It looks like the Geely Binyue has been
spotted undergoing road tests once again, this time on the East Coast
Expressway (LPT) courtesy of reader Hannis Farhan. Geely’s B-segment SUV has
garnered much local attention, with most lauding its styling, equipment levels
and turbocharged engine offerings.
Widely dubbed as the Proton X50, the car will
unquestionably be the automaker’s second SUV model, and it’s likely to be the
more popular one if priced correctly. Anyway, based on the photos here, the
prototype unit is most probably powered by the 1.5 litre three-cylinder
turbocharged unit, going by the quad exhaust tips and diffuser design.
The sporty-looking SUV will lose out on the larger
rear spoiler seen in our walk-around video of the Geely Binyue, though in its
place is a sleeker, less ostentatious version that’s similar to that seen on
the Binyue plug-in hybrid. Dual-tone alloys seem to be what’s fitted here,
though whether this is a right-hand drive or left-hand drive unit cannot be
ascertained as yet.
Nevertheless, here’s a quick recap of the Binyue.
It’s built on Geely’s B-segment Modular Architecture (BMA), measuring 4,330 mm
long, 1,800 mm wide and 1,609 mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2,600 mm. Two
engines are available in China, the first being the entry-level 1.0 litre
three-potter making 134 hp and 205 Nm, mated to a six-speed manual
transmission.
The one that we’ll most likely be getting is the
aforementioned 1.5 litre unit that was co-developed with Volvo, which outputs a
healthy 174 hp and 255 Nm. Here, it’s married to a seven-speed dual-clutch
transmission. There’s also the Binyue PHEV, which uses the same 1.5 litre block
but comes with an electric motor and battery pack. It’s the most potent version
of the bunch, making 255 hp and 415 Nm, and with a pure electric range of 60
km.
For equipment, the Binyue boasts Level 2 automation,
which bundles driving features such as adaptive cruise control, parking assist,
and autonomous emergency braking (AEB). Other in-car systems include a the
famed GKUI system comprising a seven-inch LCD instrument panel and a 10.25-inch
fully digital instrument cluster, among others. Expect the “Hi Proton” voice
command functions to be featured as well.