The Proton X70 – The Proton True Game Changer

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic – Arthur C.Clarke

It sure feels magical being in the X70, Proton’s first SUV. Well, depending on who you ask, the “Proton’s” part is contentious since this is a re-skinned Geely Boyue. Still, it carries a Proton badge and has a unique styling so we’ll just leave it as that.

And no, I’m not referring to the technology found in the X70 that’s making the X70 such an enchanting vehicle.

It’s the fact that it’s so easy to forget that I’m in a Proton.

I don’t mean this in a disparaging manner towards Proton; in general, most Asian made vehicles have certain characteristics that makes it feel distinctly …. well, Asian. Blindfold someone before putting him into the X70 and I won’t be surprised if that person would mistaken himself being in a continental vehicle. Let’s go into detail why this is so;-

It goes without saying that beauty is subjective and with the X70 being styled based on local tastes ie the batik & bow inspired front grille, it’s a hit-or-miss to some. Personally, I find the front appearance to be refreshingly new (for a Proton) & love the chrome line that sits between the front headlights and fog lights which seems to underline the bold look of the front fascia. Measuring 4,519mm in length, 1,831mm in width and 1,694mm with a wheelbase of 2,670mm, the X70 offers very good seating height and allows the driver to see well head of oncoming traffic. Seen from the side, the shoulder lines, coupled with the window chrome outlines creates a dignified poise that’s well proportioned & clean. Don’t quite like the TGDI engine badge on the front door. IMHO, would be better to have it placed near the front wheel arch just like every other car manufacturer.

The rear on the other hand looks a bit fussy to me. Unlike the front and side lines which are clean and minimalist, the rear has too many horizontal lines. The twin exhaust and silver rear diffuser adds a bit of flair but the somewhat large space between the exhaust and rear tail lamps doesn’t quite cut it for me.

 

Performance, Ride and Handling

The X70’s powerplant is a 1.8litre 4 cylinder in-line Turbo Gasoline Direct Injection engine producing 184PS @ 5,500rpm and a maximum torque of 285Nm @ 1,700 – 4,400rpm and is paired to a 6-speed automatic transmission with manual mode. At low to mid acceleration, the X70 excels at providing a smooth increase of speed as the vehicle moves off from stationary. At coasting speeds, the gearshift is seamless and for the most part of driving around Langkawi island where this test drive took place, this excellent engine and transmission pairing is well demonstrated.  Shifting is as smooth as butter and combined with the exemplary low cabin noise intrusion makes the being in the insides of the X70 feel premium. Speaking of premium, the top spec Premium 2WD runs on 225/55 R19 alloy wheels and with this set of wheels, handling around corners is better with the trade-off being more road imperfections being transferred to the cabin. When I switched to the Executive AWD with its 225/60 R18 wheels, the ride vibration and harshness is noticeably lower compared to the Premium. It’s not to say that the Premium is nigh uncomfortable, mind you but if it is relative to using a thicker profile tire, the ride comfort will see an improvement.

If you find the 19″ to be acceptable, then you’ll be glad to note that the SUV’s balance and control is very good around twisty hilly roads. The roads leading up Gunung Raya consists of a few sharp bends with moderate inclines and here we could see how capable the transmission is. First off, there is definitely sufficient power in the engines for a spirited drive in-spite of the 1,725kg kerb weight. Throttling it in manual mode between 3 to 5k rpm not only keeps the power ready but cause the exhaust to sing in a sporty high hiss note. However, you need to be mindful of a 1-second lag if you decide to suddenly stomp the throttle and expect an immediate surge of power. As capable as the X70 is, it isn’t a sports car.

In short, the amalgam of a polished transmission combined with an engine that has sufficient grunt and with a vehicle frame that has very low NVH creates a vehicle that drives very differently from any Proton sold to date. The only thing that might break this illusion is the steering weight which, say whatever we want about continental but most of them have a good balance between feel and weight. The X70 does come close to matching though.

 

Cabin Convenience

The second part of the magical driving experience has to do with the cabin interior. Being a Geely, the cabin design is vastly different to any model that Proton has produced. It’s dashboard layout is clean and very functional, something that I’ve always found lacking in many Proton models that are either over-designed or too simplistic. Some might say the handles in the center near the gear knob is just there for aesthetic purposes but I found it useful when re positioning myself on the car seat.

Speaking of seats, the nappa leather found on the Premium variant is so luxurious to feel and the craftmanship is so good, it’s worth getting this variant just for this.

There is a ton of information the driver can access with the 7″ LCD High Definition meter display, ranging from trip meter, trunk//door status even a tire pressure monitoring system. The read out is clear and easy to see, even in direct sunlight.

The party piece of the X70 would have to be the 8″ Touchscreen monitor with Voice Command. Say “Hi Proton” and you’ll summon a virtual assistant who will help you do things like opening and closing the windows/sunroof, call someone or even find a nearby hotel via it’s preinstalled Baidu navigation program. If don’t like using it, Android users can also mirror-link the display and use Waze. The Voice Command can also search for music in the internet and play them for you but bear in mind for this to work, you’ll need to have available data in the eSim that comes with the car (that eSim is powered by Celcom) and you’ll need to say the song title as clear as possible. If you just say “play BeeGees”, it’ll just play a random BeeGees track (and play that same track over and over each time you say the same command word).

Now, I’ll be brutally honest; while it’s certainly a novelty to be able to get your car to “do things” for you without you lifting a finger, there are many moments when the car cannot understand or cannot carry out your commands. It gets frustrating after a while, especially when you urgently need to find a location to go to using its on-board navigation and though you’ve said the words correctly, it must match the POI name in order to find it. Say “Meritus Hotel”, no search result. Say “Meritus Hotel Langkawi” and it appears. So trust me, better to just stick to Waze or Google Maps.

There were other functions I was not able to test as the time I had as the driver is limited (there were three media assigned to each X70) such as searching for more obscure music tracks and how well does the 9 speaker Kenwood system with power amplifier and subwoofer perform from an audiophile point of view because manyof us were busy filming videos so noise from the sound system is the last thing we want in our reviews.  Guess that’ll be reserved to another article once a unit is available for a few days of exclusive use.

I’ll also need to device a testing method to see how effective the air purifier system is too. The air conditioning system is adequate for our weather and with dual climate control, both driver and passenger can create their own cocoon of temperature that’s comfortable to them. Also, the X70 has rear air conditioning vents (fun fact; the Boyue has only one vent. Proton split it into two for obvious reasons considering our climate) and that vent will follow the lower temperate set in front. So if the front passenger sets the temperature to 22 degrees while the driver is 18, the rear will be on 18.

Moving to the rear, headroom and legroom is good and there are two USB charging ports below the rear aircon vents. In total there are 6 USB ports in the car (2 rear, 2 front center tunnel sides, 1 in the center compartment and 1 behind the rear mirror for those who plan to install cameras). Sitting behind for long journeys is perfectly alright here.

Boot space is good with 512litres with the rear seats up. It goes without saying that the cargo space can be improved when we fold the 60:40 rear seats down. I love how the tonneue cover can be used as a separator/stand as well when installed like the picture above.
Behind here you will also find a 12V power socket that you can charge any emergency lighting devices. Underneath the boot floor is a space saver tire.

 

Safety

True to most modern Protons sold today, the X70 Premium 2WD does not short change any of its buyers with the following active and passive safety features;-

• 6 airbags
• ABS
• EBD
• BA
• Auto Brake Hold
• ISOFIX
• ESC
• TCS
• Hill Hold Assist
• Hill Decent Control
• Emergency Stop Signal
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Reverse camera
• 360 camera
• Immobiliser & anti theft alarm

More notable safety features that deserves special mention is the Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS). With 9 advanced sensors and 5 cameras, the ADAS system consists of the following;-

• Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) that automatically stops the car when it detects an obstacle in front of the vehicle. Works only below speeds of 30km/h
• Forward Collision Warning (FCS) which sounds an audible alert when it detects the vehicle is moving far too fast and collision is imminent. This does NOT brake the car autonomously and works at speeds above 30km/h
• Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) that automatically decelerates if the vehicle in front is moving slower than the speed you set and automatically accelerates when there are not vehicles ahead to the speed you set.
• Lane Departure Warning (LDW) that sounds an audible alert when you drift off lane. Works only if the lines on the roads are clear & picked up by the vehicle’s cameras.
• Blind Spot Monitoring System (BLIS)
• Intelligent High Beam Control (IHBC) that automatically switches the front headlights between high and low beams when it detects the presence (or absence) of vehicles in front
• Door Opening Warning System (DOWS) that works in tandem with BLIS and warns you if you’re about to open the door to oncoming traffic from the rear.

 

 

Ownership

All the above complements what is already a very capable SUV. I’m not saying that the X70 offers the kind of opulence and “premiumness” normally reserved for luxury brands but as a model sold under the Proton name, it’s very unlike any Proton that came before it.

Sure, it’s essentially a Geely and we won’t see much rework until later this year when the CKD model is launched. Nothing conclusive so far but IMHO, Proton might decide to rework the suspension and dampener settings to better suit our local roads. I’ve always had high opinion of Proton’s suspension tuners so I look forward to this revision but until then, the X70 is what it is.

Proton’s first SUV and one that’s the most affordable in the segment.

Is it worth it? I say with a resounding YES!

This is one model that has hit all the right notes; pricing, performance, build quality, features, space, safety. For a 5-seater mid-sized SUV costing between RM99,800 to RM123,800 for the Premium model you see here, it’s really the best bang for the buck you can get – more so when you consider there’s a 5-years unlimited mileage and a 5-years data plan thrown in for you.

Perhaps there will still be some who says “It’s still a Proton” and is adverse to the brand, perhaps due to past negative experience with it. Personally, I feel the X70 resets the bar as this model will be able to bring in new customers who’ve probably not touched the brand (there are plenty of low priced alternatives to drive during college days). From a product point of view, the X70 a very appealing but buying car has long term ramifications; Proton now needs to prove to these new buyers that it has improved the after sales element as well to complement the improvements the X70 brings. The development where 1S and 2S centres gradually changing to 3S and 4S centres is a good as it improves and streamlines the service level.

Speaking of service, X70 buyers can also link their smartphones to their vehicle via the Proton Link app.

Through it, you can use your smartphone to see how much fuel remaining, remotely lock/unlock your car, sound the horn/lights, open the windows and also access a window ventilation mode which lowers all 4 windows slightly to allow hot air in the cabin to escape when parked under the hot sun. You will also be able to use the app to track where your car is where the last known location is updated by the vehicle through the Internet based on the in-built GPS.

Now the next question we ask ourselves is, will the insurance premium be cheaper since the risk of this vehicle be stolen is lesser due to its tracking system?

I asked this and Proton replied that there has been some insurance providers who’ve approached them to see if they can work together. So far nothing concrete yet but the fact that companies are proactively approaching Proton is a very good sign.

The app also allows you to book a service appointment and lists all locations where the X70 servicing can be done (do note that presently not all SCs can service the X70).

Another thing to note is only one smartphone can be linked to one vehicle. So if your spouse wants to spy where you are, you’ve a perfectly legit reason to need to link your phone to your X70 as you’ll never know when you need to use the app to get yourself out of trouble (ie misplacing your key and need to open the car doors quickly)

So there you have it, the Proton X70 that is, in my opinion, an ultimate game changer. To me, this is one Proton I know I will shut all my friends and relatives up when they question my decision to buy.

We live in exciting times when we bear witness to a radical change in Proton and from where I stand, there’s no where to go but up!