MG HS declares war on fellow Chinese brands Chery and Haval

MG returned to the local market towards the end of last year with SUV pair the ZS and HS and the Cyberster.

The ZS is a compact crossover, the HS a traditional SUV and the Cyberster an all-electric open top two-seater sports car.

While the 100-year-old British moniker that started out as Morris Garages has a design centre in the United Kingdom, Chinese carmaker SAIC owns the brand these days.

MG HS put to the test

The Citizen Motoring got the sample the HS on a recent launch drive in Cape Town. Starting at R499 900 for the Comfort and R534 900 for the Luxury, the MG ZS lands right in the middle of the Chery Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8, as well as GWM Haval Jolion Pro and H6 territory. And this is exactly where MG say they want play.

Adopting MG’s latest signature styling that consists of the slimline front design which first debuted globally on the highly praised MG4, the MG HS is pleasant on the eyes and is well positioned here against its rivals.

Getting into the MG HS you are greeted by what is now the typically modern Chinese interior that features the likes of artificial leather, soft touch surfaces, and not too much gloss black and chrome trim. Of course you have dual 12.3-inch floating technology screens, that control all the convenience and infotainment features. Thankfully not every control is hid behind these screens and navigating your way around the MG HS is not too much of a chore.

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Lots of urge up front

It comes fully kitted with almost every conceivable luxury and convenience one could hope for in a family SUV as standard fitment.

Getting on the road, the MG HS is powered by 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine mated to a seven-speed double clutch gearbox. Producing 125kW of power and 275Nm of torque, the level of urge is decent and more than enough for anything most families would expect from an SUV of this class. There is a more powerful 2.0-litre on the horizon for those that value performance over function.

For the first time in a long time, I don’t have to whine on about the poor throttle calibration of a Chinese car. The MG HS was not bad at all, except for some wheelspin when you gave it too much throttle. Even the gear changes were exceptionally smooth.

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Fuel consumption

The only question will be fuel consumption. The claim of 6.9 litres per 100km isn’t going to realise with any sort of normal daily driving. We got a number that went into the nines with a fair amount of open road driving.

I will bet that the typical Chinese real world number of 10.3L/100km will be more realistic for long term owners. But I actually think that is pretty good for a full-size SUV.

The MG HS achieved a five-star EuroNCAP rating for safety and offers the likes of MG’s Pilot system. This is a suite featuring 14 advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). This includes everything from alerting you to potential hazards, to monitoring your personal state of awareness, and thankfully you can switch most of them off.

I know this counter intuitive, almost caveman behaviour, but those pings and pongs that can’t be switched off on some other Chinese cars will drive you insane.

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MG HS value for money

The MG HS is a good SUV and offers plenty at the price. Do I think it does enough to warrant immediate acceptance by the buying public? No. But it should be on your shopping list.

The Chinese war has begun and it undoubtedly had to happen. You can’t keep bringing similar products at similar prices and not expect there to be winners and losers.

While MG is targeting Chery, which I think is a bold move against the established segment leader, I feel that the MG HS is going to lure buyers from the legacy brands like VW, Hyundai, Kia and maybe even Toyota first. Only time will tell how the cards are going to fall in this over traded segment.

The MG HS comes with a seven-year/200 000km warranty and five-year/90 000km service plan.