The first drive video on the Proton X70 is out. I must say that the X70 is quite an impressive piece of machinery. It is the first car that has come out of the Geely-Proton partnership and if you take a look at the video you'd know that I came home from Langkawi pretty impressed with the car, which is also Proton's first ever SUV. I tried out the Proton X70 1.8 TGDi 2WD Premium variant. The one on top is the X70 2WD Executive - which comes with smaller 18inch wheels as seen above - the pic just looks so good that I wanted to share it here.
Now do watch the video. I did put in some effort in getting this out. Videos seem to be the future in automotive reviews as most of us have noted that in terms of audience, videos seem to be capturing a new audience at a far more rapid pace than before. I suppose this is down to the fact that it is a fast moving world we live in right now. It is also an aural and visual world where moving pictures, and also pictures seem to grab the attention of others even more.
But if I have to say something about the Proton X70 here by the means of typing out some words, I have to say that I like how the SUV feels in terms of how refined it is. It feels very European. It may sound like a cliche for me to say so but I believe that Geely had benchmarked a few German SUVs when they started out to make the Geely Boyue, which is what the X70 is based on. If you've been keeping track of the X70's development you will know that Proton's designers had added a new front grille and bumper, rear bumper, some interior trimming and also the engineering work required to convert the SUV from Left hand Drive to Right Hand Drive.
So, the X70 does not disappoint when you drive it. It feels European, as I said above. There is a sense of solidity in how it drives. How it tracks the road all feels very European. If you came from a Japanese SUV you'd be surprised on how solid it feels. I do think that this is also down to the smooth sounding and feeling turbocharged 1.8liter petrol engine and 6 speed automatic transmission. The engine is smooth to the redline (muted by the turbocharger as it spins to high rpms) and extremely smooth gearshifts.
It could also come down to the weight of the X70 though, at 1695kg for this Premium variant, it pummels the road into submission, together with its long travel SUV suspension.
Of course, there is a drawback to being big, heavy and SUV tall. There is some body roll when you're pushing it. There is also understeer when you push it but once you get the hang of how it drives it feels quite confident. It also feels quite forgiving at the limits once you understand how it handles. It prefers a slower in and then fast out.
Do note that the drivetrain has a little bit of slack in terms of response. I believe that the drive-by-wire throttle pedal makes sure that everything is settled before it does a kick down. Acceleration is merely adequate and it will not light any speed demon's hearts on fire. But it is super smooth while you're doing so. 285Nm of torque (184ps) feels merely adequate if you are pushing hard on a hillside road. It could do with 50Nm of torque actually.
So yes, a super refined Proton without any NVH issues. It may not corner like what a Proton corners like previously, but in all honesty, who the heck cares about superb handling when 95% of the time it will be used for commutes to the office, school runs, market runs and for going to dinner. Only 5% outstation drives most of the time. This time we get a Proton that actually makes sense for 95% of the time and not tuned for that 5%. While I like driving fast, I do like to be comfortable too. And most of the time, being comfortable is more important than driving fast.
This new Proton makes a whole lot of sense. Especially since it comes in from RM100,000 to RM123,800 (otr without insurance) for this 1.8 Premium variant. It offers so much value for money in every variant. This full specced Premium gets a panoramic sunroof, nappa leather seats and a complete Advanced Driver Assist System (ADAS) which includes collision alert, autonomous emergency braking, Blind Spot monitors and more. The Executive level removes the sunroof and some of the ADAS while giving you faux leather seats. The base Standard gives you fabric seats. But all of them give you the talking function. So they offer extremely good value for your money.
But go watch the video above as well as the two down below folks! It shows a lot more details of the X70 which can be explained through visuals and sound. - More photos after the videos below.
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