MG HS Hybrid 2021 review: PHEV

The MG HS PHEV is now the second most affordable mainstream plug-in hybrid in Australia, wearing an impressive drive-away price of just $46,990, and undercutting its relatively long-running Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV rival (from $47,490 before on-road costs), while  coming in slightly above the Hyundai Ioniq PHEV (Elite - $42,410 before on-roads).

Unlike its Hyundai rival , the MG plays in one of Australia’s most hotly contested segments, the mid-size SUV category, where it’s fairly likely to move more units.

MG is now backed by SAIC motor.

Those who actually realise the brand is no longer British tend to scoff at the idea that MG is now backed by SAIC motor in its newfound home country of China, but this no longer means cheap and cheerful. In fact, China is now one of the most hotly contested and technologically demanding markets in the world, and its domestic automakers (MG now included) have to move fast to keep up, much faster than the glacial pace that key Japanese rivals have become accustomed to.

Slow and steady might not win this one, though, with the HS PHEV truly  well equipped right out of the starting gate. It’s only available in the lineup’s top Essence trim, sporting 18-inch alloy wheels, a 10.1-inch multimedia touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, built-in navigation, a 12.3-inch digital dash, leather-look seat trim, a six-way power adjustable driver’s seat, with a four-way manually adjustable passenger seat, heated front seats, full LED front lighting, dual-zone climate control, cooled centre amrest box, an auto dimming rear vision mirror, as well as keyless entry with push-start ignition.

Not bad. There are things here which aren’t quite as premium as they appear, however; the “synthetic leather” interior trim is pretty average both in feel and appearance and the built-in satellite navigation is a laggy mess. Still, compromises must be made on such a keenly priced SUV. The HS PHEV also has the brand’s full active-safety suite, which has notably had a software upgrade for this year. We’ll take a closer look later in this review.

There are some odd things about the HS for the driver. For a start, the seating position is ridiculously high, even for an SUV. There’s something a little unnatural about it, although adjustability seems adequate, if a little limited. It provides a commanding view of the road, which is again what many buyers are searching for from vehicles in this segment, but it was hard for me to find a driving position that made this car feel engaging. It feels as though you're sitting on the car, rather than in it.

The seats, which look nice from a distance, are clad in cheap-feeling vinyl. They’re softly padded and comfortable after a whole day behind the wheel, but part of me questions the longevity of the materials. I will give the brand major props for continuing the soft finishes into the door cards and dash-topper, unlike many more affordable Japanese and Korean options.

Cabin storage for front passengers is good, with large door pockets with a bottle holder, large dual bottle holders in the centre console, and a decently sized centre console armrest box. There’s also a flip-open tray in front of the shift lever, which houses the USB port and 12v outlet, and is large enough for the stowage of phones and wallets.

One annoyance here  is the lack of a tactile climate unit. The functions are controlled through a screen in the multimedia unit, complete with the laggy stock software. In fact, software seems to be a problem generally, with a half-second delay present on most multimedia functions, as well as a low frame rate on the digital dash. Apple CarPlay saved me from the worst of it, but when considering  the price of a car,  surely it’s not much of a leap to have hardware capable of supporting such software functions.

The 10.1-inch multimedia touchscreen features Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The rear seat was truly impressive in terms of the amount of room available. I had leagues of space for my knees behind my own driving position, although  I think this is mainly to do with the angle of the seat backs, which, in their default position, are on a slight recline. 

The rear seats are impressive.

Rear passengers get a large bottle holder in the doors, dual USB ports, dual adjustable air vents, hard pockets on the backs of the front seats, and a surprisingly elaborate drop-down armrest with a flip-open storage tray and large dual bottle holders. MG seems to have thought of almost everything here, bar a third climate zone. There are also dual ISOFIX and three top-tether child-seat mounting points across the rear row.

Boot space comes in at 451 litres, which is perhaps a little below par for the segment. VW’s Tiguan, for example, has a massive 615-litre space, Honda’s CR-V has 522 litres, Hyundai’s Tucson has 488 litres, and you get the idea.

Due to the presence of a large battery pack to facilitate this car’s electric range, there’s also precious little underfloor storage, with a repair kit in lieu of a spare wheel. I will say MG is one of few manufacturers to actually spare a thought for the included household outlet to type 2 charging cable. The box serves as a spool for the cable itself, with a handy clip to keep it tidy once it’s furled up. There’s even a perfect cutaway for it under the boot floor. Neat.

The HS PHEV has a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which produces 119kW/250Nm. It trades away the occasionally clunky dual-clutch available in the rest of the range for a 10-speed torque converter automatic to drive the front wheels. This is combined with an electric motor on the front axle, which can make use of a surprisingly punchy 90kW/230Nm on its own.

To power the motor, the HS PHEV has a 16.6kWh battery pack under the floor, which is good for a combined 63km range under electric power alone.

The 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder unit produces 119kW/250Nm.

These are impressive figures for a plug-in hybrid, offering a good balance between electric and combustion capabilities. Unlike some PHEVs, though, the HS can either be driven in hybrid or EV mode, with no dedicated combustion mode. Unlike its rivals, there is also no customisability available for the regenerative braking.

With such impressive figures, the HS has low official/combined consumption numbers. In terms of fuel consumption, the HS’s official number is as low as 1.7L/100km. What this number means in the real world  will depend on how you choose to charge and drive it. 

The 63km electric range is more than enough for daily commutes, and with the motor’s outputs, it’s not sluggish either. While I’d like to see a full combustion mode, the only available EV mode proved to be very good in my time of testing, granting me several trips with no combustion usage at all.

The default hybrid mode is far more conservative when it comes to battery energy consumption, switching on the turbo engine under heavier acceleration, or when driving at medium speeds. I will say it does rely on the electric motor a lot at low speed, which is nice to see.

The HS’s official fuel number is as low as 1.7L/100km.

In my week of testing, the HS PHEV produced consumption figures of 3.7L/100km and 10.7kWh/100km. This is  a nice balance between fuel and energy consumption, and it is worth noting I ran the HS out of charge on my final day with it, so if you had the capacity to do your work commute on EV power alone you could probably get this number lower still.

When it comes to charging, the HS PHEV has a European-standard Type 2 port, able to charge on AC only at a max input of 7kW. MG says charging at this speed will give you the full 63km range in around two and a half hours. Expect significantly longer charge times of five hours or more using a 2.3kW wall socket, if this is your only option.

Fuel-wise, the HS requires mid-shelf 95RON unleaded petrol and has a 37-litre tank (down from 55 for the combustion-engined range).

Here’s an interesting one. MG’s strictly petrol-powered range is covered by a seven-year and unlimited-kilometre warranty, clearly aimed at replicating the market-breaking success of Kia before it. However, the fully electric models and plug-in hybrid variants like our HS PHEV here are only covered by a five-year unlimited-kilometre warranty, with battery components covered for eight years and 160,000km. Interesting. The brand justifies this by saying its electric models are “a different business” to its petrol range.

Capped-price servicing is on the way, but had not yet been confirmed by MG at the time of writing.