MG Motor UK HS (2018-2024) review

We’ve only driven the PHEV variant so far, so it’s the one we’ll focus on here: it mates a 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine with a 90KW (121bhp) electric motor and 16.6kWh battery for a combined output of 254bhp.

As you’d expect, it defaults to electric mode on start-up, which it largely sticks in around town, as long as you’ve got range left. You can preserve the battery via the touchscreen should you wish, though we’d have liked a shortcut button. Zero to 60mph takes a respectable 6.9 seconds, with the engine kicking in from around 20mph upwards.

However, the transition from e-mode to engine is far from the smoothest, and the engine is rather noisy when it does kick in: it constantly grumbles away in the background. Our biggest issue, however, is the persistent vibration that shudders through the steering wheel and pedals, even at low speeds. Hmm.

Not exactly a glowing review. What’s the ride like? 

You sit high, as is the SUV way, but the softly sprung suspension results in a huge amount of bounce – even with the extra 200kg kerbweight over the standard petrol model – meaning potholes and suchlike are approached with trepidation, and you find yourself slowing down for them far more than should really be necessary.

As you’d expect, there’s also a fair amount of pitch and roll when cornering, which can be a little unnerving. It’s not that it’s not comfortable (it is), it’s just not as dynamic as rivals like Peugeot 3008. Still, at motorway speeds it’s quiet and refined with just a small amount of wind noise.

Is it efficient?

MG claims 37.9mpg for the manual and 36.6mpg for the DCT in the standard petrol, with over 400 miles reportedly possibly from a single tank. We're yet to drive either, mind.

The PHEV variant claims 155.8mpg, which as ever, you can ignore – we saw around 40mpg taking in a mix of city and motorway driving – and against the reported 32 miles of e-range, around 20 miles day-to-day. Fine for the school/supermarket run, less so if you’re headed further afield, when you then have to lug the redundant battery and e-motor around.

Worth mentioning here that all models also get MG Pilot as standard, which is just MG’s term for its advanced driver assistance suite including emergency braking, lane keep, speed limit and traffic jam assist, adaptive cruise control, and all the rest.