The naturally-aspirated version of the Proton S70 – part of the forthcoming MC2 facelift lineup – was announced last week, but despite the car appearing in images and social media posts over the past few days, we have yet to clap eyes on the base Lite variant. So far, all we’ve seen is the higher-end Prime.
Until now, that is. Here we have the first live photos of what will soon be the cheapest S70 you can buy – one that is only a few thousand ringgit beyond the RM49,990 Saga Premium. Indeed, a leaked presentation slide purportedly showed the Lite costing between RM55,000 to RM59,000, with the Prime being another RM10,000 more expensive.
These variants complement the existing turbo model and serve as the indirect replacement for the soon-to-be-discontinued Persona. To do so, the 1.5 litre i-GT four-cylinder engine has been shorn of its turbocharger and direct injection, with the resulting BHE15-CFN naturally-aspirated, port-injected mill being identical to the Saga’s.
It makes the same 120 PS and 150 Nm of torque, which is 61 PS and 140 Nm less than the turbo car, but 11 PS more than the outgoing Persona’s Campro VVT. As per the Saga, the S70 Lite and Prime do without the turbo models’ sound-insulating engine cover, leaving the messy wiring and Lynk & Co-branded coil packs exposed.
The seven-speed dual-clutch transmission has also been jettisoned in favour of a new CVT that’s different from the Saga’s Punch unit, as it looks set to feature a torque converter for smoother step-off acceleration.
The stepless transmission is almost certainly the Wanliyang (WLY) unit found in the Chinese-market fourth-generation Geely Emgrand; other countries get a six-speed automatic paired with a direct-injected engine. It appears to retain the China car’s simulated eight-speed mode, something the Saga’s CVT does not offer.
However, while the Emgrand utilises a conventional mechanical gear lever and an up-down sequential gate, the S70 NA continues to use the turbo’s electronic selector. This not only means you’ll have to toggle the shifter twice to select reverse or drive, but you’ll also have to awkwardly flick it it left or right to row through the “gears” manually.
Beyond that, the S70 Lite and Prime are as per the lesser Executive turbo variant, with the exception of a black grille without the silver trim. Just like that car, you don’t get a full light bar at the back, with the Lite even being downgraded to halogen headlights. Oddly enough, the car retains the original, pre-MC LED indicators (the MC1 was downgraded to bulb units).
You’ll have to step up to the Prime to gain LED headlights and auto-folding door mirrors, and the Lite also makes do with black bumper corner “inlets” (silver on other models) and the Executive and Premium’s 16-inch turbine-style alloy wheels. The Prime steps up to 17-inch multi-spoke rollers, hitherto reserved for the Flagship.
Inside, the Lite and Prime maintain the Executive and Premium turbo’s analogue gauges and smaller eight-inch infotainment touchscreen, the latter now offering wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The operating system is the updated one from the Saga, replete with that car’s interface (with the vehicle in the menus being changed to an S70, obviously).
Unlike the Executive, a reverse camera and auto up/down windows (Executive is auto down only) are also fitted as standard. Other standard features include keyless entry with remote engine start, push-button start, a urethane steering wheel, manual fabric seats, fixed rear headrests and reverse sensors. The Lite loses out on the Prime’s auto air con, with the button for the function replaced by a toggle to turn the A/C on or off.
Safety-wise, the S70 Lite and Prime come with six airbags, stability control, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, rear collision warning, a door opening warning and a rear seat reminder. Sadly, none of them offer driver assists, not even autonomous emergency braking – a glaring omission considering the cheaper Saga Premium has it.
We should point out that while the S70 Lite and Prime will be part of the MC2 family, only the turbo models are expected to receive the full, in-house-designed facelift, including new head- and taillights, bumpers and even the X50‘s quad tailpipes. It could very well also feature an all-new interior, again following the footsteps of the X50.
