We showed you the 2025 Proton X70 facelift earlier this month in full, but Proton kept one important element for the launch – the price. Now that the refreshed SUV is officially launched, we can reveal that the X70 has the same price as before.
Price was the X70’s original calling card, and in the face of competition (Chery has entered the chat), Proton has decided to maintain RRPs for its C-segment SUV despite offering more/improved kit. The X70 facelift is available in four variants – Standard, Executive, Premium and Premium X (the latter is the Premium with a panoramic sunroof), priced at RM98,800, RM110,800, RM123,800 and RM126,800 respectively, on-the-road without insurance. By the way, Proton says that the improvements you’ll read about later are worth RM13,700.
As usual, there’s an early bird package, and this time, it’s for the first 3,000 customers. The carrot is a RM7,000 cash rebate (for all variants, bringing the entry price to just RM91,800), trade in support of up to RM2,800 (non-Proton vehicles get RM2,000) and a Proton Insurance Programme upgrade. Practically, this would mean a smaller downpaymemt. The standard warranty package is five years unlimited with six times free labour service. Buyers will also get a five-year data package of 1GB per month.
A much-needed facelift
So what’s new? First up, the most important aspect – aesthetics. The X70 has been looking a bit tired, and that’s not a knock on the Boyue-based SUV – the first Proton-Geely model – it’s just ageing. Proton’s once flagship model (they have the X90 now) has been on our roads for over five and a half years now (since December 2018) with the same looks, and this is before factoring in the raft of fresh entrants in the very competitive SUV market. Some have took direct, explicit aim at the X70, and P1 has been taking the hits.
So, it’s a good thing that this facelift is a big one that really transforms the X70’s looks, so big that it’ll be a pretty costly endeavour if you try to DIY a pre-facelift car. The most obvious item is that big, bold grille; the pentagonal nose filled with Proton’s Infinite Weave design and songket diamond pins. Flanking it are full-LED reflector headlights that are much slimmer than before.
These, along with a restyled front bumper, means that no one will mistake your facelifted X70 for an old one. Remember the ‘susah to DIY’ part? The new headlamps are big enough a hassle, but note that the front fenders and bonnet are also new to match the lights/grille. The hood is more sculpted and has two bulges down the middle.
By the way, this is the look of the facelifted 2022 Geely Boyue, but interestingly, the rear bumper has been redesigned with horizontal (as opposed to vertical) reflectors and fake corner air outlets. This appears to be a Proton in-house designed item that supposedly gives the X70 the impression of a wider stance. No changes to the tail lamps, though.
The X70 facelift gets new wheels to complete the exterior changes – 19-inch two-tone units for the Premium and Premium X, and 18-inch two-tone for the Executive. The 17-inch single-tone rims on the Standard are unchanged.
AACP debuts in updated cabin
Inside, the most obvious change is a new dashboard decor panel that again looks to be unique to the Proton. The gloss black insert is most obvious on the passenger side, which incorporates 72-colour ambient lighting with a ‘rhythmic’ function that changes colour according to the music played.
Next to it is a larger ‘floating’ 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen powered by Atlas 2.0, which wait for it… debuts Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in a Proton. Yes, finally! Note that wireless AACP will not be available at launch, but the X70 facelift is designed for it and owners will get a free OTA update for the phone mirroring functions once ‘paperwork’ is complete. Also, the IHU’s hardware has been upgraded to dual quad-core processors, 4GB RAM and 32GB storage.
The tech upgrade also sees the USB port on the centre console side compartments to USB-C (only on the passenger side; the driver’s side maintains a USB-A port), while at the rear you get a USB-A and USB-C port each. The dashcam USB port has also been moved from the headliner to the right side of the windscreen ADAS camera module to make it more accessible. In total there are five USB ports.
Proton did not announce any changes to the sound system (six speakers across the range now, Premium had nine before), but we did notice that the the speakers have lost their Kenwood branding and the subwoofer over the spare tyre is gone. There are, however, new tweeters on the A-pillars.
Elsewhere, the X70 receives the brand’s latest three-spoke steering wheel as seen on the X50 and S70, and Stone Grey Nappa leather upholstery with a new criss-cross stitch pattern on the door cards. It’s a darker theme compared to the previous brown, which Proton says gives a more premium feel in a European sense. The Executive gets black leatherette upholstery and it’s black fabric for the Standard.
The 7.0-inch digital meter panel is no larger than before, but it gets new graphics from the big screens of the X90/S70 for a more modern look. The fuel and temperature gauges on either side of the screen have also been redesigned.
Convenience wise, the new proximity locking/unlocking (walk away auto lock) and Nearby Auto Open hands-free tailgate would really be handy at the grocer. Basically, the car detects the key and opens the hatch – there’s no more kick sensor. We also noticed some changes to the gear lever – the design of the protrusion remains, but the park button has been moved and there’s a new shift pattern.
ADAS and ICE improvements
Another addition is the Level 2 semi-autonomous driving features to bring the X70 to the level of the X50 and S70. This includes a stop-and-go function and lane centring assist added to the adaptive cruise control, plus traffic sign recognition.
The other features in the pack include Autonomous Emergency Braking, Intelligent Cruise Control, Lane Departure Warning and Prevention, Lane Centring Control, Lane Change Assist (blind spot monitoring), Rear Collision Warning, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Door Opening Warning and Intelligent High Beam Control. However, note that ADAS is reserved for the high-end Premium and Premium X variants, which is unfortunately a normal practice for Proton. Curiously, Automatic Parking Assist (APA) is absent here – the X50 and X90 have auto parking.
Under that curvy new hood, the X70 retains the 1.5-litre turbocharged TGDi three-cylinder engine from the MC, producing 177 PS and 255 Nm of torque from 1,500 to 4,000 rpm. Drive from the Tg Malim-made engine is sent to the front wheels (no AWD variant, it’s 2WD across the board now) via a revised seven-speed wet dual-clutch transmission with manual mode.
Proton claims fuel economy of 7.3 litres per 100 km, which is a 4% reduction from the 2022 model. This has been achieved via combustion efficiency, thermal management and friction reduction, with a positive side effect of low speed NVH improvement. NVH also gains from a quieter AC compressor, more ‘betafoam’ in more locations and the use of a high-viscosity adhesive on the body-in-white.
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Kit wise, apart from ADAS reserved for the Premium, the X70 has always been generous. Aside from the equipment already mentioned above, available goodies include powered and ventilated front seats, auto dual-zone air con with air purifier, auto wipers, front welcome lamps (Proton logo), Hi Proton voice command, remote control via the Proton Link app, electronic parking brake with auto hold, 360-degree camera (now with 3D display), tyre pressure monitoring, window tint (Ionix brand, Premium onwards) and six airbags across the range. We’ve attached the spec breakdown below for you to see which variant gets what.
By the way, Proton says that the latest X70 has 360 new parts and R&D took up 290,000 man hours. The SUV was then road tested for 4.2 million km (that’s 11 trips from the earth to the moon, Proton says). As for colours, Marine Blue is new (exclusive to Premium and X) and it joins Ruby Red, Snow White, Armour Silver and Jet Grey.
To recap, the 2025 Proton X70 facelift prices are RM98,800 for the Standard, RM110,800 for the Executive, RM123,800 for the Premium and RM126,800 for the Premium X with a glass roof. Take RM7k off those RRPs for the first 3,000 units. Check out the spec breakdown above, watch our walk-around video below, and tell us what you think of the price/package and the X70’s new looks.
GALLERY: 2025 Proton X70 facelift Premium X
GALLERY: 2025 Proton X70 facelift Premium
GALLERY: 2025 Proton X70 facelift official images
The post 2025 Proton X70 facelift launched – same price, bigger screen, AACP, from RM99k, RM7k early bird discount! appeared first on Paul Tan’s Automotive News.