2025 Proton X50 Previewed: Here Is What We Experienced

The Proton X50 has undergone its first major revamp and it’s a good one!

Last month, Proton invited us to check out their 2025 Proton X50. While still sharing the same platform as the original X50, so much has changed with this update that it earns the right to be called ‘all-new’, at least according to Proton. We’re inclined to agree that it’s more of a new car than a facelift. The 2025 X50 has undergone a complete transformation, now including a new-generation 4-cylinder turbocharged engine (still a 1.5L), a complete redesign inside and out, as well as some major upgrades to infotainment, tech and safety.

At the preview, we were given a rundown of the changes via a presentation. We were then carted to the Proton semi-high speed test track and put through 3 activities with the new X50: a couple of laps behind the wheel, a drag race to 100km/h with one of its closest competitors, and a demonstration of the new auto park function. After that, we got to spend time with the stationary display vehicles. There was a full-spec model with the new spoiler, a lower trim version without the spoiler and the outgoing model was there too for reference.

The first thing we took note was the change in engine. The outgoing model had a 1.5L 3-cylinder turbo with either port injection or direct injection, depending on which variant you bought. The new engine adds a cylinder and is only available with direct injection and it’s the same engine powering all versions of the car – Proton is no longer creating a situation where you have to pay for unnecessary features (like a sunroof) to get the engine you want. The new engine is more powerful and more refined at idle. Proton also claims that efficiency has been improved, but there’s no way for us to test those claims out. 

While the exterior is new, this design was largely taken from the Geely Binyue L with a unique front grille with a red stripe.

The power output, 181PS and 290Nm of torque, is a noteworthy increase from the previous model’s 177PS and 255Nm of torque and the century sprint time has decreased appreciably. That being said, it’s not a night and day difference in the way the vehicle performs, at least not in a straight line. The fastest time we managed to post was just over 9 seconds in less than ideal conditions, so we’re definitely far from sports car performance territory here.

Still, the additional cylinder will be an appreciable upgrade to a lot of customers. In our review of the first X50, we found the 3-cylinder with direct injection engine to show its weakness mostly during startup, where you would SOMETIMES get a rougher than expected engine start depending on the position of the cylinders prior to ignition. Now that issue should be eliminated altogether. This does create a new artificial problem for Proton and its dealers though – the smallest crossover sold now comes with a four cylinder engine, yet the X70 and X90 soldier on with just 3-cylinders?

We’re sure many customers will feel that adopting a ‘wait-and-see’ approach could be worth it as those larger SUVs may be due an upgrade too. In terms of drive and handling, we can’t really say if there’s an appreciable difference, it didn’t present any strange behaviour around Proton’s loop at very conservative speeds. We did note that the new position of the gear selector removes any possibility of manual gear selection though – something the outgoing X50 still manages to offer with a left-to-right tiptronic style selection method. On the plus side, it frees up space in the centre for a 10L storage area, which does add a lot more value in day-to-day operation.

That brings us to the new interior. This is the place where Proton has done the most work as it is almost entirely a Proton design as far as we can tell. There are a number of highlights here besides the repositioning of the gear selector and the most obvious one is the large 14.6” infotainment system. This is not only the largest screen in its class, but it also has a number of interesting new features including Bahasa Malaysia ‘Hi Proton’ commands and the ability to string multiple commands together with a single prompt. What’s more, the infotainment unit supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto from day 1 without further updates necessary. A quad core processor, 6GB of RAM and Android 10 were listed as key specifications of this head unit. 

The new auto-park system is actually really impressive. A 360-degree overview of your surroundings appears and you can touch and drag (and rotate) an indicator to show exactly where you’d like the car to end up being parked. Once you’ve settled on a spot, the system takes care of everything. Another functional upgrade to the interior is the USB port situation.

There’s a set of USB type A and type C ports in front and another set in the rear, allowing for maximum flexibility no matter your cable situation. Plus there’s a new wireless charging pad.

Ambient lighting has been upgraded as well – it’s fully customisable and there are lighting areas in the door handles both front and back. The only upgrade we weren’t completely sold on were the semi-transparent sunvisors, but only because we didn’t get to test its effectiveness during sundown/sunup hours.

That about wraps up our first impressions of the new 2025 Proton X50. Stay tuned for pricing and final specification options.