It's not an exaggeration to say that Proton X50 is the car the whole of Malaysia has been waiting for, based on the amount of mentions one can find on social media.
Despite the big hoo-ha, Proton has been quite tight-lipped about some of the more important details, such as the price and the features on its variants.
However, during an exclusive media test drive event held at the Sepang International Circuit on Wednesday (30 September), Proton has revealed some new info about the Proton X50.
The event was a preview session for the media, where we got a hands-on experience on the features of the X50 as well as a platform for Proton to showcase all the SUV's cool features.
And speaking of which, here are some of the new things we've learnt about the Proton X50:
#1 The engine has undergone some rigorous testing
Much has been said about the Proton X50's three-cylinder engine (most are, unfortunately, not positive), but Proton has assured Malaysians that the engine is up to par.Proton has confirmed that their new 1.5T turbocharged engine and the 1.5TGDi found in the Flagship variant are co-developed by Geely and Volvo, and the engine is being used in more than 550,000 cars worldwide, quashing once and for all the rumours that the engine is unreliable.
In fact, for the X50 alone, Proton has revealed that they've test driven the SUV more than 1.9 million kilometers - which is equivalent to 40 times around the world!
On top of that, Proton has also revealed that they've changed and added more than ten parts to improve the noise, vibration and harshness factors in the engine, including a silent high-pressure fuel pump, high stiffness cylinder head and of course, an optimised timing belt.
Check this article out if you want to know the difference between the two engine variants:
#2 An upgraded ride and handling
According to Proton, they have made some tweaks to the ride and handling of the Proton X50 to make it more suitable for Malaysian roads (read: rough and full of potholes).
Among some of the upgrades to the ride and handling include a new anti-roll bar as well as a revised spring and damper rates to give you a better ride comfort and stability.
On top of that, Proton also revealed that they have also retuned the steering system -- which comes in four different modes, by the way -- for the local market.
#3 There will be three drive modes available
Well, this is not really a secret, especially when you have been following the Geely Binyue or Geely Coolray before Proton announced the X50, but Proton has finally confirmed that yes; the X50 will indeed feature three drive modes.
The three drive modes are: Normal, Eco and Sport.
According to Proton, the X50 will feature a shift-by-wire, seven-speed dual wet clutch transmission, which provides faster, smoother and more efficient gear shifting.
#4 The full list of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems
Up until today, there have been plenty of speculation when it comes to the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) found in the Flagship variant of the Proton X50.
Now, we finally know what features Proton will be equipping the X50 with.
Proton claims that the X50 will be "the first in its class to have Level 2 Autonomous Driving", and a quick browse through their slides will confirm that.
Among some of the ADAS features you can find in the Proton X50 include:
- Blind Spot Information System
- Intelligent High Beam Control
- Forward Collision Warning
- Autonomous Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection
- Lane Departure Warning
- Lane Keep Assist
- Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go
- Intelligent Cruise Control
On top of that, the Flagship variant of the Proton X50 will also feature the Auto Park Assist feature.
That's a pretty intensive list of ADAS features, don't you think?
At the moment, details of the price and the date of the official launch of the Proton X50 are still under wraps, but it is, however, open for booking right now.
What do you guys think of the Proton X50 so far?