Text by Juha Remes

Autotoday’s test drive was the 2024 model year of the near-fire MG3 Hybrid Luxury version.

The MG3 will bring new competition to the small hybrid category in the European market. The debate about the arrival of Chinese cars in Europe has continued to be very tight and this will certainly contribute to shake it up. On the other hand, from the car user’s point of view, affordable and well-equipped cars are welcome on the market, and the ordinary consumer is not ultimately interested in global trade policy but in how much he or she will end up paying for the car.

The MG3 is bursting with new technology that has not been available in cars of this size to the same extent. When you add in the performance of the car, it easily emerges as a very potential option for a car buyer considering this size of car.
The car’s appearance is quite streamlined, but it sinks smoothly into the normal traffic flow with very much the same elegance as other comparable makes of car.

The first impression of the interior is of a stylish minimalist design. The interior material is faux leather upholstery combined with a taut fabric on the seats, and otherwise quilted fabric and plastic on the rest of the interior. The front console is very simple, with two screens peeking out, leaving good visibility out of the front window.

One of the screens is positioned in the centre of the steering wheel, acting as an instrument panel. The other central screen acts as the car’s steering wheel, behind which you’ll find the media system, navigation, climate control and other layout features.

The car’s steering wheel resembles a formula car steering wheel, with a really snappy driving feel. For the most part, the car is well equipped with driving-related switches, which I at least personally miss while driving, as all the pressing of computer screens behind different menus, especially while driving, is challenging and a safety hazard.

The biggest flaw here I found was the hiding of both the steering wheel heating and the front seat heater adjustment behind the computer menu. This proved to be one of the problems in the freezing temperatures of southern Finland, when I tried to tap the computer screen with my own cold-drying fingertips, where the moisture in my fingers was not enough to make contact at first attempt. And it was only after the car had warmed up a bit that I could get my fingers to respond to the screen.

The interior of the test car also corresponds quite well to the dimensions of this size of car. Taller people may find it challenging to fit into the front seat. Limited seat adjustment was one thing I missed, although the view from the front seats was otherwise very good.

Europeans are on average larger than Asians, so knee support would perhaps be a good addition to the seats, or electric adjustments for the seats, as the equipment is aimed at luxury anyway.

This completely reinvented car is more about other features than its looks or interior.

The traditional British ‘Morris’ is, in fact, now a reincarnation of the Chinese sports car, with hardly a trace of the Morris in name only.

Equipment and pricing

Prices for the model range start at €25 617, with only the metallic paintwork added for €705 in the test drive version, so the test drive car leaves the shop with a price tag of €26 322.

The package includes a really wide range of equipment, which sets the MG3 apart from its size class all on its own. Buyers don’t have to think much about the car in the shop other than choosing the colour, everything else is standard equipment. Of course, you can at least get a tow hook as an option.

There is also a standard version of the car with some of the optional extras cut out, but it is not yet available in Finland.

The main power source for the front-wheel drive MG3 hybrid is a 100 kW electric motor supported by a 75 kW, 1.5 litre petrol engine. Technically, the car’s petrol engine mainly supplies the electric motor with electrical energy, and the car’s total power output with this engine combination is 143 kW, producing 420 Nm of torque.

This is a considerable power figure for a car of this size, but it also takes its toll on the car’s fuel consumption figures, which the manufacturer claims to be 4.4 litres per 100 km.

The car has three different driving modes [sport] [normal] and [eco] and is powered by a three-speed automatic gearbox.

These powerplants produce a rather ‘modest’ acceleration of 8 seconds to 100 km/h, with a top speed of 170 km/h.

Quite exceptional features for this size, and when you add to that the 5 second acceleration from 80km/h to 120 km/h that emphasises overtaking acceleration, the performance is sizzling, sporty for the size and price range.

The test car’s range of equipment included: heated steering wheel, 10.25-inch info/driving display and 7-inch instrument cluster, power windows front and rear, automatic air conditioning, electric parking brake, LED daytime running lights, sat nav, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, reversing camera, 360-view camera, rear parking sensors, Bluetooth, 4 usb ports, adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, 16-inch alloy wheels, 6-speaker audio system, LED headlights, keyless entry, lane departure warning. Lane assist and rear cross traffic detection.

The car comes with a 7-year manufacturer’s warranty and there is also a very affordable service package for this period. There is also a very affordable lease available for those who wish to lease.

In preparation for the test drive

When I sat in the car, what caught my eye most was the steering wheel and the small display screen that rises up in the middle of it, showing all the driving-related information about the speed, the current speed limit, consumption data and also a ‘Tesla-like’ road map showing the vehicles alongside, as well as the traffic in front and behind.

In terms of control devices, most of the basic functionalities followed traditional ideas from decades ago.

The steering wheel featured audio system-related “joystick”-like controls, and on the other side a cruise control, as well as “auto-pilot” controls for adjusting speed, auto-driving and lane-keeping features, and adjusting the distance to the vehicle ahead.

These functionalities were reasonably quick to deploy and easy to control while driving. The centre console offers a single gearshift setting [D] [R] [N] and [P], plus drive mode setting and an electronic handbrake switch.

The instrument cluster is quite small, especially for the more visually impaired, and the text size of the consumption figures is small to read. The gauge display is, of course, versatile and fits well in the centre of the steering wheel. It fits quite well in the driver’s field of vision, but it’s simply too small for the dirt.

The car’s side mirrors are quite large and offer good visibility to the rear, and the traditional rear view mirror in the middle provides a comprehensive view to the rear. In addition, the 3560-degree camera gives a great deal more visual appeal when parking and manoeuvring the car in tight spaces.

There is comfortable space for the driver and co-driver, and the elbow rest hits the centre console reasonably well. On the other hand, I would have liked to see the leg length supported by a longitudinal adjustment, as the seat was a bit short and when driving a bit longer distances, there is little room for the accelerator foot. Otherwise, the car seats are well buttoned, and the headrest was in the right position, so adjusting to the driving position is reasonably smooth.

The test drive was carried out on various types of traditional Finnish roads

The Finnish autumn has been exceptionally warm, so our test drive was conducted in summer-like conditions, with a good dose of heavy rain and dry sunshine. We also ended up with a touch of misty autumn darkness, testing the conditions at night.

The driving experience included motorways, roads of various sizes and also very winding roads, as well as dirt roads. The total distance covered was 568 kilometres, using 31 litres of fuel, giving an average consumption of 5.46 litres per 100 kilometres, about a litre more than the factory’s statement.

However, the performance of the car was something you would not have expected in advance. Overtaking on the highway was smooth, and perhaps not all motorists can even imagine a “little car” of this size even trying to overtake them on the highway. Perhaps the co-drivers were in for a bit of a surprise.

And at the same time they witnessed traditional Finnish traffic on the road. So often people drive at speeds of less than 80 kilometres per hour in the traditional 100 km/h speed limit zone, slowly gathering a queue of cars behind them.

When a car comes from behind, and this time the “little car” smoothly overtakes, and continues at the speed limit of 100 km/h, the “little car” is quickly followed by several speeding cars, who so happily drove 20 km/h slower a moment before, well below the speed limit before. This was witnessed on the new MG3 several times during the test drive.

Another pleasant surprise was that there was hardly any road noise inside the car. The engine noise was not very loud even at 120 km/h. The media system was quite well set up, so the radio and music could be heard very well from the front seats.

Radio reception in rural areas required frequency changes on stations which should normally (RDS) settings should correct automatically, but did not always, whether this was a fault of the user remains to be investigated.

The car’s driveability on the road was excellent. The car grips the road well, both on winding tarmac roads and on bumpy dirt roads. This was exceptional for a car of this size, the car was really flat and handled well, as if it was bigger and more expensive for its size.

The steering is quite stiff “sports car-like” requiring some getting used to for those used to a softer feel. The steering wheel was really snappy, and I liked the design. The car’s three-speed automatic gearbox was jerky in places, and could do with a little improvement, although the transmission otherwise worked well.

Other driving features, such as lane departure warning, cruise control and auto-pilot on the motorway, are not available in this size class. The steering assist was a powerful feature, and even that certainly takes a bit of getting used to.

In addition, the car has a safety feature, a warning system that monitors the driver’s hands on the steering wheel. There was nothing I could do to position my hands in such a way that the warning sounds would not come on from time to time, requiring both hands on the steering wheel, especially when my hands were firmly on the steering wheel at all times.

This sound was a bit like an airplane altitude stall warning sound, so it does draw the driver’s attention to the warning, but one wonders why it is pointing out something that should be fine, probably also an adjustable feature that was not looked at in detail this time.

The car’s high beams also proved to be really good in the autumn darkness. Similarly, the contrast when switching to low beam was remarkable, the low beam not quite matching the high beam in autumn darkness.

A slight criticism can be made of the car’s air conditioning, whose temperature settings are probably not quite calibrated for Finnish conditions, especially when using the [Auto] setting.

You have to change the temperature in both cold and warm weather separately by hand to get it to feel right. The question arises whether the Chinese scale of 22 C is the same as we are used to in Finland.

The navigator is minimalist. The screen shows the route and the times and distances involved in the journey. In the dark, the navigator does not change the colours to a darker shade, as a navigator typically does. It remains a little bright, but the brightness settings for this may be adjustable to better suit the driver.

Overall, the car felt pretty good in Finnish road conditions and especially considering the size and price range of the car. The car is functional, drives dynamically in a variety of road conditions and easily fits into tight spaces in shopping centres and is comfortably agile in the city.

Facilities

The interior of the car is very similar for its size. There’s seating for three in the back, but adults can really only fit two at most in my opinion. The middle seat is not a place I would want to sit, at least not for a longer journey.

The luggage compartment can hold shopping bags quite comfortably, but maybe just one larger bag of game equipment. On the other hand, I wouldn’t start stuffing a longer hockey stick into the car, but would prefer not to.

The car can be fitted with a tow hook and has a towing capacity of 500kg.

Summary

The MG3 test drive was a really positive surprise, a nice driving experience. A small car, affordable price and an electrifying powerhouse. It’s certainly a tough contender in its size class, even if winter driving has yet to be tested. The car is packed with new technology that will surely change the market for this size of car forever. Not only does it have a high price and a limited range of accessories, like many larger cars in the more expensive price range, but it comes with a wealth of equipment as standard!

The fact that a new standard of equipment is being created in this class will also permanently shape future consumer habits.
In my opinion, this is a small family car, best suited to a family of two or three. At the same time, it is worth noting that this is not just a ‘shopping bag’ for the family, but a car that can travel longer distances quite comfortably in a variety of road conditions.

MG3 Hybrid Luxury

• Combustion engine power: 1.5 litre 75kW (102hp) which generates electricity for the car’s 100kw (136hp) electric motor, as well as providing some power for driving alongside the electric motor.
• Maximum engine torque: 420 Nm.
• Acceleration: 8 sec (0-100 km/h) and top speed 170 km/h
• Manufacturer’s declared combined fuel consumption: 4.4 l/100 km (CO2 emissions 100 g/km).
• Fuel tank capacity: 36 litres
• Tare weight: 1308 kg.
• Boot capacity: 293 l.
• Traction: front-wheel drive
• Wheelbase: 2570 mm
• Length: 4113 mm, width: 1797 mm and height 1502 mm
• Ground clearance: 148 mm
• Towing capacity: 1500 kg.
• Tyre size 195/44 R16
• Starting price: €25 617
• Test drive price: €26 322