I Drive The Proton X50 Facelift To Batang Kali And I Loved Every Minute Of It

December 17, 2024

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The facelifted Proton X50 brings some much needed improvements and fun

The Proton X50 SUV saw its minor change facelift earlier this year and while it basically looked almost exactly the same both on the inside and out, the brand truly did a lot under the skin because this car really handles far better than the outgoing pre-facelift model and even the system functions smoother and faster than before.

The facelifted Proton X50 is definitely far smoother than before and even the drive modes now make much more of an impact on how one drives. In sport mode, for example, the throttle response is far more sporty and in fact, despite being an SUV, the sport mode makes it feel almost like I was driving a sports car and it was exhilarating.

Moreover, the entire experience, from the drive, to the user experience, and everything in between is noticeably better than with the pre-facelifted model. I also prefer how much more quick and accurate the “Hi Proton” feature is in the facelifted Proton X50 because it was able to recognise my commands without me shouting despite it raining cats and dogs.

Speaking of which, the NVH in the facelifted Proton X50 is also marginally improved because despite the extremely heavy rain, I could hear the radio clearly and the “Hi Proton” feature was working very well while I was talking in my normal volume and it actually understood me very clearly. Road and tyre noise was also very minimal so kudos to Proton for this.

On top of that, the facelifted Proton X50 is also a ton of fun to drive in general because in comfort mode, the whole car softens up and makes it very comfortable to sleep in. Obviously, I was not driving at this time, but my driving partner did admit that he was jealous that I could sleep so soundly while he was driving.

Overall, the Proton X50 has definitely improved a lot. Is it the best car to drive? No, could it have been improved in a few other ways as well? Obviously, but for the price of RM113,300, there really isn’t much anyone can complain about. Decent NVH, spectacular space, a fun driving experience and amazing handling, what more could anyone ask for for that price?

Mind you, this is the price for the top spec Proton X50 Flagship too, the base model Proton X50 Standard starts from RM86,300. With this kind of price point, the Proton X50 really does make a good case for itself as I can easily think of countless other SUvs both below and above this price range that offer far inferior products which have terrible specs and handling.