Proton recently allow us to review their latest Proton X50. The X50 was the 2nd car to come out from the collaboration between Proton and Geely, and this car is targeted at car buyers who are looking to upgrade from their b-segment sedans.
When you 1st set eyes on it, the X50 looks better in real life than in photos. Overall, the X50 is a handsome looking vehicle. The black plastic cladding at the lower portion of the vehicle gives it a sporty yet rugged look. The LED headlights and taillights blends in well with the overall design. I am not really a fan of the front grille design, it gives it an impression that there is a huge gaping hole between the bumper and the hood. The 215/55 R18 wheels and tyres completes the SUV look on the X50, giving it a more premium aesthetic. 
Moving to the interior, the X50 uses a mix of different materials to give it the premium look and feel. When you get i nside, you’ll notice the huge amount of space around the interior, especially the rear seats. The visual appearance is further helped out by the huge sunroof which allows more light into the cabin. With the front seat set to my seating position, I still get tons of legroom at the back, and the large sunroof did not rob me from any of my headroom space. With the soft cushion and cavernous rear seats, I wouldn’t mind travelling long distance at the back of the X50. 
Back to the driver seat, I find that the driver seat very well sculpted keep the driver comfortable over long distance. Even though the overall ergonomics is spot on, I do find that the lumbar support section a little protruding for my liking. I do think that making the lumbar support adjustable would greatly improve the driver comfort. Another thing about the seats is that the leather on the seats tends to stick to my shirt, it gets a little uncomfortable when readjust seating posture when driving. 
As for the infotainment system, the large 10.25” centre screen is nice to look at, but I struggle to fully utilize the large real estate. It would be nicer for Proton to include more connectivity options like Android Auto and Apple Carplay to fully utilize the screen. As most of the time, my preferred navigation tool is Waze or Google Maps, and with the additional connectivity functions would help improve the user experience for the X50. 
One more thing about the infotainment system is the 360 camera, the cameras that Proton used on the X50 are rather low resolution. I was expecting to have the same crystal clear camera image found on the X70. NVH wise, the interior is a quiet and serene place to be in. On the flip side, once you travel up to 100km/h, the wing mirrors would start to generate quite a substantial wind noise. You might get used to it after a while. One last thing about the interior, the X50 receive the Proton’s signature trait, the super cold climate control. 
On the go, the X50 is powered by a brand new 1.5L 3 cylinder turbocharge petrol engine that produces around 175bhp and 255Nm of torque. The power is sent to the front wheels through a 7-speed Dual clutch transmission. While driving, you can feel that the engine has plenty of torque to help the X50 to keep up with the traffic easily. 
Going back to the 3 cylinder engine configuration, the vibration from the engine is isolated from the cabin. At times, the engine do sound like a diesel engine. Fuel consumption wise, I’m getting around 10l/100km reading. With the 45L fuel tank, you might need to visit the fuel station quite often.
In terms of suspension, the X50 has a very well-tuned suspension that absorb bumps like how a continental car would. Going over uneven roads, the vibrations and judders from the road surface barely even reach the cabin. However, the X50 suspension is tune towards the softer side which contributed the extra bodyroll and pitch when taking corners and braking.
Slowing down the car, the brakes on the X50 has just sufficient braking performance. The brake pedal also do not help on the braking feel, this is due to the biting points for the brake pedal is pretty down low. 
Back to the X50 handling, the steering wheel is rather light and vague, but this can be solve by switching into sports mode which made the steering wheel slightly heavier. When driving, I find the steering system is quite direct and precise. Combine with the rigid chassis, it does help enhance the cornering capability of the X50. 
Safety wise, the X50 is loaded with a whole host of safety feature and driver assist system. It’s a rather complete system to be available at this price point. Most of the time, the safety system works flawlessly. During heavy rain, I notice that the blind spot monitoring system tends to malfunction, Proton could take a look at it.
Priced at RM103,300, the Proton X50 is a lot of car for the money. Powerful yet comfortable made this car an easy recommendation for those who are looking for a B-segment SUV. This is a reason why Proton is busy trying to meet the demands for the X50. Personally, the lack of android auto and apple carplay, with the high fuel consumption would make me think twice about getting 1. If that’s something you can live with, there’s no other competitor out there that is able to provide this level of standard features at this price point. 
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