181 PS, 290 Nm, price equals to RM 61k: Should this Geely Binrui Cool be the next sedan after the Proton S50?

With a name like that, you’d imagine the Geely Binrui Cool is a car that packs all the bells and whistles to suit. Thankfully it does, and the end result is an angrier, faster cousin to the soon-in-Malaysia Proton S50.

Now, hold on a second, this isn't the base car to the purported S50; that one is the Geely Emgrand. The Binrui is a more expensive product than its Emgrand stablemate, and looking at the Cool variant, we're left thinking if this should be another sedan Proton would do well to adopt.

Spun from Geely’s B-segment Modular Architecture (BMA) Platform – like the one our Proton X50 sits on – the Binrui Cool sports an aggressive new styling termed ‘Racing Storm’, that’s aimed at those looking at a little bit more pep to their everyday sedan.

Also read: Proton to build cars on Volvo’s CMA and BMA platform

It's based on the Binrui F-Sport, which in turn is still rooted in the current Binrui. It’s just an even sportier version with a different powertrain altogether, and of course, more kit.

Under the hood of the Binrui Cool (S50 R3? A man can dream) is a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine that develops 181 PS and 290 Nm, paired to a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (DCT).

Also read: RHD 2023 Proton S50 spied, could it be Proton's most powerful sedan with X50's 1.5 turbo?

Geely says it'll hit the 100 km/h from nought in just 7.1 seconds, yet return a claimed fuel consumption figure of 5.9-litres/100 km on the WLTC test cycle.

Too cool things down, there's a gaping front bumper, a rear spoiler, and an aggro rear end that sports different tail lights from the regular Binrui. Completing the look are 17-inch wheels, finished in black.

The interior is totally bespoke too: the dashboard is crowned by a massive 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen, and there’s a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster to go with that. The user interface in the dials matches what we’ve seen in the Proton X90, by the way.

Also read: Spied: Fans rejoice, the Proton S50 has been spotted with a sunroof

Customisability is also key, as there’s options for buyers to change the interior colours around to match the corresponding exterior shade.

It’s quite the driver-focused ambition as evident by all the controls placed near to the driver, and of course, the spicy pair of sports seats up front too. 72-colour ambient lighting complete the interior accents.

Also read: From Axia to Vios, these 8 cars are coming to Malaysia in 2023 and could cost less than RM 100k!

As it’s the top-dog of the Binrui range, the priciest Binrui Cool is equipped with Geely's ADAS suite, encapsulating:

• Adaptive cruise control (ACC)
• Lane keeping assist (LKA)
• Lane departure warning (LDW)
• Lane departure prevention (LDP)
• Emergency lane keeping assist (ELKA)
• Intelligent cruise control (ICC)
• Traffic jam assist (TJA)
• Autonomous emergency braking (AEB, with pedestrian and bike detection)
• Intelligent high-beam control (IHBC)
• Speed limit reminder function (SLIF)
• Traffic sign recognition (TSR)

Bevy of features but how pricy? Not too much actually; prices for the Binrui Cool in China range from RMB 94,800 (~RM 61,225) to RMB 109,800 (~RM 70,793).

So what do you think, like what you see? Should this join the list of Geely-derived models in Proton's line-up? It's much too early to tell if it is or isn't happening anyway, as Proton is currently busy with prepping the launch of the X90 soon, and the S50 should follow not long after that.

Also read: Spied: Now wearing 'Infinite Weave' grille, 2023 Proton S50 with 1.5T to be launched after X90?