Item: MG GS
Rating: 2
Author: What Car? Team

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MG GS

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Introduction

Performance & drive

Interior

Passenger & boot space

Costs & verdict

The GS has a headline-grabbing starting price, but&nbsp;this is naturally restricted to the entry-level trim. The trouble is, Explore is a strange spec, with things such as automatic headlights, electric windows and air conditioning, yet no Bluetooth or remote locking.

We’d spend a little extra on Excite, which is far more recommendable, adding cruise control, Bluetooth, a DAB radio, MirrorLink, a rear-view camera and an 8.0in colour touchscreen. The range-topping Exclusive pushes the GS's price closer to its better rivals, with luxuries such as electric door mirrors, leather seats and sat-nav, but we’d stick with Excite.

Also hindering the GS is its single engine option. It’s a powerful petrol unit and doesn’t have as great CO2 emissions or fuel economy when compared with petrol versions of cars such as the Nissan Qashqai, Kia Sportage, <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/seat/ateca/estate/review/n111">Seat Ateca</a> and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/skoda/kodiaq/estate/review/n17362">Skoda Karoq</a>. Add in the fact that the GS won’t hold onto its value as well as these rivals and it's difficult to justify for private or company car buyers.

In a bargain-basement shoot-out with its closest rival, the Dacia Duster, the GS will cost you more. Whether you're buying in cash or on a PCP finance deal, the Duster is much better value, and it costs less as a company car, too.

MG offers an impressive five-year, 80,000-mile warranty as standard, though, which is more impressive than many of its rivals', including the Duster's.

In terms of safety, however, the GS disappoints, with automatic emergency braking not even available as an option on any trim.

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The 1.5-litre petrol engine is surprisingly quick; in a straight dash from 0-62mph, it will actually see off the Volkswagen Up GTI. But you're unlikely to be choosing between a GS and a baby hot hatch, so the more relevant comparison is against the Dacia Duster, and the GS absolutely wipes the floor with it. The GS revs sweetly, easily coping with a full quota of passengers and luggage.

The accelerator pedal is overly sensitive&nbsp;though, so it can make the GS jerky to drive in stop-start traffic. And a problem for the engine is the noise it produces. Sure, it's rapid by the mediocre standards of this class, but the din it produces under hard acceleration is very grating. Above 50mph, the GS suffers from quite a lot of abrasive wind noise as well.

The six-speed manual gearbox, meanwhile, has a relatively short but notchy throw that isn't very pleasant to use. We're yet to try the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.

The GS's steering isn't brilliant, but it is fairly precise at higher speeds.&nbsp;There's a fair bit of body roll through quick corners, but the car does at least have plenty of grip. If you're hooning along a country road, you'll feel more confident in the GS than you would in a Duster, but then the Duster is more relaxing around town.

You don’t have to drive the GS very far to feel how firm its ride is. Even on a smooth piece of road, you always feel like you’re moving up and down in your seat. Get to a rougher stretch and it actually becomes uncomfortable. There's not much in it, but the Duster is the more comfortable car.

The MG GS was the first SUV the Chinese-owned brand made, and it's a big step away from the sports cars that the old MG famously produced for decades. Instead, this budget SUV is a rival for the likes of the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/dacia/duster/4x4/review/n67">Dacia Duster</a> and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/ssangyong/tivoli/hatchback/review/n104">Ssangyong Tivoli</a>.

Not that the GS is a total departure from those roots. If its maker is to be believed, the GS is plenty of fun to drive, helped by a surprisingly powerful 164bhp 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine. Although MG does have a diesel engine that would fit under the GS's bonnet, there are no immediate plans to offer that.

<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5pEM8Tsx2Ng"></iframe>

So, is the GS fun to drive, and how does it compare with its budget SUV rivals? Read on over the next few pages for our full verdict.

And&nbsp;if you want to buy a GS, <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/new-car-deals/configure/mg-motor-uk/gs/hatchback/">head to our New Car Buying page</a> to make sure you're getting the best price.

Step inside the GS and you're quickly reminded of its bargain-basement price. Top-spec models may get leather and piano-black trim, plus a decent-sized touchscreen infotainment system with sat-nav, but they don’t distract you from the low-rent feel of the materials employed by MG.

There's nothing but hard, scratchy plastic on the dashboard, doors and centre console. It will probably prove durable enough, but it’s a far cry from the plusher interiors of most rivals. Even the similarly low-priced Duster&nbsp;is slightly nicer to look at.

The GS's centre console is also behind the times, with a mess of buttons in a confusing layout sitting just below the infotainment screen.

The infotainment system in Excite and Exclusive models may offer a large 8.0in touchscreen, but it looks quite basic compared with rival systems and offers less functionality. Although MirrorLink is included, this is only compatible with Android phones and isn’t as good as Android Auto. Explore models get no screen at all – just a radio.

Those with iPhones will find there’s no Apple CarPlay, only basic controls for your phone and music through the infotainment software. Still, at least the sat-nav (on range-topping Exclusive only) is easy enough to follow, the menus are clear and there’s little to no lag between you pressing the screen and the system responding.

There's no problem with forward or sideways visibility, but the view out the back could be better, because the rear pillars block a bit of your over-the-shoulder view. Rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera are standard on all but entry-level Explore models, though.

Hatchback

MG has a long heritage in the UK, and while these days it is owned by Chinese firm SAIC, it is slowly but surely beefing up its model range.

Kicking things off is the MG 3, a rival for affordable hatchbacks such as the Dacia Sandero and Skoda Fabia. Then there’s the ZS small SUV, which faces off against the likes of the Renault Captur and Seat Arona. And at the top of the range is the GS, which goes up against Dacia’s Duster and the Ssangyong Tivoli.

While any future MG products are likely to be introduced in China before coming to the UK, design work is still undertaken in the UK. MG’s design studio is based at Longbridge, where the brand made its name with models such as the MGB GT.

MG MOTOR UK

The MG GS is good value and relatively spacious, but its refinement and cheap-feeling interior let it down

Despite the GS’s quality and ergonomic issues, it's certainly spacious – much more so than the Duster. Up front, it’s easy to get comfortable in the driver’s seat,&nbsp;and there’s plenty of room for all shapes and sizes. Head and leg room is good in the rear, too, although the floor is higher than you might expect, forcing your knees upwards. Still, long-legged adults can properly stretch out and relax in the back of the GS, and there's a huge amount of foot space under the front seats.&nbsp;It also gets reclining rear seats as standard – a feature that’s rare in family SUVs, let alone bargain-priced ones.

The boot is practical, offering more room than the Nissan Qashqai's but less than the Duster's. Fold the&nbsp;rear seats and you’ll reveal an extended load bay that’s virtually flat. That’s good for sliding in flatpack furniture, but the boot opening does narrow around its bottom edges, making loading a little trickier.

The GS has a peppy engine and a very spacious interior, but while it's cheap, it's still not as good value as the Dacia Duster

<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Comfortable ride </li> <li>Feature-filled infotainment </li> <li>Space for child seats </li> <li>Robust build quality </li> <li>Practical storage spaces </li> <li>A boot fit for a family holiday </li> <li>Fuel-efficient engines</li></ul>

While we define a small SUV&nbsp;as something&nbsp;less than 4.3 metres long and a large SUV as measuring more than 4.5 metres, family SUVs tread the middle ground.

As the name suggests, the vast majority are&nbsp;designed for family duties rather than serious off-roading, so practicality is paramount. However, that&nbsp;shouldn't come at the expense of a decent drive; the best examples combine tidy handling with smooth engines&nbsp;and a ride that's comfortable&nbsp;enough to ensure the kids aren't left feeling queasy.

The Seat Ateca and&nbsp;Skoda Karoq should definitely be on your shortlist. But if you have a bit more to spend,&nbsp;the Range Rover Evoque is another strong option. If money is a concern, then the Dacia Duster provides comfortable, spacious and well-equipped transportation for an affordable price.

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MG GS review

Introduction

What Car? says...