User Test Drive: I Would Recommend Executive or Flagship Variant - 2020 Proton X50

Basic Information about the Car

2020 Proton X50 1.5 PREMIUM & FLAGSHIP

Time of Visit: 4.00PM

Dealer Name: Setia Gemilang Auto

Dealer Location: Shah Alam

Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price: 95783.40 (Premium) 106131.45 (Flagship)

Dealer Asking Price: Same

Discount: Nil

Why did you make a visit to the dealer?

Test driving cars for general knowledge.

Exterior Description

The front is quite handsome and good looking. It’s sporty and modern without being too over the top. The red accent adds a sporty character to the front but might look out of place on certain colors. Only thing that looks a bit dated is the proton grille. The side profile especially on the flagship variant looks sleek thanks to the black upper half. There are some nice sharp creases on the front fenders and door handle area which makes it looks modern and edgy. The sloping roofline is also a nice touch to make the car look less boxy. However, the bottom area is too busy and the lines and creases looks purposeless. The two tone rims look okay with some sharp lines and contrast. The rear does looks dated with thick chrome trim and uninspiring rear lamp design. The bumper doesn’t help either with busy lines that doesn’t seem to do anything. The quad tail pipes are a big plus in light of many premium cars using fake tail pipes although one could argue it’s overkill.

Overall it shares the same design language as X70. Edgy, sharp lines and corners, boxy, robotic. However, it doesn’t look futuristic and might look dated in few years’ time.

Interior Description

Driving position is decent. Feels more like a sedan than an SUV. Pedals might be a bit too forward for taller drivers. It doesn’t cause any discomfort for taller drivers but will require the seat to be placed further back. Pedals are decent in size and quite close to each other. Ergonomics seems to cater for smaller sized users which is a big plus for our market. The dual tone dashboard with metal trim is very modern and good looking. However, the red upper dashboard can look out of place if the exterior color is orange or blue. Build quality seems quite good, everything is relatively well built with no major flaw. The floating console is a nice touch but also seems limited in practicality as the depth is quite shallow. Personally I prefer a traditional lower console as for more legroom. Steering wheel is of the right size. Not too thick like modern BMW or too thin. The speedometer display is lacking in contrast but still perfectly usable. On the flagship variant, engaging sport mode will change the layout to focus on the rev counter. Infotainment screen is nice and bright but doesn’t do much. Volume control buttons are in the strange position below the screen. Buttons quality feels decent. Overall a nice, comfortable place to be in without very little to complain about. Can’t ask for much more.

Summary

Pros & Cons of the car

Pros

Exterior design that is quite modern, edgy and good looking without being over the top cartoonish like some of its rivals

Well-built interior and decent amount of soft touch materials used and modern design.

Good amount of interior space for the size of the car.

Linear power delivery on the Flagship variant

Smooth and responsive DCT gearbox that doesn’t show too much of DCT weakness.

Class leading NVH levels.

Class leading suspension that is tuned for comfort. Very compliant. Use of torsion beam does not seem have strong effect on the ride quality.

Decent brakes. Good performance and linear. Not overly sensitive.

Cons

Power delivery that is focuses on the low end on the premium variant.

Oversensitive power delivery on sports mode.

Slow, overly assisted steering with very little feedback. Sporty driving is not rewarding.

Suspension too soft for spirited driving.

My overall feelings toward the car

A car that has aspects that performs way above its price range. Namely, safety features, panoramic roof, digital speedometer, powerful modern engine, use of soft touch materials and NVH levels. While there are some negatives that will annoy people who enjoy driving, overall there are far more positives. At its current price, it’s a bargain especially the executive variant. My recommendation would be the executive or flagship variant. Executive variant is priced very attractively while having all the safety features that you would expect for its price. Flagship variant has class leading safety features and luxuries but price might be too close to X70.