Proton X70: New Contender

The Proton X70 is Proton’s first foray into the lucrative SUV segment of Nepal. It is a significant improvement from the first car introduced by Proton in Nepal, which came in the form of the tame and modest Proton Saga. To be completely honest, the Saga didn’t set the right tone for the Malaysian carmaker in the Nepalese market. It was primitive in design and it performed moderately. The X70, however, steps things up to a whole new level.There are a lot of things to talk about for the X70, it is a feature-packed offering, but let’s start things off with the design.ExteriorWhile the traditional SUV shape of the Proton X70 might not make it immediately apparent, there is a lot going on with the styling of the Proton X70. The front fascia of the Proton X70 gets an Ethereal Bow design grille that is flanked by LED projector headlamps. The ‘infinite weave’ design of the grille itself is a nod to the company’s Malaysian roots and finds inspiration from the traditional craftsmanship of Malaysian culture. Sleek LED running lights and LED fog lamps find their way down to the front bumper.Viewed from the profile, the Proton has noticeable design elements. Proton states that the sculpted silhouette of the X70 is “inspired by the explosive energetic lines, muscular form, and agility of the Malayan Tiger”. Anyways. The alloy wheels look great and the 18-inch wheels do a good job of filling out the wheel arches. You get chrome and silver accents on the drip line and the waistline, running above and below the side windows. There’s more chrome on the bottom side cladding. A prominent character line runs across the profile, grazing the top of the door handles, and merges with the wrap-around taillights.The rear gets more silver garnish on the central nameplate that houses the Proton lettering along with a bottom cladding that gets chrome exhaust lining. The taillights are pretty traditional but they work well with the overall design.Interior and FeaturesProton has not skimped out when it comes to the interiors and features on the X70. The beige, black, and silver color tones work well. There’s an abundant use of Nappa leather on the interiors which you can find on the seats and steering wheel. It is a plush addition and adds to the luxury quotient. Furthermore, the seats are ventilated which you will come to appreciate when you’re driving under the scorching summer sun.The center of the dashboard houses an 8-inch touchscreen monitor. It is a responsive unit through which gives you control to the auto dual-zone air conditioning, ventilation to the front seats, music and audio controls, and it also works as the display for the 360-degree camera. The 360-degree camera display provides you with an augmented reality of your car up to 15kmph. This was pretty useful when navigating tight parking spaces. The 9 Kenwood Speakers also work great. We like the prominent dials and knobs for the dual air conditioning controls in addition to the touchscreen controls. This makes adjusting the temperature in the car much easier when you’re driving.However, the coolest thing about the system is that it comes with an intelligent voice command system that pretty much works like an in-car personal assistant. All you have to do is call out to the system by saying “Hello Proton” and you can instruct the car to perform various tasks like opening the window, opening the sunroof, asking for the time, etc.You get plenty of space inside the cabin of the X70 and the massive panoramic sunroof adds to the open feel. The seats provide plenty of support with electronic adjustment and lumbar support. The rear seats can accommodate 3 passengers comfortably, and you get a dedicated air-con vent for the passengers too.Proton has gone to great lengths to provide a premium experience for the occupants. For instance, if you aren’t traveling with three passengers in the back seat you can drop down the center seat and get an armrest that houses two cup-holders. Furthermore, you also get a boss switch on the front passenger seat which allows you to move it all the way to the front and reveal acres of legroom for the left rear passenger. Just make sure there’s no one seated in the front seat when you do it.PerformanceLike the impressive interiors and features, the performance follows suit. Powering the Proton X70 is a 1.5L turbo petrol engine that produces 174BHP and 255 NM of torque. With this engine, you get a total of 4 variants: The Standard, Executive, and Premium which come with a 2WD drivetrain, and a fourth Executive AWD drivetrain variant. Proton handed us the keys to the top-of-the-line Premium 2WD variant as well as the Executive AWD variant. Both variants were fun to drive, but the AWD was hands-down our favorite. However, before we get into the driving experience, we want to go over the extensive list of features that you get with the Proton X70.The Advanced Driver Assist System (ADAS) pulls out all the stops and comes loaded with amazing and useful features that greatly increase the safety quotient of the X70. You get an Autonomous Emergency Braking and Forward Collision Warning which brings your car to a halt if any unexpected obstacles come your way. When you're driving on our roads, you can’t tell when a stray dog, cat, cow, buffalo, goat, pedestrian, motorcyclist, cyclist, and or an unidentified flying object can appear out of nowhere. So, it’s a handy feature to have in your car. But, keep in mind, this feature is only functional when you’re driving at under the speed of 30kmph. The Adaptive Cruise Control is also a nifty addition to the ADAS, which lets you cruise on the roads while maintaining a safe cruising distance with the vehicle in front of you.Another useful feature was the Blind Spot Information System which wasn’t intrusive but was visible enough to ensure that the driver notices the blinking. The car also lets you know if there are incoming dangers when you’re opening the front doors. For the benefit and safety of others in traffic, the intelligent high-beam control function automatically switches headlamps between high and low beams for nighttime driving.With that out of the way let’s get on to the joys of driving the Proton X70. Overall, the 1.5L turbo engine is great. The engine is responsive and darts forward to the commands of your right foot. The 7-speed dual-clutch transmission is super slick. The shifts come in at the right revs and it makes for a refined driving experience. However, if you want to take matters into your own hands, you also get manual mode.You get to choose from 3 different driving modes: eco, normal, and sports. Normal mode has enough power to get you around the city and will work well on the highways too if you are driving in a leisurely manner. Eco mode is mainly for when you are navigating through city traffic or when you’ve left for the office a little too early and don’t mind saving up on fuel. Last, but not least, the sports mode. Switch to the sports mode and the X70 drops the calm, “prim-and-proper” act and gets ready to have some fun. The revs run higher and the throttle response is crisper. It feels like the vehicle is more eager to split lanes and doesn’t mind when we get slightly heavy-footed with the accelerator. Needless to say, this was our favorite mode to drive in.Our favorite drivetrain was the AWD, and it’s the option to go for if you’re an auto enthusiast. On the tarmac, it provides superior grip and keeps you planted when you’re taking corners. Where the AWD properly comes to play is when you take it out on loose gravel or slightly challenging surfaces. You can feel the system working under you to find the grip just so you can keep having fun. And boy did we have fun!VerdictThe question is, does the Proton X70 have what it takes to compete in the cutthroat competition of the Nepalese SUV segment? It certainly makes a strong case for itself.On the tarmac, the Proton X70 is well behaved. The suspension is supple and soaks up road undulations to keep things in the cabin extremely calm. The well-mannered demeanor of the X70 succeeds in providing a premium experience. The quality of the interiors and the materials used further adds to the feeling. Proton has gone as far as to give the engine bay its own cover just to cut down on the noise volume levels when you’re driving. It’s a first-class experience when you’re driving the premium variant.Having said that, we should also mention that the Proton X70 is just as enthusiastic when you want to shed the suit and tie and put on your driving shoes. Switch to the sports mode and it turns into a completely different animal. It’s more aggressive, more responsive. It begs to be pushed and when you do push it, it rewards you with a thrilling drive.However, despite being a 3 cylinder, the mileage numbers aren’t what we would call economical. Like we mentioned earlier, the AWD would be the one to go for if you are a driving enthusiast. The performance does have a hit on the mileage, but it is worth it.Of course, all of this comes as at a price. The prices start at Rs. 86,99,000 and go all the way up to Rs. 1,04,99,000 for the 2WD Premium variant. You will have to shell out Rs. 96,99,000 for the AWD Executive variant. The prices aren’t exactly pocket change and it’s definitely going to play a major role in the buying decision.