VIDEO: Proton X50 – how does it handle a slalom with suspension softened for Malaysian road conditions?

Amongst the feed of incoming information on the new Proton X50 is that its suspension that has been revised from that of the Geely Binyue or Coolray that it is based upon. Any fears that changes towards sharper responses to the detriment of ride comfort should be allayed, however, as Proton has actually retuned the setup in the X50 for better comfort on Malaysian roads.

In this brief video with the X50 put through its paces on a short slalom course, our man Hafriz Shah finds that the news is overall positive with regard to how the X50 drives. Driving the course at around 50 km/h, the B-segment SUV demonstrates good body control, especially given that it is taller than a sedan or hatchback.

Here, the X50 has been found to be rather softly-sprung overall, and therefore exhibits a fair amount of body roll, which is the side effect of a setup with comfort in mind in order to be better suited for taking on the speed bump- and pothole-strewn roads in this country.

While this model isn’t a ground-up build like the Iriz and as such, does not get Proton’s end-to-end attention in terms of ride and handling, the X50 does receive revised spring and damper rates to suit local conditions, along with a new front anti-roll bar to suit.

Also demonstrated at the slalom course was a high-speed lane change manoeuvre, where the X50 also demonstrated itself to be stable and well in control, even with the aforementioned softened suspension. Of course, this is but a short sampling of what Proton’s B-segment entry has to offer; stay tuned as we delve deeper into it in the near future. What do you think of Proton’s approach? Let us know your thoughts.

The post VIDEO: Proton X50 – how does it handle a slalom with suspension softened for Malaysian road conditions? appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.

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