Proton X90 full review - everything that's good and bad

Here's Hafriz Shah's full in-depth review of the Proton X90, covering everything that's good and all the bad stuff too. Proton's new flagship SUV is far from perfect, but should you buy one? Find out here.
Want to sell your car to buy the Proton X90? Use MyTukar with our link for the best price: mytukar.paultan.org
More info : paultan.org/2023/05/07/proton...
00:00 Introduction
01:14 Geely base, Proton design
01:33 Pricing & variants
03:02 Rivals
04:19 Front design
05:37 Side view
07:13 Proximity auto lock/unlock
07:36 Rear end
08:08 Dashboard view & quality
13:02 Second row
16:06 Third row
17:33 Boot space
19:19 1.5L TGDI + MHEV
24:20 7-speed DCT (wet)
25:30 Much quieter startup
26:54 Smart Glide function
28:34 Fuel efficiency
30:20 Ride and handling
33:58 Refinement
36:09 ADAS tech
38:48 Closing thoughts

[@mohammadyaakub8868]

I test drive CRV, Toyota Zenix, CX5, BMW X5, X90,X70 In my opinion, CRV/CX5 is the most comfortable. Followed by X90, Toyota Zenix, X70, and lastly BMW X5. Toyota Zenix is expensive but have nothing in it. No sunroof, no auto start, bro u pay 170k but nothing is inside. Wtf toyota. But i tried X90 all safety features, im pretty amazed. Have u guys test drive X90? U try first, and ask all the questions. Even they got seat ventilator for middle passengers

[@batulaut]

Tbh most people are more concerned with engine and gearbox maintenance so Proton put more focus there with the X90 with regards to servicing. They seem to do it right imo.

[@C3ByAx]

35:20 Geely just cannot resolve the poor aerodynamic... 80km/h wind noise Gosh!

[@Squalkk]

@@C3ByAxyou sure don’t drive alot of cars for the price 150k most of the cars that value got so much wind noise when driving 80+ above

[@kckfen]

Geely Okavango is position lower than X70 in Philippines and China.. when Proton take the car, they didnt do much to bring it up above X70, that why is look cheaper than X70. The front radar is hidden behind the number plate. That why is not advisable to replace the number plate with metal plate.

[@C3ByAx]

35:20 Geely just cannot resolve the poor aerodynamic... 80km/h wind noise Gosh!

[@andymr8123]

I think there is no radar at the plate number just rely on the visual sensor at the windscreen.

[@mastermix7162]

I think i have seen picture shows there is a radar behind number plate.

[@allsaddam]

Louder bro! Louder!!!

[@pipsaver99]

Yes, the hard plastic at the center console needs paddings, it is hurting my knee especially when I make right turns.

[@ow9196]

Totally agree with you hafriz! Proton went backwards with the x90. Even my 75 years old mum hated the exterior design! However, the multilink rear suspension is the only kudos for x90. Wake up proton! Competition is here!

[@wongchinkong4505]

1.5 litre for X50 OK. For X90, certainly no. Should have use 2.0 litre 4- cylinder like the pro Tiggo 8. But this is Geely, giving the Malaysian motorist out of date underpowered cars. Can fool some people all the time, all the people some of the time, but not all the people all the time.

[@CFA28]

very honest review. keep up the good work

[@EarthyLee]

Thank you for the comprehensive review. ❤

[@NasirCrazyguy]

Love the review! Keep it up

[@Nabilllllll]

Been waiting for this, let’s goooo.

[@lokekaryew8408]

Very comprehensive review

[@judedavid]

Dont talk bad about proton la, the fanbois will get hurt, you know? Must say proton is the best !!! 😂😂😂

[@0megalul309]

Esp the bumis

[@persada01]

@@0megalul309 FU i dont like Proton either

[@etcktn]

1st time I watch 40 minutes video until end. Full of information & honest review.

[@ahmads1701]

Excellent reviews by Mr Hafriz about this car. Thank you.

[@PalataoArmy]

Waiting for your review comparing this with innova zenix. Btw, just seen one unit otr, huduh gila zenix 😑, why it looks so appealing in the ads 😅

[@mastermix7162]

Nice review 😊

[@rahimirusli9364]

Having an equal amount of dislikes vs likes speaks volumes about the quality. When you're paying RM150k there should be little to dislike

[@MC-zv3ri]

150k is not alot of money… and its better than a japanese car.. so i guess its ok for the price

[@tkangwei]

@@MC-zv3riX90 is definitely more LIT than others 🔥🔥🔥

[@palinadri]

am looking for a 7 seater car, what would be your recommendation between these brands, x90, Mazda CX8, Tiggo 8 Pro or Tiguan Allspace

[@nelsoncheetube]

Enjoy this review. Tq

[@jorahtheandal243]

21:48 : where are u going JPJ? soo fastt

[@xiper86]

i tested this car not long after it launched. One deal breaker issue for me is the front seat. As a driver, the front seat knee support is bad and I am fine if the seat can be adjusted to tilt back a little bit so that my knee is at the higher position than my butt. However the height adjustment came at the expense of tilting the seat low at the front which made me sort of "sliding" to the front. Totally uncomfortable and hence that is the deal breaker. The Innova Zenix got way more comfortable and supportive seats than this.

[@hafrizshah4937]

Totally agreed

[@MitchelAmore]

Damn. I thought this is just a small issue, but then seeing owners in FB buying seat extender to make them more comfortable, feeling like they are being scammed by ploton.

[@amirl3703]

​@@hafrizshah4937comparison with zenix would be great

[@lagunabad]

ingtkan aku sorang jer perasan benda ni

[@SuperZaki09]

Finally found this comment, totally agree issue comfort seat's issue .. thoughts nobody's know about this

[@poovaneswaransupramaniam19]

thanks for the review..quite detailed

[@hafrizshah4937]

Thanks!

[@malcomjames4763]

Is It Paul Tan Will Make Kia Sorento Full Review Like This?

[@corny17]

Since the x90 is supposed to be comfortable for up to 7 adults.. and u add on the extra 70kg weight over the x50, which is roughly another adult. Won't it feel a lil underpowered if u really had so many adults? And if it's supposed to be a flagship model.. I think they should have offered an option to at least go up to 1.8 or 2L turbo. Start/Stop eco mode in general is just a bad feature. You're just likely to damage your engine mounting and maybe battery etc faster, than actually save a significant amount of fuel. Flagship model car that gets too much noise at only 80-100kmh is so disappointing too 😅

[@Dr_Doe]

Hafriz, what mode (eco/comfort/sports) were using most, during your test? Did you play & manually tweak the driving functions?

[@hafrizshah4937]

I drove it in normal most of the time. I found Eco to be too lethargic and Sport too aggressive, so to me it's Normal all the way.

[@Dr_Doe]

@@hafrizshah4937Hence the feeling of "almost underpowered". I think the point of the modes is so that you can quickly switch on the fly to suit your driving needs or mood.

[@hafrizshah4937]

@@Dr_DoeSport mode adjusts the transmission mapping and pedal response, it doesn't feel any more powerful. So yes, it will pull higher revs and offer more torque, perhaps, but that underlying "struggling" feeling is always there.

[@Dr_Doe]

@@hafrizshah4937 If struggling means not sporty, then I'd agree. Yes it's not a sprinter, this elephant. Perhaps a cruiser, or long-gaited, would be a better description of the 'power'.

[@jackdaballs4421]

this thing is fire 🔥. literally

[@garydonald8237]

Alphard第三排passenger怎样进入？

[@consciouslasagne354]

My mom wanna buy the ice zenix but the price is so much higher, we have reviewed only the ice zenix and the flagship x90. She like the zenix more because its more practical without any of the unnecessary features but the price is the biggest disadvantage. For the x90 she complaint that its claustrophobic compared to zenix especially in the back seat. She also doesn't know anything about engineering features so i may need to explained it to her that they are both are not even the same segment. Also she abhores the front floating centre console because she can't cross her legs (typical asian) so that's a huge plus on the zenix. But for me the features of the flagship proton are a double sided sword as more features means more problems even with the multilink system rear suspension compared to zenix torsion beam. Although we only test driven the zenix and not the proton the zenix is surprisingly comfortable and you won't notice that its using a suspension system for lorries. Well in conclusion, i think we need to test drive at least the x90 and make a more experienced conclusion and not to mention my mom is quite biased to toyota because of the brand and im biased towards proton because im a nationalistic guy😅. But the biggest problem is still the price as the ice zenix features are comparable to the premium one instead of the flagship.

[@consciouslasagne354]

I think its better for malaysians to wait for the new cars to get a facelift when they could make better refinements

[@afiqroslan6755]

We received the outdated version such as the reflector lamp and not projector like the latest version Geely Haoyue. So-called most premium but in facts, the fit and finishes, material are lower grade than X70. And yes, starting RM124k without ADAS is totally unacceptable. Proton now syok sendiri.

[@abahkau6948]

I had to agree with you. It's really unacceptable not to include ADAS. Even perodua got their own ADAS system in their entry level car. Proton just spent money on unnecessary things like "hi proton". It's just a silly gimmick feature that wasn't useful but instead they marketed it like it was something revolutionary. Like come on that hi proton is not gonna help us when we got into car accidents.

[@C3ByAx]

35:20 Geely just cannot resolve the poor aerodynamic... 80km/h wind noise Gosh!

[@vigilantt9189]

@@abahkau6948 Which perodua entry and base level car got ADAS? Most of them you need to go higher spec range to get ADAS.

[@vigilantt9189]

Kind of sily to say LED lamp is outdated. The LED lamp in this Proton is already more advance than 96% of the cars in the market. So much exaggeration.

[@afiqroslan6755]

@@vigilantt9189 you’re missing the point. I’m comparing within the model itself. Not comparing with other brands. We only get lamp version from years way before and not the latest one. We now producing newest car what?Why cant just provide the ongoing running parts from Geely?

[@saifulazlin]

when led headlamp is already an outdated feature...man, i am so far behind in car techs

[@nawfas_mg2019]

Maybe proton compared it with 1.5 x70 or 1.5 x90 without EMS... That's why improvement figure quite high

[@LunarFlare91]

bollocks.. that's not even an apple to apple comparisons. it's lab test vs real world usage differences

[@ezrapardede1921]

for me, the lack of active safety systems on lower end of model is a non issue, as long that the chassis, the basic structure of the car is actually solid, and still offering some what similar level of interior quality and comfort as the more expensive models, i don't like when manufacturers gives of all that ADAS bullshit to jack up the prices of a car that based on cheap platform (where it's inferior passive safety wise, and comfort & handling wise aswell) to make it seems like it's a more expensive car even though it's not

[@hafrizshah4937]

To me active safety always, always trumps passive safety. One protects you if you crash, the other may prevent you from crashing in the first place.

[@charlesdegaulle2928]

you are just being selfish. a 1.6ton suv crashing into other car because the lack of ADAS just ruining another family.

[@tkangwei]

Why save lives when you can save money?!

[@ezrapardede1921]

@@tkangwei i said the basic safety of the car is still there, I'm not neglecting every safety features, take Volvo for example, there's yet a case of people killed driving a Volvo since ages ago, but do they have the same standard of safety everytime? do 1970s Volvo have those ADAS system? no, but aren't they considered the safest car even back then? yes, bcs why? because they properly design their car structure, suspension tuning, all in the name of safety, its like the case with a car like Perodua Ativa/Daihatsu Rocky, which got a poor safety rating on the model that is not optioned with ADAS system, it ends up that ADAS is a necessity for the car to get the optimal safety rating rather than it being an additional safety system. some of you just completely missing the point of what i trying to make

[@farisariffin8188]

5:03 saya tersedak air caramel macchiato frappe with caramel upside down 2 scoop almond and whipped cream

[@lofu32]

I hope for a sub 8 seconds 6 seater.

[@khairilnajmi7833]

i think people are forgetting innova zenix as a proper contender

[@ysyee7424]

Is this some kind of sponsored video because since when the x90 looks better and cx8 looks way too stretched way too awkward?

[@kiatfoongchong2606]

While China already using 1.6 4 cylinder but here still using 1.5 3 cylinder..... Come on Proton or Geely u can spec this model more better .... that’s why this model rarely to see on the road now

[@kiatfoongchong2606]

@@Usersf134ssk maybe you r cortex but to b frank our road tax based on engine cc is not much different unless more than 2.0… trust me later proton will launch 1.6 turbo as facelift later

[@venon666]

🔥🔥

[@mastermix7162]

36:39 no radar system at front bumper? Maybe u need to do more research on that coz its not the same as I'm been told.

[@Omamii78]

Proton should be providing fire extinguishers with this car

[@cainmy74]

x90..xc 90 equivalent for malaysian m40 👍

[@benf3996]

How is the aftersales support and parts availability of Proton/Geely there in Malaysia? Geely is being hammered here in the Philippines for their lackluster aftersales support.

[@ridzyroo]

Deeply flawed, but segment leader. What does that say about the competition?

[@iamqadri]

Are you guys doing a Tiggo 8 Pro drive review?

[@hafrizshah4937]

Yes we will, of course.

[@iamqadri]

@hafrizshah4937 awesome. Test drove the Tiggo. Found that the torque steer really scary. Didn't dare to chuck the car into a corner.

[@khaichunsiow]

Is there wind noise above 100km/h like the X50?

[@hafrizshah4937]

Yup, mentioned in the video. Not quite as bad as in the X50, but it's still there.

[@imanbus]

X50 new batch no more

[@hafrizshah4937]

@@imanbusyup, two years later, as mentioned in the video as well.

[@azriqhaikalazahari7148]

The problem with this car is that the exterior doest look modern. It look generic, like a template for big suv. X70 look old. X50 look the best.

[@snmrz]

It may look great but the seats are a disappointment.

[@ezrapardede1921]

you say it doesn't look modern and looks like a basic SUV, i say the complete otherwise, i say it looks good and pretty modern, but it doesn't look like an SUV, it just looks like a van or MPV that's trying too hard to look like an SUV as good as this car wants to look good, it just won't look as good as the competition that's actually look like a proper SUV (atleast a crossover SUV) they need to fix it's proportion, even so, that proportion is what makes this car so spacious

[@ToTunez]

all geelys car looks pretty generic but at least they did good job in designing the interior.

[@aag180]

That's just an opinion! You might like them or not.

[@aag180]

​​@@ToTunez That depens on your likings. If you don't like them..just find something else.

[@seanc9432]

i heard this thing can burn itself.

[@paultanautonews]

The X90 has been recalled: paultan.org/2023/09/13/proton-x90-fire-grounding-connection-identified-as-cause-fire-not-caused-by-48-volt-mild-hybrid-battery/

[@sputnikfreshie3601]

U heard it right 😢

[@Mamin28490]

Then don't buy x90, buy tiguan allspace instead.

[@weallcare..2280]

main root reason of wire overheat till burning at the rear?

[@KaisiirFlynn]

Maybe protons version only, other market got no issues for this model.

[@AzrinSunbae]

Nice

[@rekonzuken1]

i really respect these brave smarter people who trust and buy chinese cars

[@jesselogan92]

Not Chery Tiggo 8 Pro, I believe X90 are Mazda CX-8, Kia Sorento, Hyundai Santa Fe, Toyota Innova Zenix as well as Toyota Fortuner...

[@mdnajib5804]

Can u do a review of Subaru Forester?

[@hafrizshah4937]

Already scheduled 😊

[@mdnajib5804]

@@hafrizshah4937 thanks a lot, considering this for my next car. Just want to know whether it's worth the extra cash over the Proton X70 purely for it's ride and handling

[@deanliu5378]

Why did u not compare with toyota zenix?

[@charlesdegaulle2928]

tiggo 8 pro, you get updated features that is a few months ahead of China market. (China just launched the similar spec Tiggo 8 in China this month)

[@vijayapragas]

Proton - The Grill Engineers

[@MC-zv3ri]

Hafriz, I suggest you just mention the target audience and thats it.. Typical family man with 3 kids or more. Anything else doesnt apply for this car. For this target audience, your downsides doesnt really apply and upsides is all the target audience wants.. Space, good ADAS, comfort.

[@johnsonsuachunsern9017]

Does this car has a flat floor?

[@teofilol2666]

What about car reviewers suggesting to turn off the ADAS because it's too intrusive and annoying? So should we have it or not have it?😂

[@hafrizshah4937]

Lane keeping assist, maybe - I have seen cars with extremely intrusive systems, non-stop bings and bongs. But things like AEB, you'd be silly to turn it off

[@firastahhawi324]

I will stick to my Exora for now

[@ibansarawak8576]

Honestly, this X90 not match with the engine CC, 1.5..i thought it will be run 1.8 or 2.0..body so big with small capacity engine..otherwise ok la for SUV from China..not too expensive..hope no issue and easy to get the spare part..

[@kcpkcp1000]

Is this the model recently recalled due to overheating?

[@zul]

no

[@Thefragdude]

mistaken for iphone 15 pro kot

[@muhammadsyazwan1367]

The review is long but no testing on full loads??? This is not a two-seater Miata 😅

[@Hurivvu]

nak beli,sebab ada fire mod

[@poon5544]

Middle row 30:30:30 is not for 3 adults, but for 2 baby seats and 1 adult. What a waste to change it to 60:40…

[@naimjcakson420]

Bhp still exists? Hihi why the aircond vent like nerd using winter goggle in summer?

[@imrannaim5234]

give us Apple Carplay man cmon its not 2008 anymore

[@tryangle-by-steve]

Haha that’s right, but 2008 is a bit to far - 2008 was the time of the iPhone 1 and 2. Do you remember what the smart phone could do back then? Heck they didn’t even had and App Store back then. So yes, you are right, but more like it’s not 2013 anymore. 😂 And 10 yrs is still a long time ago 😊

[@imrannaim5234]

@@tryangle-by-steve its actually a metaphor though

[@FerraFQ]

Resale value mesti drop teruk untuk model ni

[@muhammadamirulfarhan8969]

Bruh..they need to change LHD RHD

[@alliwanttosayis2144]

Who is adas? Why everyone want adas ?is he that handsome?

[@geigerzoola6642]

3 cylinders powering this house??? are they sure???

[@mohseinn]

25:31 : ada brader ushar tak puas hati....

[@C3ByAx]

17:20 wonder whose slim fingers was that?

[@tenga3tango]

How reliable it is, remains to be seen, right. The car was made and designed in temperate China.. Can it take hot hot Malaysian midday blast

[@pudingaomar6341]

Spend 1k at each service interval

[@wongchinkong4505]

Proton X50 500 ringgit service after two years. Three Spark plugs cost nearly 100 ringgit.

[@pudingaomar6341]

@@wongchinkong4505 not so with x90.go and check with proton

[@shamizansham4617]

Zeekr 007masuk Malaysia dahulu

[@Aequitas6228]

Toyota Innova Zenix with be a better choice

[@pabloeskibar8076]

mengapa cakap balik tongsan..proton kereta dari tongsan?

[@ColinEu]

What?..this one better looking than Mazda CX8?..I would say Mazda CX8 is much better looking than Proton X90..

[@muhammadsyazwan1367]

For Proton X series, the less electronic, the better. If I had to buy an X90, I'll just buy the cheapest one. Big car must make us feel big inside. The pilot seat is a turndown 😅

[@Gaijin101]

Seems bit loud

[@naimazwan5952]

Interior dashboard look so cheap and digital screen looks like aftermarket Brothers accessories.

[@krk24]

just avoid this model if you want get the x50 which is powerful the TGDI engine

[@MC-zv3ri]

I dont get you or you dont get the x90 target audience.. lol/……

[@krk24]

@@MC-zv3ri this model is defact better dont burn your money with this model; got many models out there

[@bgees]

I wonder if most of the commenters here can even afford to buy this :P

[@hc8714]

from the project officiate in 2020 i already commented to you that the vision and mission set forth is to milk the market with outdated model from geely and you were defending them. 3 years later when it launched I reminded you but you try to spin that haoyue L is “a different model" and that how this is the original. Then now every problem you point out somehow a fix on haoyue L.

[@AhmadZulIskandarAhmadAzh-be3ph]

Proton X90 very expensives this SUV

[@zakirazak5812]

Dont buy chinese made proton. They are still learning how to make reliable cars. Cheap and nice but not reliable. Expensive spareparts. Buy a toyota, even a 2nd hand one. They last a long time.

[@muhammadsyazwan1367]

Come on! This is not looking better than a CX9 😂

[@chonglf7188]

lots of proton haters here

[@erictoh84]

I dunno but it really looks ugly inside out 😂😂

[@lilywinbox3944]

i call this uncle car

[@carrotsak]

Bagi diskaun besar lah.

[@idhamkassim4195]

talking about safety - dont buy this car - easily exploded

[@Mystic_Edge]

Kereta melayu

[@simontanszemung872]

How can you say the proton is the BEST LOOKING ONE BY FAR than the 2 Geely models it supposed to based on ??????????????? It's not balance if you look closely at the bonnet, lights and bottom part ! And you even say the Geely headlights are FAR better looking but then you said the proton looks FAR BETTER ! The least you can say is it's better , not FAR BETTER ! ALL A LITTLE CONFUSING COMMENTS FROM YOU !

[@user-no6gy9sd3f]

Self combustion vehicle...

[@burungbird3781]

Looks ugly to me

[@SekadarPendapat]

rubbish not worth to buy

[@peterwg725]

Whaaaat….a china car. Never. Not over my …….

[@jasonj5579]

more accurately, car made by those people hated by malaysians the most, communist.

[@charlesdegaulle2928]

some prefer sony phone, nothing to be ashamed of.

[@jasonj5579]

@@charlesdegaulle2928 well the ones should be ashamed are those hypocrites, saying anti communist things like DAP communist, china ccp and so on and still using china made product. same like hating yahudi then buying yahudi products. hypocrisy is neverending.

[@tryangle-by-steve]

Only fools saying never. Pretty sure min 50% of everything you use daily has a Chinese source - starting with the metal structure in your riding car and living house, same with plastics. So why not a car then 🤷 And if you say, ya but the house was built here - so is the proton. I know there are a lot of cheap products coming out of China - but this doesn’t mean everything is bad or will lasting bad. A last example: pretty sure 100% of your lightings you use are China made - but you can buy a high quality lamp engineered by XAL Austria for RM 2500 a piece or a RM 50 lamp from Shoppee - both are from China - but one will have a better light. Only facts over time will tell if this is a shitty car, but as it’s not the first, why not giving a try?

[@beloncfy]

What an ugly car, Proton should bring in Jiaji instead of X90, bigger mistake.

[@OnnyIzwanNordin666]

Call a spade a spade lah. This car is crappy. Baik beli Mazda or any Japanese SUV equivalent.