Early Wednesday morning this week, the Malaysian motoring media were given the opportunity to take this latest Proton offering out for a test on the Sepang Race Circuit. So why a race circuit to test drive a family friendly crossover?
Well, Proton wanted to show the 0-100km/h acceleration of this X50 when pitted against its segment rival and a premium brand as well. So they arranged a 0-100km/h drag race set-up with the current segment best seller, the Honda HR-V and a BMW X1 which is a premium offering. The latest 1.5L TwinPower Turbocharged BMW X1 is priced at RM208,368 and the popular Honda HR-V 1.8L is priced at RM124,000.
BMW X1 sDrive18i Specifications
Engine: 3-cylinder TwinPower Turbo
Capacity: 1499cc
Gearbox: 7-speed Steptronic
Max power: 140hp @ 4600-6500 rpm
Max torque: 220Nm @ 1480-4200 rpm
Top Speed: 201 km/h
0-100 km/h: 9.6 seconds
Honda HR-V 1.8L Specifications
Engine: 4-Cylinder 16v petrol, SOHC i-VTEC
Capacity: 1799cc
Gearbox: CVT Automatic
Max power: 142hp @ 6500rpm
Max torque: 172Nm @ 4300rpm
Top Speed: 192 km/h
0-100 km/h: 10.1 seconds
Well, we think that a race should have been done with only turbocharged crossovers to show a fair comparison, however in the mid-segment crossover market there are no turbocharged offerings right now except for the Proton X50.
The Proton X50 immediate rivals right now are the Mazda CX-3 which is priced from RM141,329 and it is fully imported from japan, the Toyota C-HR which retails for RM150,000 which is also fully imported from Japan and of course the local assembled Honda HR-V.
Meanwhile, the Kia Seltos is about to be launched at a possible selling price of between RM115,000 and RM120,000 (estimated) and it will have a normal aspirated engine.
Then there is the Hyundai Kona which we are www.dsf.my have just test driven this week and the highest specification model comes with a 1.6L turbocharged petrol engine and a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission. This engine produces 177 horsepower and 265Nm of torque. It features direct injection with a single turbo, twin blade design.
This new Hyundai crossover selling price starts from RM115,000 (confirmed Malaysian selling price yet to be revealed) and it is fully imported. All variants of the Hyundai Kona come with a 4.2” colour display on the instrument cluster and a 7” infotainment unit with Android Auto and Apple Carplay. 6 airbags are also standard across the range. Push-to-start and keyless entry, hill-start assist, downhill braking assist, drive model select, a tyre pressure monitoring system and reverse camera. The full-specification Hyundai Kona adds a Qi Wireless smartphone charger as well as a host of safety and Advanced Driver Assist systems, such as Lane Keeping Assist, High Beam Assist, Forward Collision Warning, Active Cruise Control, Driver Attention Warning and more.
