Much has already been written about the Proton X70, and the SUV has previously been featured in a video review, but that was as part of a group test in a Driven Web Series episode early this year. Now, Hafriz Shah takes a closer look at the SUV in isolation, this time in Langkawi, with a quick sampling of the car’s ADAS active safety systems to boot.
The X70 is definitely a feather in the cap for Proton – since its arrival onto the scene in December last year, the SUV has helped propel the national automaker up the sales charts. Earlier this month, the company said it had sold 13,572 units of the car in the first five months of the year, with 2,439 of these being in May. Throw in the vehicles delivered in late 2018 following the car’s debut and that’s nearly 15,000 units, which is nothing to sneeze at.
Buyers continue to line up for the C-segment SUV, which is still sold as a fully-imported CBU model from China – local CKD production starts later this year, which will increase capacity and delivery rates. Four variants of the X70 are available, a Standard 2WD, an Executive 2WD, an Executive AWD and a range-topping Premium 2WD.
All variants are powered by a 1.8 litre turbocharged and direct-injected four-cylinder petrol engine, which offers 181 hp at 5,500 rpm and 285 Nm of torque from 1,700 to 4,400 rpm, the mill being paired with a six-speed automatic transmission.
Specification levels are high, the comprehensive equipment list including bits such as an eight-inch TFT touchscreen ‘Hi Proton’ GKUI Android-based infotainment system, keyless entry, push-button start, dual-zone climate control, six airbags and Nappa leather upholstery as the range moves upwards. At the very top, you’ll find driver assistance items such as forward collision warning, AEB, lane departure warning and adaptive cruise control in the mix.
GALLERY: Proton X70 Premium 2WD
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This is a very good car. For past 15 years, SUVs have been the top global seller. I do not know why Proton did not come out with a SUV of their own.
Any Form 5 kid would have told you that you don’t need to be a marketing guru to know that SUV sales were skyrocketing and it was the best way to increase sales substantially!
It’s all about timing, and by waiting until it peaks Proton did the right thing. If they had came out with an SUV say 15 years ago which Perodua did, they would have suffered the same cold reception and massive sales failure that is the Nautica.
Proton X70 1.5T CKD wud hav RON95 rebate.
This car may be a game changer but unfortunately it only has 5 seater in it. This is a huge deal breaker as Malaysian mainly have many kids. I’m not sure why Proton didn’t give a 7 seater option for the X70. What is clear is that Proton R&D team aren’t doing their job well and ended up like this.
All credit and praises for Proton on the rebound should be given to 3 parties
1) Li Chunrong
2) Geely
3) China
Li Chunrong in 6 months turned around Proton for the better what locals could not do in 20 years.
So with Nautica disaster all credits and praises should be given to 3 parties.
1) Perodua
2) Daihatsu
3) Japan
Proton did what Perodua had failed to do; make their first SUV a success.
Agree with char siew! A seven seater with a lengthened wheelbase and AWD would be a total game changer! That could even decimate the competitors further! Hope Geely is reading this. Also there should have been a top of the line version with AWD . . . . . maybe once local assembly has started perhaps they could consider this.
Crossover with AWD to ferry 7 people going places is very bad idea:
1) not fuel efficient, too frequent refill petrol.
2) tires worn out quickly, how much to replace 18inch/19inch tires?
3) high ground clearance troublesome getting in and out of the car.
4) no versatile moving foldable seats like minivan.
5) no auto sliding doors like minivan.
i just hate 7 seater suv. feels like im driving the minibus, and due to the weight the dynamics are bad. you shouldnt compare unibody vs ladder frame suv (rav4 vs fortuner) as both are different kind of suvs.
If Proton provide 7 seater then you will complain fuel guzzler… Too cramp…(just ask xtrail owner)
Minivan has 7 seaters or even up to 10 seaters.
Crossover should ideally stays as 5 seaters.
This what happens when you are not good in doing business. Car business is not the same as selling goreng pisang tepi jalan.
Perodua is selling pisang goreng di tepi jalan, huge sold units because of locals like to eat.
‘I do not know why Proton did not come out with a SUV of their own.’
Cost of development and tooling. Additionally Proton has only a small market presence.
As long as no campro and punch cvt, proton have a good cars
Better this then Borgward BX5 & Haval H2 ,
When CKD Proton X70 launches in Malaysia, the price will be cheaper as it was already expected. Furthermore, Proton X70 Sales will goes up including upcoming Proton X50 and Upcoming new Facelift Proton Saga will goes up as well. This will make Proton Sales to be better more than last year. Especially since launching two months back for Proton Iriz New FL (third round) and Proton Persona New FL (third round), the sales already goes up than previous Proton Iriz FL (second round) and previous Proton Persona FL (second round)
Support Proton, Geely, BMW, MINI, Mercedes, Volvo, Mitsubishi, Ford, Renault, Peugeot, KIA, Borgward and Haval > all
I doubt price will be cheaper. They will throw more goodies especially base & exec model. If it’s cheaper, maybe by 1-2k only.
(Like) Proton X70
(Dislike) Santa Fe, Tucson, X-Trail and CH-R
We love X70 or coming soon X50 more than Santa Fe, Tucson, X-Trail, Rush, C-HR, BRV, HRV, CRV and Aruz. A lot ppl regret placed the booking for 7 seater CPL SUV.
This Proton Quality is better than Hyundai Quality
This is why Proton never improve as fanboys always syiok sendiri. With this kind of game over attitude, it is impossible for Proton to become a game changing company. Hyundai is a world-class brand while Proton cannot even beat Perodua in Malaysia. So the game changing question is how to compare Proton quality with Hyundai quality?
Bro ccf, u seriously need to take a look at the proton X70. I own a Hyundai Santa Fe DM and I can say the build and conceive quality on the proton X70 is much better. Such a shame because it’s comparing a 190k+ car to a 130k+ (full spec 4wd comparing Apple to Apple). The Hyundai though is quite reliable in terms of drivetrain. Oh well… at least I have extra 2 seats at the back.
Hmmm, you don’t think very much don’t you. What is Perodua’s price range and what is Proton’s price range. They cater to 2 different segments in the market. Perodua obviously caters to the bottom of the pyramid so, it if obvious that there will be a bigger base there. Do spare some time in thought first before making really ‘syiok sendiri’ remarks that you always do. And, try eating more fish. More nutritious and better brain food than chee cheong fun.
This is Geely quality. Proton quality = campro engine
so…by your logic, P2 has never had any quality? because P2 = Daihatsu = Toyota quality, right? such a shame…so many years dominating the market but nothing of their own. just a new rebadge after another
Idk why lots of bodohs are supporting shit Proton and the bodohs all talking bad about Perodua. Shit Proton is doing well now because of Geely’s work and technology. Understand la Proton bodohs!!!!!
Tahniah!
P1, Geely, Mesidis, Volvo Car, Volvo Trucks, Lotus, L&C, Polestar, SMART > all
OK lah OK lah… I send you a Kelab Sukan DRB-HICOM umbrella… LoLZ :)
Great and honest review Hafriz! However would like to know more about the storage capacity of the X70. I use a CRV and it fits my two bicycles in the back with the seats folded and the front wheels off. Can the X70 seats fold forward like a CRV? How much can i carry in the back with the seats folded? Also am curious about the AWD version. I hang out at the beach a lot and also have a kebun to look after. It would be great to see a side by side comparison of the AWD systems of the X70 vs CRV vs CX5. Thanks again for a great review!
IMHO AWB on urban SUV is merely a sale gimmick. Its next to useless esp with the road tire mounted on the rim when venturing to the beaten path.
Most test done are not real world test. What i mean is that the test is conducted on test jig/platform or on soft core dirt road. A proton wira or Perodua kancil can easily navigate soft core dirt road.
When the going gets just a bit tough, those road tire is the first to go. When an SUV loses traction in tricky situation it will be messy.
Still, i would luv to see those handsome SUV to try and justify the ‘S’ in the SUV too.
I really want to buy it because it’s a good looking car with very good specs and safety features but the only thing that make me look for another car is it doesn’t come with manual transmission.. Auto isn’t my cup of tea, same goes with motorbike..
What in the world? Don’t tell me “real men uses three pedals”, cause thats just plain bs nowadays. Not many new models offering manual trans in this day and age. Especially those husbands, they want a car that their wife can also drive so, auto trans is always better choice. UNLESS husband and wife both “real drivers”
Dude….. This is not 70’s… Who still use manual in this kind of suv…. Don’t bullshit here
Go look for a pick-up. They hv manuals
This is like old folks prefer to use fax instead of email.
That’s hilarious. You want a manual soft road SUV today and I think your best chance is…err…hmm…maybe a base model Lada or Tata. Nak tak?
What!? Who wanna drive manual in bad traffic jammed nowaday? You want drive manual, you buy lotus elise!
Hahaha Veneno, looks like you ‘poisoned’ yourself seeing others commenting on your comment
looking for a SUV with MT? LOL goodluck finding a good one or an affordable one in this market
Actually, if u guys notice, the Innova is actually an SUV. Yes it uses a proper ladder frame chassis, and has a manual transmission option for the E spec. And it costs the same money as the low spec X70. Thx me later. This is the poor men’s fortuner that I am recommending.
Much has been said about X70 quality but how about Proton service. I had bad experience at Proton SC Puchong(Serindit) few weeks ago. SC quality must go hand in hand with cars from factory lah. Else SC will kill Proton business.
Own a Myvi but go to Proton SC? Your not that very bright are you? Don’t get offended when they refuse to service your car.
Hafriz is doing better and better. The final thing, be confidence and arrogant the same time and make it more fun to watch . Good job bro !
Another “First Drive” report. Just like the Marvel relaunching the Avengers because sales is slowing down.
This review was actually done way back in January, bust since we’ve already had our own Driven Web Series X70 episode up by then, we threw the edit into the waiting list pile. We’ve just cleared our backlog, and now it’s finally ready to be published.
Too many dupes trying to tell the writers what they shud and shud not do. They shud go and start their own blog publication and hire their own writers and reviewers. Then these dupes can tell them what they shud and shud not write.
Back shape is too steep and still don’t get the back straight liner till both rear lamps it makes awkward look. This car is juat a tweaked copycat of Land Rover Evoque. Nothing to shout and syiok sendiri about.
Tell that to geely dude…… It’s totally Geely boyue that has been changed from LHD to RHD….. Oh come on.. Be matured… Don’t just bash without brain
Feels like groundhog day watching this.
I gave up on this advertising video after five minutes, so if I’ve missed something new, forgive me.
On the plus side, I guess Shafriz had a nice time on a free jaunt to Langkawi.
Perhaps the next X70 “feature video” will be held in a nice Penang resort for an in depth feature on how to pack the glove box in a way to maximise the storage capacity.
*Sigh*
Funny, seeing that the first 5 minutes includes me saying how unProton-like the handling is, and not in a positive way. We don’t do advertisements masked as reviews, and we never will.
As for the free jaunt in Langkawi, well, I would have preferred being in the office, not letting my daily work pile up, to be honest. It’s not all fun and games, buddy.
To quote you, Hafriz,…”We don’t do advertisements masked as reviews, and we never will.”
How many reviews were done on the X70 prior to, during and after the launch? I’ve only been reading this site for four years but have never seen any other car “reviewed” to the extent the Proton X70 was.
Now, seven months after the launch, yet another X70 review, although nothing has changed in the car specs over that period. If that’s not promoting a product then I’m unsure what to call it. Perhaps making the public aware of the vehicle?
You also said….”As for the free jaunt in Langkawi, well, I would have preferred being in the office, not letting my daily work pile up, to be honest. It’s not all fun and games, buddy”
Let me help you out there, buddy. The next time there is a jaunt to a nice location with all the added frills, let me unburden your workload by volunteering to take your place.
An ideal win win situation. :)
Hello BJ, this is Proton Cars. Where is Proton from? Where is Paultan website from? Of course local products get more attention. Anyway, this is Proton’s first SUV meh. Just let the car gets all the attention la.. it is a good car anyway. Why la so easily triggered. sigh
Sorry Buddy BJ, you are not competent enough to give us review on automotive industry so please dont. Please stay on your daily job which is keyboard warrior. cheers!
Zeer,
I think that is a bit unfair.
You know nothing of my background to make those types of statements. I am certainly not, as you state, a “keyboard warrior”.
Keep it friendly, ok?
You need only look back at our coverage of the 2018 Perodua Myvi to see that we give the maximum amount of exposure and coverage for all local models, be it Proton or Perodua.
We serve our readers, viewers and car buyers first and foremost, not advertisers. Speaking of, when was the time time you saw a Perodua advertisement on this site? Yet we give the appropriate amount of coverage, the maximum amount for Perodua too. It’s just what we do as a Malaysian automotive website.
As for the late review, 7 months after launch, I’ve commented above that this review was actually done way back in January, bust since we’ve already had our own Driven Web Series X70 episode up by then, we threw the edit into the waiting list pile. We’ve just cleared our backlog, and now it’s finally ready to be published.
Jaunt to a nice location? Mind you, I was in Langkawi for no more than 24 hours for this review, plus the necessary travelling time. It definitely was not a fun free and easy holiday as one might expect.
Hafriz, thank you for taking the time to respond to my comments. I sincerely hope that you don’t take my comments as derogatory or in any way a personal attack.
I generally view this site because I genuinely like many of the articles and input from the paultan.org team and some of your readers. If I felt that the staff input was lacking, then I’d simply stop visiting the site. This is not the case.
However, I do feel the X70 saga has been overblown and when I see a new review seven months after its launch, it does become a bit weary. That is ONLY my opinion, as I’m sure many others who are owners of, or potential buyers of the X70 like to be reinforced of the purchasing decision.
If you have ready any of my previous posts, you would be aware that I am very passionate in changing the culture on our roads. While I have your attention, is this something that the site would be interested in developing as a serious topic?
I, for one, am sick to death of what I see on a daily basis on our roads and believe that sites like this have an opportunity to make a difference.
Avagreatweekend……and…ummm….any idea when the next X70 review will be available? Keep smiling :))
All good, buddy. Always good to get feedback.
I admit that this is a bit of a weird situation because it’s out so long after the launch. But since we’ve already shot it, and the edit boys had free time, why not. It’s still good content and like you said, it will help those who are still deciding on the car.
Road safety, we’re all for it, of course. We’ve done quite a few pieces on it, especially on child seats, which I would like to believe has had a positive impact among Malaysian parents.
Of course, we would like to do more. If you have any suggestions, shoot away!
BJ… don’t need to suddenly change your tune when your first comment you straight away called it advertisement video… attention seeker.
U know, if u dun like it, u dun have to read and watch the video, u know right? Making accusations w/o checking with writer? Real mature of u.
Dude… Ignore this lad. He was clearly pout if clue on what you are doing.. Maybe a salesman from other rival… Haha.. And BTW hafriz.. Can I join you?
BJ wants to talk about being unfair when he is labelled as a “keyboard warrior”. Well, didn’t you label the video as “advertising”?
Paultan’s reports are made by real people, meaning you can see them do the job, so we can call a spade a spade. You too know nothing of Paultan’s background in terms of business dealings and can freely accuse them of making paid adverts look like reviews.
In your case, you’re a two alphabet initial, and can claim to be not an keyboard warrior when in fact, it points to such.
I can see that I have really hit a nerve here. Perhaps it’s fortunate that I’m not a politician!!…lol.
Rusian, you stated….” ….can freely accuse them of making paid adverts look like reviews.”
Please show me ANYWHERE in my posts where I mentioned or stated that this review was a paid advert.
I actually said….”I gave up on this advertising video after five minutes, so if I’ve missed something new, forgive me.”
Note, no mention of being paid.
I’m still of the opinion that it was shown to promote the car, as there was nothing new about the information supplied. Hafriz has given his reasons as to why the video was delayed and I fully accept what he said.
Also, when you have a respected motoring journalist mention in the video that his own family have bought the car, there is, by default, at least an inference that he may have had some input into their purchase decision.
As an example, if he said to his family NOT to buy a Honda XYZ because it was a bad quality vehicle, I’m sure they would take his input in making their buying decision.
Anyway, that’s enough from me on this matter. Nobody is getting slandered or going to lose sleep over it, so feel free to continue with the verbal vitriol.
Avagoodweekend.
Well, if BJ really has the credentials he said he did, he should spend a few minutes thinking through before straight away accusing the PT team of selling out. That has a very serious implication for a publication like paultan.org that is visited by thousands each day, giving a bad impression that the site is partial to certain carmakers.
So many game over dupes from john. This BJ guy is only criticizing the video and suddenly being labelled a keyboard warrior by dupes. Please keep website a friendly and peaceful place john, we don’t need any fights here.
As for BJ. Here you go; “I gave up on this advertising video…” It’s from your very first comment. And yes, advertisements are understandable to be paid, there is no such thing as free lunch in the real world.
As for our perennial troll. Oh boy you don’t even know what the heck is being discussed. Empty can makes the most noise, and you’re just a big empty drum.
Nice one Bj. Imma road safety advocate too
Very good car at very good price!
Don’t know how many times they want to review this car.
after the car launch so long only paultan make a video review? that’s quite late already right?
We’ve already done a full Driven Web Series episode back in January, right after the launch.
Hafriz… Just ignore those ignorant and full of hatred towards Proton… Of course as local automotive site, more exposure to our local products..
You are right, I m owner of Harrier 2.0 and x70, after 2 months of driving x70, I feel power is better than Harrier, handling wise is not lose Harrier too. The best is still safety features especially 360 camera is really extremely useful
Well done Proton
Seriously thinking of getting one but should I wait for ckd? My concern is workmanship and reducing the features
Avoid CKD… At all cost…. Trust all current X70 owners… CBU the best
In general, aside from those bashing of proton and perodua in general and those crazies that say proton now = benz + volvo…. , the review lacks proper explanation of the issues of the car.
Allow me to explain, 1st, the door closing (including the boot) lacks refinement. It might be the cheaper hinges or what not, but if you close it from another angle (not straight), then the door and boot will not close proper.
The GKUI is another thing. having 1gb (albeit with additional purchase of gbs possible) is menial. if you keep using ‘hi proton’ to play stuff online, you will run out by the second week. This is aside from the fact that it also need to collect weather info and gps data for its maps.
And dont get me started with its map, baidu map is practically useless as these map system depends on huge number of users to provide data (from traffic to potholes) and the only ppl using baidu maps outside of china is a small country whom imported CBU china suv without modding the GKUI (at least the maps change to google maps for the sake of christ). What it means is that by next year, most respectable new car would have android auto and car play, not for X70 cause reasons…..
Closing of doors is subjective. This is an SUV so obviously doors r heavier and more difficult to close, whatmore this isnt a luxury brand car. Dun lor expect Volvo like door closure.
Ask urself how much data ur smartpong uses and how much u can save when given free 1gb data? Easy to complain when things given free. If not enuff then pay lor otherwise just listen to radio or usb. Keep the free data for navi. SIMPLE!
Baidu maps will get better as more new P1 cars r on the road. In any case, CKD version likely will replace it with Gmaps and GKUI is open ended so AA/CP can be included later on. Ekceli u cant really use AA/CP in MY, the app dun allow it for MY do u know that? So why….
I want to know…when the X50 is gonna be launched :)
Definitely next year.. 4th quarter…. Proton busy with CKD X70… U know.. Proton never on time when launching new product.
Hafriz,
I have had to start a new thread, as there was no reply icon available at the end of your last post, perhaps due to the tread being too long.
Regarding road safety awareness, I am glad to see you are interested in the topic. I’m a firm believer that we can’t go on allowing what happens endlessly on our roads. The fatality rate is an absolute disgrace, confirming to me that something needs to be done.
Perhaps this is not the ideal format to discuss our thoughts on a campaign that would create an sustainable impact on road use, so I am open to ideas from you on how this might be developed.
Cheers and thanks for your interest.
With my post already receiving 21 dislikes, it appears that readers of this motoring site are not interested in any safety campaign that paultan.org might be interested in implementing.
I hope that is not the consensus of all drivers on the road, although from what I see on the roads each and every day, it may well be.
Oh well, let’s keep the road fatality figures up near 7,000 each year then. Frankly, that is merely peasant mentality if drivers are willing to accept the current driving mentality on Malaysian roads, sorry if that offends.
As I’ve often said here, I sincerely hope it’s not one of your family members that become a statistic in those figures.
Over and out.