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2023 Proton S70 first look & drive – Good enough to rival the Civic?

Nov 20, 2023 12:01 am

After a hattrick of SUVs from the Proton & Geely partnership, Proton has finally unveiled a new sedan model – the 2023 Proton S70. There are 4 variants of the car, namely the Executive, Premium, Flagship, and Flagship X. Prices of the S70 have yet to be confirmed, but we’ve had the chance to see it in the flesh and even drive it for a little bit.

You’ve read many earlier reports of the Proton S70 and for a long while, it has been speculated as the Proton S50. Even some Proton engineers were a little surprised with its name reveal. Proton calls the S70 a C-segment sedan although it is built on the Geely B-Segment Modular Architecture (BMA) platform.

Having seen the car in the flesh, here’s our take on this new sedan from Proton.

2023 Proton S70 Exterior: Handsome, but looks a bit too small to be in the C-segment

Let’s first address the whole C-segment saloon thing. The S70, according to Proton, is a C-segment saloon with its eyes set on cars like the Honda Civic, but also on the top B-segment saloon contender in Malaysia – the Toyota Vios. This begs the question – How big is the S70 then?

Proton hasn’t revealed official measurement figures of the S70, but the Geely Emgrand, which it is based on, has the following measurements – 4,638 mm in length, 1,822 mm in width, 1,460 mm in height, with a wheelbase that measures 2,650 mm long. Its size is slightly smaller than the Civic, and its wheelbase is relatively short to its overall length.

With no ruler with us during the preview to judge the actual size of the car, our initial impression is that it is a B-segment saloon. Its proportions don’t quite suggest a strong C-segment saloon contender, But hey, maybe calling it one will make it feel like a bargain next to a Civic.

What about its design? It’s a serious-looking sedan that wouldn’t look out of place in the lobby of a government building. If you ask me, I think it looks nice. It doesn’t try too hard with any weird design elements, and one could even say that it looks a bit premium (in its own way). Although it has no relation to the Proton Preve at all, it seems like a worthy successor to that “global car” that Proton once had, especially when you look at it from the rear.

Some of the exterior highlights of the Proton S70 include the LED Rear Tail Light Bar, the Projector LED Headlamps, the 17-inch multi-spoke alloy wheels (not for all variants), and a new Teal Bayou Green exterior colour which you can see in the images shared here. The S70 is also rather aerodynamic, reporting a drag coefficient of 0.27.

Oh, Proton has also previewed the S70 Flagship X with a body kit and we invite you to have a look at it. Proton has yet to confirm whether will it be a standard or an optional item. Tell us what you think – does it look good?

2023 Proton S70 Interior: Classy for what it is

The interesting thing about the preview session of the Proton S70 was that it was compared against the Mercedes-Benz A 200 and the BMW 218i Gran Coupe in a static comparison – making the bold statement that you don’t need to go for those German brands for a premium interior.

So how does the S70’s interior compare? Well, it’s a definite winner if you compare it against the average B-segment saloon in Malaysia. The S70 comes with features like electric seat adjustment (for the driver only, a good amount of soft-touch materials, and a sunroof for the Flagship X variant).

Comparing it against the A 200 and the 218i is perhaps a bit of a stretch. Sure, you can slap on premium materials here and there but that’s not quite enough. The finishings aren’t entirely seamless, the floating screen looks like an afterthought, but it is a brave and ambitious statement nonetheless. We all have to start somewhere right?

Comparisons aside, the Proton S70’s cabin is a nice place to be in. The ergonomics is decent and there’s nothing too tacky inside here. For a budget “premium” saloon, the S70 keeps its cabin classy. It’s not the most spacious interior in its class, but you have most of the things you need inside here.

Speaking of cabin space, the S70’s second-row seats are its biggest giveaway as to what segment it truly belongs in. The second row is smaller than what you would get in a Honda City. Headroom is also quite limited, but with the all-new Vios sporting a sloping roofline, this amount of headspace has become somewhat normalized.

What’s great about the S70’s interior space is that you get 60:40 folding rear seats – something the Vios no longer offers. Boot space is decent at 500 litres and the S70 even comes with a space-saver spare wheel. I’m just glad that these things are still here in a “modern” saloon.

The elephant in the room that we haven’t addressed is the lack of Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity in the S70. Yes, to date, no Proton model has been equipped with it. The head unit is large, measuring 12.3 inches in size, there is the “Proton Link App”, and there’s the “Hi Proton” voice command function.

As for conveniences in the S70, there are 5 USB ports with 2 of them being Type-C and 3 of them being Type-A. One of the Type-A sockets is dedicated for dashcam installations and is nicely integrated into the headliner.

Performance & Driving: Will not disappoint fans of Proton’s handling

There’s only one engine option for the Proton S70 and that is the 1.5-litre turbocharged MPI engine – the same one you find in the lower-three variants of the Proton X50. Unfortunately, no TGDI engine for this saloon. So with that setup, the Proton S70 churns out 150 hp (metric) and 226 Nm. Paired with the engine is a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT).

What is it like to drive? It is loud, just like the X50, X90, and the X70 with the 3-cylinder engines. It is perhaps the only unfortunate thing of the S70’s driving experience as all else is rather plausible. The S70 is quick and easily quicker than the average B-segment saloon in our market right now.

Its handling also lives up to the usual Proton standards with a decent suspension setup that rebounds very nicely. It is a pretty good balance between comfort and firmness. I’ll give props to this for sure. And this decent handling is paired with the also decent ergonomics in the S70. The steering gets tilt and telescopic adjustment and it is rather easy to find the perfect driving position with the car.

We’ve only driven it briefly so that’s pretty much what I can share for the time being. Like other Proton-Geely models, the S70’s ride has also been tuned for Malaysia. According to the engineers, the spring rate has been increased at the front and decreased at the back in comparison to the Geely Emgrand that it is based on. The tuning, however, hasn’t involved extensive rework like the X90 with its multi-link rear suspension. The S70 still runs a torsion beam setup at the back.

Proton has yet to reveal official fuel consumption figures of the Proton S90, but speaking to the company’s engineers, I was told that the S70 could manage a fuel consumption rate of 6.2 l/100km, reportedly on the WLTP test cycle. For context, the Proton X50 reports about 6.5/100km while the Proton X90 reports 6.8l/100km. Proton cars have always been known for being rather thirsty, so we do look forward to seeing a proton model with a sub 6l/100km figure.

Safety: Well equipped for the top 2 variants

If you’re curious about the 2023 Proton S70’s list of safety features, it comes with Autonomous Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Warning, Rear Collision Warning, Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go and Intelligent Cruise Control, Lane Departure Warning, Lane Departure Prevention, Lane Centering Control, Traffic Sign Information, Intelligent High Beam Control, Lane Change Assist, Door Opening Warning, and Rear Cross Traffic Alert.

Do note that the advanced safety systems for the Proton S70 are only available for the Flagship and Flagship X variants.

We’ll let you know how well the ADAS execution is when we can get our hands on a test unit for a full review.

Verdict: It is a B-segment saloon that punches above its weight

The Proton S70 is a handsome saloon that tries to punch above its weight. Calling it a Civic rival would be a bit of a stretch, but it is definitely a strong contender against the usual B-segment saloons in Malaysia.

GALLERY