► Undercuts rivals on price
► Petrol and PHEVs available
► One of the UK’s most popular cars
Chinese-owned and built MGs have struck a chord with buyers that few could have imagined when it was revived by SAIC Motor. It’s still the only Chinese car company that has truly made an impression in the UK.
The success could be down to the illusion of Britishness but it’s more than likely its cars’ tremendous value for money. Take the MG HS, its largest SUV, which starts from £24,030. It’s cheaper than a Nissan Juke, despite being larger than a Qashqai.
You can quickly see why it’s proven such a hit when budgets are tight, and as of April 2024, is now the ninth most popular new car in the UK – outselling the Ford Kuga and Hyundai Tucson. Though not among the best SUVs you can buy in the UK, does that matter when it’s lots cheaper? Time to find out.
Pros: low prices, spacious passenger room, PHEV available
Cons: poor to drive, sub-par fuel economy
What’s new?
The HS was introduced in 2019 and sales have continued to grow since. Surprisingly, it’s even more popular than MG’s smaller ZS crossover, which is also available as an EV.
A plug-in hybrid joined the range in 2020, and is prime company car fodder, with MG having a particularly prominent presence in fleet.
The HS was facelifted in 2023 with the front end getting a significant redesign with a much larger grille and sharper new lights and indicators. Around the rear there are new LED lights that look like those belonging to a BMW X3 at night – yes, really – and the touchscreen gets new icons that aim to make it simpler to use.
What are the specs?
MG doesn’t overcomplicate things so there are only two trims on the HS and two engines – a petrol and a plug-in hybrid. Regardless of version, it’s front-wheel-drive.
The standard petrol uses a 1.5-litre turbocharged T-GDI petrol engine producing 160bhp and 184lb ft of torque. A six-speed manual gearbox is the default, with a six-speed automatic optional. Both take just under 10 seconds to get to 62mph.
If you want something quicker and electrified, choose the plug-in hybrid. It bolts the same 1.5-litre petrol engine as the standard car with an electric motor for a combined 254bhp and 273lb ft of torque.
It uses a 10-speed automatic transmission made up of six gears for the engine and four for the electric motor. On paper, the acceleration seems pretty brisk, with MG claiming 7.1 seconds to get to 62mph, but it never feels anywhere as quick.
Range and charging
If you’re looking to reduce your running costs, the PHEV seems the natural choice. But as with any plug-in, it’s only cheap to run if you charge it regularly and use the cheapest electricity. Its 16.6kWh battery is a decent size but only allows for a claimed 32 miles of electric range, with claimed figures of 155.8mpg and CO2 emissions of 43g/km. It’s also not as quick to charge as other plug-ins, with three hours needed to replenish the battery.
The HS tends to default to using its petrol engine more than electric power, and even if you put the car in its ‘EV’ setting, the engine still leaps into life every now and again. In normal driving, we averaged 40mpg over several hundred miles, and that includes charging, which is only marginally more than the 38mpg MG claims from the standard petrol.
How does it drive?
The HS feels several steps behind the competition when it comes to the way it drives. Let’s start with the hybrid setup. On paper, the mix of performance and low running costs seem to be the best of both worlds, but in reality, it’s far from the case. It’s not slow but certainly doesn’t feel like 250bhp is at your disposal and this is largely down to the gearbox. There are just too many different gears for the car to rely on, and you can feel it fumbling around as you accelerate.
There are noticeable unsettling gaps in the acceleration between gears that emerge when you don’t want them – overtaking or pulling away from a roundabout, for example. There’s also a limiting lack of driving modes, and though this likely won’t matter to those buying them, it matters to CAR.
Though the chassis feels about okay with the standard petrol engine, it struggles to cope with the plug-in’s extra poke. It feels unsettled under harsh acceleration and struggling to cope with the power. The grip levels soon seem to run out and it leans a lot more around corners than better rivals like the Ford Kuga Plug-in hybrid. Though far from uncomfortable, the ride has a certain level of bounciness to it, and not in a soft Citroen sort of way. The regular petrol HS is a much better option to drive, but you still have to live with the coarseness of the engine.
What about the interior?
Where the HS begins to score points again is when it comes to its interior. To look at, it’s all pretty smart, especially with the top-spec Trophy model, which gets sports seats with integrated headrests – did someone say MG HS XPower? – and lots of nice red stitching. There are some great details, such as integrated air vents that have an Audi feel to them, and aluminium-effect trim.
It’s a bit superficial though as the quality still feels a bit low rent in places and the touchscreen and digital dials are both quite basic when it comes to interacting with them. The main infotainment isn’t very responsive and small icons for the climate settings are tricky to use on the move. It’s a bit like ordering a tablet off Wish.
But it’s a good size for a family car, and you can see why they’ve sold so many. It’s closer in dimensions to an X-Trail than a Qashqai, and rear-seat space is generous, with more than enough room for adults to sit comfortable. The hybrid’s boot is quite shallow under the parcel shelf, however, and there’s no room reserved for the charging cables if you’re going to keep them in the car.
Before you buy
Buying the HS is the best bit about it, because it’s so much cheaper than everything else in its class.
Prices start from £24,035 for the petrol, or £31,095 for the plug-in. Compare that to a Kia Sportage and you’d be looking at £29,390 and £40,575 respectively. When it’s this much cheaper you can see why MG is shifting so many of them. It’s good value to finance too, with current PCP deals starting at around £239 a month for the petrol and £349 for the hybrid.
You still get loads of equipment included, with the entry-level SE coming with keyless entry, adaptive cruise control, a 10.1-inch touchscreen and 360-degree camera system. Above this, the Trophy brings heated and electric front sports seats, an electric boot and ambient lighting. A seven-year warranty is also included, though an 80,000-mile cutoff means it’s not quite as generous as it first seems.
Verdict
In life, you often get what you pay for, and that applies to the MG HS. This is an SUV that’s not as good to drive or as well-finished as many rivals, but these complaints are partly forgiven when it comes to its low price, which is up to £10,000 less than rivals in the case of its plug-in hybrid.
So, yes, the HS is in many ways an inferior product to cars like the Kia Sportage and Nissan Qashqai, and doesn’t feel quite as well-resolved as MG’s newer models, such as the MG4. You might be able to get onboard with the HS when you see how much you’re saving, but an ever so slightly older Qashqai or Sportage seems the better option here.
Specs are for MG HS Trophy Plug-in Hybrid