01 May 08
The fast one (just): Proton Savvy
Price: £5,995
First up, rubbish name. If traffic-light grands prix are your thing, stop reading this now and go buy a hot hatch. If, on the other hand you want the cheap, zippy runabout , then welcome into your heart the Proton Savvy.
The Savvy 'packs' 74bhp that enables it to thrash everything but the Citroen C1 to the 62mph benchmark with its 13.9 seconds time. It'll also crack the magical 100mph, but only if there's a following wind and you're driving down a hill, otherwise you'll have to make do with Proton's proud claim of 98.7mph - a hefty 0.7mph faster than anything else here.
Sadly, the rather dated Savvy isn't the best built but it should be reliable.
Cost-wise the Proton is outclassed by rivals. Its 49.6mpg and naughty 134g/km CO2 emissions means VED band C - £8 for a day out in London and the wooden spoon for fuel economy.
At least the standard Bluetooth, remote locking, height-adjustable driver's seat and vital 'removable roof antenna' make up for the added visits to the unleaded fuel pump.
