MG HS review

So far we’ve only sampled an HS with a panoramic roof (it's standard fit on the Exclusive trim level). A 6ft 2in-tall adult will find enough head room up front, although they won’t have vast amounts of extra space above their bonce; a common complaint among our test team was that the driver’s seat didn’t go low enough, leaving you feeling perched on the HS rather than sitting in it. The seat can slide back far enough to accommodate those with long legs, though.

There’s a small lidded cubby in front of the gearlever, with a couple of USB ports and a 12V socket, but it’s a bit too small to take a smartphone. The cupholders are a good size and there’s more storage under the centre armrest, even if the latter does block the cupholders when you move it to its most forward position.

Move to the rear and you’ll find tall adults have a reasonable amount of space between their knees and the back of the front seats, but the high floor forces the legs of taller individuals towards their chests. Even so, that same 6ft-2in adult won’t feel too hemmed in by the HS’s roof; head room is passable, even with a space-swallowing panoramic roof fitted. There’s more space than you’ll find in a Citroën C5 Aircross, although five-seat versions of the Honda CR-V and Skoda Kodiaq are better still. 

You’ll also find that the HS’s boot is rather small compared with those of its aforementioned rivals; we could fit only six carry-on cases in, compared to the eight that a Mazda CX-5 will swallow. Indeed, even the smaller Skoda Karoq has more room for cargo than the HS. The boot is well designed, though, with a covered storage area beneath the boot floor. That said, the 60/40 split-folding rear seat is less versatile than the 40/20/40 arrangement offered by the Peugeot 5008, but the HS does at least give you reclining rear seats.