Proton is back in the local market and its new flagship SUV is badged the X70. How do its running costs compare with two highly competent Chinese rivals?
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 flagship model, the X70. The Proton certainly looks well priced, but how do its running costs compare with two value-packed Chinese contenders?
Today we will compare the base model X70 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
*Fuel consumption from a Road test conducted in another market.
Comparing the trio
Purchase price
The models that we have chosen for this comparison are competitors from a pricing and body-style perspective, with petrol engines and automatic gearboxes. Monthly instalments are calculated throughout 72 months with a 10% deposit and no balloon or residual. The interest rate is set at 10%.
Proton X70 1.5T Standard
With the instalment parameters in place, the X70 will work out at R8 835 per month over 72 months.
Haval H6 2.0T Luxury
With the instalment parameters in place, the H6 will work out at R8 402 per month over 72 months.
Chery Tiggo 8 Pro 1.6T Distinction
With the instalment parameters in place, the Tiggo 8 Pro will work out at R8 285 per month over 72 months.
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, the Haval and Chery should perform better when weight is factored in. 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, the road test figure claimed from a publication overseas appears promising.
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 feel that the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro will be more affordable to run than both the Haval H6 and Proton X70, however, we feel a group test is in order.
Sean NurseWith a lifelong passion for cars, bikes, and motorsport, Sean knew that attaining a degree in journalism would allow him to pursue his passion, which was to be a motoring journalist. After graduating in 2012, Sean was awarded a bursary from the SAGMJ which allowed him to work for a variety of motoring publications. This was a dream come true for Sean, and after a year of gaining vital industry experience, he was hired as a motoring journalist at a local newspaper and worked his way up to editor. In 2020, Sean joined the AutoTrader team and counts himself lucky to wake up and genuinely love what he does for a living.View News & Reviews
