- Prices start at £14,995
- All-new engine
- First in a new line of MG models
The first MG SUV has thrown down the gauntlet to potential rivals by pricing the new QS from £14,995 to £19,495.
The figure significantly undercuts major opponents to the newcomer, which goes on sale on Thursday 16th May.
The first MG SUV has been principally designed and engineered at MG’s Longbridge base in Birmingham, where the brand has a specific studio working alongside the facilities of its Chinese parent company.
The car is launching as a front-wheel-drive petrol-engined model only, the brand emphasising that such a format is favoured in the retail market that is expected to form 90 per cent of QS sales.
The engine is all-new, a 1.5-litre unit with 163bhp and torque of 184lbft of torque, developed by MG in partnership with GM. It’s mated to either a six-speed manual or MG’s first auto transmission, a seven-speed dual-clutch unit. While turning in a sub 10-second 0-62mph time, in manual form the GS offers CO2 emissions of 139g/km, the DCT 2g/km more.
The MG SUV is offered with three trim levels, dubbed Explore, Excite and Exclusive. Despite the budget price the specification of entry-level models includes cruise control, automatic headlamps and air conditioning.
Excite models cost from £17,495 and among additions include DAB radio, Bluetooth connectivity and rear parking sensors. And the Exclusive, costing from £19,495, gains electrically adjustable leather sports seats and a navigation system. This trim is also the only one available with DCT transmission, at £20,995.
The price might invite comparisons between the MG and other budget models from the likes of SsangYong, but MG insists it has benchmarked its model against major players in the market, and sees the likes of the Mazda CX-5, Kia Sportage and even the secotr-leading Nissan Qashqai as its prime rivals.
MG head of sales and marketing Matthew Cheyne describes the GS as competitive in many ways and is confident it will do well in the SUV market.
“This car offers so much for comparatively little, making it the SUV to choose – the specification on these cars is phenomenal and when you add in the five year warranty it’s a no-brainer,” Cheyne says.
The GS is expected to sell around 2,000 examples in a full year and while it is the brand’s first launch in three years it will kick off a product offensive. A new B-segment SUV to launch in 2017 is predicted to become the brand best-seller, and will be followed in the following year by a completely new version of the MG3 supermini.
Keyword: First MG SUV starts from £14,995