Although there are plenty of electric SUVs around, there aren’t that many estates. The MG 5 EVs styling has been given a facelift with tweaks at the front and rear. These include new LED light clusters front and rear, streamlined grille and big bumpers. The exterior facelift lends the MG a more European look. The dash is well laid out on the inside and reflects the exterior streamlined look.
Special mention : An electric Estate, you don’t see many of those around. Decent range & the battery holds onto its charge.
Needs work : Rear seat space lacks knee room, boot has a big step and seats don’t fold flat.
| BHP 156 PS | Electric / Auto |
| 0-100 km/h in 8.1 seconds | Road Tax €120 |
| Price: from €35,895 As specc’d €39,145 | Boot Space 578 – 1367 litres |
As well as increased battery capacity, the charging capacity has also been improved. The two variations come in the form of the Excite Long Range (€35,895) with 403km WLTP of electric range from the 61.1kWh battery. Exclusive Long Range (€39,145) gets 379 km WLTP of electric range. Using a DC charger at up to 87kW a 10-80 per cent top-up takes just 35 minutes. Plug in to a 7kW wallbox at home and a full charge will take 10 hours. Also if you need to, you can plug in an external device and charge it, as long as you have the correct adapter.
Powered by a 153 bhp battery the front-mounted motor, the MG 5 nips to 100km/h in just 8.3 seconds. Coupled with 280 Nm of torque it’s more than enough to get you through town and out into the country. The steering is light & direct with body roll at a minimum. As it’s an estate, the dynamics aren’t as finely tuned as those in the MG4. There is regenerative braking available as you would expect with electric cars. This recharges the battery as you slow down and helps the MG 5 come to a smooth stop. You can increase and decrease the effectiveness of regenerative braking – as you can in a lot of electric cars – but it’s never strong enough to allow ‘one-pedal’ driving.
The MG 5 has a good level of practicality and range, features include tinted windows, automatic wipers, climate control, 360-degree parking camera, heated front seats and 17” alloys. Room inside is good, with plenty of leg space for front seat passengers. Compared to an SUV, headroom is a little tighter for front and rear passengers. Even though it has a low roofline, you sit high up in the driver’s seat which gives great all round visibility. It also has six-way manual adjustment and adjustable lumbar support for the driver’s seat and you need to spec up to get electric adjustment. The driver’s seat doesn’t drop very low but the steering wheel comes with rake & reach adjustment so there are a few ways to ensure you’re as comfortable as possible. Throughout the cabin there’s plenty of soft-touch materials with a mix of chrome and piano-black trim to break up the dashboard. The door bins are cavernous and there’s more storage under the central armrest.
The boot has 479-litres of space up to the parcel shelf, enough for most families. While the seat backs don’t fold flat they do at least split 60/40 to fold down.When folded they increase the full boot volume up to the roof from 578 to 1367 litres and in total the cabin features up to 27 storage spaces. It can also pull up to 500 kg towing capacity with a 75 kg roof load. The boot has a loading lip to contend with, which makes it awkward to ‘slide’ longer items in and out of the space.
There’s a fresh dashboard with a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment using MGs iSMART connected services. MG use their Pilot driver assistance which is adaptive cruise, lane assist, pedestrian detection and collision warnings, autonomous emergency braking and auto high-beam assist. It’s easy to navigate the dashboard controls using the large buttons, making it safer than delayed touchpad ones. The climate controls are however hidden in the touchscreen, and you have to leave the screen you’re on be it Sat nav or media to change the temperature. There’s also Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a seven-inch digital dash, air-con, full keyless go and vehicle-to-load charging so you can power external devices.
MG up until now has had few price competitors but as more Chinese companies are making the move to European markets, it will be interesting to see what MG do to ensure their market share. Starting from €35,895 with a range of up to 403km, the MG 5 may be a relatively cheap car and it’s nicer inside than a Zoe or a Leaf. And while it comes with automatic emergency braking (AEB) and lane-keeping assistance as standard, they’re hidden within the menus and don’t save your preferred setting, it re-sets for every journey. It’s quiet, comfy and has acceleration when needed. The price reflects the materials used in the cabin, yet it comes with a lot of kit as standard. Rear leg room could be better and the external design gives it a modern look on the outside.
