Proton S70 For PDRM Spotted – Same Unit Seen During Agong’s Coronation

We chanced upon sighting possibly an early prototype build of the Proton S70 for the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) earlier today.

Like many Malaysian petrolheads, CariCarz.com had our eyes glued to the television screen last weekend to watch the  coronation ceremony of the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim. Apart from the royal ceremony itself, what also proved exciting to witness was the motorcade present for which.

In the sea of the usual regal limos and familiar escort vehicles as used by the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), what really caught our attention was a lone Proton S70 PDRM patrol car. Earlier today, whilst picking up our assigned test-drive unit this week, we chanced upon sighting that very same unit.

Our encounter with said PDRM-liveried S70 was brief, and we couldn’t take a peek inside it’s cabin. However the absence of typical markings denoting police states of districts indicates that this may be an early stage build undergoing initial tests at the very least – an early prototype of sorts.

From what we can tell, this appears to be the same unit spotted in action escorting motorcades during last weekend's coronation for the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim.

Apart from the roof lights and police livery, it is likely that this PDRM unit is based on the Flagship variant of the S70 that Proton currently retails – key giveaways here being the tasty aerokit it wears, which is offered as an option in the Flagship variant, and the 17-inch wheels it rolls on.

As noted, we weren’t able to take a peek inside its cabin, but we’re certain it remain largely similar to the regular production version, barring any special additions in terms of policing gear and hardware. We’re also inclined to believe that the base car’s powertrain is also unchanged.

The absence of typical state or district code markings suggests that this may be an early prototype build. Unfortunately, we weren't able to take a peek inside.

As a refresher, all variants of the Proton S70 share the same 1.5-litre 3-cyl turbo petrol MPI mill – the same as the non-Flagship X50 variants. Paired with a 7-speed DCT box, said powertrain drives the front wheels with its claimed 148 HP and 226 NM outputs.

Though the regular mass market models all boasts a claimed 0-100 KM/H sprint time of roughly 9 seconds and a claimed average fuel economy of 6.2 litres/100 KM, we reckon the added weight stemming from extra police gear primed might see this PDRM unit differ slightly from said figures.

The new S70 isn't the first Geely-based Proton model adopted by PDRM. In fact, PDRM had adopted a sizeable fleet of the Proton X70 SUVs back in 2020.

No word or indications just yet of PDRM seeks to fleet similar versions of the S70 en masse yet. We also reckon this might take a while given that the service recently took delivery of new Honda Civic and Honda City sedans for its fleet.

Nonetheless, the S70 would prove to be a solid addition for our boys in blue next to its existing fleet of Proton X70 SUVs. Well, what do you folks reckon? Should PDRM adopt the S70 en masse? Share your thoughts in the comments below, as well as our social media pages…