Proton pair passes test, but has bigger things to worry about

Proton launched their X50 and X70 SUVs around the same time last year in South Africa.

We got to drive these brand-new offerings, but then recently an email out of the blue saw us reacquainted with these two. In a little bit of clever PR in my opinion, we were offered another drive in the X50 and X70. But this time with a full year’s mileage under the belt.

It is very seldom that we ever see a test car with 10 000 km on the clock, never mind something like 40 000 km. The plan was simple, how have these Malaysian cars stood up to a year of being abused as dealership demos?

Considering the Chinese car invasion sweeping across our country, a little bit of trivial information is that Proton might be owned by Chinese carmaker Geely, who also own Volvo, Polestar, and Lotus, but their products are produced in Malaysia.

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Volvo power

Both SUVs are powered by the same Volvo-derived 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine and both run a seven-speed dual clutch gearbox. But they come in two states of tune, 110 kW & 226 Nm and 130 kW & 255 Nm. The latter being reserved for the top-of-the-range Premium X50, while all the X70 derivatives get the juiced up powerplant.

The Citizen Motoring‘s drive of both revealed no funny noises or signs of mechanical distress despite what I can only believe has been a tough life for these cars.

The engine is quite punchy as is alluded to by the power and torque claims made on paper. And the interiors showed some expected scuffing, but not a rattle or squeak could be heard, so that is another positive.

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Standard specification is another strong suite of the pair. The Proton X50 1.5T Standard includes the likes of four airbags, 17-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights and an 8-inch infotainment system with a reverse camera.

The X50 1.5T Luxury gets automatic headlights, fog lights, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and leatherette upholstery.

The X50 1.5T Executive derivative gets 18-inch alloy wheels, a larger 10-inch infotainment screen with a 360-degree camera and a tyre-pressure monitoring system.

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More spec and power

The-top-of-the-range 1.5 TDGI Premium gets some extra driver assistance systems, a panoramic sunroof, two-tone exterior and the mentioned extra urge.

The Proton X70 TDGI Standard is fitted with halogen headlights, 17-inch alloy wheels and fabric upholstery. Plus 8-inch infotainment system, six-speaker radio, air purification system and six airbags.

The X70 TDGI Executive gets LED headlights with daytime running lights, 18-inch alloy wheels, welcome lights, electric tailgate, leatherette upholstery, electrically adjustable driver’s seat, ventilated front seats, eight-speaker radio system and a 360-degree camera added on, plus the option of all-wheel-drive.

When ticking the AWD box, this adds the likes of a tyre pressure monitoring system and 19-inch alloy wheels. Plus Nappa leather upholstery and a nine-speaker radio with amplifier and subwoofer.

The top-of-the-range X70 1.5TDGi Premium sees just the addition of a panoramic sunroof to the package.

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Proton’s challenge

The message was clear, despite high mileage and a hard life, the Proton X50 and X70 have stood up well to anything daily life could throw at them. But there is a huge elephant in the room right now that can’t be ignored.

These cars do nothing out of the ordinary on face value. Starting at R449 900 for the X50 and R529 900 for the X70, they’ll find it challenging against Chinese favourites Chery and Haval in terms of spec and price.

The Proton X50 and X70 are sold with a five-year/unlimited km warranty and five-year/80 000 km service plan.