Proton South Africa
By: Bisiness Live (22/09/2022) Proton X50 vs Haval Jolion vs Chery Tiggo 7 Pro: Which one has the lowest running costs?
Proton has returned to the local market, bringing in two new SUVs, the X50 and X70, but how does the X50 compare with two key rivals from up-and-coming brands Haval and Chery?
Malaysian automaker Proton will be a familiar name to South Africans with products like the Savvy, Satria Neo and the GEN-2 having been sold locally. The company has returned to the local market in 2022 with two new SUVs, and today we will be looking at the more affordable model, the X50. The Proton certainly looks well priced, but how do its running costs compare with two value-packed Chinese contenders?
Today we will compare the mid-sped Tucson with two similarly priced rivals, namely the Haval H6 and the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro. All three models feature petrol engines and automatic gearboxes. The question today is, which has the lowest running costs?
The figures
| Proton X50 1.5T Standard | Haval Jolion 1.5T Super Luxury | Chery Tiggo 7 Pro 1.5T Executive | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine size | 3-cyl, 1.5-litre petrol | 4-cyl, 1.5-litre turbo petrol | 4-cyl, 1.5-litre turbo petrol |
| Power/Torque | 110 kW/226 Nm | 105 kW/210 Nm | 108 kW/210 Nm |
| Gearbox | 7-speed dual-clutch automatic | 7-speed dual-clutch automatic | 7-speed dual-clutch automatic |
| Seats | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Airbags | 4 | 6 | 6 |
| Kerb weight | 1 325kg | 1 370kg | 1 421kg |
| Boot capacity | 330-litres | 337-litres | 475-litres |
| Fuel capacity | 54-litres | 60-litres | 51-litres |
| Claimed consumption | 6.4 L/100 km | 7.5 L/100 km | 6.8 L/100 km |
| Service plan | 5-yr/100 000km | 5-yr /60 000km | 5-yr/60 000km |
| Price | R449 900 | R437 900 | R453 900 |
Fuel consumption
Our contenders all feature petrol engines with the Haval and Chery being four-cylinder turbocharged units and the Proton a three-cylinder turbocharged petrol motor. From a power and torque perspective, there is very little to choose between the trio and when weight is factored in, the Proton appears to have a slight edge. Both the Haval and Chery are quite a bit heavier on fuel than their claimed figures in real-world testing. We would have to test the Proton in the real world to determine its fuel consumption, however, on paper, it is the most efficient.
Service plans
Our trio have varying service plans and warranties, with the Haval and Chery coming with 5-year/60 000km service plans while the Proton gets a 5-year/100 000 plan. In terms of warranties, the Chery wins with an impressive 5-year/150 000km vehicle warranty and a 10-year/100 0000km engine warranty while the Haval and Proton feature 5-year/100 000km vehicle warranties.
Verdict
Having looked at the data, in the first five years of ownership, we are confident that the Proton X50 will be more affordable to run than bother the Haval H6 and Chery Tiggo 7 Pro, however, our subsequent comparison will feature standard specifications and value for money where we feel the Proton will lose ground.
