MG MGS5 review: A flameproof plan to rule
MG’s latest sport utility vehicle is a smart and spacious package for families, but its sportscar roots show through
[SHANGHAI] If the MG MGS5 (yes, that is its actual name) is going to be the next big thing in electric cars for Singapore, it definitely helps that it’s a little bigger than the current big thing in electric cars here, the BYD Atto 3.
MG’s product team isn’t shy about it, either. They made it amply clear to me on a visit to MG’s development track last week that they aim to drive a dagger straight through the BYD, which did so much to make Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) acceptable here in the first place. And you thought Game of Thrones was savage.
The strategy seems straightforward: Create a similarly pragmatic and family-friendly package, detune the motor for the cheaper Category A Certificate Of Entitlement, then add a little more of everything.
That explains why the MGS5 has slightly more cabin room and a marginally bigger boot. It has sharper steering and a tighter turning radius. It hits 100 kmh a smidgen sooner, and even takes a wee bit less distance to stop from that speed. Interested yet?
I should point out that I only got behind the wheel of an MGS5 for a couple of minutes, so I can’t tell you how well it takes bumps or keeps out noise at highway speeds, or whether the suspiciously slender air-con vents are any good on one of our many sauna-like days.
But I did find out that for what’s supposed to be a sensible family sport utility vehicle (SUV), it delivers a surprisingly cheeky drive. It tucks neatly into corners without the usual front-heavy flailing, then holds its line with the calm confidence of something far sportier.
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It’s related to the Cyberster, MG’s slinky electric roadster, and you can feel it. Not in tyre-shredding antics, but in the way it carries itself when a group of motoring writers have been let loose on a huge open surface with nothing to crash into and no cops around.
Visually, I’d say the MGS5 plays it fairly safe. Some lines are so smooth it’s like the car has had its skin pulled tight, but there are no crazy light shows, nor a giant phony grille screaming for attention.
Yet, there’s enough curvature in the body to hide the fact that it’s boxy (presumably for the sake of roominess). It’s similarly restrained inside too, so if you were hoping for quirkiness, you’ll have to keep hoping.
Instead, it mixes elements of the usual EV dashboard (clutter-free layout, 12.8-inch touchscreen front and centre, plus a 10.25-inch driver display screen) with slightly more traditional touches. It has a cluster of physical controls for the sound system and air-con, for example, which means you won’t have to stab your way through three menus just to try and get your underarms dry again.
That last feature shows that MG really wants to play the car game in export mode. Chinese buyers, an MG designer told me, don’t want buttons at all, so the physical controls are a nod to international tastes.
What I found most fascinating about the MGS5 is something that can’t even be seen, but is probably the heart of any EV (although come to think of it, if you can actually see something’s heart, things have probably gone very wrong). Uniquely, its battery pack pairs up cells and lays them flat. Other cars stand them up and stick them side-by-side, but that makes for a thicker battery pack.
With one of the thinnest batteries in the business, the MGS5 has more space for headroom, which is one reason it’s genuinely roomy in the back. More intriguing is what happens after you shove a metal spike through one of its battery cells, which is something carmakers actually test for. Other cells tend to burst into flames, but the MG design basically shrugs it off like it’s been poked with a chopstick.
That sort of innovation doesn’t exactly grab headlines, but it does make the car better in a way that counts. In a nutshell, that sums up MG’s approach with the MGS5 quite neatly. As a family-oriented SUV aimed at budget-conscious buyers, it isn’t trying to change the game, it just wants to beat the reigning champ by playing it better.
MG MGS5 EV Lux Motor power/Torque 135 hp/250 Nm Battery type/Net capacity Lithium Iron Phosphate/62 kWh Charging time/Type Less than 10 hours (6.6 kW AC), 26 minutes 10 to 80 per cent (150 kW DC) Range 425 km (WLTP) 0-100 kmh 9.9 seconds Top speed 170 kmh Efficiency 17.1 kWh / 100 km Agent Eurokars EV Price S$165,888 with COE Available Now
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