The facelifted 2025 Proton X70 was launched in August and we’ve finally gotten our hands on one in Jet Grey. If you’ve been waiting to get a closer look at the refreshed C-segment SUV, we now have a full live gallery for you to pore over to your heart’s content.
Available in the same four variants as before, the X70 is priced at RM98,800 for the Standard, RM110,800 for the Executive and RM123,800 for the Premium. The unit you see here is the range-topping Premium X with a panoramic glass sunroof, retailing at RM126,800. These figures are the same as before, and there’s even a RM7,000 rebate for the first 3,000 customers, bringing the starting price down to RM91,800.
The X70 has been the recipient of several powertrain and refinement updates, but this round it’s all about the looks. The car has received its first proper facelift since going on sale six years ago, drawing from its sibling, the 2022 Geely Boyue.
At the front sits a much bolder grille that sits proud of the fascia, with the same songket pins as the X90. This is flanked by slimmer full-LED reflector headlights, sitting above a re-profiled bumper with a “wing” design. The bonnet and front fenders have also been tweaked to fit the new parts, so converting an existing X70 to the new look will be a costly and time-consuming endeavour.
Moving to the rear, you’ll find a redesigned rear bumper with horizontal reflectors, fake corner air vents and a taller gloss black decorative skid plate. This piece is unique to the Proton and isn’t fitted to any other Boyue model. The taillights remain the same, however – unlike the Boyue Pro/Azkarra that shares the same front end. Wheel sizes range from 17 to 19 inches in diameter as before, but the Executive and Premium models gain new designs for their 18- and 19-inch rollers.
Inside, the X70’s basic dashboard remains, but the trim piece that runs the full width of the car has been revised. Again, this is of a bespoke design to fit the larger 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen from the X90 (the 2022 Boyue is a 10.25-inch unit), “floating” above the fascia. As before, the display runs on the Atlas operating system, but the hardware underneath has been upgraded to dual quad-core processors, 4 GB of RAM and 32 GB of storage.
None of this, however, is quite as big as change as the long-awaited inclusion of wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. This has yet to come to our test car, unfortunately, but it will be added via an over-the-air software update once Proton has secured the licencing for CarPlay.
Other upgrades include a USB-C port in the storage compartments on either side of the centre console (oddly only on the passenger side), as well as one more at the rear to complement the other USB-A ports. The USB port on the headlining (to mount a dash cam) has also been moved to the right side of the windscreen camera module to make it more accessible.
Elsewhere, the digital instrument display remains a seven-inch unit, but the graphics have been updated style as seen in the X90 and S70, necessitating a new three-spoke flat-bottomed steering wheel from the X50 and S70. One baffling downgrade is the sound system, which has gone from nine speakers to just six, and you also lose the Kenwood branding and the rear subwoofer
The redesigned dashboard decor has also enabled the fitment of a 72-colour ambient lighting system (Premium and Premium X only), replete with a “rhythmic” function that pulses according to the music being played. You can check out the range of different colours available in the gallery below. Lastly, the X70 now comes with proximity locking and unlocking and remote engine start on all variants.
All models also now get LED headlights and at least faux leather (previously fabric) as standard, joining a kit list that includes push-button start, dual-zone climate control and an air ioniser. The Executive model adds welcome lighting, auto wipers, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, a six-way power-adjustable driver’s seat and front seat ventilation.
Premium models gain the aforementioned ambient lighting and a new Stone Grey hue for the Nappa leather upholstery, plus a new stitch pattern for the door cards. The hands-free powered tailgate now uses a proximity sensor, opening when it detects a person standing with the key behind the car after three seconds.
Unfortunately, there’s no longer a kick sensor under the bumper, meaning you’ll have to close the tailgate yourself. Other Premium-exclusive features include driver’s side lumbar adjustment and a four-way power-adjustable front passenger seat with “boss” shoulder switches.
With the facelift comes an upgraded suite of driver assists from the X50, X90 and S70. The adaptive cruise control now comes with a stop and go function and lane centring assist, providing Level 2 semi-autonomous driving. You also now get traffic sign recognition and rear collision warning on top of the usual autonomous emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert and auto high beam.
However, these features are once again only offered on the Premium variants – the other models get none of them, not even AEB, which is unacceptable at this price range. Six airbags and stability control are fitted as standard, as before.
Mechanically, the X70 retains its 1.5 litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine, producing an identical 177 PS and 255 Nm of torque from 1,500 to 4,000 rpm. However, improvements in combustion, thermal management and friction reduction has resulted in a four per cent improvement in fuel efficiency, with a consumption figure of 7.3 litres per 100 km.
This has an added side effect in reducing noise, vibration and harshness at low speeds, in concert with a quieter AC compressor, increased betafoam usage in more locations and the use of a high-viscosity adhesive on the body-in-white. Drive continues to be sent to the front wheels via a seven-speed wet dual-clutch transmission; the all-wheel-drive Executive variant has been dropped due to low demand.
The post 2025 Proton X70 facelift in Malaysia – full live gallery of top-spec Premium X with new looks, tech, RM126,800 appeared first on Paul Tan’s Automotive News.
