MG HS Excite 2020 Review

Here I am at the wheel of the new 2020 MG HS Excite, billed by many as China’s most hopeful new car ever, and what I’m noticing more than anything else is the dash panel.

And it’s the small things: Why is the tachometer needle swinging anti-clockwise, and why does the central digital speed readout keep disappearing to tell me things like “lane-keep system deactivate”?

And why is it displaying actual road speed one second then, inexplicably, the cruise control setting the next? How fast am I actually going?

And why are the numerals in the speedometer so small you can barely read them? And, call me feeble-minded, but navigating the touch-screen seems illogical or, at best, difficult to learn.

All the time, the MG HS’s innate qualities – its easy road manners, its quiet, comfortable interior, its modish but well-balanced style – are going almost unnoticed.

It’s almost as if you expected that, well, of course it’s going to be good. After all, this is a cashed-up car company trying to get a leg up in one of the most competitive of all market segments.

Replacing the previous MG GS, the MG HS is calculated to shirtfront the likes of the Mazda CX-5, Toyota RAV4 and Hyundai Tucson in a no-excuses, no-quarter-given battle for a place among the segment’s top sellers.

How does it hope to do this?

Perhaps the best way to describe the MG HS is that you could remove the badges and replace them with those of just about anything else in the mid-size SUV segment – and get away with it.

It’s pretty clear which car-makers were benchmarked during the HS’s development at MG design facilities in Shanghai and the United Kingdom.

At first, the mid-spec 2020 MG HS Excite’s $34,790 drive-away price might sound a bargain for a kitted-out mid-size SUV. And it is.

But when you start comparing the HS Excite with similarly-priced but more basic competitors the actual differences, in terms of technology and equipment, don’t add up to quite so much.

Take, for example, the entry-level Mazda CX-5 Maxx which is tagged at $32,990 (plus on-road costs). The Mazda comes with safety credentials that are a bit more comprehensive than the MG HS Excite (including pedestrian-avoidance technology) and, apart from its cloth-trimmed cabin and lack of climate-control, is otherwise close in terms of standard passenger-cosseting equipment.

Not that the MG HS Excite is light on. Convincing faux leather is abundant, there’s dual-zone climate-control air-conditioning, inbuilt satnav on a truly-generous 10.1-inch tablet-style screen and more hand-stitched soft-touch trim than you could poke a stick at.

Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, four USB outlets, push-button start and a quality audio system are also part of a mix, topped-off by self-dipping LED headlights and a powered tailgate.

About the only disappointment, and this is excusable given the price point, is the fact that the MG HS Excite’s seats are neither powered nor heated.

To get those, plus a sunroof and 360-degree cameras, you need to step up to the new Essence and special-edition Essence Anfield models priced respectively at $38,990 and $40,690 drive-away.

However, it’s not simply all about price, or equipment advantages.

What impresses, and this is of huge significance, is the new mid-size SUV’s overall competence, in terms of safety, build quality, comfort and road behaviour.

Safety plays a primal role in the 2020 MG HS Excite. What the company calls MG Pilot looks after functions such as autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, self-dipping headlights, traffic jam assist (part-autonomous steering can follow the car in front of you that’s taking evasive action), rear cross traffic alert and blind spot monitoring.

All the usual active safety tech is factored in. The MG HS comes with stability and traction control, anti-lock braking, active yaw control, electronic brake force distribution, hill hold control and brake disc wiping to maximise functionality across most driving conditions.

With all this, it’s no surprise ANCAP has sanctioned the MG HS with a full five-star safety rating.

In terms of cabin technology, too, there’s no disputing the MG HS belongs to the current generation of mid-size SUVs.

Though there are some minor aberrations, the dash is laid out with logical efficiency and most of the functions are easily acclimatised to.

Apple CarPlay/Android Auto are a given, four USB charging points are distributed through the interior and the big screen in dash centre is largely characterised by easy-to-find landing points.

The steering wheel push buttons for activating the six-speaker audio, phone, trip computer and voice control are pretty much standard.

The cruise control functions are out of sight, this time on a lever to the left of the steering column. They must be operated blind and take a bit of getting used to.

The 2020 MG HS Excite subscribes to the small-engine, maximum performance creed.

The powerplant is the same 1.5-litre direct-injected turbo-petrol four-cylinder (119kW/250Nm) used in its predecessor, the GS, which wasn’t particularly warmed to by the press.

Even though the HS is heavier than the GS by around 90kg, MG quotes slightly better fuel consumption figures for the new car: 7.3L/100km. CO2 emissions come in at 170g/km.

Though a bit better than some competitors including the 2.5-litre Nissan X-Trail and 2.0-litre Hyundai Tucson, it’s not outstanding for the segment.

As with the GS, there’s no ordinary six-speed automatic at work here. Instead, it’s a seven-speed twin-clutch automated manual that, in theory, should give an efficiency and performance edge over rivals. Whether it actually does that, and how it stacks up against CVT-transmission rivals, is another matter.

Paddle shifters in the Excite version, along with a Super Sport button below the right-side steering wheel spoke, suggest there’s some attempt at sportiness here. Further modes including Eco, Normal and Sport are selectable via a push-button on the centre console.

The 2020 MG HS Excite’s cabin provides abundant front and rear legroom and the profuse soft-touch surfacing looks pretty convincing, as do the dash design and the well-padded seating (which includes adjustable second-row backrests).

No problems with all-round vision either. The glass area is large and the rearmost side windows don’t kick up so much that they restrict the view from the driver’s seat.

The HS’s impressive attention to detail continues through to the 463-litre boot (total seats-folded load capacity is 1287 litres), where a strap is provided to hold the floor open when lifted and there’s a handy compartmented tray, above the space-saver spare, for hiding away precious cargo.

The boot floor shuts with a nice reassuring click, too.

There are irritating aspects to the MG HS’s safety warning technology, in particular the sometimes-inexplicable chiming, beeping and bipping that warns of in-lane wanderings, a door being open, or any number of other transgressions (the good news is that these invasive audible warnings can be switched off).

The decent-size main touchscreen could do with a ‘back’ button to eliminate confusion when swapping functions.

There are few things to complain about dynamically, however. The HS is quiet, its ride is comfortable and, until rpm rises, the little 1.5-litre turbo is unobtrusive and smooth.

The 2020 MG HS Excite does feel a bit heavy when tipping into a corner and the steering, not particularly sharp at 2.7 turns lock to lock, is maybe a tad too light. MG doesn’t provide a turning circle figure, but the feeling is it’s a little wide.

The engine is frankly a bit under-done for the HS’s 1550kg mass.

Peak torque of 250Nm comes in at a relatively low 1700rpm, which is a good thing, but the dual-clutch gearbox, though it tries its hardest to deliver strong standing-start response, has a tendency towards abrupt clutch engagement which often has the HS breaking into wheelspin.

Torque-steer (pulling to the left or right under acceleration) can be a problem at times.

In the passing lane, the DCT kicks down readily enough to produce acceleration that is on the adequate side of brisk.

The cruise control goes into a frenzy at times as the system fails to communicate between accelerator and the chosen speed settings, while the MG Pilot system’s calibration can get a bit over-zealous adjusting speed to deal with twists and turns in the road.

In stop-start driving, MG hasn’t yet learned to overcome a problem common to many DCTs. A tardy clutch engagement caused our test HS to roll back, or forward, depending on the degree of incline, when backing out of a car space or moving off in a line of stationary traffic.

In a mix of driving conditions, we recorded a quite-thirsty 9.2L/100km.

With all this, there’s still no doubt that what we are seeing here is a clear message to the dominant mid-size SUV combatants.

As part of China’s state-owned SAIC behemoth, MG Motor has the will, and the industrial grunt, to take on established players.

For now, other than the confidence inspired by the phenomenal seven-year warranty (along with roadside assist for the full period), it’s the little things that are going to capture the attention of most newcomers to a brand that is keen to prove its relevance in the face of Australian market scepticism.

How much does the 2020 MG HS Excite cost?
Price: $34,790 (drive-away)
Available: Now
Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 119kW/250Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 7.3L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 170g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2020)