Here it is – the one you’ve all been waiting for. We finally got our hands on Malaysia’s new darling, the Proton X50, and it is every bit as impressive as the hype for it suggests.
First off, it’s the price. The 1.5 TGDi Flagship variant we tested here tops the price list at RM103,300 (inclusive of sales tax exemptions), which is lower even the entry-level Honda HR-V. Off to a great start then, but that’s not the even most surprising part of it.
What impressed us the most is what it offers with that price tag. Not only does it look great (subjective, we know) both inside and out, the build quality, especially on its interior furnishing, feels like it came from a car twice its price.
Not only that, it packs a good deal of kit too. The ‘Hi Proton’ voice command is still as impressive as ever, but the headline on the Proton X50 is of course the level two autonomous driving features, which to some extent, is able to drive the car by itself. On a car that costs “only” a hundred grand!
What’s underneath the hood is just as remarkable. Critics will scoff at the three-cylinder mill and point out its “inherent problems”, but in actual use cases the award-winning engine remains so smooth and quiet on the move – at least in the cabin – most people probably wouldn’t even notice the lack of one cylinder if it wasn’t pointed out to them.
The 177 hp and 255 Nm output from the 1.5-litre turbocharged engine is also mightily impressive. We all already know about its controversial 0-100 km/h sprint times, but honestly, you wouldn’t care about numbers when you’re driving on the public roads, would you? All you need to know is that it’s certainly fast enough, and it wouldn’t break a sweat when trying to overtake on the highways.
There’s a whole lot more to talk about the Proton X50, but we’ll leave GC Mah to it in the video above. But if you’re strapped for time to watch the full video, here’s the TL;DR – “Rugi kalau tak beli, bro“.
