MGHS Review 2020

If you plugged a computer into the Australian car market and asked him to design a car, I'm pretty sure he would come up with something like the MG HS.

Does it compete in one of the best selling segments in Australia? Yes, it's a mid-size SUV. Does it compete on price? Yes, it's impressively cheap compared to segment favorites. Is it well stated? Yes, it meets almost all requirements when it comes to equipment. Does it look good? Yes, it borrows key style elements from successful competitors.

Now for the tricky part: is there more to this story? Yep, it turns out there is.

You see, while MG has made impressive progress in its color-by-numbers approach to car design, selling more and more of its MG3 hatchback and ZS small SUV, it still had a lot of catching up to do to be considered a serious competitor for the Australian brand. consumers.

So, should you care for an HS SUV? Does this mean real progress for a budding competitor? We went to its launch in Australia to find out.

MG HS 2020: Vibe
Safety Rating
engine's type	1.5 L turbo
fuel type	Regular unleaded gasoline
Fuel efficiency	7.3l / 100km
Landing	5 Places
Price from	$22,100

Is there anything interesting about its design? 7/10

HS looks pretty good, doesn't it? And I know what you're thinking - it looks a bit like the CX-5 with its shiny grille and curved shape - and you're right. It's nothing if not a derivative.

It doesn't ruin the look, and when an MG dealership is filled with just three cars of the same style, it's sure to draw people in.

Pleasant design language and uniform style will delight buyers.

The sheen is enhanced by standard LED DRLs, progressive indicator lights, fog lamps and silver diffusers front and rear.

Perhaps the best part for potential buyers of the base model is that you can barely tell the difference between the base and the top just in appearance. The only perks are the big wheels and the full LED front lighting.

Inside was better than expected. While its smaller ZS sibling looked good, the choice of materials was less than impressive. In the HS, however, the quality of the trim has been greatly improved, as has the fit and finish.

Interior materials have improved significantly over the smaller ZS.

Again, there are plenty of parts derived from other automakers here, but the turbine vents, Alfa-Romeo-style steering wheel, soft-touch surfaces, and faux-leather trim elevate the atmosphere to a competitive level.

Not everything is great. I wasn't sure about some of the buttons, and the plastic inserts on the center console and door panels were as cheap as ever. It probably won't bother anyone if you opt for an older car, but there are more stable trim options from more popular players.

How practical is the interior space? 7/10

The HS, as you'd expect from most mid-sized models, isn't much of a concern. Visibility front and rear is quite good thanks to large side mirrors and window openings. Adjustment for the driver is also decent. You'll skip the electric driver's seat adjustment, but you'll get a telescopically adjustable steering column.

The landing is high, and the comfort of the seats is average. Neither good nor particularly bad.

The faux leather trim on the seats, dash and doors is simple and easy to clean, but feels thin in places.

Irritation causes only the ability to control the air conditioner through the screen. There are no physical buttons. It's especially clunky and slow when you're driving.

For storage, front passengers get bottle holders and door cubbyholes, two large cup holders in the center console with a phone or key cubbyhole, a length-adjustable air-conditioned armrest console, and a small tray with two USB ports and a 12-volt outlet.

Rear passengers get decent space. I'd say it's about on par with the Kia Sportage from my recent test. I'm 182 cm tall and had head and legroom behind the driver's seat. The seats can be tilted back slightly and the trim is the same as on the front seats.

Comfortable rear seat passengers get dual adjustable air vents and two USB ports, so certainly not forgotten.

Trunk space is decent, but nothing special for this segment (international variant shown).

The trunk is 463 liters (VDA), which is almost identical to the Kia Sportage (466 liters) and is in line with par, but not outstanding for this segment. The boot floor is high, making it easy to access light items, but difficult to access heavy ones. The Excite gets a power tailgate - it's a bit slow, but a nice feature.

Does it represent good value for money? What functions does it have? 8/10

This is what will ultimately lead customers to HS and nothing else. This midsize SUV is incredibly cheap for its segment.

MG has an HS sticker with a $30,990 check-out price for the entry-level Vibe or $34,490 for the top-spec (for now) Excite.

There aren't many differences between the two, and generally the spec matches almost every item on our checklist.

Both specs have an impressive 10.1-inch touchscreen and a semi-digital instrument cluster that looks really impressive, although you can tell where the corners have been cut. The processor for multimedia software is painfully slow and the screen quality is average, with glare and ghosting. Excite has built-in navigation, but you won't miss it. It's very slow.

The media screen looks bright and has all the features you'd expect, but it's a bit slow and clunky to use while driving.

Both versions also get faux leather trim throughout, a digital radio, LED DRLs, a reversing camera with guide lines, and a full safety kit (scroll to the Safety section to find out what those are).

All of this for the price of a base model RAV4, Sportage or Hyundai Tucson is undeniably good value no matter how you go about it.

Excite adds only LED headlights, 1-inch larger (18-inch) alloy wheels, a sport driving mode, an electric tailgate, automatic wipers, a retarded navigation system, and an ambient lighting package. There is nothing necessary here, but a small jump in price does not violate the cost equation either.

What are the main characteristics of the engine and transmission? 7/10

HS ticks here as well. It's only available with one engine and looks good on paper.

This is a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 119 kW / 250 Nm. It drives only the front wheels (there is no all-wheel drive model at the moment) via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

MG ticks under the hood too, but there's a snag or two when it comes to driving...

Sounds as modern as any European rival, but there are some issues that we'll cover in the driving section.

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How much fuel does it consume? 7/10

MG says the HS will consume 7.3 liters per 100 kilometers on the combined cycle. Our drive day wasn't a fair performance and we drove multiple cars so we can't give you a real number just yet.

With a small displacement engine and an abundance of gear ratios, we hope it can at least beat its older non-turbocharged 2.0-litre competitors.

The HS has a 55-liter fuel tank and requires premium mid-grade unleaded gasoline with an octane rating of 95.

What is it like to drive? 5/10

Unfortunately, the HS proves how easy it is to take decades of accumulated driving refinement from Japanese and Korean rivals for granted.

Everything seems good at first with visibility and a good steering wheel, but things quickly fall apart.

The first thing I noticed in my driving cycle was the distinct lack of feedback I was getting from the car. The steering seemed to be not felt at all by the front wheels and had an inconsistent weight at different speeds. Most slow-speed city drivers won't mind its lightness, but may notice its hesitation at speed.

The 1.5-liter engine lacks power, but squeezing it out becomes a problem. Unlike competitive low power turbo engines like the Honda, peak torque isn't reached until 4400rpm and you notice a lag when you wait a full second for the power to show up after you press the start pedal.

The transmission is also unstable. It's a dual clutch, so it can be quick at times and gives you a nice step feel when you change gears, but it's easy to catch.

It will often shift into the wrong gear and at other times will judder when downshifting, sometimes for seemingly no reason. It also changes gears slowly when you press the accelerator.

The HS doesn't have the driving prowess of its Japanese and Korean rivals.

Much of this can be attributed to calibration. It looks like MG has all the parts to give the HS a modern powertrain, but they haven't taken the time to make them work well together.

The trip is a mixed bag. It's incredibly soft, providing comfort over big bumps and a very quiet cabin even on rougher gravel roads, but it proved to be somewhat unstable and wobbly over small bumps.

The softness is its drop over bumps as the rebound throws the car into the air. This means that on roads with a lot of elevation changes, you are constantly bouncing.

Handling suffers due to a combination of these factors: vague steering, soft suspension, and the large size of a midsize SUV, making this car hardly fun to drive on back roads.

I will say that the HS was a worthy companion for our freeway portion of the ride, with active cruise control and a smooth ride that made it easy to live long distances.

Warranty and safety rating

Basic Warranty

7 years / unlimited mileage


guarantee

ANCAP Safety Rating

What safety equipment is installed? What is the safety rating? 8/10

Regardless of which specification you choose, the HS will get a complete active safety package. This is a big step up from the smaller ZS, which was not safe when it launched in Australia and received only four ANCAP safety stars. 

However, this time the situation has improved significantly: the HS received the maximum five-star ANCAP rating thanks to the standard automatic emergency braking (AEB - detects pedestrians and cyclists at speeds up to 64 km / h and moving objects at speeds up to 150 km / h), continue to help the lane with lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, active cruise control and traffic sign recognition.

This is an impressive set, and you can disable each feature individually in the media system if it annoys you.

The active cruise kept a safe distance and behaved well during our test drive. The only thing to note is that it seems to be constantly bugging you and the lane keeping assist switches the digital instrument cluster to the safety screen if you move to the edge of the lane and doesn't return it to that screen. where you were before. . Annoying.

Six airbags are standard, and the LED headlights on the Excite are welcome on dark back roads. The HS has three top cable attachment points and two ISOFIX child seat attachment points in the rear seats.

How much does it cost to own? What kind of guarantee is provided? 8/10

MG covers its vehicles with Kia's tried and true success strategy, offering a seven-year warranty that pencil sellers at mainstream brands won't give.

It has unlimited mileage for seven years and includes roadside assistance for the entire period.

Maintenance is required once a year or every 10,000 km, whichever comes first. MG has yet to announce a pricing cap for the service, but promises it will be released soon.

Verdict

MG built the HS to feature as many features as possible at an incredibly attractive price.

It's definitely rough when it comes to driving, assuming the brand didn't take the time to get all of those pieces to work well together, but it won't end up going after potential customers who already love its style and features. dealer centers.

If anything, the HS represents MG's clear advance over the ZS, but it remains to be seen if the brand can translate that advance into lower sales from its main competitors.