By Paul Gover.
Sales of MG cars are booming in Australia.
The combination of a well-known name, nice styling, sharp pricing and a seven-year warranty is going the job.
So, too, is the lack of competition from the value-first South Korean brands – Kia and Hyundai – which are facing huge production delays that are not affecting the Chinese factories of MG.
But something else is going to drive MG deeper into the Aussie heartland in coming years – electrification.
MG already sells the cheapest battery-electric car in the country and now it has the plug-in hybrid, a halfway house that combines petrol power with battery drive, that is going to play a growing role in coming years.
The MG HS PHEV – that’s for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle – has a full battery mode with short trips and guilt-free inner-city driving, can run on full petrol power for a long range and highway cruising, and also uses its electric impact to boost power for overtaking.
It’s a mid-sized SUV that’s good for families or four or five, with impressive finishing in the cabin, and the $47,990 driveway pricing is the sharpest for a PHEV in Australia today, and even edgier than the rival Mitsubishi Outlander.
The latest HS shows that MG is learning fast about cars it needs to sell outside China, as it looks good both inside and out. Plenty of people admire the body design, helped by the prominent MG badge that tugs at the heartstrings of older shoppers who remember the classic British MG sports cars.
The cabin is nicely styled and the finishing is pretty good, although not in the Kia-Hyundai class. Yet.
As a tester, who is driving a brand-new car, it’s impossible not to consider how the car will look at the end of its impressive seven-year warranty. Many other brands have struggled to combat the effects of Australia’s high temperatures and soaring UV impact, on the long-term survival of cabin plastics and other parts.
The other shortcoming in the cabin is the operation of the MG’s electronics.
The driver-assistance and safety systems seem to work well, although the operation of the automatic high-beam system for the headlights is – predictably – a bit glitchy.
Its infotainment screen is big and bold, but the operating system is slow and can be clunky. Sometimes the rear-view camera glitches and it’s slow to connect to Apple CarPlay. It’s not a big deal, but it’s something to note and think about.
No thinking is needed in the assessment of the car’s dynamic ability, or the lack of it. The suspension is pillowy soft, which is not good on bumpy roads and also affects – negatively – its braking ability and grip in corners. On wet roads in Sydney, even with a Michelin tyre at each corner, it has a terrible lack of grip and even the stability-control system cannot stop it wandering and sliding under even medium-level acceleration.
Kia and Hyundai have both benefitted hugely from Australian suspension work by local engineers, and it’s something that is badly needed at MG.
Even so, based on the price and classy fuel economy – officially rated at 1.7 litres/100km – it’s a car that should win a lot of green friends down under.
THE BASICS
MG HS PHEV
Price: from $47,990 driveway
Engine: 1.5-litre petrol + battery electric motor
Power: 189kW/370Nm
Transmission: 10-speed auto, front-wheel drive
Position: mid-sized SUV plug-in hybrid
Plus: affordable, quiet, frugal
Minus: dreadful suspension, questionable quality
THE TICK: better than its rivals
Score: 7.5/10
