MG HS Review

We’re just going to go ahead and say it: the MG HS is the best-value family SUV you can buy from new. And soon, you’ll be spotting them here, there and everywhere.

The previous-shape HS found thousands of homes in the UK simply because it’s cheap and spacious. Now imagine how successful the new, vastly improved HS will be.

An entry-level HS in SE trim costs a similar amount to a mid-spec Vauxhall Corsa, and yet manages to include a big boot, a decent-quality interior and a seven-year warranty. It’s not super expensive to upgrade to the top-spec Trophy trim, and it’s not even a massive jump to the more economical plug-in hybrid engine. On the used market, there’s nothing that’s a similar size for the same age and price.

For that reason, you’ll probably be able to overlook the fact that the HS is relatively thirsty and that insurance costs will be slightly higher than the previous one.

Its positives massively outweigh its drawbacks and it deserves a place on your shortlist if you’re not too bothered about an engaging driving experience.

Generally, the MG HS has a very likeable interior. A pair of 12.3-inch screens sit atop the dashboard and make the HS feel up-to-date and more premium than you might expect.

The digital instrument cluster is clear and easy to read, without lots of superfluous info cluttering up the display. If you want, you can have it showing a live display of the cars and objects around you, Tesla-style, but we preferred the minimalist display. The cluster is adjusted through the left-hand touchscreen – as are most of the car’s features – and the steering wheel buttons don’t really do a lot.

A bar of six shortcut icons sits to the right of the touchscreen, and this is how you get from one area to another. You’ll quickly get used to how it works and where all its features live, although we wish the cruise control, mirror adjustment and fog lights had physical switches. There are more than a couple of thoughtful touches in the screen, such as the blind-spot cameras showing you a live feed of the side that you’re indicating, and the top-view camera that gives you the distance to the object in front in centimetres.

The HS comes with a full sheet of driver assistance software. Besides the blind-spot monitoring, there’s active emergency braking with pedestrian detection, active rear cross-traffic alert, lane-change assist and, for automatic cars, traffic jam assist and adaptive cruise control. Unfortunately, like many new cars, all the systems are on at the start of every journey, and the car will incessantly bong at you if you creep over the speed limit or if it thinks you’re looking away from the road. Dive into the touchscreen to turn them off and the driver alert assist will beep at you again because your eyes are off the road. It’s annoying, but not a problem exclusive to the MG.

Material quality has taken a step up compared to the older HS. Whereas the older one looked premium but felt cheap, the new model offers some soft-touch trim across the dashboard that’s a worthwhile improvement. And cheaper plastics have some interesting textures and patterns, which also lifts the perceived quality.

There’s a decent amount of adjustment in the driver’s seat and the steering wheel adjusts for reach and rake, so you should eventually be able to find a comfortable driving position. But with no height adjustment on the front passenger seat and limited under-thigh support, your roadtrip buddy might not be so happy.

Only two trim levels are offered: SE and Trophy. Standard equipment is strong, with LED headlights, keyless entry, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, 19-inch diamond-cut alloys and a reversing camera. Trophy upgrades that to a 360-degree camera with a useful top-down view, and also adds leather-effect upholstery with heated front seats, an electric bootlid and two-zone climate control.

A boost in practicality makes the new HS an even better family car. The 507-litre boot is about 50 litres bigger than the last car, and it’s competitive with the likes of the Nissan Qashqai, Ford Kuga and SEAT Ateca – even if the Volkswagen Tiguan, Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson are bigger still.

The boot space itself is quite long but shallower than you might expect, with only a couple of roughly A4-sized trays beneath. Because there’s only a can of tyre foam to package and no battery under the floor in the standard 1.5-litre petrol, it seems a little bizarre that the boot doesn’t extend lower. The flipside of that is that it’s easy to lift heavy items in and out of the boot because there’s not much of a load lip. Seats down, there’s a practical, semi-flat load area.

Open the HS’ long rear doors – great for getting kids in, not so great in tight car parks – and you’re met with near class-leading rear-seat space. Even with the front seat fully back, your knees won’t be squashed against the seat. With it a little further forward, there are acres of legroom on offer. Headroom and footroom are both generous as well.

The flat bench is good for fitting three adults across, although you’ll have to remember that a pair of adults won’t feel particularly supported in fast corners. The door bins are big and useful, and there’s a pair of USB-A sockets to charge devices. Further forward, there’s a good sized cubby under the central armrest, but it feels like the centre console could’ve been better optimised for storage.

The engine range is as simple as the trim level lineup. There’s a regular 1.5-litre petrol engine, and a PHEV that includes the same engine plus an electric motor and a beefy 24.7kWh battery.

Standard 1.5-litre petrol cars produce 169hp, which doesn’t sound like a lot for a big car but the HS has no problem getting up to speed. With 0-62mph taking an eager 9.4 seconds, the HS sometimes even feels quite nippy. This is the cheapest way into driving an HS, so most buyers won’t mind that the petrol engine isn’t quite as efficient as a petrol Tucson or Tiguan.

Compare insurance quotes for a petrol HS and a petrol Tucson and you’ll probably find the Tucson is cheaper here, too.

You’ll pay more again for the PHEV, but MG promises an all-electric range of up to 75 miles, putting the HS right at the top of the class. The PHEV officially returns up to 565mpg – although remember that that relies on the petrol engine barely being used. The petrol’s figure is much more achievable.

A 7kW home wallbox will fully charge the PHEV’s battery in four hours.

As long as you’re not expecting the MG badge to mean sporty handling like it did in the past, the MG HS drives nicely. The main focus is on comfort, and dreadful British road surfaces are dealt with very well. The feel and noise of impacts aren’t let into the cabin, so it never feels unsettled by an unexpected pothole.

In the PHEV, the engine was barely noticeable a lot of the time. It’s a lot more vocal in the standard 1.5, with no battery or motor to chip in, and while it’s probably noisier than rivals it’s not usually off-putting or terrible.

We haven’t tried a manual HS yet but it’s unlikely to improve on the automatic gearboxes. Both the DCT automatic in the petrol and the two-speed auto in the PHEV are impressively smooth, shifting gears without any fuss or lurching. The DCT could be a lot smoother at low speeds, mind – reversing can be especially jerky – but it’s not the only auto ‘box to suffer this issue.

At higher speeds wind noise is well suppressed. There’s a little bit of constant engine hum and tyre noise but, again, they’re not likely to be the reason that you’d choose something else over the HS.

The steering is short of feel and is inconsistently weighted in sport mode, but there’s not much body roll and just enough grip to make you feel confident in the car. Overall, the MG HS tries to be utterly inoffensive to drive, and succeeds admirably.