MG Motor UK HS review

• Overview
• What is it?
• What do you get for your money?
• What’s it like to drive?
• Is the interior any better?
• Our choice from the range
• What's the verdict?
• Kia Sportage
• Peugeot 3008
• Nissan Qashqai
• Driving
• What is it like to drive?
• Not exactly a glowing review. What’s the ride like? 
• Is it efficient?
• Interior
• What is it like on the inside?
• What’s the tech like?
• Speaking of storage space…
• Buying
• What should I be paying?
• What’s the difference between trim levels?
• What’s the best spec?

Overview

What is it?

Only the UK’s best-selling car in January. Yep, somewhat surprisingly MG’s mid-size SUV, which arrived back in 2019, topped the UK’s sales chart in the first month of 2023. It’s since slipped down the pecking order, but we’ll let it bask in its former glory a little longer.

We say somewhat surprisingly, because it’s no understatement to say the HS is a little… dull to look at. Not exactly going to have the neighbours glancing enviously in your direction, is it? Which means we can really only put its popularity down to one factor: value for money.

Because with prices starting from £23,495, it undercuts pretty much every one of mid-size SUV segment rivals – including the likes of the Kia Sportage, Peugeot 3008, Nissan Qashqai, Vauxhall Grandland, Seat Ateca and Skoda Karoq – by a couple of grand at least. Which, in the current economic climate, matters. Though if it’s space you want on a shoestring budget, don’t forget the Dacia Jogger exists.

What do you get for your money?

You’ve the choice of a standard 1.5-litre turbo petrol, or a plug-in hybrid variant (which starts from £31,095) that pairs the same 1.5-litre turbo petrol with a 90kW (121bhp) electric motor and 16.6kWh battery. That’s it. Both are front-wheel drive.

The former gets 160bhp, does 0-60mph in 9.6 seconds and a top speed of 118mph, while you’ve the choice of a six-speed manual or seven-speed DCT gearbox (the auto adds £1.5k to the list price).

The PHEV delivers 254bhp though a 10-speed auto, manages 0-60mph in 6.9 seconds and has an identical top speed, while MG claims an all-electric range of up to 32 miles from the small battery. An empty to full charge using a Type 2 cable takes four and a half hours.

What’s it like to drive?

We’ve only driven the hybrid so far, and with its vague steering, bouncy ride and unrefined powertrain, first impressions weren’t great.

You start in e-mode by default, with the engine taking over as the speed picks up, but the handover isn’t the smoothest and when the engine does kick in, it’s noticeably vocal. You also get lots of vibration through the steering wheel and pedals, which takes some getting used to.

MG’s e-range claims are a little far-fetched too: we saw around 20 miles in the real world. More on that over on the Driving tab.

Is the interior any better?

It’s actually rather pleasant in here, if a little old school. Though you do get a fully digital instrument panel and 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system – compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto – and a handy row of shortcut buttons. Special mention to the turbine design air vents, too.

MG has tried to give it an upmarket feel with leather dash, soft-touch doorcards, and chrome detailing, and there’s more than enough room for four adults to be seated comfortably, though the boot is on the small side. Head over to the Interior tab for more.

Quick word on trim levels, too, which are refreshingly simple. You’ve just two to choose from, Excite and Exclusive, with the latter commanding a £2.5k premium over the former – click through to the Buying section for a full breakdown. All models also get MG’s seven-year manufacturer’s warranty as standard.

Our choice from the range

MG Motor UK

1.5 TGI Excite 5dr

£20,230

The MG HS seems to be enjoying a new lease of life in 2023 as everyone’s finances get squeezed, but when you consider the £23,495 starting price – for a mid-size SUV, need we remind you – it makes perfect sense.

It’s far from the best car in its sector to drive but nor does it claim to be, instead nailing its brief as an unpretentious, spacious, cheap car. There’s nothing glitzy or glamorous about it, but it’s comfy enough and gets you from A to B with little fuss.

If you can ignore the badge snobbery and forgive the bland looks and dull drive, this is a decent enough family car. Throw in MG’s seven-year manufacturer’s warranty and we can understand the appeal.

Kia Sportage

£20,085 – £42,495

Peugeot 3008

Nissan Qashqai

£19,970 – £38,495

Continue reading: Driving

Driving

What is it like to drive?

We’ve only driven the PHEV variant so far, so it’s the one we’ll focus on here: it mates a 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine with a 90KW (121bhp) electric motor and 16.6kWh battery for a combined output of 254bhp.

As you’d expect, it defaults to electric mode on start-up, which it largely sticks in around town, as long as you’ve got range left. You can preserve the battery via the touchscreen should you wish, though we’d have liked a shortcut button. Zero to 60mph takes a respectable 6.9 seconds, with the engine kicking in from around 20mph upwards.

However, the transition from e-mode to engine is far from the smoothest, and the engine is rather noisy when it does kick in: it constantly grumbles away in the background. Our biggest issue, however, is the persistent vibration that shudders through the steering wheel and pedals, even at low speeds. Hmm.

Not exactly a glowing review. What’s the ride like? 

You sit high, as is the SUV way, but the softly sprung suspension results in a huge amount of bounce – even with the extra 200kg kerbweight over the standard petrol model – meaning potholes and suchlike are approached with trepidation, and you find yourself slowing down for them far more than should really be necessary.

As you’d expect, there’s also a fair amount of pitch and roll when cornering, which can be a little unnerving. It’s not that it’s not comfortable (it is), it’s just not as dynamic as rivals like Peugeot 3008. Still, at motorway speeds it’s quiet and refined with just a small amount of wind noise.

Is it efficient?

MG claims 37.9mpg for the manual and 36.6mpg for the DCT in the standard petrol, with over 400 miles reportedly possibly from a single tank. We’re yet to drive either, mind.

The PHEV variant claims 155.8mpg, which as ever, you can ignore – we saw around 40mpg taking in a mix of city and motorway driving – and against the reported 32 miles of e-range, around 20 miles day-to-day. Fine for the school/supermarket run, less so if you’re headed further afield, when you then have to lug the redundant battery and e-motor around.

Worth mentioning here that all models also get MG Pilot as standard, which is just MG’s term for its advanced driver assistance suite including emergency braking, lane keep, speed limit and traffic jam assist, adaptive cruise control, and all the rest.

Previous: Overview

Continue reading: Interior

Interior

What is it like on the inside?

The nicest way we can put it is that it feels more premium in here than the price would suggest. And there’s plenty of common sense employed too.

You get a good-sized steering wheel complete with regular buttons, comfortable seating (though we found the fronts too high for our liking), space for four adults, high-quality feeling materials (including leather dash and soft-touch doorcards), chrome detailing throughout, those particularly eye-catching turbine design air vents, and more.

What’s the tech like?

The instrument cluster is fully digital with the speedo and power percentage permanently displayed on the left and right respectively, and the middle can be customised to show info such as economy, power source and tyre pressures etc.

In the centre of the dash sits a 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system, which, while nothing special visually, works well enough and is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

While the climate controls are buried in the touchscreen, it’s not quite as difficult to navigate as some of the HS’s competitors thanks to a handy row of shortcut buttons (think home, volume, front/rear demisters) sitting just underneath. Plus two USB ports.

You’ll find two more USBs in the rear as well, and there’s a foldout arm rest that opens to reveal more storage space and twin cup holders. Neat.

Speaking of storage space…

The standard petrol model gets 463 litres of boot space seats up and 1,454 seats down, while the plug-in hybrid variant gets slightly less at 448/1,375 litres respectively on account of the battery under the boot floor.

The hybrid’s boot is noticeably shallow as a result too, with the floor parallel with the boot lip and just a small (and we mean small) space underneath for any charging cables.

To give you some perspective, that makes it less practical than the Nissan Qashqai, Seat Ateca, Vauxhall Grandland, Peugeot 3008, Skoda Karoq and Kia Sportage. Ouch.

Previous: Driving

Continue reading: Buying

Buying

What should I be paying?

The 1.5-litre turbo petrol starts from £23,495 and the 1.5-litre turbo PHEV starts from £31,095. On lease you’re looking at around £365 and £535 respectively with a £5k down payment, 10,000-mile limit and four-year repayment period through MG’s own finance scheme.

Rivals? A Seat Ateca, Nissan Qashqai and Skoda Karoq all start from just over £26k, while a Kia Sportage (nearly £28k) Vauxhall Grandland (£29k) and Peugeot 3008 (£32.5k) are pricier still, making the HS comfortably the cheapest.

That said, if it’s a bargain you’re after above all else, is a £17k Dacia Jogger not worth a look instead?

What’s the difference between trim levels?

The entry-level Excite comes with 18-inch alloys, auto headlamps and wipers, keyless entry, push button start, a 10.1-inch colour touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, rear parking sensors and 360-degree parking camera, heated folding mirrors and silver roof rails as standard.

Top spec Exclusive trim adds a powered tailgate, panoramic roof (with electric opening sunroof – when did you last see one of those?), full-leather upholstery in black or red and black, with ambient interior lighting, sports-style front seats, metal pedals, and LED headlights and indicators.

Arctic White (regular petrol only) and Holborn Blue are your only standard colours. All others are £595, aside from the Dynamic Red you see pictured above, which sets you back an extra hundred quid on top.

What’s the best spec?

We’d wager that anyone considering one of these is doing so on a budget and on that basis alone we’d go for the standard 1.5-litre petrol over the PHEV, which offers a substantial £7,600 saving. Which is substantial when you think real-world economy was barely any different.

Being frugal we’d also go for the base-spec (yet still impressively equipped) Excite trim. MG’s seven-year warranty is the icing on the cake.

Previous: Interior

Continue reading: Specs & Prices

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