MG HS long-term test

The car MG HS 1.5 T-GDI DCT Trophy  Run by Chris Haining, sub-editor

Why it’s here To see whether MG's family SUV is a genuine bargain, or a car whose low price leads to too many compromises   

Needs to be comfy and relaxing on a long motorway commute without costing the Earth on petrol; offer the practicality an action-packed life demands

Mileage 10,009 List price £30,245 Best Price £23,445 Price as tested £30,745 Official fuel economy 37.2 mpg Test fuel economy 42.4 mpg Dealer price now £21,303 Private price now £20,970 Running costs (excl. depreciation) Fuel £1379

9 July 2025 – Tough at the top

My MG HS undoubtedly looks like a mountain of car for what seems like a molehill of money. For the uninitiated, this is a Volkswagen Tiguan-sized family SUV that starts at less than you’ll pay for a much smaller Volkswagen T-Roc, and even my range-topping Trophy version tips the scales at only a little beyond £30,000.

And if that low price tag was what lured you into the MG dealer, you might well be reaching for your chequebook after a few minutes gazing upon its softly padded and very generously equipped interior. Time to sign on the dotted line, then, and conquer a car of what seems like Himalayan value for money.

So how does it look from up there, then? Well, the truth of this particular version of the MG HS is that after the thrill of conquest wears off, the reality takes a slightly mundane turn. My car has been utterly faultless over four months and 9000 miles, but I soon learned that it seems to have achieved its remarkable price point by being a little… unsophisticated.

Just like clambering up Ben Nevis is harder work than being dropped off by helicopter, comparing the MG HS with its best rivals is like pitting ropes, pitons and crampons against a Bell JetRanger helicopter. Both will get you to the summit, but in varying degrees of comfort. There are moments when the HS’s soft suspension imparts a floating sensation at speed that has me thinking of chenille and featherbeds, but this impression is torpedoed by every motorway ridge and wrinkle, which either jostles me annoyingly or sends a jarring thud through the car’s body and directly into my posterior. 

Nor is the HS more composed at lower speeds. The surfaces of some of my local roads resemble the Pyrenees as viewed from a plane, yet a Kia Sportage, for example, manages to flatten the peaks and valleys into something much more level. The HS simply bounces from one crest to the next. The HS may be more than a match for that car when it comes to interior glitziness, but the Sportage creams the HS for overall comfort. 

That’s a real let-down, given that the HS PHEV (our 2024 Plug-in Hybrid of the Year and a modest £4250 pricier) is so much comfier to travel in than my non-hybrid car. It's also much less frustrating when you put your foot down. My car isn’t slow per se (0-60mph took a reasonable 9.2sec in our tests), but pressing the accelerator brings a frustrating pause before acceleration is granted, usually accompanied by a loud crescendo of revs that surely wasn’t called for. As a result, injecting into fast-flowing traffic is a jerky, graceless chore. We've not yet driven the regular hybrid Hybrid+ version of the HS, but we'd like to think its electrification couuld right the purely petrol-powered car's dynamic wrongs – all for just £1250 more.

Mind you, even without battery-assistance, my HS did at least prove impressively economical. Officially, the seven-speed automatic HS should return 37.2mpg, but on a regime of motorway miles and no small amount of stop-start traffic, mine has frequently beaten 42mpg after my fill-to-fill calculations. That’s not at all bad for a bulky family SUV.

Like many SUVs, the HS wears the costume of a tough off-roader, but its two-wheel-drive hardware isn’t exactly optimised for mud-plugging. However, with its generous ground clearance and chunky tyres, my car made light work of (dry) rutted tracks and unmade roads, such as I found on a trip through Cheddar Gorge. The HS was able to take me to places that I’d not have considered visiting in my own, rather more low-slung BMW 5 Series saloon.

And that makes the HS an appealing prospect for families with a sense of adventure. Campsite looking a bit soggy? No problem. Potholed lane standing between you and that far-reaching vista / hang-gliding launch site? The HS has your back, and its vast interior means your kids will be fine if they have a sudden growth spurt. 

Whenever you commit to climbing a mountain, you don’t want to be stuck at the top. But once you’ve paid for your HS, you’ll probably want to stick with it for a good long while. Now a year old, and with a fairly modest 10,000 miles on the clock, my car is worth just two thirds of its new price. That means it makes more sense if you’re planning to hang onto it for the long-term than if you’re in the habit of chopping and changing between cars on a whim.

Is the MG HS’s imposing mountain worth climbing, then? Well, its plight is made tougher by the Dacia Bigster; in a recent twin test, it beat or matched the petrol-powered HS in every area aside from interior plushness and standard kit. The HS PHEV continues to enjoy our recommendation, but if you can't stretch to that version's slightly higher price, only pick this one if you fall head-over-heels in love with the view after your ascent to its high driving seat.

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