To put an end to the suspense, eagerness, and whatnot! Proton has finally launched its newest X50 in town. While it revealed the SUV back in September when the first units rolled off the production line at Perak, Proton has undertaken a six-week publicity drive before bringing out the B-segment crossover on Malaysian roads. 

With much of the details about the new Proton X50 already out, we were anticipating the price of the SUV more than anything else. The national automaker has also given rest to our impatient wait and announced the Proton X50 price, starting at RM 79,200. Here we bring everything you need to know about the long-awaited SUV, which is perhaps the brand’s most important model yet.

Proton X50 Design

Talking about the exterior design, the Proton X50 features some cosmetic differences as compared to the Geely Binyue, the model on which it is based. Upfront, there is a Proton's signature infinite weave pattern front grille with an ethereal bow highlighted in red. The grille is edged by sharp LED headlamps connected by a large and sculpted chrome trim piece. The SUV also boasts large air intakes and a front spoiler that flows into the black body cladding. LED fog lights are also placed in the corner inlets. At the rear, there are trapezoidal LED tail lamps that are joined by a full-width chrome bar carrying the ‘PROTON’ lettering. The massive diffuser and four genuine exhaust pipes further complement the SUV’s look.

The four available variants are not much different in exterior styling. The Standard and Executive trims stand on 17-inch wheels while the higher two versions - Premium and Flagship come with 18-inch two-tone rims. Other distinguishing elements comprise the non-availability of fog lights on the base trim and the presence of a two-tone colour scheme in top guise.

Also read: Proton X50: Variants explained

Proton X50 colour options include Snow White, Ocean Blue, Armor Silver, Jet Grey, Citric Orange, and Passion Red. 

Dimensionally, the SUV is 4,330 mm long, 1,800 mm wide, 1,609 mm tall, and has a wheelbase of 2,600 mm. The SUV offers a luggage space of 330 litres.

Coming to the interiors, here also the Proton X50 inherits much of the design cues from its Chinese cousin. The modern cabin highlights a futuristic minimalist dashboard teamed up with floating touch-screen entertainment display, jet fighter-inspired air vents, flat-bottom steering wheel, and pistol-style electronic gear lever. Under the centre console, lies a large storage space area that houses a USB port and a 12-volt socket. The cabin is decked up in black fabric upholstery in standard trim,  leatherette upholstery in Executive, and black and red leatherette upholsteries and satin-finished silver accents all around in higher trims.

Proton X50 Performance

On the mechanical side, Proton offers the X50 in two engine options, both with the same capacity of 1.5-litre but tuned differently.  The said engines are coupled with a 7-speed DCT taken from the elder sibling, the X70. It handles much more torque and contributes much to improve performance and mileage. 

Specifications	Standard, Executive, Premium	Flagship
Engine	1.5-litre turbocharged three-cylinder multi-port injection	1.5-litre turbocharged three-cylinder direct-injection
Maximum power	150 PS @ 5,500 rpm	177 PS @ 5,500 rpm
Torque	226 Nm @ 1,500 – 4,000 rpm	255 Nm @ 1,500 – 4,000 rpm
Transmission	7-speed dual-clutch transmission
Fuel consumption	6.5 l/100 km	6.4 l/100 km
0-100 kmph	NA	7.9 seconds

Proton X50 Features

Proton has amazingly packed its latest SUV with a glut of hi-tech features, including

• 10.25-inch infotainment system (8-inch in Standard and Executive)
• Voice command, navigation, online weather forecast, Joox music streaming
• 4G and WiFi, smartphone and Bluetooth connectivity
• 7.0-inch digital instrument display (Premium and Flagship)
• Cruise control with speed limiter
• Keyless entry, push-button start
• Remote engine start
• Auto Air-condition system with rear AC vents (Manual in Standard and Executive)
• N95 cabin filter
• 3 USB ports
• Proton Link App compatibility for vehicle status, remote control, etc. (Premium and Flagship)
• Panoramic sunroof (Flagship)
• Automatic dimming rear-view mirror (Flagship)
• Automatic rain-sensing wipers (Flagship)

Also read: Proton X50: Features explained

Proton X50 Safety

The Proton X50 safety and driver-assistance kit makes it different in the crowd. The standard equipment covers four airbags (front and side), ABS with EBD and BA, stability control, hill descent control,  hill start assist, rear Isofix child seat anchors, an electronic parking brake with auto brake hold, and a reverse camera. With the Executive model, customers get six airbags, while choosing the Premium will add a tyre pressure monitoring system to the Proton X50 specs sheet.

Moving to the range-topping Flagship trim that houses a full-fledged Level 2 semi-autonomous driving system, which has received significant upgrades over the one available in X70. The ADAS suite includes:

• Blind Spot Information System
• Lane Departure Warning
• Forward Collision Warning
• Intelligent High Beam Control
• Autonomous Emergency Braking with pedestrian detection
• Adaptive Cruise Control with stop and go functionality
• Automatic high beam
• Parking assist

The SUV has also shown its safety performance by achieving a five-star ASEAN NCAP rating, with a total score of 84.26%.

Also read: Proton X50: Safety features explained

Proton X50 Price

The competitive pricing of the new X50 set by the automaker is mentioned in the following table.

Variant	Price (excluding insurance)
Proton X50 1.5T Standard	RM 79,200
Proton X50 1.5T Executive	RM 84,800
Proton X50 1.5T Premium	RM 93,200
Proton X50 1.5T Flagship	RM 103,300

Note: Prices are inclusive of the ongoing sales tax exemptions, which apply to the purchases made until December 31, 2020.

Proton X50 service and warranty package

All purchases of the Proton X50 will get a 5-year warranty unlimited mileage, 5-year data package (1GB per month), 5 times free labour service (only for the first 30,000 bookings made before December 31), and the Proton Insurance Programme. The latter covers waiver of betterment costs up to 10 years, agreed value coverage up to 12 years, key care cover up to RM 1000, personal accident up to RM 15,000, and more. The SUV will be offered with interest rates beginning from 2.22% per annum.

Proton X50 Competitors

Proton X50 falls in the hotly contested B-SUV segment in the country that was single-handedly created by the Honda HR-V in 2015, now holding its dominance. Other strong players of the game include the Toyota C-HR, Ford EcoSport, and the upcoming Perodua D55L.

Given the X50’s striking design, hi-tech features, competitive price, and the most important people’s craze for it, gives a strong impression that it will be going to make new sales records for Proton.

Also read: Proton X50 vs Proton X70: Similarities and differences explained