Right on cue, Proton has previewed the 2026 S70, which will be open for booking at all 3S and 4S centres nationwide starting tomorrow, February 7, ahead of its launch of February 11. The segment-straddling sedan receives minor exterior and interior tweaks that belie a big change under the bonnet.
That change is a 1.5 litre BHE15-EFZ i-GT turbo direct-injected four-cylinder engine, which replaces the GEP3 three-pot. Outputs are rated at 181 PS at 5,500 rpm and 290 Nm of torque between 2,000 and 3,500 rpm, a considerable 31 PS/64 Nm jump over the old port-injected mill. Equipped with the same seven-speed wet dual-clutch transmission as before, the new engine takes a second and a half out of the zero-to-100 km/h sprint, completing it in 7.5 seconds.
This boost in performance comes at no expense to fuel economy – in fact, shorn of the X70‘s heft, the S70 consumes much less petrol at 5.7 litres per 100 km (17.5 km per litre), which is only slightly more than the Saga with a naturally-aspirated engine and a four-speed auto (5.1 litres per 100 km, or 19.6 km per litre). Proton also promises lower running costs thanks to a switch to a toothed timing chain, along with smoother gearshifts from a recalibrated gearbox.
Speaking of the NA engine, Proton made no mention of such a version for the S70, despite earlier rumours. Perhaps the less powerful four-pot, which makes 120 PS and 150 Nm, will be offered at a later date to coincide with the Persona’s eventual discontinuation, acting as an indirect replacement with a lower price.
Beyond that, the changes are as previously reported, lifted from the 2025 Geely Emgrand. The LED headlights have been very slightly tweaked, and they are actually a downgrade from the previous model’s, equipped with halogen reflector indicators. These were previously integrated into the eyebrow-like LED daytime running lights, which have been retained. The turn signals take the place of the old high beams near the inner edge, so the projectors are likely doing double duty now, integrating both the low and high beams.
Also new are the Flagship’s 17-inch two-tone alloy wheels, again almost identical to the outgoing ones but with a more blade-like design for the spokes. It’s here where you’ll find another downgrade, as the Goodyear Assurance Triplemax 2 tyres have been swapped out for GitiComfort F22 rubber. This is likely related to the closing of the Goodyear plant in Shah Alam in March 2024, with a similar swap also performed for the 2026 X70 after the Continental plant closure.
Lastly, the 2026 S70 will see the debut of a new bodykit, featuring “fangs” framing the air intake, red highlights all around, a more aggressive diffuser-like rear skirt and a boot lid lip spoiler with a sizeable centre cutout. It remains to be seen if this will be fitted as standard on the top variants (at least for a limited time, as was the case for the current car) or offered as a cost option.
The interior is virtually unchanged from the current S70, retaining the horizontal dashboard with a full-width air vent design, broad centre console topped by a T-shaped gearlever, the 10.25-inch instrument display and 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen and even the black faux leather seats.
Curiously, the car continues to lack a speed limiter button on the steering wheel, different from every other Proton model with adaptive cruise control. The good news is that Proton has finally given the S70 wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, having snubbed owners of the current model.
The S70 continues to be offered with a wide range of driver assists, including Level 2 semi-autonomous driving features such as the aforementioned adaptive cruise control and lane centring assist, plus autonomous emergency braking and rear cross traffic alert. As yet, it is unclear if these will continue to be fitted only to the top-spec Flagship variants, but judging by the latest X50 and X70, this will likely be unfortunately still the case.
Proton has yet to provide any details on pricing, but for reference, the current S70 is priced at RM73,800 for the Executive, RM79,800 for the Premium, RM89,800 for the Flagship and RM94,800 for the sunroof-equipped Flagship X.
