| A Week at the Wheel | Bucks, England | Proton Savvy |

Inside & Out:

At just 3710mm long, the Proton Savvy sits firmly at the small end of the supermini market, yet is only available with five doors, something still rare with cars this short. Proton claims Tardis-like interior dimensions that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but there's no getting away from the fact that the Savvy does seem very spacious inside. Both front and rear seat passengers have more than enough legroom, and with the wheels pushed right out to the corners of the car, even the wheelarches barely intrude.

The boot can hold a decent week's shopping with the rear seats in place. These seats split 50/50 and fold flat to give up to 909 litres of space. The tailgate opens full width and right down to the bumper making it easy to load larger items and take full advantage of the capacity available. Up front, the dark interior is much brightened by the yellow faces to the instrument panel although the plastics themselves do look like they contributed significantly to the car's low price.

Engine & Transmission:

The Proton Savvy is available with just the single engine choice, a 1.2-litre 16-valve unit with either five-speed manual or five-speed automatic gearboxes. The engine feels more modern than the 1.6-litre fitted to the Satria Neo and GEN-2 models and although the peak power is reached at a heady 5500rpm, it revs in a freer fashion than its larger brethren's units. The five-speed manual gearbox has a pleasant action enabling gear changes to be as quick or as leisurely as the driver wishes. We were surprised that 0-62mph is claimed to be just 13.9 seconds, as the Proton Savvy feels quicker than that.

Ride & Handling:

Short car, short wheelbase - so it's going to be short on suspension quality, right? Actually, that's not the case. Although there is no claim from Proton that Lotus was involved in any capacity with the Savvy (unlike its other models), plainly Proton has learned from the experts. Around a punishing local B-road test route that causes all but the best riding cars to cause discomfort to the passengers, the Savvy performed rather admirably. On smoother roads the ride is almost calming with the usual supermini choppiness being less noticeable than in many competitors. Handling, conversely, is average, with a lot of body roll cutting back the fun factor.

Equipment, Economy & Value for Money:

Unsurprisingly, the Proton Savvy is aimed at the economy end of the market. The range starts at just £5,995, which is not very much at all for a five-door supermini, although if you buy the Proton Savvy Style that price rises to £6,995 and the competition might be more enticing. The entry-level Savvy Street comes with ABS, driver and passenger airbags, RDS CD-tuner, rear parking sensors (yes, even on a car this small) and power steering. Your additional £1,000 buys you air conditioning, (front) electric windows and 15-inch alloy wheels. If you can live without the air conditioning, you may feel the Street model offers better value.

Whichever model you go for, the Proton Savvy is not going to be expensive to run. The Combined Cycle figure of 49.6mpg seems easily achievable; gentle drivers in more favourable conditions would probably match the Extra-Urban 61.4mpg as an average. Insurance is rated as Group 3E (Street) and 4E (Style), and CO₂ emissions of 134g/km places the Savvy in Road Tax bands B and C. Factor in three year's free full RAC cover to go hand in hand with the three-year/60,000 mile warranty (six years/100,000 miles on engine and gearbox) and longer term ownership should be pain free.

Overall:

Proton's Savvy is a pleasant addition to the ranks of supermini. It's a good looking car with a lot of space and a full complement of doors. But it's much better value and a more sensible purchase proposition at entry-level.