Hot off the presses from the launch of the new Saga, Proton has now turned its attention to the upcoming 2022 X70 facelift, with new teasers on its social media channels confirming the launch date on the 9th of June at 11 am – just two days away from the time of writing.
The company has published two teaser posts thus far, filled with the usual marketing-friendly buzzwords such as “discover new possibilities” and “level-up your driving experience”. Sift through the fluff, however, and you’ll find some pretty telling hints for what we can expect on the upcoming 2022 Proton X70.
The first teaser shows off the X70’s new wheels, which looks to be the same multi-spoke 19-inch items previously seen on the 2019 limited-edition Proton X70 Special Edition – which itself was borrowed from the Geely Boyue Pro.
Don’t expect the new 2022 Proton X70 to come with the Boyue Pro’s reworked styling, however, given that this facelift should only be a minor-change update; the rest of the aesthetic upgrades – if any – should be fairly minimal.
What we are more excited here is actually in the second teaser post, published earlier this morning, which shows off the SUV’s engine cover. While yes, it does look identical to that of the locally-assembled X70 from 2020, but there must be a reason Proton is specifically singling out the engine in a teaser post.
And if the rumour mill is right, that’s because the upcoming 2022 Proton X70 will be offered with the 1.5-litre turbocharged three-cylinder mill from the X50.
Proton previously said that the 1.5T powertrain will be used in other future models, and this could be the first example of that. The same configuration is also being sold for export markets such as Pakistan, so it’s not too far out of the left field for the company to also offer it here in Malaysia.
What’s still a little hazy for now, though, is whether Proton will be offering the new engine across the entire range, or only for the lower-end variants with the premium trims retaining the 1.8-litre turbocharged mill. That’s because even at its most powerful configuration, the 1.5 TGDi powertrain only offers an output of 177 hp and 255 Nm of torque, which is still below the 181 hp and 300 Nm from the existing 1.8 TGDi.
At least, we won’t have to wait too much longer to find out. So keep your eyes peeled on AutoBuzz.my as we bring you the latest coverage of the new 2022 Proton X70 facelift!
