2027 Proton S70 MC2 turbo facelift spied yet again – sportier face; top-spec red brake callipers, new wheels

The facelifted Proton S70 MC2 turbo continues to pound the road ahead of its launch, and this time it’s the turn of our BM colleague – and Tanjong Malim resident – Farid Awaludin to snap photos of the test prototype.

While we’ve already seen the rear plenty of times, this is the first time we’re getting such a good look at the front end, which is where the bulk of the changes are expected to be found. As we’ve mentioned before, this appears to be an in-house-designed facelift, as the fourth-generation Geely Emgrand on which the S70 is based was only given a minor update in 2024 – this was already applied to the MC1 model earlier this year.

From what we can see, the car will receive a new grille, which looks to feature a thick centre slat emanating from the Proton roundel. This is a departure from what we’ve seen from recent models, which feature either a slimmer Ethereal Bow bar (X50) or an open grille with raised pins (Saga, X70, X90, pre-facelift S70), and it reminds this writer of the eighth-gen Honda Accord’s Modulo grille. However, it could just be a red herring caused by the disguise.

The bumper has also been redesigned with larger (still fake) corner air inlets, in a similar arrangement to those on the also-facelifted X70, giving the car a sportier look. The LED headlights seem to be smoked, but that could also be due to the camo blocking out light; in any case, they are the same headlights found on the MC1, meaning that the indicators are bulbs instead of LEDs (boo).

Moving further back, the wheels are of a new, completely different design compared to the mule we spotted earlier this week (which itself looks to have reverted to the pre-MC Flagship’s rollers). This, together with the red brake callipers, rather suggests that we’re looking at a sportier-looking Flagship variant – without the Flagship X’s sunroof and bodykit, of course.

Curiously, it appears that the car does not have the X50-style quad tailpipes that we’ve seen on and off thus far. However, the new taillights have also been completely taped up, so they may simply be obscured by the bumper camo.

Elsewhere, the car’s heavy tinting suggests that it hides an all-new, in-house-designed interior, just like the X50’s. If it does, you can expect a larger touchscreen and increased centre console storage. The front passenger is also set to benefit from a keyless entry button on the external door handle, joining the driver’s side.

The facelifted S70 turbo will continue to utilise the 1.5 litre BHE15-EFZ i-GT turbo direct-injected four-cylinder engine that was only just added with the MC1. It produces 181 PS at 5,500 rpm and 290 Nm of torque between 2,000 and 3,500 rpm, all sent to the front wheels through the usual seven-speed wet dual-clutch transmission.

Safety-wise, the turbo models will be the only ones to feature advanced driver assists such as autonomous emergency braking and Level 2 semi-autonomous driving functionality. It remains to be seen if this will be extended to the Premium variant like the X50 or continue to be reserved for the top-spec Flagship and Flagship X.

The turbo model will join the newly-launched naturally-aspirated variant in a revamped MC2 lineup, although only the forced-induction cars will sport the new look. Could we see a launch late this year?

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