RIVALRY OF 2019: X70 VS ARUZ
IN a year full of local highlights one stood out more than the others; the rivalry between Proton’s X70 and Perodua’s Aruz.
The competing national sports-utility vehicles (SUV) have been hotly pitted against one another throughout the year with who’s who being the bigger draw. But the real draw is how the two are so similar yet different on multiple levels.
They’re both of different SUV segments, pegged at an extremely competitive price and package, introduced to the scene with foreign collaboration (Proton with Geely, Perodua with Toyota and Daihatsu) with decent performance, and most of all earning their own accolades for the year.
Proton with its aggressively marketed X70 has been the automotive company’s biggest hit in recent years with reportedly close to ‘saving’ Proton from financial woes. The X70 itself has been praised for design and offerings that are comparable to pricier SUVs along with breaking some innovative barriers such as it being sold on a e-commerce platform like Shopee.
Perodua’s Aruz being one of the Top 10 Google searches in the country for 2019 only adds to its popularity. Wrapped in a modern-slick design for an SUV with an overall grand package for its price makes it extremely attractive. Road performance of the two has also roughly been neck-to-neck debatable when you take into consideration of their ergonomics and offerings. Proton X70 The various variants of X70 offer minor varying experience between each of them, but not to the extent of losing out an entire feel.
Perhaps the biggest difference would be the Executive AWD variant priced at RM115,800 if you’re opting for an all-wheel drive experience. In return it lacks many of the Premium 2WD’s (RM123,800) quality-of-life features which we’ll list in a bit.
Regardless the base model X70, priced at RM99,800, would suffice since all variants are powered by a 1.8-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol direct injection (TGDi) engine producing 184PS at 5,500rpm and 285Nm of torque, along with a sixspeed automatic transmission with Manual Mode.
Standard exterior equipment includes auto headlights, LED front fog lights and LED rear combination lights. However, only the three upper variants get LED projector headlights with daytime running lights while the base Standard 2WD gets halogen units.
Internally they all sport leather steering wheel, steering mode selection, LCD meter combination, drive mode selection (Normal, Eco and Sport), rear seats with 60:40 split folding, dual zone air-conditioning and a built-in air purifier system.
Unique to the Premium 2WD are the plush Nappa leather for the steering wheel and seats, along with powered front seats and lumbar support for the driver’s seat.
The infotainment system is an eight-inch touchscreen featuring Voice Command, online music streaming, online navigation, as well as smartphone and Bluetooth connectivity. There’s also Proton Link App for the infotainment remote control and vehicle status.
In terms of safety, all variants are equipped with six airbags, ISOFIX, ABS, EBD, electronic stability control, traction control, hill hold assist, hill descent control and emergency stop signal.
The Premium 2WD rocks advanced safety features such as autonomous emergency braking, forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, blind spot information system and intelligent high beam control. Wheels selection are from 17-, 18- and 19-inch alloys. Perodua aruz Whichever way you put it, the Aruz’s strongest offering as one of the most price-worthy SUVs in Malaysia is tough to beat. The main difference between the two variants is really with their interior features.
Priced from RM72,900 for the X, and RM77,900 for the Advance variant, the 7-seater Aruz being a locally tuned Toyota Rush/Daihatsu Terios, yet offering more at a RM20,000 discount is in itself already a boon.
The rear-wheel drive, four-speed automatic gearbox SUV is powered by a 1.5-litre engine with dual VVT-i and has a fuel economy rating of 15.6 km/l.
Those concerned with its performance will find the 101 hp at 6,000 rpm and 133 Nm of torque at 4,200 rpm output makes it far from being “underpowered” while shining at its brightest at heavy load while going uphill.
Yes it can go up Genting Highlands with ease even at its maximum load around 1,300kg though maxing out isn’t advisable under any condition.
There are LED headlights for both variants — an auto option for the Advance, with follow-me-home function, front fog lights, rear LED combination lights, roof rails, tailgate spoiler and two-tone 17-inch wheels.
Inside is where the Advance Aruz diverges greatly from the X variant as it is decently-equipped with leatherwrapped steering wheel, leather seats, touchscreen multimedia unit with navigation and Smart Link, six speakers, digital front air-conditioning as well as rear manual air-con vents.
It is fitted with a ceiling-mounted unit for the second- and third-row passengers. At 213 litres, the cargo space is quite generous even with the third-row seats up.
Safety feature unique to the 1.5 Advance includes the ASA 2.0 (Advanced Safety Assist), on top of the usual likes of anti-lock braking system with EBD, Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Traction Control (TRC) and Hill-start Assist (HSA). The car is fitted with individual seatbelt reminders allowing drivers to identify which passenger hasn’t buckled up.
It also has keyless entry for the Advance variant for those interested. Win-Win Lots of vehicles get introduced throughout and sometimes the comparison is vastly unequal between segments. Between the X70 and Aruz however the difference is purely preference.
For while the pricier C-segment X70 may, on paper, offer a more performance-centric drive over the B-segment Aruz, Perodua’s new SUV offers everything you could want in a car for RM20,000 less.
If we’re talking figures, the two SUVs have definitely aided in sales of their respective company. Proton had reportedly sold 26,000 X70s for the year and Perodua with 17,989 Aruz merely between January to July -- latest figures at the time of writing. The figures are no less impressive given the competition, segment and price point.
So truly there are only two real arguments to be won here. First is that Malaysians get two fantastic SUVs up for choice from their national car brands. Second is how further collaboration of the companies with their respective partners can only lead to more exciting offerings in coming times.
It’s the perfect mismatch rivalry of 2019 where everyone wins.