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The new X90 from Proton was revealed at the recent Festival of Motoring, bringing an entirely new category into the previously launched local range.
Proton are in the same position as Chery in SA with many people remembering the previous foray into the local market. In my opinion, perhaps a different name would have been appropriate because there is no comparison between the previous products and the new offerings. The challenge for Proton is to get buyers to forget the past and look at the new range with a completely open mind. Chery in SA have proven that this is possible.
Offering 7 seater family space, the X90 is larger than the previously launched X50 and X70 models. Interestingly, all use the Volvo designed 3 cylinder petrol engine of 1.5l. The X90 is the first model to add 48v mild hybrid to the recipe. This takes the turbo version of the engine up to 140kW and 300Nm in this application. The front wheels are driven through an extra smooth 7 speed dual clutch automatic transmission. Eco, comfort and sport modes can be selected at the twist of a dial on the transmission tunnel.
In general use, the X90 feels smooth and powerful, I almost felt that it had even more power than the quoted figures. The smoothness of the overall ride is a stand-out feature. On our customary road-trip, my friends commented on the smoothness and comfort on the open road.
The current range consists of 4 models, all utilising the same powertrain and accommodation. The differences are purely in specification levels both luxury and safety. As always, I would push for the upper 2 models being the Premium and Flagship purely because they include a vast array of safety features as standard. From items like lane keep and lane departure to traffic sign recognition to autonomous emergency braking and active cruise control among many others. The 360 deg and overhead camera systems are superb as well. There is a self-parking function although, as usual, I did not test this!
The large infotainment screen offers all the usual functions with quick and clear responses. Unfortunately, Android Auto and Apple Carplay are not available. You have to download an app and then utilise sceen mirroring through this. Hopefully this can be changed in the near future.
The middle seats have air-conditioning controls and 2x USB ports and there are also USB ports on both sides for the 3rd row seats. There are air-con vents in the roof above 2nd and 3rd row seats. The middle row can slide fore and aft to allow more legroom if the 3rd row seats are being used. With the middle row further forward I could sit comfortably in the rear seats with plenty of headroom, even with my hat on. As standard, the 3rd row seats fold flat into the floor when not in use creating a cavernous boot space in 5 seater mode.
I managed a fuel consumption figure of 6.6l/100km on a freeway cruise and an overall figure of around 8l/100km for the test period. If mainly used in urban conditions I would still expect owners to achieve between 8-9 l/100km as an average figure.
Taking into account the space, comfort and specification, prices range from R559 900 to R677 900 making this a very compelling offering in the current market for the buyer looking for larger family transport.
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2 ноя 2023
