Chinese disruptor brand challenges the big boys, writes James Stinson
You have to be a bit brave to jump on board with a new or new…ish car manufacturer. So, when Hyundai started selling cars in the UK back in the eighties, you could get a new Hyundai Pony very cheaply. You got a shiny new car… but they weren’t very good.
Hyundai was just finding its feet. It would continue to make cheap but not particularly desirable cars for a decade or two after… Now the Hyundai / Kia concern is the third biggest car maker in the world with models that regularly top the best-selling charts.
It takes time for “disruptor” brands to find their feet, to reach the engineering and design standards of established players… to become mainstream.
The same is true for MG. The revered British brand was bought by a Chinese firm in 2005 when the MG Rover Group went to the wall. Car production at Longbridge near Birmingham continued for a while but was discontinued in 2016 and all MGs are now made in China. Those late British and early Chinese MGs, a bit like the Hyundais of yore, majored on value over desirability.
Recently though, MG have begun churning out cars that are really quite good. The MG4 is one of the best small electric cars around while the new Cyberster two-seater sportscar looks like a proper heir to the classic MGs of old. It’s genuinely stunning.
MG though, unlike some other Chinese car makers, hasn’t put all its eggs in the electric-only basket, producing a mix of petrol and electric powered SUVs, saloons and estates, which has helped keep prices low.
The latest new and impressive offering is this reworked mid-sized MG HS SUV. The previous HS was successful and accounted for a third of MG sales, largely due to competitive pricing. The new car is bigger, more spacious, with much more eye-catching styling.
There are some major changes under the surface, especially with a new plug-in hybrid (PHEV) that promises to be a bit of a game-changer in the company car market thanks to its exceptional claimed 75-mile electric range and subsequent low tax rates.
Despite this, the HS remains a value-packed proposition. Prices start from £24,995 for the petrol and £31,495 for the PHEV. For comparison, the cheapest petrol Kia Sportage is £29,390, while you’ll need more than £40,000 to get in the plug-in version.
The redesigned HS shares many of its visual cues with the new MG 3 hybrid supermini, including slimmer headlights and a revised front grille. Changes at the rear introduce a new light bar and reworked bumpers.
The car’s stature has also grown. It’s 30mm lower, 26mm longer and 14mm wider than its predecessor, while its wheelbase increases 45mm to 2756mm.
Under the bonnet sits either a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine with 168bhp and 203lb ft of torque, or an improved plug-in hybrid. The latter uses an enlarged, 24.7kWh battery and a 151bhp electric motor for a total of 258bhp and 273lb ft. It hits 62mph in 6.8sec.
However, the key selling point of the PHEV is its electric range of 75 miles, which puts rivals including
the Kuga, Tucson and Kia Niro to shame because all offer fewer than 45 miles.
A mild-hybrid HS is also due at the start of 2025. MG expects the petrol car to be the biggest seller in the UK.
The HS’s entry-level SE trim comes with 19 inch alloy wheels, keyless entry and start, rain-sensing wipers, cruise control (adaptive cruise control if you go for the optional automatic gearbox), an auto-dimming rear-view mirror and lots of other kit.
Trophy trim adds dual-zone air-conditioning, an upgraded six-speaker stereo, a powered tailgate, driving modes, rear privacy glass and heated electrically adjustable seats.
With the new HS, MG has catapulted itself into the mainstream. It stacks up well against rivals on space, refinement and desirability and outscores them all on price.