Published on October 27th, 2019 | by Subhash Nair

Could This ‘Daihatsu Rocky’ take on the ‘Geely Binyue’?

Neither a Perodua B-segment SUV nor a DreamEdge vehicle is confirmed to be derived from the production-ready SUV we saw at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show. But if it does come to Malaysia in either of those forms, we know it will eventually come up against the Geely Binyue in the form of the Proton X50 (or whatever they end up calling it).

Of course, just like a comparison between the Perodua Aruz and the Proton X70, it’s not apples for apples. The Aruz is imagined as a reliable, conventional SUV made for maximum utility, but with modern touches like LED headlights and A.S.A. thrown in. The X70, on the other hand, brings premium features and perceived quality to a very reasonable price point. Both are targetted at different markets and there’s a huge gap between their pricing.

So, with that in mind, let’s look at the technical specifications that have been released for both the Daihatsu SUV (rumoured to be called ‘Daihatsu Rocky’) and the Geely Binyue to see how they might stack up.

Size and Weight

The Daihatsu measures 3,995mm long, 1,620mm wide and 1,695mm tall. It has a wheelbase of 2,525mm and weighs 980kg.

The Geely measures 4,330mm long, 1,800mm wide, and 1,609mm tall. It has a wheelbase of 2600mm and weighs 1340kg.

The Binyue is clearly the larger SUV in all aspects but height. In fact, at 4.33 metres long, the Binyue is closer to a C-segment than B-segment vehicle.

Drivetrain

The Daihatsu SUV features a turbocharged 1.0L 3-cylinder petrol engine that produces 98PS and 140Nm of torque.

A Continuously Variable Transmission sends that power to the front wheels.

Geely’s Binyue gets two engine options. A turbocharged 1.0L 3-cylinder petrol engine with 134hp and 205Nm of torque or a 1.5L 3-cylinder petrol engine with 174hp and 255Nm of torque.

The Binyue can also be configured for front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive applications and comes with either a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed Dual Clutch Transmission.

Again, the Binyue offers more power on both engines and more options overall. However, the Daihatsu SUV’s lower weight and engine tuning ought to give it better fuel economy in real-world driving applications.

Design

We have to stress that both of designs will probably not come to Malaysia as pictured below. The Proton X50 will feature a different grille and badges at least, and the Perodua SUV might be styled to look more like their X-Concept vehicle, which was shown a year ago at the 2018 KL International Motor Show.

But since we’re comparing the donor cars, here’s what they look like side by side.