Here is the Proton X70, starts at RM 99,800

KUALA LUMPUR: Hail Proton! How long did we actually wait for the X70 to arrive? Well, you guess you must have lost the count altogether. Just like we did. Till date, we have covered countless stories on the Proton X70, and some feature stories too, all in the anticipation of the SUV. Proton, one of the leading Malaysian manufacturers, has revealed the pricing of the SUV that the masses have been waiting for.

Talking about the X70, the SUV borrows its foundation from the Geely Boyue, which is a Chinese SUV. The agreement between Geely and Proton has certainly started to bolster the available resources, technology, and research work for our in-house automaker Proton.

The Proton X70 was recently previewed to the Malaysian masses at the 2018 Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show. Proton brought 3 of the 4 variants at the show and the SUV was very well received by the visitors and the media. The four variants of the X70 have been named as 2WD, Executive 2WD, Executive AWD, and Premium 2WD. The first few batches of the Proton X70 will be imported from China and local assembly will kick-off later next year. To put an end to the excitement, suspense, and what not! Proton has finally announced the prices of the newest SUV in the town.

For the mechanicals, the much-awaited SUV will come as the house of a 1.8-litre turbocharged direct-injected 4-pot petrol mill. This engine is good enough for 184 PS of max power at 5,500 rpm and a peak torque of 285 Nm from 1,700 rpm to 4,400 rpm. A 6-speed automatic unit delivers the ample power to either two or all four wheels depending on the variant you choose.

Going by the looks of the newest SUV offering in the country, the Proton X70 packs some decent looks. Neither it is too husky nor it looks dull. The styling has been done very adequately by the designers. The chunky skid plates at both front and rear do well to keep the internals safe as well as provide the X70 with some muscles.

The Big grille at the front houses the Proton in the centre and is flanked by projector headlamp units with built-in DRLs. Move to the sides and you will find brawny 18-inch alloys (17-inch on Standard 2WD). At the rear, there can be found the wrap-around style LED taillamps and vertically stacked reflector units on either end of the rear bumper. The dual exhaust outlets mark their presence on at the bottom of the rear bumper.

The Proton X70 SUV includes features like leather-wrapped multifunction steering wheel, keyless entry/start, full-LCD instrument console, dual-zone automatic climate control, rear air vents, electronic parking-brake, 8.0-inch GKUI touchscreen infotainment system that comes with “Hi Proton” Voice Command, and 6 USB charging ports across the variants.

18-inch alloys, LED headlights, LED DRLs, black leather, 360-degree surround view camera seat, and a power adjustable driver seat can be found on the Executive models. Furthermore, the Premium 2WD variant also gets powered front seats, Nappa leather upholstery, 9 speaker Kenwood sound system, and a panoramic sunroof.

Safety features on the X70 include the likes of ABS, EBD, Brake Assist, 6 airbags, ESC, Hill Descent Control Traction Control, Hill Hold Assist, and ISOFIX child seat mounting points are standard on all the models.

The Premium 2WD, with all the standard safety features, also come equipped with front and rear parking sensors, Autonomous Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Warning, Adaptive Cruise Control, Intelligent High Beam Control, Lane Departure Warning, and Blind Spot Information System. In case you’re not aware, the Proton X70 has been given a safety rating of 5-stars by the ASEAN NCAP.

The Malaysian automaker has priced the SUV at:

Standard 2WD: RM 99,800

Executive 2WD: RM 109,800

Executive AWD: RM 115,800

Premium 2WD: RM 123,800