If you thought the current-gen Proton X70 is an impressive piece of C-segment SUV, its likely replacement is set to blow you away. The Boyue L (also called the Atlas in overseas markets), as we’ve previously reported, is the Chinese automaker’s answer to the CR-V and RAV4 on a global scale.
Even better, the first units are already rolling off the production floor. Though it looks like it could still belong in ‘concept car’ limbo, the Boyue L is finished and real.
Geely Boyue L – Bye-bye Honda CR-V?
In all transparency, that L suffix could prove significant as that might mean that the Proton-ised version we see locally will be different in some way. Here, it signifies a longer wheelbase (107mm more than the X70’s) as well as denoting its more upmarket positioning.
Still, a shorter wheelbase and less premium counterpart to the Boyue L should be pretty impressive nonetheless, especially given how much of a striking impression its exterior and interior alike make at first glance.
It’s based on the shared Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) platform which is also in use by Volvo and Lynk & Co, among others.
Geely Boyue L – based on the CMA platform
We’ve already spent some time looking over the finer details of that exterior, but even in this final production version there’s something very Cadilllac-like about that front end and there are quite a few cues from last year’s Vision Starburst.
Even the Hyundai Elantra and Tucson are jealous of how angular Geely went with those body lines and creases. The same goes for the wheels too, which were specifically designed to match.
Step inside the futuristic aesthetic is further amplified by a minimal dashboard adorned with ambient light elements and two-tone trim treatment. At centre stage sits the 13.2-inch vertical touchscreen infotainment screen running the proprietary Geely Galaxy Air operating system and powered by an 8-core Snapdragon SA8155P system-on-a-chip by Qualcomm.
Ahead of the driver, we find a supplementary 10.25-inch display used as a digital instrument cluster and in some variants, there’s an optional 25.6-inch projection screen and 11-speaker Harman Infinity audio system.
Geely Boyue L powertrain
In terms of powertrain, the range starts with a 1.5-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder producing 181hp and 290Nm, which should be familiar to Malaysians, driving the front wheels, or a 2.0-litre turbo with 218hp and 325Nm. However, later into its production run, multiple petrol-electric hybrids supplied by Leishen Power will also be offered alongside the all-wheel drive.
Geely has not yet disclosed export or overseas market plans for the larger SUV, but it’s not hard to see how easily the Boyue L could start to steal customers away from established brands in Europe and possibly even North America, should they venture west enough.