Launched: 2026 Proton X70 – 2 Variants, New 1.5T i-GT Engine, From RM99K*

The updated 2026 Proton X70 debuts today, now featuring the new 1.5T i-GT engine and two variants only.

Following its teaser earlier this week, the refreshed 2026 Proton X70 has been officially launched today. For its third minor change (MC3), this C-segment SUV gains a slew of equipment changes, including the new 1.5T i-GT petrol engine that replaces the outgoing 3-pot 1.5 TGDi unit.

Only two variants are available now, namely the baseline Executive at RM106,800 and the top-spec Premium at RM119,800. In typical fashion for any new Proton product, the national automaker is giving a special launch rebate worth up to RM7,000 for the first 1,500 units (valid until March 31), thus bringing their prices further down to RM99,800 and RM112,800, respectively.

As always, these figures mentioned above are inclusive of a standard 5-year unlimited mileage vehicle warranty, six times free labour for servicing, and a 5-year data package capped at 2 GB per month.

We’ll start with the biggest change given to the X70 MC3, and that is the new 1.5-litre 4-cyl i-GT petrol engine (codenamed BHE15-EFZ) adopted from the facelifted X50. Similar to its smaller sibling, this turbo-petrol lump is also mated to a 7-speed DCT box and a front-wheel drive (FWD) setup on the new X70, delivering a total output of 181 PS and 290 Nm—making it 4 PS and 35 Nm more powerful than the outgoing 1.5-litre 3-cyl TGDi engine.

Besides more power, P1 also claims better fuel economy for the X70 MC3, as the i-GT and 7-DCT setup is said to deliver as low as 6.9 litres per 100 km of fuel economy rate—a 5.5% reduction from the 7.3 litres per 100 km on the 2025 model.

Similar to both the facelifted X50 and the new Saga, Proton also promises the new i-GT engine to provide a big reduction in noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) level for the X70 MC3, mainly attributed to the toothed timing chain on the engine that is said to be 25.24% quieter compared to a regular chain drive.

One visual graphic also indicates that Proton has applied extra sound deadening work on the new X70, which combines to provide an NVH reduction of up to 4.5% compared to the previous model.

To go with the reduced NVH, Proton engineers have also done some work to further improve the ride and handling of the new X70. Its steering has been improved to deliver a sharper and more responsive feel, while the suspension setup and tuning have been revamped to reduce low- to mid-frequency road noise and improve both the car’s roll support capacity and rear-axle impact strength.

On the visual front, there are no significant changes made to the new X70 MC3, given the fact that it has only been about a year and a half since the facelifted model was introduced.

The only two notable changes we can detect are the new GitiContact F50 tyres that replace the Continental UltraContact UC6 used previously, as well as the omission of the Ruby Red exterior colourway, leaving only four options left—Snow White, Armour Silver, Jet Grey, and Marine Blue. Rolling stocks are measured at 18 inches for the Executive and 19 inches for the Premium variant—both featuring the same spoke design as seen prior.

Inside, the new X70 retains the same cabin setup as seen on the previous model, with the 12.3-inch infotainment screen still supporting wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, but no Bahasa Melayu voice assistance option is available.

Some key amenities available for the Executive variant include ventilated front seats wrapped in faux leather upholstery, a power-adjustable driver’s seat, a 360-degree camera view system, a powered tailgate, dual-zone A/C, six speakers, and more.

The Premium specs up the ante with fully-powered front seats with driver’s side lumbar support and boss switches on the passenger side, as well as the 72-colour ambient lighting system. With the Premium X variant now dropped from the lineup, this means you cannot get the new X70 with a panoramic sunroof or the premium Nappa leather seat upholstery.

The variant omission also affects the safety equipment list for the new X70, with only the top-spec Premium variant available with the ADAS functions and none made available for the baseline Executive version. Some ADAS functions primed on the Premium include autonomous emergency braking (AEB), adaptive cruise control (ACC) with stop & go, lane centring assist (LCA), lane keeping assist (LKA), traffic sign recognition (TSR), blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert (RCTA), rear collision warning (RCW), door opening warning (DOW), and more.