It was just six months ago that we tested the ‘new’ MG3 hatch.
It was yellow of course. For a while there, they all seemed to be finished in yellow which it turns out comes at no extra cost.
That was the petrol model, but we looked forward to driving the hybrid version with its promise of more power and better fuel economy.
Here it is and it’s blue not yellow, but it was certainly worth the wait – whether the extra $4000 they’re asking for the hybrid is worth it remains to be seen?
STYLING
The styling is contemporary; larger, sharper and more aggressive.
But MG3 remains a small hatch and as such rear legroom and boot space are limited. At least those in the back get their own air outlets.
Instead of the usual 60:40 split fold arrangement, the rear seat folds as a single unit, which means if you need to accommodate longer items, there’s no room left for a third person.
Now in its third generation, the MG3 has come a long way from its cheap and cheerful roots. In fact, apart from a disappointing safety rating, the latest version is a quantum leap forward by itself.
Priced from $26,567, the MG3 is available in two grades, Excite and Essence, with a choice of petrol and hybrid powertrains. The hybrid adds $4168 to the price of either grade, bringing the cost of the top spec Essence Hybrid to $32,189 plus on-road costs – our test vehicle.
Standard equipment includes cloth trim and single-zone air conditioning, with rear air vents, manual-adjust seats, 16-inch alloy wheels, push-button start, adaptive cruise control, auto halogen headlights, LED daytime running lights, rear parking sensors, electric auto fold side mirrors and follow me home lights.
The upmarket Essence adds a sunroof, LED headlights, keyless entry, rain-sensing wipers, leather-clad steering wheel, combination cloth and artificial leather trim and a front centre armrest.
In the hybrid, the space saver spare is replaced by a puncture repair kit.
MG3 is covered by an industry leading 10-year, 250,000km warranty, with service due every 12 months or 10,000km – whichever comes first.
INFOTAINMENT
Infotainment consists of a 10.25-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth with limited voice control, AM/FM radio, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and six-speaker audio.
Stepping up to the Essence adds DAB+ digital radio and satellite navigation.
There’s a USB A and C ports in the front, along with a 12-volt outlet, plus another USB-A port in the rear as well as another located near the base of the rear vision mirror, presumably for powering dash cams and the like.
iSmart provides remote access to the car and allows owners to unlock the doors and turn on the air conditioning.
SAFETY
MG3 scores a disappointing three stars from ANCAP.
Six airbags and a reverse camera are standard.
Also, standard is Autonomous emergency braking (Car-to-Car, Vulnerable Road User and Junction Assist) as well as a lane support system with lane keep assist (LKA), lane departure warning (LDW) and emergency lane keeping (ELK), are standard, together with Traffic jam assist, Steering, acceleration, braking assistance, blind-spot monitoring and Rear cross-traffic alert.
An advanced speed assistance system (SAS) with speed sign recognition is also standard.
Essence ups the ante with a 360 degree surround-view camera system.
ENGINES/TRANSMISSIONS
Petrol models produce 81kW of power and 142Nm of torque, with drive to the front wheels via a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT).
With a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated Atkinson style four, plus a 1.83kW battery, 100kW electric motor and generator, the system produces an impressive combined output of 155kW at 6000 rpm.
It’s front-wheel drive too, with a bespoke three-speed hybrid transmission this time – all managed by the Intelligent Control Unit.
DRIVING
The front seats are reasonably comfortable, at least over shorter runs, but the steering wheel lacks reach adjustment, so finding the ideal driving position could be a chore.
The design of the steering wheel itself, with a flat top and bottom, is different and can be a bit awkward at times.
This time around the touchscreen and instrument panels have been replaced with more responsive, free-standing units.
Although there’s a row of quick access buttons below the main screen, none provide control of cabin temperature.
Some controls are not labelled either, and it took some time to work out which buttons on the steering wheel activated cruise control (it’s the little steering wheel icon on the steering wheel).
The engine and electric motor are able to work in both series and parallel hybrid modes, in fact in eight different modes all told.
However, if the car is driven too hard for too long, the battery could be depleted and the power available to the driver reduced drastically.
The problem has been acknowledged by the company but at this stage has not been addressed as it has been with the similarly-powered ZS SUV.
With a 36-litre fuel tank, the hybrid version takes premium 95 unleaded and uses a claimed 4.3L/100km.
Three-stage regenerative braking reclaims energy normally lost during braking and is adjustable via the touchscreen.
This is far from ideal if you want to adjust braking on the fly and it reverts to the middle setting which can be annoying in some situations. However, you can set it as a favourite with a button on the steering wheel.
Driving the car for the first time, the MG3 Hybrid+ it feels lively and is super quiet inside, making for easy conversation.
In electric mode, like many EVs, it emits a buzzing noise to warn pedestrians of its approach. It’s overkill but probably a statutory requirement.
Ride and handling are competent, but the Kumho tyres are apt to produce a bit of noise on coarse bitumen.
In the hybrid the traditional transmission lever has been replaced by a space-saving rotary control.
It saves space but in practice it feels plasticky and usually takes a couple of attempts to achieve the desired result.
Switching between forward and reverse quickly can be tricky.
The dash from 0-100km/h takes 8.0 seconds and the hybrid feels as quick as it sounds, with punchy performance off the line or when overtaking.
With Eco, Sport and Standard drive modes, Sport sharpens up things slightly, but not sufficiently to go to the trouble of reactivating it each time the car is re-started.
Although it comes with CarPlay and Android Auto, both require a cable and wireless charging is conspicuously absent.
Our phone took a couple of goes to hook up, but after that it reconnected without any dramas.
Voice activation is limited to apps, or so the message said, and the built-in navigation in our test vehicle would not respond to commands.
We covered 377km at a rate of 4.9L/100km in a mix of city and motorway driving, including the Sydney afternoon exodus.
SUMMING UP
The MG3 hybrid is a keeper.
At the same time, it probably won’t attract return buyers looking for a rock bottom price.
We just wish MG would do something about the poor safety rating and the transmission issue, both of which could and perhaps should be deal breakers.
RATINGS
Looks: 7
Performance: 7.5
Safety: 5
Thirst: 7.5
Practicality: 8
Comfort: 7
Tech: 7
Value: 7.5
Overall: 7
