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I was one of the many Malaysian media who were invited to take a look a the upcoming Proton X70 SUV. Yes, the Geely Boyue in its Proton form has been officially previewed by PROTON without any camouflage for the first time to a group of people and they have also chosen X70 as its name. It is also Proton's first SUV ever. Furthermore, when asking one of the Corporate Communications people from Proton, it also can have the usual name for special versions, like Proton X70 Sepang or X70 Istimewa for that local limited run model if ever they wanted to. The name play is actually endless and X70 is what they have chosen for now. Anyway, with that out of the way let's discuss the Proton X70 in a little more detail. If you do not want to read about what I think of the SUV, you can scroll downwards as I have decided to put the whole official press release down below. So, it has been revealed to us. But according to Dr. Li Churong, CEO of Proton, this is just a teaser.
There are not much details as to when exactly the car will be officially launched. Most likely sometime in November according to rumours with first deliveries of the first, imported batches coming in soon after that. There will be four variants on offer - the X70 Standard 2WD, Executive 2WD, Executive AWD and Premium 2WD (panoramic sunroof and more goodies). All variants will feature a 1.8 litre TGDi turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine producing 181 hp and 285 Nm of torque. So yes, Proton are bringing in both the all-wheel drive and front wheel drive models and one engine which is actually is impressive in terms of its performance and specification. So, in terms of powertrain and drivetrain, the X70 tickles my fancy already. In terms of styling, the overall car is essentially the Geely Boyue with localised touches. The front grille is different from the Boyue as is the front bumper.
The overall execution seems to be better. The grille takes some Malaysian traditional intertwined pattern design. The nice thing was the same patterns are repeated on the inside on the doors at the door opening inserts and the door speaker grilles. The bumper also has nicer looking placements of the driving/fog lights and better integration of the side pods overall. At the rear, there is less chrome bits and the overall look is less blingy and shiny than before. From the sides, everything is the same as the Boyue. What the X70/Boyue looks like is close to what Land Rover/ Range Rover would design a SUV. Yes, it does look like a Range Rover Discovery Sport or an Evoque with a taller profile. The overall execution of the car is better in the metal than I would expect. The only drawbacks are that the overall styling may get some people saying that it is too close to a Range Rover with a slightly generic looking front end. And, for me, the design pattern of the alloy wheels used by the X70. On the point of looking too much like a Range Rover, it is actually a good thing.
I can tell that it isn't some blatant copy as there are many styling cues unique to the X70/Boyue but one wishes that the front end would be a little more prominent. It's just me actually. I am quite fussy as the overall execution for something which is essentially the first car that Proton and Geely are working on together. Whilst similar to the one used by they Boyue over in China and, maybe Russia, the design is too similar to the current Mercedes-Benz alloy wheel as well as a design which is also seen on some Kia Forte here. After all, with the presentation that Proton Design had a bigger role to play, it is a shame that they could not add some super distinctive wheel design into the picture. But that being said, this is the first round. Again, Proton has taken what was provided to them. As for the interior, it is of high quality.
There are a lot of soft touch plastics and leather for you to caress. There seems to be more than ample space inside for 5 people to be comfortable. It feels like it is closer to the Honda CRV, Hyundai Tucson and Volkswagen Tiguan in terms of size. So what else is there? Proton is known for its ride and handling you say? Well, during the work for the right hand drive conversion, Proton and Geely actually spent a lot of money and time on making the steering wheel move from one side to another. Whilst there isn't much said by the folks from Proton on this, except that they worked together to make it happen, there is actually a lot of work to make such a conversion from LHD to RHD. The converted car must pass all safety homologation and regulation. It must also drive as properly as before.
