First impressions: 2026 Proton S70 MC1 - New 181PS 4-cylinder turbo makes it feel like an exciting sedan

KUALA LUMPUR: It feels like Proton is on a mission. In about 43-ish days, they have rolled out three launches, and the latest one is the 2026 S70, also known as the S70 MC1.

On paper, it reads like a tidy mid-cycle refresh, but the way Proton chose to introduce it to the media, at Sepang International Circuit with proper seat time, makes one thing clear, this update is mostly about how the car goes, not how it looks.

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Minor facelift vibes, but will you spot the difference?

Walk around the MC1 and you will not immediately notice the changes, but they are not the kind that scream for attention from across the carpark. The front gets new LED headlamps, which has moved the turn signals to separate bulb units, instead of being integrated into the DRL signature before. It is a small change, but it could alter perception more than you would expect.

On the higher variants, there is a fresh take on the wheels too., although not obvious at first. The Flagship’s 17-inch alloys have a more blade-like spoke design, familiar, but sharper.

Then there is the Flagship X treatment, a black bodykit with red highlights (depending on colour choice if not all black) that Proton says is tuned to local taste. It gives the car a more aggressive, “I mean business” vibe without turning it into too much of a boy racer special. Inside, the Flagship X alone gets a black headliner, the rest stick to the lighter cabin vibe.

The engine is the headline, and you can feel it immediately

This is the big one. The S70 now runs a 1.5-litre turbocharged direct-injected four-cylinder, paired with the same seven-speed wet dual-clutch transmission. Output is 181 PS and 290 Nm, and the claimed 0 to 100 km/h time drops to 7.5 seconds. More importantly, it changes the character of the car.

From the first hard pull, it is obvious the MC1 has more shove in reserve. The car picks up speed with less effort, especially when you roll on the throttle out of a corner or when you ask for a quick burst on the straight.

It pulls strongly right up to about 150 km/h, then the surge starts to taper off a bit. Around that same point, I also noticed slight vibrations starting to come through, the kind you feel more than you hear, which lines up with the engine working hard at that speed range. Below that, it feels eager and clean.

And yes, the comparison is unavoidable. A Proton sedan with 181 PS is already playing in the same power neighbourhood as a Honda Civic turbo, and here it is in a smaller, more affordable package. It is not trying to be a performance car, but the new engine makes it feel like it has proper lungs.

We can't tell too much about the engine and transmission calibration though, because the previous model had this weird knack of giving you either some wheel spin when pulling out of a junction, or no speed at all.

Only a  real world test drive would be able to give us proper judgment on this, because on the track, it's pretty much fun whack on the accelerator pedal, where as in the real world, pulling out of a junction that has incline would tell us more. 

Better balance, better NVH, less of the three-cylinder drama

The other immediate win is refinement. A four-cylinder brings a natural smoothness advantage, and it shows here. NVH feels better, and one detail stood out, at idle, I did not get that familiar three-cylinder “rattle” character that the older engine could serve up. Even standing outside the car, it sounded tidier.

The test drive environment was noisy, Sepang is not exactly a calm place to judge cabin hush, but even with that, the engine did not feel or sound busy in the way the old unit sometimes did. In normal driving speeds, the whole package feels more grown up.

Brakes feel confident, handling is tidy, tyres are the limit

Proton also let us feel the car’s dynamics properly, and honestly, it behaves like a well-sorted mainstream sedan should. The brakes are predictable, sharp enough, and easy to modulate. You can lean on them without feeling like the pedal is guessing.

Through faster corners, the car holds itself together well, but the tyres make their presence known. The MC1 now runs GitiComfort F22 tyres across all variants, and you can tell they are tuned for comfort and cost control rather than ultimate grip.

Push hard and you get understeer, the nose starts to wash wide earlier than you would want if you are chasing lap time. That said, it never felt sketchy, it never felt like it was about to let go, and traction control did not step in during my runs. The chassis feels capable, the tyre choice sets the ceiling. Swap to a grippier set and you will unlock more of what the car can do.

Value story, the part that makes you raise an eyebrow

Here is the move that makes the whole MC1 package punch harder, the pricing has not gone up with the update. There is an early bird RM5,000 rebate, and crucially, every variant gets the new engine, even the entry-level Executive.

That matters because it is not a “pay more to feel the upgrade” situation, the main mechanical improvement is standardised across the range, if you discard that the lower variants don't come with Android Auto or AppleCarPlay

You also get the usual ownership sweeteners like a five-year unlimited mileage warranty, six times free labour for servicing, plus an in-car data package for five years with 2GB per month. It is a complete ownership pitch, not just a spec sheet flex.

Quick takeaway

So, the 2026 S70 MC1 is not a dramatic facelift, but it is a meaningful one. The new four-cylinder turbo engine gives it stronger punch, better smoothness, and a more polished feel than before.

It pulls hard up to 150 km/h, then eases off a little, with some light vibrations showing up around that point, but for the speeds most owners will live in, it feels more energetic and more refined.

If you were waiting for the S70 to feel like a more “complete” sedan rather than a good-looking one with a slightly quirky engine character, this is the update that answers that. And if you are still asking if the sedan is worth it? Then the pricing strategy of not increasing its price tag is probably the best clue.

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