The New Energy Vehicle landscape was taken by storm by Geely with the launch of their E2. Not only this, but the E5 range has also found some favour amongst South African car buyers. Since the New Energy bases have been covered, it only makes sense to cover the full combustion base too, and today's vehicle is set to do exactly that, the Coolray.
Related: Geely E2 Apex (2026) Review
For the observant among you, the Coolray is also badged as the Proton X50, which enjoyed a stint on South Africa's market. Proton is part of the Geely Auto Group, so naturally, these vehicles would be related. The Coolray, though, can be considered different; as I see it, it's a facelift of sorts. Is the Coolray able to compete in the ever-competitive compact crossover market? Let's see.
Styling
The Coolray employs some youthful yet sporty styling. There's a sense of aggression here. The front end has a scowl, sculpted air dams, LED headlights, and even a front lip. The side profile features a strong shoulder line and a D-pillar kink that leads into the rear window. The roofline is blacked out as well. The rear has LED tail lights, Geely lettering, and, to finish off the design, a rear diffuser; if you opt for the Vertex spec, you even get a bigger rear wing.
While the Coolray is sporty-looking, I reckon it needs to be lowered and a bit more subtle in some areas, such as the wing and tailpipes, to sell the look. If this is your jazz, though, I'd recommend the red paintwork as the Coolray wears it nicely.
Space and comfort
Your typical Chinese cabin design of this generation is applied here. I don't mean it in a bad sense, but rather an observation. The trend is a floating centre stack with slots to plop your smartphone and air vents to boot. Above, you'll see the 14.6-inch touchscreen infotainment with native Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The Coolray is a victim of infotainment reliance, as much of the cabin operations are handled here. You do get some buttons on the centre console, but more would be welcome for accessing cabin features like the HVAC controls and even the lights, for that matter. Despite this, the Coolray's cabin, for the price, is nicely trimmed, and the materials feel substantial. The seating is decently padded, decent,ded and your driving position is on the higher end, which helps if you're on the shorter side. Window visibility is also decent.
Rear head and legroom, as you'd expect, is good, and overall cabin space is decent. The boot area has a capacity of 330 litres and can be extended to 1054 litres if needed.
Powertrain
Giving the Coolray some shove is a 1.5-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol engine making 128 kW / 290 Nm. This is paired with a 7-speed wet dual-clutch transmission, and power is sent to the front wheels. Claimed fuel consumption is 6.5 L/100 km.
The Drive
Once you've driven the usual supply of Chinese 1.5-litre turbocharged engines, you know what to expect, but where things matter most here is in the powertrain calibration. The Coolray in low-speed situations could do with some adjustments; the throttle is on the lazier side, and the gearbox has a noticeable delay at takeoff, which can result in a power surge rather than a smooth takeoff. At rolling speeds, though, the Coolray is agreeable enough. The engine has some perk to it and as a unit,t I can't really fault it here.
The chassis is more rigid than the Proton X50's, and you feel it when you start to get dynamic with the Coolray. The suspension is on the stiffer end, and while that helps with urban agility, it does hurt the Coolray's ride quality, as it's more akin to a sports car ride than what you'd expect from an SUV, which is softer.
It's not a bad drive, but the Coolray needs to decide whether it wants to own the sporty theme or make some concessions, given that it's an SUV.
Safety
ASEAN NCAP
★★★★★
Notable Safety
- 4 airbags (Nova) - 6 Airbags (Vanguard and Vertex)
- Tyre Pressure Monitoring
- Rear view camera
- Hill Hold Control and Descent
- ABS, EBD, ESC, TCS
- ADAS (Vanguard)
Pricing
| Model | Price |
| Geely Coolray 1.5T Nova | from R369 900 |
| Geely Coolray 1.5T Vanguard | from R399 900 |
| Geely Coolray 1.5T Vertex | from R429 900 |
The Coolray's purchase price includes a 5-year /50 000km service plan, 5-year /150 000km warranty, 5-year /150 000km engine warranty and 5-year Unlimited Roadside Assistance.
*Pricing stated here was correct when publishing and is subject to change without prior notice.
Competitors
- Jaecoo J5
- Kia Sonet
- Renault Duster
- Haval Jolion
- Mahindra XUV 3XO
- Suzuki Across
- Omoda C5
Verdict
While Geely is gaining a decent foothold in the South African market, the Coolray, for the price, isn't a bad offering but could do with a few tweaks. Plus, it has a bit of an identity crisis: it doesn't know whether it wants to own the sports-crossover motive. A new Coolray is scheduled to be unveiled in 2027, so maybe the trigger was pulled a bit early for our market with this one, as the current model does feel dated in some respects. The crossover space is competitive, so you need to be at your best. The Coolray's footing is stable; there's potential to sprint out of the gates if Geely gets the next one right.
