MG IM6 review

Before you write us a strongly worded email or slate us on social media, we do indeed have the right pictures. You are looking at the new MG IM6. 

You might be confused by the glaring lack of an MG badge on the front but that’s because the model is sold under the IM brand in China. In bringing the IM6 electric SUV to the UK market, MG has decided to retain the original badge. But, apparently, it is an MG. We promise. 

How come? Well, the IM6 is arriving as part of a new range of IM-badged MG models that also includes the new MG IM5 electric executive car. 

While the IM5 is positioned as a rival for the hugely popular Tesla Model 3, the IM6 is larger and aimed at taking on the (also hugely popular) Tesla Model Y. So how does it fare against the Model Y and other electric SUV rivals? Let's find out...

The entry-level MG IM6 is the Long Range. It has one electric motor driving the rear wheels but, with 402bhp on tap, offers properly rapid acceleration (0-62mph in 5.4sec) and a great official range. Its 388-mile figure trumps the Tesla Model Y Long Range RWD – although only by a single mile.

When we tested it, we concluded the IM6's real-world range estimate (on a balmy 20C day) would be around 299 miles. The other two cars on that test were the Model Y Long Range RWD, which we estimated had a real-world maximum of 279 miles, and the BYD Sealion 7 Comfort, which we predicted would run out after 249 miles.

Spend a bit more and you can opt for the IM6 Performance. The official range drops to 313 miles but it gains four-wheel drive and ups the power to an astonishing 742bhp. That’s more than a Ferrari Purosangue makes, let alone the Model Y. The IM6 Performance’s 0-62mph time is just 3.5sec. 

Mind you, it’s not the kind of pace you’ll want to deploy on a twisty country road. The IM6 is a big, heavy car, and while it has decent grip, it’s no fully fledged performance car.  It's softly sprung and certainly not as sharp to drive as the Kia EV6 or Model Y.

Why? Well, you'll notice more body lean and the steering is slower and less precise, with a slightly inert feel. All versions do get four-wheel steering as standard, though, which helps reduce the car’s turning circle in town – for a car of its size, the IM6 is easier to pilot through tight turns than you might expect.  

We recommended sticking with the IM6 Long Range. It has more than enough power to satisfy and the Performance version's pace feels somewhat redundant in such a soft car.  

On the plus side, being softly sprung makes the IM6 one of the better-riding cars among its chief rivals. It's more supple than the Model Y and EV6, cushioning you really well over most bumps, and it's more controlled across uneven roads than the slightly jittery Sealion 7. That said, the Skoda Enyaq feels even more polished – you don't find your head swaying around gently, which you do at times in the IM6. 

The IM6 Launch Edition (which is based on the Performance) comes with air suspension as standard. We suspect that'll help reduce the head-toss trait, but we haven't tried it yet. 

Another string to the IM6's bow is it's a really hushed cruiser.  There's barely any wind noise and only a bit of tyre noise. You hardly hear a peep from the electric motor, either, even under hard acceleration. It's just a shame the brake pedal isn't more reassuringly weighted, like it is in the Model Y. You can still stop the IM6 smoothly, though. 

“As far as comfort is concerned, I thought the IM6 was really impressive. It's quiet, too, making it really relaxing to drive over a long distance.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

The MG IM6 has a more high-set, SUV-like driving position than the Tesla Model Y, which is good. The driver's seat is electrically adjustable as standard (with memory settings) and we found it's comfortable on a long trip but lacks side support in corners. The steering wheel is manually adjustable for rake and reach, but, when you position it in the most natural place, it blocks off parts of the digital driver's display. So, overall, the driving position is a mixed bag.

We're not keen on the IM6's screen set-up, either. At the top of the dashboard there’s a wide, 26.3in touchscreen that houses your driver’s display and infotainment. The definition is crisp enough and, because it's mounted high up on the dashboard, it's easy to see at a glance. That's a plus, but the fact it's a stretch to reach it from the driver's seat isn't.

That's not the only issue. There's another 10.5in touchscreen that's mounted below the main infotainment screen. At first glance, this second screen looks like a great idea. Being low down it falls easily to hand, but it's so low you're forced to shift your eyes from the road to operate it.

And then there are the illogical menus. Instead of housing a few large shortcut buttons, or just climate controls, there's a plethora of menus to sift through and most icons are quite small. Then you have to work out where everything is; with two screens, it's a job to remember which screen you need for which function.

To be fair, there are a lot of functions, though. As standard you get wireless phone charging, wireless Apple CarPlay/ Android Auto (something the Model Y misses out on), and you can interact with social media thanks to apps like YouTube and TikTok.

The whole infotainment system is definitely a weakness of the IM6, though. It's far less user-friendly than the Model Y's huge, responsive, and well-laid-out central touchscreen. And there are rivals, including the Kia EV6, that offer physical controls for some of the functions (like the climate controls), making them much less distracting to use than the IM6.

But from a tech negative to a positive: there are plenty of parking aids, including a few self-park functions. That's top news because visibility out the front is hindered a little by the chunky windscreen pillars – although no more so than it is in the Model Y. The view out the back of the IM6 is practically nonexistent, though. The rear screen is truly minuscule, making the standard parking sensors and 360-degree camera not just welcome, but essential bits of kit. 

How about quality? Well, the dashboard is covered in faux-leather, with scratchy plastics featuring only lower down on bits such as the door bins and glovebox lid. The leatherette does look more like vinyl than real leather, though, and some of the other trim finishes – the strips of wood-effect plastic on the doors, for instance – aren't the best. In essence, the IM6's material quality doesn't match the Model Y's consistently good finishes but it feels just as well screwed together. 

And we like that you can choose between two colour themes when configuring an IM6. There’s grey or – for a much brighter and airy-feeling interior – white.

“I found operating the smaller, lower touchscreen really distracting while driving. A few more physical buttons would be a good idea, too.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

Up front there’s plenty of head and leg room in the MG IM6. And even if you’re over 6ft, another tall person can sit behind you with ease because it's very roomy in the rear. 

So much so that rear head room is even more generous than it is in the BYD Sealion 7, and there's more leg room than there is in a Tesla Model Y. Sitting three abreast is also doable, with a fully flat floor so all-three passengers have plenty of space for their feet. The standard panoramic sunroof gives the whole interior an airy feel as well.

The cubby spaces throughout the interior aren't as generous as they are in the Model Y, but the IM6 still has enough of space for odds and ends. There's a large tray under the floating centre console, for instance, plus cup holders and reasonably-sized door bins front and rear. The main omission is there's no glovebox. 

In the rear, passengers can manually recline the IM6's backrests but the rear seats don't slide back and forth. However, you can increase boot space when needed by folding down the rear seats in a 60/40 split. That's not as practical as the 40/20/40 split in a Tesla Model Y, though. 

Open up the boot and you’ll find 665 litres of space along with a good amount of underfloor storage. We slotted eight carry-on suitcases in the main boot, which matches the total we fitted in the Sealion 7. But that's not a patch on the Model Y, which swallowed ten cases in total. 

One of the reasons the IM6 doesn't have as much luggage capacity as the Model Y is its front boot (or frunk for short) is much smaller – it adds a relatively paltry 32 litres of extra storage space.

“The IM6 is a big car, so I had no issues fitting tall passengers in the rear. It's a shame the frunk isn't bigger, but there's plenty of luggage space in the main boot” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

The MG IM6 is competitively priced for an electric SUV. Yes, there are cheaper alternatives, including the Kia EV6 and entry-level Tesla Model Y, but to get the Model Y Long Range RWD – with a similar range to the entry-level IM6 – you'll need to spend more money if you're buying outright. And when you add discounts into the mix, the IM6 looks even more competitive. 

PCP finance is also competitive. When we looked at the deals available, the IM6 Long Range worked out cheaper per month than the entry-level BYD Sealion 7. That said, the IM6 wasn't as cheap per month as the Model Y Long Range RWD.

Charging is a strength of the IM6: its maximum charging rate is a class-leading 396kW (the Model Y’s maximum rate is 250kW). That means a 10-80% charge is possible in just 17 minutes – if you can find a very fast public charger.

That said, when we did find a charger fast enough (a 400kW Ionity charger), the maximum charging rate we saw was 217kW. That's obviously quite a lot slower than claimed, although hardly slow. And we have no way of knowing whether the charger wasn't hitting its maximum rate or the car couldn't take it. 

We do know that a heat pump is standard in the IM6, which should help with battery efficiency in the winter. Although when we tested the IM6 on a warm(ish) 20C day its real-world average efficiency was 2.8mi/kWh. That was better than the Sealion 7 Comfort we tested alongside it (2.6mi/kWh) but the Model Y Long Range RWD that was in the same test averaged 3.2mi/kWh.   

As well as a heat pump, the IM6 comes with loads of other standard kit. This includes heated, ventilated and massaging front seats, heated rear seats, heated steering wheel, panoramic glass sunroof, hands-free powered tailgate, ambient lighting, adaptive cruise with steering assist, keyless entry and a 20-speaker sound system. That's on top of the parking sensors and 360-degree camera we mentioned earlier.

The IM6 is too new to featured in our What Car? Reliability Survey, but MG gives its cars a seven-year warranty, limited to 80,000 miles. Few brands can match that, although Kia’s equivalent cover extends to 100,000 miles. Tesla offers four years or 60,000 miles. 

In terms of safety, the IM6 scored the maximum five stars in its Euro NCAP crash test. When we drilled into the results, it seems the IM6 outperformed the Sealion 7 in actual crash protection, but dropped points for things such as not having ISOFIX mounting points on the front passenger seat. Standard safety kit is plentiful and includes automatic emergency braking (AEB), seven airbags and a system designed to reduce the risk of the car rolling if you swerve to avoid an accident.

“I can’t imagine anyone will be left wanting for equipment in an IM6.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

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