I have ordered my car in February and finally today I was able to take it home, a white Pearl with red/black leather interior. Ive had a Mitsubishi Eclipse, and before that a Nissan Qashqai. Well, I find this one perfect in any way. I love the feeling of pushing you in the chair when you go in Sport mode or even in Automatic. Seaters are comfortable and follow the body line and the lumbar support is amazing. Considering all whats offering for that price, honestly, what else you can want? 👌
Separate to my other post, I will be fair and state the negatives (and positives further down) of the MG HS, at least in Australia. VERY long post, but this is my take on this vehicle if anyone is interested in buying one and would like to see another detailed opinion. 1) No front sensors even on the top spec Essence model. They are available in many other regions so that's really bizarre. 2) The display settings often lag, i.e. you press something on the touch screen and it happens 5 seconds later. Sometimes it's perfectly responsive, so it's clear to me it simply needs a more powerful processor driving it to be more consistent. 3) No DAB in the Aussie models which was a disappointment indeed. 4) Their DSG is behind the times and decidedly average. You really need to "learn" how to drive it to avoid lurches at low speeds, i.e. for parking or 3 point turns. In fact, I find putting it in super sport mode and using the paddles to shift manually a far more satisfying experience, as the transmission doesn't need to work out what gear to be in by itself. I actually think the initial take off lag is annoying enough that I'll be installing some sort of enhancer like an iDrive throttle controller. If it proves to be a reliable car after a couple years, I will also do some ECU tuning for sure down the road, and hopefully before long, someone develops a tune program for the DSG. To put this into perspective - It's a 225 horsepower turbo charged vehicle with 360NM of torque should and should NOT take 9 seconds from 0-62mph (100 km/hr). That shows how underdeveloped the DSG is, well at least the 6 speed wet clutch unit in the 2 litre Awd variants. The Ateca, a slightly heavier car, with 300 HP and 400NM takes 4.9 seconds. The stats do not add up yet they are very real. The MG HS 2.0T should have been around 7 seconds max, and with a bit of brake boosting, 6.5. The entire weak point in the drivetrain IS the transmission. 5) Very basic seat adjustment for driver, even on electric seat range topper variants. No fore/aft tilt available. Luckily the seats are reasonably comfortable "as they are" and at least have height and lumbar adjustment. Note, the manual seats in the lower spec versions are a bit difficult to get the right backrest angle, so just a heads up there. They are not refined with dials but rather the typical Japanese style levers that have very coarse adjustment gaps. 6) No launch control of any kind 7) No rings to attach luggage nets to in trunk. This one is a bit of an oddball, as combined with the following number 8 it makes it a bit difficult to secure bags or any item really from moving around. I suppose one could attach a net at the back using the Iso fix points on back of rear seats but this is less than ideal, to say the least. 8) No bag hooks. That is absolutely all I can fault with the vehicle. The rest is ALL positive: 1) The full complement of safety features is outstanding, and speed sign recognition works here in Australia, unlike many European models. (Ahem, VW group, looking at you). it's also incredibly accurate thus far. I really can't praise this enough. Full adaptive cruise control that is so easy to use, blind spot monitoring, sign recognition, forward and backwards AEB, the works. Wonderful! 2) Full individual tyre pressure monitoring. (VW, looking at you again. ABS sensor based low pressure detection is NOT the same thing as a real TPMS). 3) Lovely interior, and for the non PHEV variants, very nice looking part analog part digital dashboard with large clear digital speed readout. I far prefer this to 100% "all digital displays". I like real needles. 4) Great quality command center screen, visually speaking. Very clear. And just so LOGICAL to use every single function of the car. 5) Very decent overall build quality with lovely, sparkling paint choices. 6) The basic 6 speaker audio system is surprisingly clear and loud enough. Sounds better to me than stock options in T-Roc, for example. I think adding a powered subwoofer would be relatively straightforward, cheap, and enhance it even further. 7) Electric tailgate, even in low trim versions 8) Cooling option for center console. Keep your drinks icy cold, or (I presume) warm too! I'll try the latter out when winter comes along. You can choose to completely close the vent outlet in the center console very easily. 9) Beautifully designed interior and ergonomics with lovely round vents on outer sides. 10) Perfect flat bottomed leather steering wheel with real tactile buttons (Guess who doesn't do THAT anymore)? 11) Standard full alarm system 12) Price paid vs features included value is ridiculous, in a good way. 13) Generous storage throughout. Good glove box, large boot, plenty of door bins and cabin storage compartments. 14) Gas struts on bonnet (Ahem, guess who doesn't have that again)? 15) Very fully featured trip computer often found on more expensive European cars and yes, of course, outside temp display is included both on dash AND 10.1" screen. 16) Manual mode on both gear shift lever and steering wheel which makes the DSG a lot more fun to use. Shifts up and down are fast. 17) Fantastic center rear armrest for passengers - one of the very best ever devised on any car, and no cupholder under your arms unless you want there to be. 18) 4 USB ports, 2 front 2 rear. Great! 19) Apple car play and Android auto, yet..... 20) ...... also has native sat nav! 21) Adjustable size or totally removable cup holder divider in front. Turn it into a space for extra storage if you don't need front cup holders. 22) Door bins in front can carry a 1.5 litre bottle, fantastic for drivers needing easy access to hydration on long drives. 23) The 2 litre turbo engine is actually very punchy when already on the move, and the DSG then comes into its element and is silky smooth. Manual mode works very well. 24) TONS of legroom even for 6ft4 drivers like myself. An adult of normal height, say even around 6 foot, can sit behind my driving position with comfort. 25) Rain sensor, auto lights on/off, auto dimming rear vision mirror - in some competing brands, e.g. Honda CR-V, you have to have the very top of the range mode to get two out of three of those things. The only thing standard in many cars is auto dusk sensing headlights. 26) Requires 95 ron unlike almost all the Euro vehicles which require 98 here, our most expensive by far. 91 would be better, but hey, 95 is cheaper than 98! 95 is a reasonable compromise for a turbo. 27) AWD available for both mid spec and high spec models. This is often reserved only for the very highest spec with many manufacturers. Cheapest way to get into a brand new and safe AWD vehicle, by far. 28) Good steering feel and very predictable behaviour which makes it a pleasure to drive on long trips. Not a sports car but was never meant to be. Best way to describe it is "easy". Also if you want a heavy steering feel you can change to that instantly anyway. Just put the shifter into sports mode. 29) Very good at soaking up rough roads 30) Air con very strong, heaps of airflow. 31) Activated charcoal filter in cabin, again usually reserved for more expensive Euro cars. I think ALL cars, no matter the price, should come with a hepa filter though, with the charcoal as the first layer. Still, many cars do NOT have a charcoal filter for unpleasant fume odours. 32) Ambient lighting is absolutely gorgeous and easily customisable to any colour you like. You can also adjust intensity/brightness. 33) LED headlights, fog lights, boot lights and interior lights. 34) Actual boot size is very usable and has a PROPER SLIDING and retracting luggage cover. I detest the cheap thin ones that are connected via hooks that go up and down with the trunk. There's not many situations where you'd need to remove it at all, unlike the parcel shelf type hatches/SUVs. 35) Punchy motor once you are already moving and the 2 litre sounds half decent, with a 6500 rpm redline. 36) The car is just EASY to use. I spent just 10 minutes in my niece's car and knew all the functions back to front. Everything is logical in the infotainment and general layout of the car itself. 37) Crazy long warranty. Not only 7 years, but UNLIMITED mileage! What on Earth? I can literally do half a million kilometres and it's covered. Amazing. The only better warranty in the entire industry is Mitsubishi, but they are also the only brand in existence offering more than 7 years, so..... Overall it's a truly lovely car and worth every penny and then some. I don't think there's a better small to mid size family SUV on the market when it comes to price. No way.
Just ordered my mg hs exclusive dct with white pearl paint an red and black seat's, delivery July, can't wait this is what I've always wanted, without the high price, test drive was brilliant, it actually surprised me how it drove and all the Tec you get for your money, let's just see if it's reliable, think it will be.
Well after a long wait for the eHS launch it looks like they have over priced it! List price shows a mark up of £7,500 on standard HS Auto Exclusive at around £32,500 which is way more than Vauxhall put on their Grandland X (£4,500) and even more than BMW put on their X3 hybrid (£6,500). In %age terms that is an additional 30% mark up on the MG compared to around 15% on both the Vauxhall and BMW. 15% on the MG would have been a little below £29,000 which was the anticipated price point. Unless they are putting it out with some deals and/or incentives I think that is way too high a premium to expect customers to make the switch towards electric.
My wife has been driving for 32 years. Last year we got a Qashqai Tekna 1.3 T160 and this has got a DCT gearbox. My wife, just like you, had never driven an automatic before let alone a DCT and yes, it took her a couple of month to get used to it, so to criticise a car for something you clearly haven't got used to yet is a bit unfair. Maybe the Qashqai has got a better gearbox, I don't know. My wife is disabled, and we take advantage of the Motability scheme we have here in the UK. Now, the advanced payment this time, on the Qashqai is £4000. The advanced payment on the MG is £1500. Other reviews on here have been excellent, but to review anything Is of course, very subjective. I never give a video a thumbs down dislike, even if I think the video is wrong, unfair, or both. You have gone to the trouble to make it, it's your opinion, so thanks for taking the time out to produce it.
I have never seen a higher quality interior in a car for the price. For example, my nieces both have the mid spec HS Excite version (awd), which was literally HALF the price of my Cupra Ateca, and their interiors have way more soft touch areas, way less scratchy plastics. I sometimes wonder if I spent 30 grand extra for just a faster engine LOL. So I decided to get the MG as my second, as a daily driver and long distance tourer, such a nice place to be in, and I am tuning the living crap out of the 300PS Ateca to get it to well over 400PS and will drive that one when I want to have some pure fun. Honestly, the fake leather interior of the mid spec MG HS is a WAY nicer place to be than the Ateca. The only thing the Ateca interior has going for it is the snazzy blue leather but every other section of the interior bar the seats, without exception, looks and feels cheap, like what you'd expect on a bottom of the range cheap brand entry level car. Formentor much nicer inside but even that is awful in the back with nothing but hard cheap plastics. Terrible cup holders too vs the MG's beautiful rear centre armrest. The MG one and adaptable cup holders are BMW level!
To be fair, cause I know I sounded a bit negative, the adaptive suspension in the Ateca is incredible. I have no idea how the Spaniards tuned it so well, and made a front wheel drive biased on demand AWD SUV feel like a go kart to drive (and way better than VW and Audi's SUVs manage on the same golf platform). I'll give them that. But that doesn't matter for highway cruising, and the MG is also perfectly stable there especially in sport mode where the steering feels more secure. Also the MG sits a little higher which makes it less of a challenge for a tall person like me with a very bad lower back. Much easier to get in and out of.
Thanks Martin Sounds like a real juice guzzler imo and you looked like you had spent a couple of nights sleeping in that car and had only just woken up lol
Engine is small and underpowerd for a 2ton car and the gearbox is very jerky. The suspension is not good at all around city speed bump roads and i get 25mpg around town which is atrocious (Thats the same as what i get ony my other car Mercedes AMG) which has a 5.5 liter engine. on motorways doing 70-80mph i get 36-39 mpg not bad but nothing special. if we got the 2.0 dies version that the rest of the world got for this car it the power & consumption would have been perfect and the gearbox would have behaved better and I would have made my peace with the bad suspension the rest of the car is very nice, looks, quality & feel.
Sorry but own one of these or any mg come to that and you realise the initial ‘quality’ perception is paper thin, creaks, failing components, terrible infotainment system, and it gets worse of you ever have to get one repaired. If you have to get an affordable car please avoid mg.
I have ordered my car in February and finally today I was able to take it home, a white Pearl with red/black leather interior. Ive had a Mitsubishi Eclipse, and before that a Nissan Qashqai. Well, I find this one perfect in any way. I love the feeling of pushing you in the chair when you go in Sport mode or even in Automatic. Seaters are comfortable and follow the body line and the lumbar support is amazing. Considering all whats offering for that price, honestly, what else you can want? 👌
Separate to my other post, I will be fair and state the negatives (and positives further down) of the MG HS, at least in Australia. VERY long post, but this is my take on this vehicle if anyone is interested in buying one and would like to see another detailed opinion.
1) No front sensors even on the top spec Essence model. They are available in many other regions so that's really bizarre.
2) The display settings often lag, i.e. you press something on the touch screen and it happens 5 seconds later. Sometimes it's perfectly responsive, so it's clear to me it simply needs a more powerful processor driving it to be more consistent.
3) No DAB in the Aussie models which was a disappointment indeed.
4) Their DSG is behind the times and decidedly average. You really need to "learn" how to drive it to avoid lurches at low speeds, i.e. for parking or 3 point turns. In fact, I find putting it in super sport mode and using the paddles to shift manually a far more satisfying experience, as the transmission doesn't need to work out what gear to be in by itself. I actually think the initial take off lag is annoying enough that I'll be installing some sort of enhancer like an iDrive throttle controller. If it proves to be a reliable car after a couple years, I will also do some ECU tuning for sure down the road, and hopefully before long, someone develops a tune program for the DSG.
To put this into perspective - It's a 225 horsepower turbo charged vehicle with 360NM of torque should and should NOT take 9 seconds from 0-62mph (100 km/hr). That shows how underdeveloped the DSG is, well at least the 6 speed wet clutch unit in the 2 litre Awd variants. The Ateca, a slightly heavier car, with 300 HP and 400NM takes 4.9 seconds. The stats do not add up yet they are very real. The MG HS 2.0T should have been around 7 seconds max, and with a bit of brake boosting, 6.5. The entire weak point in the drivetrain IS the transmission.
5) Very basic seat adjustment for driver, even on electric seat range topper variants. No fore/aft tilt available. Luckily the seats are reasonably comfortable "as they are" and at least have height and lumbar adjustment. Note, the manual seats in the lower spec versions are a bit difficult to get the right backrest angle, so just a heads up there. They are not refined with dials but rather the typical Japanese style levers that have very coarse adjustment gaps.
6) No launch control of any kind
7) No rings to attach luggage nets to in trunk. This one is a bit of an oddball, as combined with the following number 8 it makes it a bit difficult to secure bags or any item really from moving around. I suppose one could attach a net at the back using the Iso fix points on back of rear seats but this is less than ideal, to say the least.
8) No bag hooks.
That is absolutely all I can fault with the vehicle. The rest is ALL positive:
1) The full complement of safety features is outstanding, and speed sign recognition works here in Australia, unlike many European models. (Ahem, VW group, looking at you). it's also incredibly accurate thus far. I really can't praise this enough. Full adaptive cruise control that is so easy to use, blind spot monitoring, sign recognition, forward and backwards AEB, the works. Wonderful!
2) Full individual tyre pressure monitoring. (VW, looking at you again. ABS sensor based low pressure detection is NOT the same thing as a real TPMS).
3) Lovely interior, and for the non PHEV variants, very nice looking part analog part digital dashboard with large clear digital speed readout. I far prefer this to 100% "all digital displays". I like real needles.
4) Great quality command center screen, visually speaking. Very clear. And just so LOGICAL to use every single function of the car.
5) Very decent overall build quality with lovely, sparkling paint choices.
6) The basic 6 speaker audio system is surprisingly clear and loud enough. Sounds better to me than stock options in T-Roc, for example. I think adding a powered subwoofer would be relatively straightforward, cheap, and enhance it even further.
7) Electric tailgate, even in low trim versions
8) Cooling option for center console. Keep your drinks icy cold, or (I presume) warm too! I'll try the latter out when winter comes along. You can choose to completely close the vent outlet in the center console very easily.
9) Beautifully designed interior and ergonomics with lovely round vents on outer sides.
10) Perfect flat bottomed leather steering wheel with real tactile buttons (Guess who doesn't do THAT anymore)?
11) Standard full alarm system
12) Price paid vs features included value is ridiculous, in a good way.
13) Generous storage throughout. Good glove box, large boot, plenty of door bins and cabin storage compartments.
14) Gas struts on bonnet (Ahem, guess who doesn't have that again)?
15) Very fully featured trip computer often found on more expensive European cars and yes, of course, outside temp display is included both on dash AND 10.1" screen.
16) Manual mode on both gear shift lever and steering wheel which makes the DSG a lot more fun to use. Shifts up and down are fast.
17) Fantastic center rear armrest for passengers - one of the very best ever devised on any car, and no cupholder under your arms unless you want there to be.
18) 4 USB ports, 2 front 2 rear. Great!
19) Apple car play and Android auto, yet.....
20) ...... also has native sat nav!
21) Adjustable size or totally removable cup holder divider in front. Turn it into a space for extra storage if you don't need front cup holders.
22) Door bins in front can carry a 1.5 litre bottle, fantastic for drivers needing easy access to hydration on long drives.
23) The 2 litre turbo engine is actually very punchy when already on the move, and the DSG then comes into its element and is silky smooth. Manual mode works very well.
24) TONS of legroom even for 6ft4 drivers like myself. An adult of normal height, say even around 6 foot, can sit behind my driving position with comfort.
25) Rain sensor, auto lights on/off, auto dimming rear vision mirror - in some competing brands, e.g. Honda CR-V, you have to have the very top of the range mode to get two out of three of those things. The only thing standard in many cars is auto dusk sensing headlights.
26) Requires 95 ron unlike almost all the Euro vehicles which require 98 here, our most expensive by far. 91 would be better, but hey, 95 is cheaper than 98! 95 is a reasonable compromise for a turbo.
27) AWD available for both mid spec and high spec models. This is often reserved only for the very highest spec with many manufacturers. Cheapest way to get into a brand new and safe AWD vehicle, by far.
28) Good steering feel and very predictable behaviour which makes it a pleasure to drive on long trips. Not a sports car but was never meant to be. Best way to describe it is "easy". Also if you want a heavy steering feel you can change to that instantly anyway. Just put the shifter into sports mode.
29) Very good at soaking up rough roads
30) Air con very strong, heaps of airflow.
31) Activated charcoal filter in cabin, again usually reserved for more expensive Euro cars. I think ALL cars, no matter the price, should come with a hepa filter though, with the charcoal as the first layer. Still, many cars do NOT have a charcoal filter for unpleasant fume odours.
32) Ambient lighting is absolutely gorgeous and easily customisable to any colour you like. You can also adjust intensity/brightness.
33) LED headlights, fog lights, boot lights and interior lights.
34) Actual boot size is very usable and has a PROPER SLIDING and retracting luggage cover. I detest the cheap thin ones that are connected via hooks that go up and down with the trunk. There's not many situations where you'd need to remove it at all, unlike the parcel shelf type hatches/SUVs.
35) Punchy motor once you are already moving and the 2 litre sounds half decent, with a 6500 rpm redline.
36) The car is just EASY to use. I spent just 10 minutes in my niece's car and knew all the functions back to front. Everything is logical in the infotainment and general layout of the car itself.
37) Crazy long warranty. Not only 7 years, but UNLIMITED mileage! What on Earth? I can literally do half a million kilometres and it's covered. Amazing. The only better warranty in the entire industry is Mitsubishi, but they are also the only brand in existence offering more than 7 years, so.....
Overall it's a truly lovely car and worth every penny and then some. I don't think there's a better small to mid size family SUV on the market when it comes to price. No way.
Just ordered my mg hs exclusive dct with white pearl paint an red and black seat's, delivery July, can't wait this is what I've always wanted, without the high price, test drive was brilliant, it actually surprised me how it drove and all the Tec you get for your money, let's just see if it's reliable, think it will be.
Hows reliability and mpg? Im interested in this car.
Nice car remember u from primary
I'm still desperately waiting for the launch of the eHS PHEV in a few months time
So am I!
Well after a long wait for the eHS launch it looks like they have over priced it! List price shows a mark up of £7,500 on standard HS Auto Exclusive at around £32,500 which is way more than Vauxhall put on their Grandland X (£4,500) and even more than BMW put on their X3 hybrid (£6,500). In %age terms that is an additional 30% mark up on the MG compared to around 15% on both the Vauxhall and BMW. 15% on the MG would have been a little below £29,000 which was the anticipated price point. Unless they are putting it out with some deals and/or incentives I think that is way too high a premium to expect customers to make the switch towards electric.
Great review Martin, our HS Exclusive is due March/April, extended lead time due to the pandemic I think.
My wife has been driving for 32 years. Last year we got a Qashqai Tekna 1.3 T160 and this has got a DCT gearbox. My wife, just like you, had never driven an automatic before let alone a DCT and yes, it took her a couple of month to get used to it, so to criticise a car for something you clearly haven't got used to yet is a bit unfair. Maybe the Qashqai has got a better gearbox, I don't know. My wife is disabled, and we take advantage of the Motability scheme we have here in the UK. Now, the advanced payment this time, on the Qashqai is £4000. The advanced payment on the MG is £1500. Other reviews on here have been excellent, but to review anything Is of course, very subjective. I never give a video a thumbs down dislike, even if I think the video is wrong, unfair, or both. You have gone to the trouble to make it, it's your opinion, so thanks for taking the time out to produce it.
What about Cruise Control positions?
I was hoping the suspension would be soft and floaty but it sounds like it's falling apart and rough.
Nice video! Can you please confirm what colour type white the car is? Thanks :)
No opening sunroof?
I have never seen a higher quality interior in a car for the price.
For example, my nieces both have the mid spec HS Excite version (awd), which was literally HALF the price of my Cupra Ateca, and their interiors have way more soft touch areas, way less scratchy plastics. I sometimes wonder if I spent 30 grand extra for just a faster engine LOL. So I decided to get the MG as my second, as a daily driver and long distance tourer, such a nice place to be in, and I am tuning the living crap out of the 300PS Ateca to get it to well over 400PS and will drive that one when I want to have some pure fun. Honestly, the fake leather interior of the mid spec MG HS is a WAY nicer place to be than the Ateca. The only thing the Ateca interior has going for it is the snazzy blue leather but every other section of the interior bar the seats, without exception, looks and feels cheap, like what you'd expect on a bottom of the range cheap brand entry level car.
Formentor much nicer inside but even that is awful in the back with nothing but hard cheap plastics. Terrible cup holders too vs the MG's beautiful rear centre armrest. The MG one and adaptable cup holders are BMW level!
To be fair, cause I know I sounded a bit negative, the adaptive suspension in the Ateca is incredible. I have no idea how the Spaniards tuned it so well, and made a front wheel drive biased on demand AWD SUV feel like a go kart to drive (and way better than VW and Audi's SUVs manage on the same golf platform). I'll give them that. But that doesn't matter for highway cruising, and the MG is also perfectly stable there especially in sport mode where the steering feels more secure. Also the MG sits a little higher which makes it less of a challenge for a tall person like me with a very bad lower back. Much easier to get in and out of.
Would recommend the MG HS exclusive or the KIA Sportage S or S+ ?
the kia cost £3000 more for the base model .
But, its missing a Heated Steering wheel???
Wao
Just missing a diesel, and rear blacked out windows , I believe there is no options list
You can get privacy windows as optional extra
Sir kaif and Qasim cousion has a lot of subscribers he can give you a shoutout
Thanks Martin
Sounds like a real juice guzzler imo
and you looked like you had spent a couple of nights sleeping in that car and had only just woken up lol
Hello sir
Engine is small and underpowerd for a 2ton car and the gearbox is very jerky.
The suspension is not good at all around city speed bump roads
and i get 25mpg around town which is atrocious (Thats the same as what i get ony my other car Mercedes AMG) which has a 5.5 liter engine.
on motorways doing 70-80mph i get 36-39 mpg not bad but nothing special.
if we got the 2.0 dies version that the rest of the world got for this car it the power & consumption would have been perfect and the gearbox would have behaved better and I would have made my peace with the bad suspension
the rest of the car is very nice, looks, quality & feel.
Try the new model.
Sound quality is poor.
In the video or car
Sorry but own one of these or any mg come to that and you realise the initial ‘quality’ perception is paper thin, creaks, failing components, terrible infotainment system, and it gets worse of you ever have to get one repaired. If you have to get an affordable car please avoid mg.