► £3k slashed from the price
► Light facelift, more equipment
► Lower emissions, less thirsty
The MG 6 remains a rare sight on UK roads. Even with fine ride and handling and a cushion of indestructible goodwill towards the badge in its favour, shonky switchgear, patchy quality and sub-par refinement have hindered sales since its launch four years ago.
Could this mid-life refresh give the MG 6 a second chance?
What’s new on the 6?
The first upgrade is actually a downgrade: the price. MG (or MG Motor UK, to give the Chinese-owned brand its full title) has managed to chop as much as £3000 off the starting price, so the cheapest version now kicks off at £13,995. At the same time, it’s upped the equipment levels.
There are three trim levels for the new-look MG 6 range. Unusually for an entry-level model, the base S version gets heated front seats as standard, along with 16-inch alloys and an electronic parking brake. Swapping the old car’s regular handbrake for a button has enabled the designers to give the interior a new console between the front seats.
The mid-level TS trim adds a new touchscreen multimedia system and the top TL gets niceties such as leather seats, swivelling bi-xenon lights and a reversing camera. No shortage of toys, then.
That new infotainment system’s called MG Touch, and its seven-inch screen incorporates the likes of Bluetooth streaming, DAB radio, Mirrorlink smartphone connectivity and app-based sat-nav.
I’m sure it looks different…
It does, a bit – new lamps, an altered grille and lower air intake, plus new LED daytime running lights have sharpened up the nose a touch, and the rear bumper’s been reprofiled too.
Any mechanical upgrades?
Yes. All models get a new electronically controlled diff, with the aim of curbing wheelspin in a more sophisticated way if the driver gets carried away. Otherwise, not much has changed on the chassis front. No bad thing, as we found the early cars we tested to be pretty handy dynamically.
MG’s engineering team at Longbridge has also fettled the 1.9-litre turbodiesel engine for improved emissions. As before, there’s 148bhp and a healthy 258lb ft of torque, but CO2 emissions have dropped by 10g/km to a tax-friendly 119g/km and fuel consumption to a claimed 61.4mpg combined.
Various weight-saving measures have dropped 75kg from the kerbweight, enough to trim a full 0.5 seconds from the 0-60mph, time says MG.
It’s a lot of car for the money; the question is whether it’s now a good one. Watch this space for a road test in the near future.