
Welcome to the very first car launch of 2026, and to the new Proton X70. Arriving less than a year and a half after the C-segment SUV’s major facelift, this third minor change (hence the internal “MC3” suffix) in eight years brings with it the Intelligent Green Technology (i-GT) engine from the facelifted X50, welcoming a four-cylinder back into the lineup since 2024.
But while the rest of the car looks very similar to the last one, there’s more than meets the eye. Proton is touting significant improvements in refinement and fuel efficiency with the new engine, and the X70 also receives proper Proton ride and handling tuning. There’s also been a slight revision to the kit list to keep prices competitive even with the new (and almost certainly more expensive) engine.
Trust us – despite what it looks, there’s a lot to go through with the new X70. So, let’s get straight to it.
Executive and Premium only, prices drop by RM4,000

We’ll start with the most important bit first, and that’s the prices. This time around, the national carmaker has streamlined the range to just two variants, the Executive and Premium – the two previous bookends, the base Standard and range-topping Premium X, have been expunged.
The two variants cost RM106,800 for the Executive and RM119,800 for the Premium, both on-the-road without insurance. On top of that, Proton is offering an RM7,000 launch rebate for the first 1,500 units – valid for registrations made before March 31 – along with a boot tray, sunshades and door visors collectively worth over RM700. With that, the prices are as follows:
- 2026 Proton X70 1.5TD Executive – RM99,800
- 2026 Proton X70 1.5TD Premium – RM112,800
By comparison, the previous X70 retailed at RM98,800 for the Standard, RM110,800 for the Executive, RM123,800 for the Premium and RM126,800 for the Premium X, although it also had a RM7,000 rebate at launch that brought these prices quite a bit lower.

Comparing the pre-rebate prices side-by-side, the Executive and Premium are both RM4,000 less expensive than before. As always, these figures include a five-year, unlimited-mileage warranty, six times free labour for servicing and a five-year data package, now upgraded to 2 GB per month (up from 1 GB per month). Interest rates as low as 2.2% are also promised for a nine-year loan with 90% financing.
As part of the launch package, Proton is also offering overtrade support of up to RM2,000 for trade-ins, as well as an upgraded first-year Proton Insurance Programme with Special Perils coverage, personal accident coverage for passengers at up to RM15,000 prer person and up to RM2,000 in additional flood relief coverage. Again, these are limited to the first 1,500 customers, valid until March 31.
New 1.5 litre i-GT turbo four-cylinder engine is quieter, more efficient

Beyond the pricing, the big news is of course the engine – the Geely-sourced BHE15-EFZ 1.5 litre turbocharged and direct-injected four-pot that replaces the old GEP3 three-cylinder. As per in the X50, it produces 181 PS at 5,500 rpm and 290 Nm of torque between 2,000 and 3,500 rpm.
These numbers represent increases of 4 PS and 35 Nm – the latter being a 13.7% jump – over the three-pot, and they are a closer match to the original 184 PS/300 Nm 1.8 litre four-cylinder. Despite peak torque being made 500 rpm higher, Proton says that the new mill delivers improved low- to midrange throttle response.
We’ve written plenty about the new engine before, but suffice it to say that Proton is promising a big reduction in noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) as part of this switch. This is helped along by a toothed timing chain that not only saves on maintenance versus the previous timing belt (its lifespan is rated at over 200,000 km) but is also a claimed 25.24% quieter compared to a regular chain drive. By the way, the 1.8 litre engine in the original X70 had a (non-toothed) timing chain, too.

Overall NVH is down by 4.5%, and Proton says the X70 now offers a quieter and more refined engine than the “industry average.” On the display units, we could see a liberal amount of sound deadening having been applied to the underside of the engine cover and on top of the valvetrain to help tamp down the noise.
Mated to a seven-speed wet dual-clutch transmission, the car delivers a quoted fuel consumption figure of 6.9 litres per 100 km. This is a 5.5% reduction from the 7.3 litres per 100 km of the previous model – itself being 4% lower than the 2022 MC.
Both X70 variants are front-wheel drive, as the Executive AWD trim was discontinued as part of the facelift. Proton claims the X70 now delivers maintenance costs that are 17% lower on average and 13% lower over five years compared to the competition, although it did not specify which rivals the car was benchmarked against. It also says the car is aiming to be the most fuel-efficient pure ICE-powered SUV in its class.
Proton ride and handling tuning

Although the X70 has always displayed tidy road manners, it was never especially engaging in the corners. That’s because the chassis has been practically untouched since it arrived from China as little more than a rebadged Geely Boyue back in 2018 – although Proton did retune the dampers for better body control with the advent of CKD local assembly in 2020. In fact, the company has barely made any tweaks to the Geely-based models it has sold since then.
But with this latest model, Proton has given its engineers free rein to revamp the suspension setup, finally giving it the firm’s famed ride and handling “special sauce.” The goals were to reduce low- to mid-frequency road noise and improve the car’s “roll support capacity” and “rear-axle impact strength.” The folks even went so far as to adjust the steering ratio for quicker and more direct response.
We should point out the change in the tyres, as the Premium has ditched the Continental UltraContact UC6 in favour of the GitiComfort F50, due to the shuttering of the Continental plant in Alor Setar. While many would consider this a downgrade, you are at least still getting proper summer tyres here – unlike the GT Radial Savero mud and snow rubber hitherto fitted to the lesser Standard and Executive variants.
Same design inside and out, minor spec downgrades for Premium
As the facelift was only introduced in 2024, Proton has left the rest of the car well alone, meaning you still get the bolder 2022 Boyue-derived front fascia, the redesigned rear bumper and the latest 18- and 19-inch alloy wheel designs. The only exterior change is to the colours – Ruby Red has been discontinued, leaving a four-strong range consisting of Snow White, Armour Silver, Jet Grey and Marine Blue. The latter is now available on the Executive for the first time.
Inside, the X70 retains the rather dated-looking interior, still with the Boyue’s Hangzhou Bay Bridge-inspired undulating dashboard. It was freshened up as part of the facelift with a new silver-and-black trim piece, a “floating” 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality and an X50-derived flat-bottomed steering wheel.
You also get a double-pull bonnet release that completely unlatches the bonnet and removes the need to fumble underneath for a lever, similar to a BMW. Unlike the X50, the X70 does not receive the Atlas operating system upgrade that added a Bahasa Malaysia option for the interface and “Hi Proton” voice control.

With the Standard variant gone, the base X70 now comes with 18-inch alloys, auto wipers, a six-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, front seat ventilation, faux leather upholstery, front and rear parking sensors, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, a 360-degree camera and a powered tailgate with a key-detecting hands-free opening function. This is on top of the usual features such as LED lighting, keyless entry with proximity locking and unlocking, remote engine start, dual-zone auto air con and six speakers.
The Premium continues to add 19-inch rollers, driver’s seat lumbar adjustment, a four-way power-adjustable passenger seat with shoulder “boss” switches and 72-colour ambient lighting with a “rhythmic” function. However, while the steering wheel still comes with a Nappa leather wrap, the seats no longer get the soft cowhide treatment, instead receiving the same faux leather as the Executive. This also means that the X70 now gets a black interior with red strips across the range – no more Stone Grey.
Additionally, the Premium does not get illuminated vanity mirrors with card holders on the underside. This downgrade was applied on the facelift, with the higher-end sun visors being reserved for the Premium X; since the latter has been discontinued, you can’t get those sun visors on any X70. Ditto the panoramic sunroof, the sole raison d’être of the Premium X.
ADAS and BLIS still only on Premium

Given that even the Saga can now be had a basic array of advanced driver assistance systems such as autonomous emergency braking, it’s frustrating that Proton is continuing to reserve these features for the Premium model, instead of fitting them across the range. That’s no real surprise given that the range-topper’s reduced feature count makes ADAS one of its few remaining USPs, but it’s disappointing nevertheless.
Worse still, the Premium is still the only trim to feature the rear radar sensors that enable items such as blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, rear collision warning and a door opening warning. This stands in stark contrast to the X50, which now offers them as standard.
The Premium’s ADAS kit is at least vast, with Level 2 semi-autonomous driving functionality thanks to adaptive cruise control with stop and go and lane centring assist, plus traffic sign recognition and auto high beam. Six airbags and stability control continue to come standard, with a tyre pressure monitoring system still exclusive to the Premium.

The full spec-by-spec breakdown is as follows:
2026 Proton X70 1.5TD Executive
Gets as standard:
Mechanicals
- 1.5 litre DOHC i-GT TD engine
- 1,499 cc turbocharged direct-injected four-cylinder petrol
- 181 PS at 5,500 rpm, 290 Nm of torque at 2,000-3,500 rpm
- 7-speed wet dual-clutch transmission
- 6.9 litres per 100 km fuel consumption
- Eco, Comfort and Sport drive modes
- Front-wheel drive
- MacPherson strut suspension (front), multilink (rear)
- Ventilated disc brakes (front), solid disc (rear)
Exterior
- LED auto headlights with welcome and follow-me-home functions
- LED daytime running lights
- LED taillights
- Silver roof rails
- Dual exhaust pipes
- 18-inch two-tone alloy wheels with 225/60 R18 tyres
Interior
- Keyless entry with remote start
- Proximity auto locking/unlocking
- Push-button start
- Black interior with grey stitching and red strips
- Black headliner
- Dual-zone auto climate control with rear vents
- Auto wipers
- Auto-dimming rear-view mirror
- Cruise control with speed limiter
- Six-way power-adjustable driver’s seat
- Front seat ventilation
- Faux leather upholstery
- Multi-function steering wheel
- 7.0-inch digital instrument display
- 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen
- Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- “Hi Proton” voice control
- Six speakers
- Two front USB ports (USB-A and USB-C)
- Dash cam USB-A port
- Two rear USB ports (USB-A and USB-C)
- Electronic parking brake with auto brake hold
- Proton Link 2.0 app connectivity (vehicle status, remote control, navigation)
- Powered tailgate with key sensor for hands-free opening
- 515 litres boot space
Safety
- Six airbags (front, side, curtain)
- ABS with EBD and brake assist
- Traction control and stability control
- Hill start assist and hill descent control
- 360-degree camera system with 3D and transparent functions
- Front and rear parking sensors
2026 Proton X70 1.5TD Premium
Adds on:
Exterior
- 19-inch two-tone alloy wheels with 225/55 R19 tyres
Interior
- Powered lumbar adjustment for driver’s seat
- Four-way power-adjustable passenger’s seat with shoulder switches
- Nappa leather-wrapped steering wheel
- 72-colour ambient lighting with “rhythmic” mode
- Security window tint film
Safety
- Autonomous emergency braking
- Adaptive cruise control with stop and go
- Lane centring assist
- Lane keeping assist
- Traffic sign recognition
- Blind spot monitoring
- Rear cross traffic alert
- Rear collision warning
- Door opening warning
- Auto high beam
- Tyre pressure monitoring system
While appearing minor, this MC3 update is an important one for the X70, as it enters its eighth year on the market. The first of Proton’s Geely-based models, it established the company as a serious force in the local SUV market, with over 112,000 units sold – and doubtless the new model will build on this success. What do you think of these upgrades? Let us know in the comments.
GALLERY: 2026 Proton X70 MC3 product presentation slides