FIRST DRIVE: 2023 Proton X90 1.5L mild hybrid tested
had zero visible engine, too. We’re not putting two and two together here, just saying.
Our test route didn’t have any rough or deformed road surfaces, but we suspect that the X90 will ride well in the urban jungle. The big SUV’s highway ride isn’t too soft and bouncy, while body roll is well-contained even on our twisty route. The steering feels natural in speed and weight. Overall, the X90 is a pleasant steer, which isn’t a given when it comes to cars developed for the Chinese market.
As if that detour wasn’t bad enough, the navigation then led us to Jalan Syed Putra and declined the NPE in favour of the jam on Federal Highway. Benefit of the doubt: perhaps it wanted to avoid tolled roads. Even so, I believe that many would prefer Waze or Google Maps. Shame, because the screen is big and beautiful, and the instrument panel has the ability to show a full-width map.
The leather is advertised as Nappa, but for some reason it doesn’t feel as supple as the hide in the X70. Not bad, just normal. Less normal is the hard plastic of the meter binnacle top and the sharp edges of the borders of the centre console, where it meets the centre stack. Curiously, the wing mirror control knob is in black and not metallic, which would look more upmarket and match the drive mode knob better.
Also unique to the X90 are the roof aircon vents, which work much better than pillar vents, or worse, vents at the back of the centre console. Roof vents are nearer to the parts of the body you want cooled, instead of your knees. This is a seemingly small detail, but it took effort to engineer and it makes a big difference in passenger comfort. Good job.
So, there you have it, our first impressions of the Proton X90 from all three rows. This big SUV is a bit of a mixed bag for me as the initial impression isn’t “wow, this is actually quite nice”, just like the first time we sat in the X70 and X50. The X90 is less premium-feeling in materials and design, even though its the flagship of the range. In isolation, it’s not bad, but perhaps Proton set itself a pretty high bar with previous SUV efforts.
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