MG HS Review (2024)

Introduction

MG has experienced a lot, from its heyday of building sports cars in the 20th century to its near-fatal demise with the ever-troubled MG Rover group in the early-to-mid 2000s.

Following its Chinese-backed rescue, MG rose from the ashes, admittedly producing a few forgettable cars – but at least it was back in the game.

And, since finding its feet, it has been on a roll.

The surprisingly brilliantMG 4 EV raised many eyebrows. It was one of the first electric cars that didn’t make you think you were handing over stupid money for a family car just because it didn't have a combustion engine.

The HS is MG’s largest SUV, first launched in 2018, soon followed by a plug-in hybrid version.

It had a makeover only last year, but, unusually, an all-new one took its place less than 18 months later. Unveiled at the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed, it promises to continue growing MG’s burgeoning reputation.

Despite cheap price tags, MG has won plenty of acclaim for offering excellent value for money, fitting its cars with lots of frills at an almost no-frills price.

The new HS should be well placed to undercut its competitors without skimping on equipment levels.

So, how well does it do?

We’ve got our hands on a couple.

At a Glance

The new MG HS retains some of its predecessor’s styling in places but still looks markedly different from the outgoing model.

It is also bigger - 1.4cm wider and 4.5cm longer - and has a longer wheelbase, although it's just over 2cm shorter than the outgoing HS.

Its grille - widened for the 2023 facelift - looks even bigger, creating a sizeable open-mouthed grin across its front, similar to its small, family hatchback sibling, the MG3 Hybrid+.

The chiselled MG3-style air intakes, also introduced in last year’s HS, have been retained and wrapped around its outer extremities.

However, the significant change is the shape of the much thinner headlights, which are linked together by a strip running horizontally underneath the bonnet.

The sides look similar to before, although the shape of the wheel arches is more pronounced, and there's a thin fender just above.

The bodywork previously angled upwards at the bottom of the doors – and it still does, but not as aggressively – and the side skirt is thicker and more noticeable.

Its rear end is sharper, too, resembling the MG4 EV, with a pronounced wedge shape created along the bottom of the rear windscreen.

Wider tailpipes, introduced in the 2023 facelift, also remain.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and the HS's looks will likely divide opinion. Some say the old shape was more likeable despite acknowledging that it looked a bit too rounded, while others reckon the new one looks more modern.

Nevertheless, given MG has kept the price low, we suspect it’ll be a popular leasing choice.

Key Features

As before, MG has kept things simple with just two trim levels.

The entry-level SE gets 19-inch diamond-cut blade alloy wheels, a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, satellite navigation, and digital radio, a 12.3-inch digital instrument display, a six-speaker audio system, and a rear-view camera.

You also get air conditioning, keyless entry with push-button engine start, rain-sensing wipers, electrically adjustable folding door mirrors and cloth black upholstery, plus remote access to certain features of the car via MG’s iSMART app.

The Trophy edition gains two extra speakers, a 360-degree camera, a wireless phone charger, live services including weather and live traffic information, black leather-style upholstery, six-way electric adjustment for the driver's seat and four-way electric adjustment for the passenger seat, plus dual-zone air conditioning.

You also get heated front seats, a memory function and a powered tailgate.

Both trims get the MG Pilot Driver Assistance System, which provides several safety features that we'll cover later.

There are two choices for power, both of which consist of a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine.

169PS is produced in the petrol-only version, whereas the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) takes the same engine and adds an electric motor, outputting an eye-opening 371PS.

We tested out both in Trophy trim.

It is worth noting that a full hybrid will be introduced next Spring.

Range & Batteries

The PHEV comes with a 24.7kW battery.

MG claims an all-electric range of 75 miles.

You won’t achieve that in the real world, but don’t dismiss it entirely. As we'll explain later, it's still significant if you're after a company car.

Performance & Drive

The petrol goes from 0 to 62mph in 9.4 seconds with the six-speed manual gearbox, although it's 0.2 seconds slower with the automatic.

A sub-10.0-second time is fine in a car like this and, given its size and mere 1.5-litre engine, isn't bad at all.

Nevertheless, it’s still a tad lacking in low-end shove, with acceleration feeling brisker at higher revs, and the mill needs to be worked hard to get sufficient performance.

We like the manual, which has smooth, precise gear changes. In fact, it's preferable to the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, which can feel jerky at lower speeds and takes time to respond to accelerator inputs.

The PHEV is only available with an automatic – but it gets from 0-62mph in just 6.8 seconds.

That is overkill in a car like this, but it’s reassuring to know the power is available if you need to complete an overtake quickly.

It is lovely to drive in all-electric mode, too – especially as the engine can scream a bit when called into action if you’re revving hard.

Regarding ride comfort, the petrol version is undoubtedly more comfortable, although the PHEV isn't back-breakingly bad by any means.

The former soaks up potholes and crevices reasonably well, but it felt a little unsettled on a particularly bad road on our test drive, causing us to bounce around more so than in some rivals.

MG has given the PHEV a stiffer suspension configuration to compensate for the added heft of the electric motor and batteries.

It deals with the added bulk well but feels like it's going through lumps rather than vibrating over them as the petrol does.

In both versions, the steering doesn't weight up sufficiently in the bends to give you enough confidence to place the car at higher speeds.

That said, there’s less body roll in faster bends than expected, so the suspension does a decent job of stopping the cabin from being prised away from the chassis.

It isn’t nimble, though, and its handling isn't on a par with some of its rivals, notably the Ford Kuga and Mazda CX-5. But both are more costly to lease than the HS petrol.

Charging

The PHEV charges at a maximum rate of 7kW. That means a 0-100% top-up takes around four and a half hours using a 7kW home wall box, but a public charging point won’t be any quicker.

Running Costs & Emissions

Our petrol HS returns 38.2mpg, producing 168g/km of CO2, although the figures are 37.2mpg and 173g/km of CO2 in the automatic.

In the PHEV, the official figure claims 672.6mpg, emitting just 12g/km of CO2.

The latter’s stated 75-mile all-electric range is significant because anything over 70 pushes it down from the 8% to the 5% Benefit In Kind tax band, saving company car users even more money.

MG hasn't performed that well in recent times as far as reliability is concerned, falling below most other Far Eastern manufacturers.

Happily, it bucks the trend by contrasting this with a superb seven-year, 80,000-mile warranty. If you’re leasing, you won’t care that much about this bit, but at least it shows MG’s increasing confidence in its cars – and may be the final reason you pull the trigger on leasing this model.

Interior & Technology

The outgoing HS’s cabin was impressive in its layout, dashboard shape and overall design, making it look more premium than its price suggested.

We are pleased to say the new HS dials it up even further.

The dashboard is straighter than the outgoing model, but there’s still a middle bulge and two tiers accommodating two central air vents.

The jet engine-inspired outer vents are gone, replaced by more rectangular ones, while the previously flat-bottomed steering wheel has also gained a flat top.

However, the significant change is the merging of the enlarged infotainment screen and the digital instrument display, which now sit together in one unit.

The old infotainment system previously let the side down, lacking screen size, icon size and responsiveness.

Happily, the new interface is a lot smarter, with a 12.3-inch screen (up from 10.1 inches) and menus that look like they belong on a smartphone.

Admittedly, the black borders around the screen are still too big, causing excessive wasted space, and the system isn't as responsive as in some rivals.

Unfortunately, MG has failed to learn its lessons from the outgoing model when it comes to adjusting the air conditioning.

Previously, some settings were adjusted by physical buttons, while temperature changes were made via the touchscreen, which was awkward.

Now, everything (bar turning it on and off or toggling demisters) is controlled via the touchscreen.

Nevertheless, this annoyance aside, the system offers many improvements, and the digital instrument display follows suit. It offers a clear layout with light and dark themes and three modes, one of which displays a full-screen map for the SatNav.

The overall build quality impresses, too, feeling well screwed together – and you’re not short-changed on plush materials either, although cheaper plastics feature lower down.

There is plenty of silver decor, especially around the air vents and the bottom spoke of the steering wheel, while piano black now features more prominently, particularly around the gear lever.

Even the switches and buttons, including those on the steering wheel, feel damped and lacking in cheapness.

While the MG won’t give the German premium brands a headache, it is lovely to sit in – and very surprisingly so, given the car’s price point.

You will struggle to get a nicer interior in a car for less money than this.

Boot Space & Practicality

Thanks to a six-way electric adjustment in the driver’s seat of both our test cars, it's easy to find a suitable driving position in the MG HS, although the SE trim only gets manual adjustment.

All trims include adjustable lumbar support as standard, and of course, we also get heated front seats.

Forward visibility is good, as MG has kept the pillars reasonably thin. The windscreen sweeps back, so leaning forward slightly will all but guarantee a view of any blind spots.

It is a different story out of the back, though, as the rear pillars are much thicker, and the side windows taper inwards at the back of the car. At the same time, the roof spoiler wraps around the upper sides of the rear windscreen, making over-the-shoulder visibility difficult.

That said, the rear windscreen is quite large, so looking directly behind provides a better view than in some rivals.

The HS now gets front and rear parking sensors (you only had rear ones before), plus a rear-view camera on the SE version, while our Trophy test cars get a 360-degree surround-view camera.

Both front and rear legroom are generous, and the cabin is wide, so you don't need to worry about banging shoulders with the person sitting next to you if you prefer to sprawl yourself out while driving.

Admittedly, three fully grown adults in the back will still be squeezed, but it’ll be more bearable than in plenty of competitors’ cars.

The headroom is generous, too, including in the back, despite the slight slope in the roofline.

And the news keeps getting better, as there’s lots of space dotted around the cabin to store your personal belongings, including a small cubby in front of the gear lever and a sizeable one in the centre console, which features a sliding armrest.

The cup holders are a good size, and some USB ports are dotted around the cabin.

Boot space has been increased over the old model, too, with 507 litres now offered, expanding to 1,484 litres with the rear seats folded down in a 60:40 configuration.

That is a decent size – the smaller figure is increased by around 10% over the previous HS – and you no longer lose any space if you opt for the PHEV.

Nevertheless, you still get around 10 to 15% more in several rivals.

At least the HS offers reclining seats in the back, but some competitors offer a more versatile 40:20:40 rear seat split.

Safety

Euro NCAP has yet to crash-test the new MG HS, but there's little need to worry.

MG has a history of good safety ratings – only one of its last four cars failed to get a five-star score.

One of those four was the old HS, which got full marks in 2019, being awarded a highly impressive 92% for adult occupants, 81% for children and 76% for safety assists in the individual categories.

The new HS gets active emergency braking; lane keep assist with lane departure warning, speed limit assist, blind spot detection with lane change assist, driver attention alert, forward collision warning and rear cross-traffic alert.

You also get tyre pressure monitoring, hill launch assist and front and rear parking sensors.

SE models get a rear-view camera, while Trophy models get a 360-degree camera. If you avoid the manual gearbox, you'll also get traffic jam assist and adaptive cruise control with intelligent speed limit assist.

Options

A complete options list for the MG HS has yet to be confirmed, but MG isn’t known for offering a comprehensive list of added extras.

Instead, it prefers to equip its cars generously as standard, so no complaints from us.

We understand body colours will be similar to before, with white, pearl white, black, light blue, dark grey, light grey and red on offer.

MG offered white and light blue as the standard colours on the old HS, with the others costing extra.

One confirmed option is tan leather upholstery, which will add an extra premium feel to the already impressive interior. This option costs upwards of £500 and will only be offered on the Trophy edition.

Rival Cars

It is a crowded marketplace – so the MG HS has plenty of competition.

If you’re a keen driver, the Ford Kuga and Mazda CX-5 are better bets, although both are more expensive than the HS petrol.

However, the comfortable Citroen C5 Aircross competes with the MG in price.

The Hyundai Tuscon, Kia Sportage, Nissan Qashqai and VW Tiguan are also worth shortlisting.

Verdict & Next Steps

Overall, the HS continues MG’s trend: providing a nice restaurant meal for the price of a fast-food burger. In other words, it’s cheap to lease.

The interior is lovely, and practicality is on point and even enhanced. Plus, it has a more spacious boot than before, and it's more comfortable yet better to drive.

The PHEV only sweetens the deal thanks to its brisk albeit excessive performance, excellent fuel economy, and a high enough all-electric range to push it into a lower Benefit In Kind tax bracket for company car users.

That said, the petrol offers better value for money, and while the Trophy edition adds several luxuries, the entry-level SE has everything you really need.

On the downside, it’s still not much fun to drive. The engines can scream a little, and changing the temperature is best done before you set off.

But then, you've got little to lose by choosing the HS over some of its rivals. For the money, it’s an impressive car to lease.

Where to next?

View latest MG HS lease deals - from just £287 per month inc VAT**.

Call us on 0118 3048 688 or hit the green 'Enquire' button for more details.

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**Score based on Select’s unique meta score analysis, taking into account the UK’s top leading independent car website reviews of the MG HS.

**Correct as of 23/09/2024. Based on 9 months initial payment, 5,000 miles annually, over a 48 month lease. Initial payment equivalent to 9 monthly payments, or £2,583.00 (Plus admin fee) Ts and Cs apply. Credit is subject to status.