Chinese MG won't ruffle any feathers

Does this have what it takes to capture a worthwhile share of the local market?

About 10 years ago MG was punch drunk from a full-scale marketing onslaught and staggering under the weight of a mountain of debt. That was when Chinese carmaker Shanghai Automotive (better known as SAIC) whipped out its wallet and picked-up the badge, the brand and most of its manufacturing plant in the UK for what in real money terms probably amounted to not much more than a couple of hundred bowls of Shrimp Foo Yung.

Prior to that MG made a brief return to this country but even though it had a huge following in the '60s and '70s, thanks to its popular range of MG, MGA and MGB sports cars, it had fallen too far behind the rest of the world and the badge alone wasn't enough to save it from disappearing from these shores yet again with its tail between its legs.

Since then SAIC have put in a huge effort to revitalise MG and to lift it into a position where it can once again be competitive without just relying on its badge and tradition to justify its existence. But after an absence of so long, does it have what it takes to capture a worthwhile share of the local market?

Not a bad looker, but a bit bland

This was the question we asked when we took delivery of its latest offering, branded the MG6 which comes in two styles, a fastback and sedan and a number of different specification levels.

Our test vehicle was the sedan, which is not a bad looker, quite sporty actually, but brushed with the same touch of blandness as its likely competitors Jetta and Corolla. Our test vehicle rode on a handsome set of alloys which were a pretty match for the car's shapely bonnet and nifty LED headlights. The MG badge on the front grille is quite prominent and the wide black air scoops below the grille add another small touch of sportiness. Its derriere is rather stubby and this gives the MG6 a kind of docked-tail look, which is not unattractive.

Overall the MG looks as though it was designed for the Europe market and it has quite an appealing touch of classiness about it. The finish, too, seems durable and of good quality.

The cabin is spacious, comfortable and fairly well insulated against outside noises. The seat adjustments take a while to get used to and it is not easy to find an ideal driving position, although more expensive spec levels offer electronic seat adjustments. The cabin of our test car was neatly finished in modern auto trademark black and silver which added to its snazzy ambience.

The key to starting it is...

To start the engine requires a double insertion of a strange wedge-like transponder key into a slot in the dash which takes a while to get used to. And once the engine fires up the instrument panel lights up like a Boeing cockpit but this soon settles down to a more liveable level. Like many modern cars the MG's instrument panel also seems unnecessarily over-cluttered and the sound system lay-out, in particular, is a little weird, with a strange purple hue to confuse matters even further.

The interior roof light goes on when you start the car but then forgets to switch off again, which was particularly irritating at night. Fortunately it can be turned off manually.

The derriere is rather stubby and this gives the MG6 a kind of docked-tail look, which is not unattractive.

There are control buttons on the steering wheel and strangely enough there is also a button on the dash for de-activating the traction control - why, is anybody's guess because this is hardly a boy racer or a sporty sedan begging to be flung around a mountain pass sans traction control. In any case the foot pedals are so squashed up into a narrow space that it makes rapid footwork virtually impossible.

Pulling away in the Chinese MG is enough to make anybody feel like a learner driver because it requires releasing the clutch at a snail's pace otherwise the car jerks to a halt. To overcome this one really has to push the revs to about 3000rpm and then ease the clutch out with the result that all take-offs sound like an 80-year-old grandpa burning the clutch as he exits the bingo club car park on Tuesday nights.

But once on the trot the ride is not too bad after all. Our test car had a five-speed manual which seemed to cry out for a sixth gear, even though progress is never what one would describe as sporty. An auto box choice would also have been nice.

Designed for a small hand?

The MG6 trots along very pleasantly and it feels solid and steady on the road. We didn't have an opportunity to show it a bit of whip but the ride was confident and fairly stylish at legal cruising speeds. The only real let-down of the car's on-road performance was its brakes. The pedal felt rather woody and it required quite an enthusiastic stomping to pull the car up sharply.

The handbrake is a short movement lever on the central console and drivers with big hands might struggle a bit to get their hand wrapped around its handle.

The MG6's performance is also rather so-so thanks to an unenthusiastic four-cylinder 1.8 churning out 118kw and 215Nm. SAIC claim the car will do the 0-100km/h sprint in 9.8 seconds which seems a tad over-optimistic. All the variations are equipped with the same engine for which top speed figures were not given.

Pricing starts at R239 900 for the most basic model, which is not too bad considering its specification levels, but in terms of overall ride and driving pleasure, appeal and customer peace of mind it poses no real threat to the Germans, Koreans and the Japanese.

Specifications

MG 6 review - CarBuyer

MG6 GT from Jaybee Motors, Bodicote, Banbury, Oxfordshire

MG6 First Impressions