The Proton X70 gets an extensive facelift, with major upgrades but no all-wheel drive variant.
After more than 5 years on the market, the car that kicked off the Proton-Geely partnership has been given an extensive facelift, the biggest change since the introduction of the 1.5L 3-cylinder engine back in June 2022. This is a comprehensive update to the C-segment SUV includes an extensive change to the exterior with noteworthy interior changes too.
Before going into the details, let’s look at the pricing and specs:
The on-the-road price of the 2024 Proton X70 is as follows for Peninsular Malaysia:
- Proton X70 1.5 TGDI Standard: RM98,800
- Remote Engine Start
- LED headlamps with DRLs
- 17″ alloy wheels
- Fabric upholstery
- Reverse Camera
- Walk Away Auto Lock
- Proton X70 1.5 TGDI Executive: RM110,800
- 18″ alloy wheels
- Power tailgate
- Leatherette seats
- Driver power seat
- Front ventilated seats
- 360-degree camera
- Proton X70 1.5 TGDI Premium: RM123,800
- ADAS
- Tyre Pressure Monitoring System
- 19″ alloy wheels
- Nappa leather seats
- Front passenger power seat
- Ambient lighting
- Proton X70 1.5 TGDI Premium X: RM128,800
- Panoramic sunroof
Five colours are available:
- Marine Blue (new)
- Snow White
- Armour Silver
- Jet Grey
- Ruby Red
An Early Bird Package for the first 3,000 X70 customers includes an RM7,000 cash rebate, Overtrade Support of up to RM2,800, and an upgrade Proton Insurance Programme thrown in. Financing with interest rates as low as 2.4% per annum is available.
Under the hood, the same engine with 177PS and 255Nm of torque is paired to an 7-speed dual clutch automatic transmission but with changes to the logic resulting in a 4% improvement to fuel efficiency. Also worth noting that the all-wheel drive variant has been discontinued. Another ‘invisible’ change comes in the form of upgraded NVH, partially a result of the same logic changes but also attributed to an increased use of Betafoam and chemical adhesives to the structure of the vehicle itself.
Design Changes To The Exterior
The best place to start is with the front end where massive changes have taken place. The entire hood has changed form to accommodate the new trapezoidal LED reflector headlight design with a new protruding grille shape that integrates the latest evolution of the Infinite Weave with Songket-inspired diamond pins. The grilles now feature twin power domes and the overall front look looks vaguely Mercedes-inspired but largely follows the cues set forth by the Boyue from some years back. The lower down you go, the more unique the new X70 is. In fact, the rear rear bumper and diffuser look to be completely Proton in design. There are also new 19″ alloy wheels with a dual tone design.
Inside, you’ll find a revised dashboard with a new 12.3″ floating style screen as the centrepiece. This infotainment unit features a better processing power with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage with a new user interface and the same “Hi Proton” voice command functionality.
There’s a new Stone Grey Nappa leather upholstery option that replaces the brown option from before. The new dashboard comes with an ambient lighting feature with LED lights that are customised and can pulse rhythmically to the beat of the music being played.
Speaking of music, the infotainment system features Spotify integration and can support wireless and wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto – though some of these features are said to be locked at launch, only coming later in the form of an Over-The-Air update.
No date was given for this update. The Proton Link app can be used to remotely start the X70’s engine to cool the interior down. The Advanced Driving Assistance System (ADAS) has been improved on the Premium and Premium X variants. The ADAS system now features:
- Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB)
- Forward Collision Warning (FCW)
- Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with stop and go
- Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC)
- Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
- Lane Departure Prevention (LDP)
- Lane Centering Control (LCC)
- Lane Chage Assist (LCA)
- Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA)
- Rear Collison Warning (RCW)
- Door Opening Warning (DOW)
- Traffic Sign Information (TSI)
- Intelligent High Beam Control (IHBC)
Besides that, all X70s come with six SRS airbags, ABS, EBD, ESC, TCS, BA, Auto Brake Hold, Hill Hold Assist and Hill Descent Control.
Proton values the improvements to the X70 at RM23,500, but says that this is given free of charge as the price of the X70 remains virtually unchanged since 2018. The 5-year/unlimited mileage warranty is retained and a 5-year 1GB/month data package is included with the car as are 6 complimentary labour services. Booking can be done online here.
