Used MG HS review (2019-2024)

The first-generation MG HS is similar to its replacement in many ways, and its main forte is still that it's cheaper than nearly all other midsize family SUVs.

The result is one of the most affordable mid-size family SUVs on the market, yet one that also has all the mod-cons, including Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, a reversing camera, adaptive cruise control and plenty more. 

Heck, the MG HS even has a cabin that, at first glance, looks reasonably posh thanks to leather seats on all models. Start prodding and poking, however, and you’ll realise the materials don’t feel as nice as they look.

The HS has a choice of a petrol or plug-in hybrid drivetrains. The latter adds significantly to the car’s cost, and the former is pretty powerful but also thirsty – expect about 38mpg on a long trip. The HS’s automatic gearbox is also jerky at slow speeds and the suspension never really settles down on bumpy British roads, so the HS doesn’t drive as well as its rivals.

In short, you should consider an MG HS if you’re after excellent value, good rear-seat space and an acceptable boot, along with all the tech you could realistically want. Just be aware that rivals drive more comfortably and use less fuel.

You’ll be pleasantly surprised when you first hop into the seat of an MG HS. The dashboard layout and materials all look modern and leagues above a ‘budget’ car, but they don’t really stand up to further prodding. The leather seats feel a little more like PVC than real (or even posh artificial) animal hide, but they’re plenty comfy for long drives. 

The view out is also decent, save for a large blindspot at the rear corners of the car – but that’s also true of all its mid-size SUV rivals. A standard-fit reversing camera helps mitigate the blindspot when parking, and hybrid models get a full 360-degree surround-view camera to nail that bay park.

Every MG HS gets a duo of large screens. There’s a big digital driver’s display that shows things like fuel economy, tyre pressures and speed, while a large 10.1-inch central touchscreen infotainment system handles your media, climate control and navigation needs. This has bright colourful graphics, but it’s not without fault – it emits an annoying bong whenever you touch it, and it can be a fiddle to adjust your climate controls on the move. Thankfully you do have physical shortcut buttons under the screen for your front and rear demisters.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are included in the MG HS, but you’ll need to plug your phone into one of the HS’s two USB sockets to use it.

The MG HS’s entry-level sound system doesn’t sound especially bad, but it’s not as punchy or bassy as the Trophy model’s six-speaker sound system. Neither is up there with high-end sound systems from German rivals, but then you’re not paying German-rival money.

Entry-level MG HS SE models are so well equipped you’ll wonder why there’s a model above it. On the 2023-onward facelift models, SE versions of the HS get a leather-wrapped steering wheel and faux-leather seat upholstery, keyless entry and starting, as well as a 10.1-inch colour infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which powers a basic four-speaker sound system. On the outside, you’ll find LED headlights, silver roof rails, 18-inch alloy wheels, and a reversing camera with rear parking sensors. Standard-fit driving aids include adaptive cruise control that can stop and start in traffic jams.

Step up to a Trophy model and you get sportier front seats which are heated, dual-zone climate control, ambient lighting, a beefier six-speaker audio system, driving modes – including the questionable Super Sport button on the steering wheel – paddle shifters for the automatic gearbox, tinted rear windows and last but not least, an electrically powered boot lid.

Rear seat space in the MG HS is impressive, with plenty of space for six-foot rear passengers to sit behind equally tall drivers without fear of brushing the seatback with their knees. Headroom is also decent, and the cabin’s wide enough for three people to sit together for short journeys without becoming overfamiliar. A near-flat transmission tunnel means the centre-rear passenger has more foot room than most rivals.

Best of all is the relaxed seat-back angle – you sit nice and reclined to the extent your rear-seat passengers will be nodding off before you know it. You also have the option to angle the rear seats more upright to increase boot space. Charging options come via a pair of USB-A sockets on the back of the centre console. Overall, back-seat accommodation is right up there with a Volkswagen Tiguan.

Things aren’t quite so roomy in the boot. There’s a 463-litre load space in petrol models, which drops to 448 litres in plug-in hybrid versions – the drop in space comes about because the underfloor storage is snaffled up by batteries and space for cables. For context, the HS has a slightly smaller boot than the Nissan Qashqai, Kia Sportage and Skoda Karoq.

Flip the rear seats down in a petrol model and you’ve got a useful 1,375-litre space, but again it’s slightly below average for the class.

If you don’t want a hybrid then there’s only one engine choice in the MG HS – a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol with 163hp. It feels pretty brisk, but it’s seriously noisy under hard acceleration and you can expect real-world fuel economy of about 38mpg, which is middling at best.

The plug-in hybrid only improves efficiency by a few mpg, but it feels even quicker thanks to 260hp of combined petrol and electric output. It can travel for up to 32 miles on electric power alone.

One thing to note with the HS is its dual-clutch automatic gearbox – it’s one of the worst in any modern car on sale. It’s jerky at low speeds and sometimes gives the impression it’s going to stall. Want to pull away gently? You’ll need a ballerina’s delicate footwork if you don’t want to accidentally perform a racing start. It’s bad enough that we’d recommend the manual gearbox option. Oh, and don’t even think about pressing the Super Sport button on the steering wheel – it sharpens up the throttle response to the point of ridiculousness, leaving you with a jerky driving experience and no discernible difference in actual acceleration.

You can sidestep the dodgy automatic gearbox by picking the hybrid HS – its electric motor irons out most of the jerkiness.

Fitted with the 1.5-litre petrol engine, the HS gets from 0-62mph in 9.9 seconds. It feels a bit brisker in person than the number suggests, though it does make a right old racket when you rev it out.

The hybrid version’s combined 260hp output drops the 0-62mph dash to 6.9 seconds. It only feels that fast, however, when you really put your foot down but, in regular driving, the extra torque from the hybrid motor helps it pull away briskly.

It’s not the best SUV on the market to drive – in fact, in some ways, it’s nearer the bottom of the class. At higher speeds the suspension struggles to control the movements of the HS’s body, leaving you feel as if the suspension has turned to jelly, especially on bumpy roads.

While we don’t expect an SUV to feel like a sports car in the corners, there’s a vagueness to the HS’s steering that doesn’t encourage you to tackle twisty country roads at pace. A Skoda Karoq or Nissan Qashqai give you much more confidence.

The MG HS does iron out bumps reasonably well on battle-scarred British roads, but the suspension can end up feeling too soft and jiggling you about – it just doesn’t settle down like the best cars in this class, which isn’t great if your passengers are prone to feeling car sick.

That said, the HS has a reasonable range of adjustments in seat and steering wheel, and it sits you up quite high. If you like to put the seat on its lowest setting for a sportier vibe then you may feel the seat doesn’t go low enough – the driving position is defiantly old-school up-high SUV.

Refinement is largely OK – in fact, we reckon the HS is most at home doing a 70mph cruise, where there’s not much wind noise or tyre noise, and the irritating automatic gearbox has sorted itself out.