets a new 1.5 liter i-GT engine with a DOHC DVVT inline four-cylinder. This engine is said to have been tuned to produce a whopping 120 PS and 150 Nm of peak torque, much more powerful than the previous Campro 1.3L engine, which could only produce 95 PS/120 Nm.

With one step on the pedal there is no longer any ‘sleepy’ like with the previous Saga where it accelerates faster and faster. And in this session Proton also prepared a Perodua Bezza 1.3L for the race drag 400 meters. Saga easily left the Bezza without the passenger, even though the Saga driver was carrying two passengers as a load.

However, the writer may feel that this does not provide the feeling of acceleration that should be given by an engine producing 120 PS/150 Nm of power. According to the writer, the Proton Persona with the 1.6-liter Campro engine can even give a better acceleration feeling, even though the registered power on paper is only 109 hp/150 Nm.

Either way, this engine adds more value to the Saga than just power. According to Proton, the version mated to the CVT gearbox can offer a fuel consumption of just 4.9 l/100 km and the 4AT version achieves a consumption of 5.1 l/100 km – both in the local test cycle, namely MDC. In fact, a timing belt mechanism like Campro is no longer used, but has been replaced by a timing chain system with lower maintenance costs.

Not only acceleration tests, writers and other media can also test Saga 2026 on the control circuit. The previous Saga was already known as an affordable sedan, but offered excellent driving behavior and comfort.

And for Saga 2026, that aspect can be further improved by Proton engineers. Once you enter the corner, the writer feels that the steering feel is still sharp and responsive, although this new model has switched to an electric power steering system instead of the previous hydraulic one.

Rolling force is also reduced and it is clearly noticeable that the Saga 2026 is more stable when entering corners at high speed, with the tail section being easier to control. This is because the Saga’s suspension tuning has indeed been redone and larger diameter anti-roll bars are now also used.

However, the author was unable to test the Saga’s handling to higher limits. This is because although the grip of the tires and the stability of the body can be felt being ‘crushed’ again, the writer cannot drive faster because the body has started to shift from the seat that was previously ‘less hugging’.

In conclusion, in the author’s opinion, the Saga MC3 is indeed a much better model, not only compared to the Saga MC2, but also compared to the Perodua Bezza. But it’s still a saga: the solid level of bodywork and handling, comfort and even power output are still not at the level of the Proton Persona.

We hope that this short session can give you a first impression of the features of the Proton Saga 2026. So look forward to a longer review that we will prepare when we get the chance to test this Saga in the real world.

Proton has not yet mentioned any figures indicating the retail price, which is expected to be announced soon at launch.

GALLERY: Proton Saga MC3 Premium 2026

GALLERY: Proton Saga MC3 Executive 2026

GALLERY: Official images of the 2026 Proton Saga MC3

GALLERY: Proton Saga MC3 2026 presentation slide

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