The nine units of the Proton X70 SUV which had departed from PROTON’s Centre of Excellence (COE) on a journey to China has arrived back in Malaysia. The 33 day trip started on 26th February 2019 and was organised by Borneo Automobile Leisure Touring and Kunming Scenery Customer International Travel Co. The Proton X70 Malaysia-China Amazing Trip 2019 (Amazing Trip 2019) as it was called was supported by PROTON and covered more than13,000km in 33 days over four countries proving the reliability of PROTON's first ever SUV.
One of the reasons why PROTON supported this drive was that they wanted to prove that the Proton X70 could take on a variety of driving environments and basically gauge its long distance performance and reliability. What seems to be proven from the reliability record during the Amazing Trip 2019 was that there were no breakdowns reported during the journey that covered four different countries. All nine vehicles completed the journey without requiring any repairs except for scheduled servicing. This is despite most of the driving was done over for long distances in areas with little to no outside technical support. You do see the escort vehicles in the photos herein (which from the look of it are Toyota 4x4s), but the X70 basically did well.
All the participants said that the X70 SUV had a smooth ride, 'enthusiastic' performance and refined cabin on all variants of the SUV that were present during the trip. It could be said that the refinement of the X70 made the long distances feel less tiring for drivers and passengers alike and allowed them to better enjoy the scenery during the trip up to China and back . According to those who drove the Proton X70 Premium, the benefited from the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and features such as the Nappa leather seats that boosted both safety and comfort.
“We were already impressed by the high levels of comfort and refinement the Proton X70 has and after spending 33 days driving over 13,000km on unpredictable roads, I am convinced this is one of the best choices in its class,” said Dato’ Wong Kean Hwee, an Amazing Trip 2019 participant.
One issue faced was the fact that the Proton X70 is not yet sold outside of Malaysia and in China (in the form of the Geely Boyue of course). Technical assistance had to be arranged by PROTON at dealer locations and service centres along the route wherever it was possible. In China,the servicing and support was provided by Geely dealers who are already familiar with the the Geely Boyue based X70.
The convoy of Proton X70 went through Malaysia, Thailand, Laos and the majority of time was spent in China where the convoy traveled through various regions before reaching the halfway point at Hangzhou before driving back home to Malaysia. At Hangzhou, the convoy visited Geely’s headquarters and toured the Geely Experience Centre. The participants had a chance to find out more about PROTON’s joint venture partner and also got a sneak peak at the Geely vehicles that have the potential to be developed into future Proton models.
The trip was one way on how PROTON wants Malaysians to gain an understanding of the relationship between the two companies so that more people will understand about the exciting future for the brand. It is hoped that this experience would add to the perception that Proton cars are reliable and are reputable in a very good way. The journey to push the brand upwards continues.
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