Proton Savvy Review
Published: 3rd May 2006
Proton Savvy
The Savvy is quite cute and has a smart appearance. At the front, the headlights follow the pronounced curve of the bonnet while below is a sporty-looking mesh grille set into the deep front skirt. The rear doors are set well back with the handles almost over the centre of the wheel arches. On the test car, these were body-coloured, as are the wing mirrors, and the styling is so discrete that it looks more like a three-door model.
There is a choice of five body colours but the only solid colour is Chilli Red the others are metallic, which adds £300 to the bill.
Inside, there is plenty of room. This is especially true for rear passengers because the Savvy is a four-seater - there isn’t even a seat belt for a little one to squeeze in the middle. The rear seats have a 50:50 split and fold flat function that increases the boot space from 207 to 909 litres. It is all very useable space because the wheel arches don’t intrude too much. Annoyingly, though, the rear hatch has to be opened from within the car and that is not good when it’s raining.
In the front, it is only the driver who gets a height adjustable seat, which is just as well as the steering column is static and has no adjustment at all. Another niggle is that while the pedals are nicely spaced, they are all at different heights and the clutch pedal is at a slightly different angle to the others, which took some getting used to.
I did however, like the yellow-faced instrument dials and the no-nonsense fascia, which houses a Clarion radio/CD and the heating controls.
If you choose to buy a Savvy, it will arrive with a 1.2-litre petrol engine, there are no other options. You can have the Automated Manual Transmission or AMT on the Style or stick with the 5-speed manual box, which is crisp and precise in its function.
