New MG HS review

The new MG HS you see here may be a world away from the two-seaters MG found fame with, but that's not been a bad thing for the car maker's bottom line.

Since the original HS was launched, this family SUV has sold in big numbers, and – striking while the iron's hot – MG has launched a new version for 2024. You might remember that the HS was restyled last year, but as you can see from the photos, this time the changes are more radical.

As well as a new look, the model has been given an updated infotainment system and more standard equipment. Best of all, the new HS continues the Chinese-owned brand's reputation for offering value for money so the updates come with barely any price increase.

Engine wise, you can choose between a regular petrol or a petrol plug-in hybrid (PHEV) which MG says has a whopping official electric range of 75 miles.

Can the latest MG HS match the Ford Kuga or Mazda CX-5 for sportiness, or the Citroën C5 Aircross and Peugeot 5008 for practicality? In other words, how do we rate it against the best family SUVs? Read on to find out...

The MG HS’s 1.5-litre petrol engine – badged 1.5 T-GDi – is flexible enough in normal driving, although it doesn't pick up as quickly from low revs as the 1.2-litre petrol in the Citroën C5 Aircross. The HS is fairly brisk when you work the engine really hard, officially sprinting from 0-62mph in 9.6 seconds with an automatic gearbox or 9.4 seconds with a manual. 

Speaking of which, the 1.5 T-GDi's standard six-speed manual gearbox is pleasant to use. It's not as slick as the equivalent in the Mazda CX-5 but it's more precise than the C5 Aircross's.

Meanwhile, the optional seven-speed dual-clutch automatic suits a slower driving style. If you've got a light right foot, it's smooth when moving off from a standstill or changing gears, but when you try to pull away quickly, the HS lurches forwards clumsily.

The HS Plug-in – the PHEV version – is a different ball game. Its official 0-62mph time is 6.9 seconds – which is slightly quicker than a Ford Kuga PHEV – and it feels lively in all situations. Even more impressively, early official figures suggest the HS PHEV can run on electric power alone for up to 75 miles. For comparison, the Kuga officially manages 42 miles, the Kia Sportage PHEV 43 and the Hyundai Tucson PHEV 33.

MG has also confirmed that a full-hybrid (HEV) version will join the HS range in early 2025, bringing a potentially happy medium between the two current engine options.

The HS Plug-in is quiet in electric mod, and remains relatively hushed when the petrol engine starts up. It only develops a noticeably coarse edge if you work it hard and take it past 4000rpm. The same applies to the non-PHEV version. Wind and road noise are acceptable at 70mph, but the C5 Aircross and Kuga are quieter.

Suspension varies depending on the engine choice. The regular petrol's set-up is decent rather than impressive. There’s a slight but constant fidget and larger undulations cause you to move around in your seat. It’s not uncomfortable and avoids the floaty feeling of the soft C5 Aircross over undulations, but it misses out on that car’s wafting ability on motorways and A-roads.

The HS is more comfortable than some versions of the firmer-sprung CX-5, but its less-firm ride means it's also less agile. There’s less body lean through corners in the HS than in the roly-poly C5 Aircross, but we wish the MG’s steering was a bit more precise and better weighted.

The HS PHEV gets stiffer suspension to deal with the added weight of the battery. For the most part it does a good job of managing the weight, remaining pretty smooth and settled at 70mph, but there’s a fair thump when you hit sharper or more substantial imperfections.

The extra weight affects the handling, with significantly more body lean and less grip. If you’re looking for a PHEV that’s more engaging and comfortable, try the Kuga or Sportage.

“I'm properly impressed by the 75-mile official range of the plug-in hybrid HS. Okay, you'll struggle to get that far in the real world, but most people will still have no trouble completing the majority of journeys purely on electric power.” – Dan Jones, Reviewer

A low starting price often implies rough edges and cut corners, but there’s an awful lot to like about the MG HS’s interior. MG has made a real effort to lift its quality, adding tactile perforated leather on the steering wheel and huge swathes of soft-touch plastic and faux-leather on the dashboard and doors.

When it comes to showroom appeal, the HS rates really highly, especially in Trophy trim and with optional tan leather. When you poke around the interior, the HS feels fairly high quality, although it's not a match for a Citroën C5 Aircross and doesn’t get close to a Mazda CX-5.

The driving position in the HS lines you up well with the steering wheel and pedals. Better still, every version comes with a six-way adjustable driver’s seat and adjustable lumbar support as standard, making it easy to get comfortable.

If you go for the Trophy trim level, the driver's seat is upgraded to an electrically adjustable one with heating and a handy memory function.

Visibility is a bit of a mixed bag. You see, forward visibility over the bonnet is good, but your view out at junctions is hampered by the sleek, highly angled front windscreen pillars and their positioning with the wing mirrors, leaving no gap between the pair to see what’s coming. 

Rear visibility is pretty good with small windows cut into the large rear pillars, helping you to see what’s next to you. To make parking easier, you get front and rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera with every HS. You can even upgrade the camera to a 360-degree one, if you opt for the top Trophy trim.

All versions come with a 12.3in touchscreen sitting in a long binnacle that connects it to a 12.3in digital driver's display behind the steering wheel. The driver's display is quite impressive and allows you to show a full screen map alongside the speedometer.

The new HS infotainment system looks great thanks to the bright display and responds to your inputs quickly enough, but it has its annoyances.

Unlike in the previous HS, you control everything through the touchscreen and don’t have any permanent shortcuts on the screen. As a result, you’re forced to delve into multiple menus every time you want to make adjustments, including to the air-conditioning.

Granted, there are some proper buttons below the screen but they don't do much more than turn on the window demisters.

“It’s a real shame that almost all of the physical buttons in the HS have been removed. The new infotainment system is a step up in regards to its screen resolution and speed, but I found adjusting the air conditioning very distracting.” – Dan Jones, Reviewer

The MG HS has always been a big car, and the latest version is even bigger, having grown in length and width. No matter which MG HS you go for or how tall you are, you’ll have no issues when it comes to head or leg room in the front. What’s more, the interior is wide, preventing you from rubbing shoulders with your front seat passenger.

There’s a small lidded cubby in front of the gearlever, with a couple of USB ports and a 12V socket. The cupholders are a good size and there’s more storage under the sliding centre armrest, although that does block the cupholders when you move it to its forward position.

In the rear, tall adults will find they have plenty of space between their knees and the backs of the front seats, and even a 6ft adult won’t feel too hemmed in by the HS’s roof. It’ll still be a little tight with three people sitting side-by-side in the rear, but it’s definitely passable.

Indeed, there’s more space in the back of the HS than you’ll find in the Citroën C5 Aircross. The Honda CR-V gives you more room than both.

Whichever engine you choose, the HS has 507 litres of boot space. That’s an increase of 44 litres over the previous HS, but still not enough to beat the Kia Sportage (562 litres) or the C5 Aircross (580). Meanwhile, the CR-V and Hyundai Tucson offer even more space.

You can drop the HS's rear seats in a 60/40 configuration, increasing the load space to 1,484 litres. That's handy – although the Peugeot 5008 has a more versatile 40/20/40 split. 

The HS does give you reclining rear seats, although they don't slide back and forth, and there's a useful covered storage area under the boot floor.

“While the boot of the HS is big enough to take my wakeboarding kit, families with a couple of children will probably wish it was more spacious.” – Dan Jones, Reviewer

List price is where the MG HS really comes into its own, with the entry-level SE version costing only a little more than the VW T-Cross small SUV and the Citroën C5 Aircross.

Indeed, even the top-spec Trophy trim with a regular petrol engine costs less than the entry-level Kia Sportage and much less than the entry-level Hyundai Tucson. 

Likewise, the HS Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) is competitively priced, undercutting the Ford Kuga PHEV with relative ease. That said, most manufacturers usually offer bigger discounts than MG so it's always wise to check the latest prices on our New Car Deals pages.

The HS's entry-level SE trim comes with 19in alloy wheels, keyless entry and start, rain-sensing wipers, cruise control (adaptive cruise control if you go for the optional automatic gearbox), an auto-dimming rear-view mirror and lots of other kit.

We’d happily suggest sticking with the SE, but top-spec Trophy trim has merit. It doesn’t cost all that much more and adds dual-zone air-conditioning, an upgraded six-speaker stereo, a powered tailgate, driving modes, rear privacy glass and heated electrically adjustable seats. 

If you’re thinking of running the HS as a company car will want to go for the HS PHEV, because its impressive EV range and low CO2 emissions put it in the 8% BIK tax bracket. That’s lower than all its family SUV rivals, ultimately costing you less each month.

Private buyers, meanwhile, will want to know that the pure petrol engine should manage up to 38.2mpg, which isn’t terrible by any means. The PHEV will officially average more than 150mpg, but that's unrealistic in the real world unless you mainly run on power from the battery (which takes three hours to charge from 0-100% with a 7kW home wall box.

Every HS has automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane-keeping assistance, blind-spot monitoring, automatic high-beam assist and rear cross-traffic alert. There’s also a driver attention monitoring system on all models, but it’s very sensitive and we think it tells you off more than is necessary, which can get annoying.

Even so, the long list of standard safety equipment is all but unheard of at this price point, and helped earn the pre-2024 HS a full five-star Euro NCAP crash-test rating in 2019. There were some weaknesses with adult chest protection and child head protection in a crash and, overall the C5 Aircross with safety pack proved safer.

MG didn’t perform particularly well in the 2023 What Car? Reliability Survey coming 25th out of 32 manufacturers ranked. On the plus side, all MGs come with a seven-year/80,000-mile warranty, which is better than almost anything else out there.

“If, like me, you appreciate value for money, then the HS is very tempting. Not only does it manage to undercut almost all of its rivals on price, but it also gets loads of standard equipment regardless of which trim you go for.” – Dan Jones, Reviewer

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