MG HS review

So far we’ve only sampled an HS with a panoramic roof (it's a standard fit on the top-level Exclusive trim). A 6ft 3in-tall adult will find enough head room up front but there's not a lot going spare. The seat does 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 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 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, the generic 6ft-3in adult we mentioned won’t feel too hemmed in by the HS’s roof; head room is passable and, once again, that's even factoring in the space-swallowing panoramic roof fitted. There’s more space in the back of the HS than you’ll find in the Citroën C5 Aircross, although five-seat versions of the Honda CR-V, along with all versions of the Skoda Kodiaq, are better still. The biggest car in this class is the Kia Sorento, though, which is truly massive in the back and also comes with seven seats (the HS is only offered as a five-seater). 

The HS’s boot is arguably rather small compared with those of the car's aforementioned rivals; we could fit in only six carry-on cases, whereas a Mazda CX-5 will swallow eight and the Sorento takes 10. Indeed, even the smaller Skoda Karoq has more room for cargo than the HS, and the Plug-in version is slightly smaller still.

If you need to increase the boot size, simply drop the 60/40 split-folding rear seats, but be aware that this configuration is less versatile than the 40/20/40 arrangement offered by rivals such as the Peugeot 5008. The HS does at least give you reclining rear seats (although they don't also slide back and forth like those in many of its competitors) and there's a useful covered storage area beneath the boot floor.