2026 Proton S70 facelift – new 1.5T i-GT 4-cyl, AACP, 4 variants, first have a look at the Flagship and Flagship X

Forward of its launch on February 11, Proton has opened the order books for the 2026 Proton S70 in any respect 3S and 4S centres nationwide ranging from in the present day. The refreshed sedan can be making a particular look at showrooms throughout the nation this February 7-8 weekend, and it’s at one in every of these that we caught up with the Flagship and Flagship X examples, successfully providing a full visible preview of the S70 MC1.

The rework on the S70 brings about minor exterior and inside revisions. On the surface, the modifications are primarily lifted from the 2025 Geely Emgrandas reported beforehand. The automobile will get new LED headlights, however gone is the flashy start-up sequence, and the flip sign indicators are actually bulb models, having beforehand being built-in into the eyebrow-like LED daytime operating lights. The flip alerts take the place of the outdated excessive beams close to the inside edge, so the excessive beam is now built-in into the primary projector unit.

Different new bits embody 17-inch two-tone alloy wheels for the Flagship, and these are virtually equivalent to the outgoing unit, however with a extra blade-like design for the spokes. As for the tyres, each the Flagship and X are shod with GitiComfort F22 tyres. These exchange the earlier Kumho Ecowing ES31, which took over from the Goodyear Assurance Triplemax 2s that have been dropped when the Goodyear plant in Shah Alam closed in 2024.

As indicated by the sooner studio pictures of the automobile, there’s a brand new bodykit, and right here it may be seen on the Flagship X right here. Design cues embody a definite accent framing the air consumption, a extra aggressive diffuser-like rear skirt and a boot lid lip spoiler with a sizeable centre cutout. Oh, and there are purple accents too, though it’s just for black and white variations of the automobile, and so it’s not on the blue show instance.

The massive information is with the powertrain, with the S70 now that includes a 1.5 litre BHE15-EFZ i-GT turbo direct-injected four-cylinder engine, which replaces the GEP3 three-pot. It will equip all 4 variants accessible for the automobile, that are the bottom 1.5TD Government, mid 1.5TD Premium, excessive 1.5TD Flagship and range-topping 1.5TD Flagship X.

With 181 PS at 5,500 rpm and 290 Nm of torque between 2,000 and three,500 rpm, the brand new unit presents a substantial 31 PS/64 Nm leap over the outdated port-injected mill. The seven-speed moist dual-clutch transmission has been retained, however the brand new engine permits the 2026 automobile to do the 0-100 km/h run in 7.5 seconds, which is 1.5 seconds sooner than earlier than.

Proton says this increase in efficiency comes at no expense to gas economic system, which is rated at 5.7 litres per 100 km (17.5 km per litre). The corporate says that operating prices will decrease thanks of a change to a toothed timing chain, and recalibration work to the transmission means smoother gearshifts on the brand new automobile.

Inside, the cabin stays unchanged from the present S70, with solely the headliner switching to black on the Flagship X (it stays beige for the remainder of the vary), and so that you’ll discover the acquainted horizontal dashboard with a full-width air vent design and broad centre console topped by a T-shaped gear lever.

Normal match objects on the Government embody material seats, an 8.0-inch infotainment head unit, 5 USB ports, rear parking sensors and 16-inch alloys. The Premium provides on auto LED headlamps, a rear tail mild bar, leatherette seats and a leatherette-wrapped steering wheel, auto air-conditioning, entrance parking sensors and a reverse digital camera.

Transfer as much as the Flagship and that’s the place the 17-inch rollers are available in. The ten.25-inch TFT instrument show and 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen from earlier than continues on unchanged, however there’s now wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The variant additionally provides on a wi-fi cellular charger, 360-degree HD digital camera with 3D show, a six-way powered driver’s seat and safety window movie from the Premium. As for the Flagship X, other than the bodykit and black headliner, you get a sunroof and a entrance DVR.

Security-wise, the S70 comes outfitted with six airbags and objects corresponding to lane change help, door opening warning, rear collision warning and rear cross site visitors alert as normal. That’s for the Government and Premium. As earlier than, solely the Flagship (and X) get Degree 2 semi-autonomous driving options corresponding to adaptive cruise management, lane centring help and autonomous emergency braking.

No costs as but, however this – together with full specification – will come later this week when the automobile is launched. For reference, the present S70 is priced at RM73,800 for the Government, RM79,800 for the Premium, RM89,800 for the Flagship and RM94,800 for the sunroof-equipped Flagship X.

GALLERY: 2026 Proton S70 MC1, Flagship X

GALLERY: 2026 Proton S70 MC1, Flagship

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