Proton X50 vs Nissan Kicks vs Honda HR-V – Which one is more practical?

Two new kids on the block versus the current king on the throne. This is the age-old banter of SUV practicality, and we have a worthy opponent to the formidable Honda HR-V: the 2020 Proton X50 and 2021 Nissan Kicks. However, thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, Nissan Kicks e-Power will not be here till 2021, while Proton X50 launch has been delayed later this year.

2018 Honda HR-V Gallery

Before we go into detail, let’s start with the king. The Honda HR-V has been enjoying tremendous sales success, having sold more than 14,800 units between January and November 2019 and continues to maintain its No.1 position in the segment.

As of October 2019, the HR-V has captured 79% market share in its segment to become the top-selling SUV in Malaysia.

2021 Nissan Kicks Gallery

All of that is about to change however, with the introduction of the highly anticipated 2020 Proton X50 and 2021 Nissan Kicks to the B-segment SUV market.

2021 Proton X50 Gallery

One of the decisive factors when looking into buying an SUV is space and practicality. In this article, we will take a closer look between these three crossovers, and which one you should consider if space is what matters. We would like to mention the model that we will be comparing is between the petrol Proton X50 against the two-hybrid SUV, the Honda HR-V 1.5L and Nissan Kicks e-Power.

At first glance, the Nissan Kicks e-Power does give you the impression of being smaller than it looks, possibly due to the roundish design as compared to the sleeker-looking Proton X50, but the boot space in the Kicks is impressive, only 4 litres down from the Honda HR-V.

With the back seat down, not even the HR-V nor the X50 can challenge the amazingly huge 1,503 litre of space in the Kicks. It makes the Proton X50 looks puny compared to the rest. We tried to get X50's full space with the seat down, however, there is none listed at Geely's website.

The normal petrol variant of Honda HR-V offers more boot space at 437 litre with all the seats up, and 1,032 with the back seat down, thanks to the absence of battery pack.

If you have a detailed set of eyes, notice the Nissan Kicks e-Power's rear tire arch does not protrude in as much compared to both the Proton X50 and Honda HR-V, which means arranging your luggage would be an easier affair. Fortunately, all three crossovers have a flat floor and low load lid, thus making it easier to load stuff in.

From this, we can conclude that Honda HR-V 1.5L Hybrid still has the best boot space with all the seats up, while Nissan Kicks is more practical and larger by having the biggest overall space of 1,503 with all the seats down. But by no means the Proton X50 is a slouch, however.

Spec-wise, the Proton X50 has the highest amount of horsepower and torque, and will surely be priced handsomely to threaten the sale of both the Nissan Kicks e-Power and Honda HR-V. Fans of hybrid will appreciate Kicks' instantaneous 254 Nm of torque thanks to the electric hybrid power system, while the loyal brandist can't go wrong with the Honda HR-V.