MG GS 2017 Review

Like watching an Adam Sandler movie, expectations are low when driving a Chinese car for the first time.

The first few batches and brands of Chinese cars sold in Australia flopped due to quality and safety issues. Almost 24,000 Chinese-made vehicles were recalled as recently as 2012 after asbestos was used in gaskets, others have arrived – and disappeared... Not an ideal introduction for Aussie buyers.

Thus, when it comes to the new MG, its country of origin is the elephant in the room.

But the Shanghai-based, once-Brit brand says the time is now right for Chinese built cars to meet and exceed the expectations of mature markets like Australia. Indeed, it reckons in the form of its new GS medium SUV, it has a product with genuine appeal.

Mostly good
Made at the company's Lingang factory (near Shanghai), the MG GS is a well-styled crossover that on percentages should hit the local market sweet spot. Offered in front and all-wheel drive variants across four trim levels priced from $23,990 to nearly $35K, it comes with a commendable level of standard features including six airbags, 17-inch alloy wheels, reverse parking sensors, Bluetooth connectivity and LED driving lights.

The GS is slightly shorter than Mazda's outgoing CX-5 (overall length) but has a similar amount of interior space. Front seat comfort is on par with the Mazda, with manual or powered seat adjustment depending on the grade. The centre armrest means you can sprawl out a bit and conceals a storage cubby and USB/Aux ports.

The GS's touchscreen infotainment system also looks good and works well. Indeed, unlike some high-end cars, pairing phone and car to listen to music is easy and effective. The up-spec six-speaker stereo ain't half bad either. The instrument cluster is legible and to the point with analogue gauges, and a basic trip computer offers fuel consumption and distance data. All ticks here then.

Interior fit and finish is not class-leading, however; some of the buttons feel cheap and hard, unforgiving dash plastics detract from the otherwise pleasant cabin. The interior design, with trapezoid-shaped vents and a simple but tidy triangular motif is solid. It's no Mona Lisa but it's original and functional.

There are cup holders behind the gear lever, bottle holders in the door and the high driving position provides a good line of sight around/over other road users. Rear seat room isn't bad either. Getting in and out is easy and my 180cm frame was untroubled, although knees were a little raised as the cushions are low.

There's a fold down arm rest with twin cup holders for back seat passengers. More good news, on balance.

The boot is claimed to offer 483 litres of cargo space but it feels smaller and is narrower than the eyes of a suspicious new car buyer trying to get a read on a sales person. Still, it should have more than enough for a large grocery shop and more cargo room (over 1330 litres) can be liberated by folding the 60:40 split rear seats down.

A space saver spare wheel is under the boot floor.

Modest go
We tested the 1.5-litre (119kW/250Nm) and 2.0-litre (162kW/350Nm) four-cylinder turbo-petrol engines paired with seven and six-speed automatic dual-clutch transmissions respectively.

Both engines offer reasonable refinement and make a solid first impression. Alas the gearboxes aren't as responsive as the best dual-clutch gearboxes out there. There's noticeable lag between hitting the accelerator pedal and the gearbox deciding to engage.

It's like watching a movie (that doesn't feature Adam Sandler) with the audio out of sync by a half second... Frustrating!

Coupled with noticeable turbo lag from the petrol engines (interestingly, something we also noticed with fellow Chinese newcomer Haval's powerplants), powertrain response is average off the mark.

The engines are also a touch lazy in terms of in-gear response and the quoted power outputs feel about 20kW off the mark.

Once up and running they provide ample propulsion for the vehicles, which weigh 1460kg for the 1.5 and 1642kg for the 2.0-litre model. Just don't expect athletic performance.

The newer of the engines is the 2.0-litre but frankly it's a bit 'asthmatic' as the revs rise. The 1.5 is therefore probably our pick.

We had a chance to fling the 2.0-litre AWD car around on a skid pan, dry and wet, and if nothing else, the car grips well. But it understeers early and often. Hopes there'd been some suspension tweaks to improve the GS since we taste tested it in 2015 in Dubai were in vain.

Running through a motorkhana course at 9/10ths, the GS leans heavily on its suspension (independent front and rear) but remains predictable – both in terms of turning and stopping.

The electric power steering is inoffensive but very light, which should endear the GS as an urban runabout.

Most impressive of the GS testers were the front-drive 1.5-litre models that we thrashed around a short twisting dirt track. This front-drive model is lighter and feels remarkably confidence-inspiring on dirt where its stability and cornering brake control systems kept it faced in the right direction – even when you get rowdy with the accelerator pedal.

On the road, I liked the auto-hold electric park brake function. Rearward vision is tight and there was a minor squeak from the rear end on one tester (motorkhana shenanigans wouldn't have helped) but the cruise control worked well.

Around town, the MG GS should exhibit above average ride comfort and will be a tidy cruiser. Just don't expect the dynamics or quality of class-leading SUVs.

By the same token, the GS is significantly more affordable than many established models spec-for-spec. It also doubles many of the segment's average three-year warranty offering with an impressive six-year, unlimited kilometre coverage and a 90,000km/nine-year capped-price servicing schedule (10,000km or 12 month intervals, at an average price of $435.)

If it's value for money you're looking for, the MG GS ticks a lot of boxes.

Inside and outside the car, build quality is better than we expected. In fact, pretty much everything about the MG GS exceeded our admittedly middling expectation.

MG has specified the vehicles relatively well and the warranty/roadside assist package suggests the company (at least) is confident and ready to back its SUV's reliability.

The lack of autonomous emergency braking (AEB) means the car has to settle for a four-star ANCAP safety rating, however, not the five-star badge it wanted. MG says it's working on fixes at the factory level in China and hopes to have a five-star car by the end of 2017.

Chinese cars have left a bad taste in the mouths of some Australian buyers but the re-launch of the MG brand in Australia, and particularly this vehicle, has the potential remedy that.

It's not a game-changer and it's not a class-leader. It's a mundane car in many ways. But if value and after-sales weigh heavily in your choice of car, there's a chance the MG GS might just sneak on to your shopping list.

2017 MG GS Soul pricing and specifications:
Price: $27,990 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 119kW/250Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 7.4L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: N/A
Safety Rating: Four-star ANCAP