Read Caroline’s MG HS review for everything you need to know about buying MG’s new plug-in hybrid SUV.
MG Motor Ireland is finishing the year with the arrival of two hybrids – the new ZS and HS. While both models have been on sale in Ireland for a few years now, the new versions take a significant leap forward in design and technology.
While the brand’s most popular model remains the all-electric MG4, MG has been building its hybrid offering with the arrival last summer of the MG3 Hybrid supermini.
The new MG HS is the subject of this review and is sold in Ireland as a plug-in hybrid only. It is the brand’s compact SUV rival to the likes of a Nissan Qashqai, Kia Sportage, Opel Grandland and BYD Seal U.
Let’s take a closer look.
Design
The new MG HS has style in bucket loads. It’s really grown up compared to the previous model. Wider and longer, it bears many examples of the brand’s new design direction as seen on the latest MG4 and ZS. It has really elegant proportions and is a substantial car with plenty of kerb appeal. At the front, it features the new face of the brand with LED headlights as standard. Silver roof rails add a bit of bling as does a little chrome trim around the window line. The wheel arches and lower sills are finished in black. The test car also featured a running board, but it looks a bit shabby and doesn’t really add anything to the car.
There are two trim levels for the Irish market: Excite and Exclusive. Both come with 19-inch diamond cut alloy wheels and rear privacy glass.
Around the back, there is an elegant light bar and the whole thing looks classy for a mid-size SUV at this part of the market.
MG HS Interior
There’s a brand new cabin that’s a big improvement. It feels more stylish and modern than before. It’s cheap in places, like the hard plastic in the doors and glovebox cover. But most of the parts you touch often like the steering wheel, gear selector and door handles feel fine. Opt for the Exclusive for even nicer leather-style seats in black, with the option to upgrade to tan for a few hundred euros extra.
There’s a new three spoke steering wheel, full digital driver display and large central touchscreen with improved graphics. It can still take a few taps to get through it but there is a line of shortcut buttons underneath for things like demisting the rear window or returning to the home screen. It could do with a few more buttons for example for changing vehicle settings like the drive mode, but it is possible to customise the star buttons on the steering wheel for things like this.
Unfortunately there’s no wireless smartphone connectivity and I was not able to connect to Apple CarPlay with a cable. Worth noting, the USB ports in the car are all USB-A rather than USB-C.
The Exclusive adds nice features like wireless smartphone charging, 360 camera, heated front seats with power adjustment, and lumbar support and memory function for the driver’s seat.
Practicality
The MG HS sits on a longer wheelbase than before so feels more spacious inside for passengers. There’s plenty of legroom to stretch out, even for the middle seat passenger. There’s separate vents in the rear, USB-A ports, a central armrest with cupholders – though no through loading. The rear seats do split fold 60:40 and there’s Isofix on the two outer seats.
The boot is also a generous size at 507 litres, bigger now by about 44 litres. A powered tailgate comes as standard on the Exclusive.
Driving
The new HS plug-in hybrid uses a 1.5-litre petrol engine paired with an electric motor and 24.7 kWh battery. The total power output is a healthy 220hp and there’s 350Nm of torque that adds up to a nippy 0-100 of 6.8 seconds. The hybrid is mostly responsive to drive, particularly in Sport mode, which is ideal for quick overtakes or joining a motorway. The engine is well-behaved and it never gets too noisy in the cabin.
The battery is sizable for a plug-in hybrid and now boasts an excellent EV only range of 120 kilometres, up from 52 kilometres in the previous one. The battery can be charged to full from a 7.4 kW wallbox at home in just 4 hours.
It will certainly be worth keeping the battery topped up because the HS gets thirsty when it runs out of battery. It is a heavy car after all. It’s no dynamic star when the roads gets twisty but it’s solid and secure all the same and the steering does give a sense of connection so it’s easy to place on the road.
It’s quiet at motorway speeds and will cruise quite comfortably though it does feel firm over ramps in an urban setting or any crevices in the road surface.
MG HS Pricing
The entry level Excite starts from €40,995. The Exclusive with more equipment is priced from €43,995.
Verdict
The new MG HS is one of the most improved cars of the year. It takes a big step forward in design and technology and has really never looked better. It sits in a very busy part of the market with a whole host of rivals and different forms of propulsion – hybrid, electric, petrol and diesel.
The HS is competitively priced with many of them though it doesn’t massively undercut on price. It’s one of the best of the plug-in hybrid SUVs for the EV only range. But that’s really where it’s at its best so it really only makes sense to buyers who can charge the battery easily and exploit the EV range. Then it can be very cheap to run, while offering much style and practicality. It’s a competitive segment but the MG is definitely worth a look.
MG HS Video Review
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Written by Caroline Kidd
Founder and Editor of Changing Lanes, Juror for Irish Car of the Year
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