ON the totem pole of X70 hierarchy, the X70 Executive AWD is the second from the top.Priced at RM115,800, it is RM8,000 cheaper than the top Premium 2WD, which is priced at RM123,800, and RM16,000 dearer than the base model X70, priced at RM99,800.
From the inside, the first indicator to differentiate the two are the lack of Nappa leather seats and a panaromic sunroof.
Fiddle a bit in the car and you realise that the front passenger is missing a power seat and, more notably, there are no advanced driver assists (ADAS).
This means the Executive AWD is short of the autonomous emergency braking (AEB), front collision warning, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, blind spot monitor and intelligent high beam control (IHBC).
However, the Executive AWD is in no way short of features for a sports utility vehicle (SUV) in its price range.
Equipped with 18-inch alloys, LED headlamps and DRLs, a 360 degree camera that gives you a bird’s eye view as you negotiate the SUV into parking spots, the AWD also gets a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) to boot.
Under the hood, the AWD is powered by the same 1.8 litre TGDi engine that powers all the X70 variants. The SUV has 181hp at 5,500rpm, with a healthy 286 Nm dose of torque from 1,700 to 4,400 rpm.
However, unlike all other variants, this X70 channels its power via a BorgWarner all-wheel drive system with an electromagnetic multi-clutch coupling.
The system delivers all torque to the front wheels in normal operation, but can send up to 30 per cent torque to the rear axle if needed.
Performance, while not remarkable, is adequate, and handling is acceptable for an SUV of its size and height. What is striking though, after a few times sampling various variants of the X70, is the smoothness and suppleness of the suspension and the good NVH levels which is apparent in all variants.
The Executive AWD is an interesting aside offered by Proton for the X70 model. All wheel drive variants are not a huge necessity in a tropical country like Malaysia with good road networks where the possibility of getting stuck in snow or slipping on ice is pretty much non-existent, and where unpaved dirt roads are getting harder to find.
While uptake may be low (word has it that this is the easiest and quickest model to get delivered out of the showroom), its existence on the X70 line-up is good news for anyone in search of a road biased SUV capable of pulling itself out of sticky spots like mud or sand and which also gets a little bit more traction in rain.
The X70 Executive AWD is available in two colours, Snow White and Jet Grey.