We’ve been wondering when it was coming, but it’s finally almost here – Proton has opened bookings for the X50 Sport Edition, some four months after it was showcased at the Kuala Lumpur International Mobility Show (KLIMS) in June. The bodykitted SUV seems poised to take on the Chery Tiggo Cross Sport Edition that was launched just yesterday.
To be clear, there was already an X50 Sport Edition offered previously, but this is the first time the moniker has been applied to the facelifted model that was introduced last year. This latest version is also the first to be based on the top-spec Flagship variant, rather than the upper-mid-rung Premium on which the outgoing Sport Edition was based.
That means the Sport Edition now gets all the bells and whistles, including a panoramic sunroof, a Qi wireless charger and park assist. It also finally gets a full suite of driver assists, although this was already extended to the Premium trim with the advent of the facelift.
Plus, this latest X50 does away with the disparity in power outputs, now that all models get the same 1.5 litre BHE15-EFZ i-GT direct-injected turbo four-cylinder engine. That means this time around, the Sport Edition actually gets the outputs its moniker deserves – 181 PS and 290 Nm, all sent to the front wheels through a seven-speed wet dual-clutch transmission.
The changes are all cosmetic, of course – the Sport Edition is only available in Quartz Black, fitted with quite an outlandish bodykit. Unlike the previous model, the addenda is painted in black instead of red, with the crimson hue only showing up as pinstriping along the front, side and rear skirting.
Up front, the chin spoiler has twin “nacelles” as well as winglets on the sides, both of which conspire to make the massive toothy lower grille look even bigger. Compared to the KLIMS prototype, the finalised model has a Sport Edition badge on the lower lip, complementing the usual tailgate enamel.
Along the side, you get a different skirts compared to the original model (of course, because the facelift’s side mouldings are also different), while the rear end gets a large diffuser with red fins. The large “Batmobile” faux carbon fibre rear spoiler with the red S badge is carried over from the Flagship variant.
The look is completed by a gloss black finish for the grille and the L-shaped front and rear bumper corners. These are painted satin silver on the regular X50, clashing with the red “Ethereal Bow” grille bar and brake callipers and the black fake bonnet vents.
Now that (almost) all elements in either black or red on the Sport Edition, the effect is a bit more harmonious. Proton’s staff told us that the company has tried to match the metallic red accents on the bodykit – likely from an external supplier – with that of the grille bar as much as possible, and while we can still see a discrepancy, the difference is so minute that we doubt most people would notice.
Oddly, however, Proton hasn’t seen fit to paint the roof rails, window trim and door mirror strips in black, although these do provide a welcome bit of contrast to the Sport Edition’s design. The same cannot be said for the wheels, which are the same 18-inch turbine-style alloys from the Premium and Flagship but which look a little small now that they are finished in full black.
One thing of note is that the Sport Edition will likely be the last X50 to roll on Continental UltraContact 6 tyres, as we know that a switch to Giti tyres is incoming; the Geely Coolray that Proton assembles in Tanjong Malim for exports is already fitted with them. However, the national carmaker has already made the switch to Chinese-made rubber, presumably because locally-made stock has dried up with the closing of Continental’s Alor Setar plant.
Inside, the Sport Edition actually lifts the full-black interior from the Premium, replacing the Flagship’s red lower dashboard and seat trim. Unique to this car is red stitching and the Sport Edition logo embossed into the front backrests, plus bespoke floor mats with red piping (together with separate weatherproof rubber mats underneath; both are securely fastened to the floor) and side sill scuff plates with a ghosted emblem.
The rest of the cabin is as per the regular Flagship, including the black headlining and the cool part-transparent sun visors. You still get an 8.88-inch instrument display and a 14.6-inch infotainment touchscreen, and unfortunately, the car graphic seen in both hasn’t been updated to the Sport Edition model.
Other bits of kit include LED head- and taillights, keyless entry with remote engine start and proximity locking/unlocking, push-button start, auto air con, a powered driver’s seat, 72-colour ambient lighting, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, six speakers, a 360-degree camera system, a powered tailgate and security window tint.
Safety-wise, the Sport Edition comes with the same six airbags as well as autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, lane centring assist, traffic sign recognition, auto high beam and a tyre pressure monitoring system.
As yet, Proton has yet to confirm when the new X50 Sport Edition will go on sale, nor pricing nor if it will be a limited run. For the record, the previous model launched early last year was priced at RM98,300 and limited to 1,000 units.
