Upgraded 2026 Proton S70 Open For Bookings – New 4-cyl Heart Included

Heads up for prospects, the upgraded and face-lifted 2026 Proton S70 sedan is now open for bookings. Display units have also arrived at selected 3S and 4S outlets too.

As expected, national automaker Proton is ramping up its efforts at refreshing all its core Geely-based models this year. It began with the X70 first in mid-2024 – and again earlier this year – followed by the face-lifted X50 last year. Now comes the turn of the S70 sedan.

For its latest 2026 model year iteration, the S70 gains a slew of changes inside and out, including an all-new powertrain which we’ll detail in a bit. Critically, a handful of this updated 2026MY version units have now arrived at selected Proton 3S and 4S outlets.

With that, keen prospects can now take an early gander at it at said selected outlets and perhaps place early bookings for one too - early bookings are now opened. Proton is poised to officially launch this refreshed C-segment saloon offering very soon too – likely within this quarter. 

Under the hood, the 2026 Proton S70 gains a new 1.5-litre 'i-GT' 4-cyl petrol heart replacing the previous 3-cyl unit - this mill is shared with the face-lifted X50 and re-specced X70.

Straight into the changes, and we start with arguably the most crucial one that’s also ‘invisible’. As seen in both the face-lifted X50 and re-specced 2026MY X70 models mentioned, the S70 is now the latest recipient of the new ‘i-GT’ engine unit.

Specifically, this saloon offering now adopts the 1.5-litre direct-injected and turbocharged iteration of which. Replacing the previous 1.5 TGDi 3-cyl unit, the new mill delivers 181 PS and 290 Nm to the front wheels via a recalibrated 7-speed DCT box.

Besides punchier performance and enhanced efficiency, the refreshed S70 also gains a slew of minor design tweaks plus a new and much sharper aerokit set.

Altogether, it brings improved 0-100 km/h sprint times of 7.5 secs plus enhanced fuel efficiency average of 5.7 litres/100 km. For reference, the previous 3-cyl unit mentioned offered 148 hp and 226 Nm, did the century sprint in 9 secs, and sipped 6.2 litres/100 KM on average.

Next comes changes that are visible, and Proton touts revised LED headlamps and DRLs combination, followed by new 17-inch rolling stock design. What’s also apparent based on the images provided is a brand new and arguably sharper aerokit set.

Another small but critical update in the 2026 Proton S70 is the inclusion of wireless Apple CarPlay and Android auto via an upgraded 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen.

Moving on board and, at last, the S70 finally gains wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto via an upgraded 12.3-inch central infotainment touchscreen. Both come on top of the existing intelligent connectivity features already brimmed, which includes voice command.

In its press release, Proton also stressed that safety remains a core asset for the S70 as before, hence the inclusion of up to 13 advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) features. In turn, this grants the S70 with Level 2 semi-autonomous driving abilities.

Proton touts no less than 13 ADAS features laced in the 2026 Proton S70 that grants it with Level 2 semi-autonomous driving abilities.

Apart from which, the automaker elected not to divulge further details regarding revised variant line-up or price. As a refresher though, the existing S70 had four grades available (Executive, Premium, Flagship and Flagship X) priced between RM73,800 and RM94,800.

We’ll have more details once the upgraded 2026 Proton S70 is officially launched. In the meantime, given what the automaker has dished out, what do you folks reckon? As usual, share your take in the comments below…