With new design language from the MG4 hatch, the latest HS is much slicker in its presentation.

There are far more soft touch materials than you might expect for the price, including on the dash-top, door cards and as padding where the driver and passenger rest their knees.

It is a lot more insulated than the car it replaces helping to reduce stress when on the road.

The MG HS comes standard with metallic paint, dusk-sensing LED headlights, 18-inch alloy wheels, adaptive cruise control, auto wipers, keyless entry and push-button start, tyre pressure monitoring, a six-speaker sound system, nice cloth upholstery and six-way power adjust driver’s seat are standard.

Optional extras include 19-inch alloy wheels, perforated synthetic leather upholstery, navigation, fog lights and MG’s 'iSmart' connectivity system on the mid-spec Excite.

A fully-loaded HS adds panoramic sunroof, rear privacy class, a power tailgate, front parking sensors, wireless phone charging, eight-speaker audio, 10-way power adjustable driver’s seat with memory, seat heating and wireless phone charging to the mix.

The MG HS petrol uses a new 1.5-litre turbo four-cylinder developing 125kW at 5000rpm and 275Nm between 3000-4000rpm.

It is hooked up to a slick seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

There are two hybrid variants available, too, with a punchy revised plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and regular plugless hybrid on offer.

The MG HS has comfortable and supportive seats. All variants have at least six-way power-adjust for the driver and manual passenger settings. A tilting/telescoping wheel adjustment makes it easy to find a comfortable driving position.

Cloth upholstery is standard while up-spec variants feature synthetic leather upholstery and the range-topping Essence even gets a tan colour option.

The rear seat is spacious for those up to and above 180cm tall. An optional panoramic sunroof brings light in and soft-touch door plastics are standard across the range — a rare win at this price.

The MG HS petrol can sprint from 0-100km/h in 9.6 seconds (claimed).

MG does not publish a top speed for the HS but it is at least 160km/h.

In the ADR combined fuel efficiency cycle, the MG HS petrol is rated at 6.9L/100km, emitting 156 grams of CO2 per kilometre.

A 55-litre fuel tank gives the HS petrol a theoretical driving range of around 800km and it requires 95 RON premium unleaded petrol.