MG IM5 Performance 2025 Review

Maybe we need to spell it out further... Officially, this is the 2025 IM Presented by MG Motor IM5 Performance – which is a mouthful. We’ll just go with MG IM5 Performance, then.

So, what does that mean? Well, IM is actually a product of the overarching parent company SAIC, but given MG already has credence in Australia, it was chosen to spawn this off-shoot brand. Like Toyota is to Lexus, the IM part of the equation is now to be seen as a luxury arm of MG. Oh, and if you’re wondering, IM stands for ‘Intelligence in Motion’.

There are three models to choose from, all with drive-away pricing, and include the entry-level $60,990 Premium, mid-spec $69,990 Platinum and top-spec $80,990 Performance we’re testing here. The two lower grades are single-motor, rear-wheel drive, while the range-topper is dual motor and all-wheel drive.

And not that this needs spelling out, but the IM5 is clearly aimed at the Tesla Model 3 Performance which, unsurprisingly, is $80,900 – although, that’s before on-road costs (ORCs). It’s feasible to also cross-shop the $88,350 Polestar 4 Long Range dual motor and $83,000 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Dynamiq.

It’s hard not to see the resemblance to other vehicles in the 2025 MG IM5 Performance. There’s a little bit of Tesla Model 3, Porsche Taycan from afar and Kia EV6 from the rear. Yet, it’s an inoffensive aesthetic, one that disguises the potency.

The IM5 doesn’t verbally, or visually brag about its grenade-like pace. It’s an EV sleeper. Keen eyes will spot the 20-inch alloys partially hiding Gold Continental brake calipers. But other than that, it’s a sleek liftback silhouette.

Further aiding that concept are the flush door handles that pop-out when called upon via the keyless entry and frameless doors, while the powered tailgate is opened via part of the IM badge on the tailgate or the handsfree kick function. The panoramic glass roof is double-glazed but doesn’t use a shade.

Inside, the Performance rises to its top-spec status with a leather-clad cabin – although, it’s vinyl and not genuine cowhide. The test car uses Highland Grey leather, with Dover Beige being a $990 option.

The driver’s seat is eight-way power adjustable with electronic lumbar support and memory settings, while the passenger’s pew is six-way adjustable. They’re both heated and ventilated, while the rear outboard seats gain heating, too. Dual-zone climate control and a heated steering wheel are also standard.

There are five paint colours, with only Athena White being included. Raphael Beige, Ares Black, Nevis Blue and Rembrandt Grey are all an additional $1000.

The IM5 Performance is covered by a seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, but that’s conditional as it requires servicing with the brand – it’s cut to five years/unlimited kilometres if you don’t. The battery is covered by an industry standard eight-year/160,000km plan.

Servicing is every 12 months or 20,000km and a five-year capped-price scheme is $2929, which averages out to $586 per visit. That’s on the high side for an EV, with the culprit being the $1459 year-four service. If you see myriad three-year old IM5s for sale in the future, you’ll know why.

The 2025 MG IM5 Performance is yet to be crash tested, so it doesn’t currently run with an ANCAP safety rating. At the time of writing, it’s also without a Euro NCAP score.

Although, with the MG Pilot suite of ADAS tech, it’s hardly lacking. Highlighting the active safety is autonomous emergency braking (AEB), active cruise control, lane departure warning, active lane keeping, blind spot monitoring, driver attention monitoring, road sign recognition, cross traffic alert LED headlights and parking sensors.

The IM5 also uses a slew of cameras – including on the front fenders, wing mirrors, roof, windscreen and boot – to create a full 360-degree view. It also aids the self-parking, which can not only navigate you out of a parking bay, but can inch you closer to the kerb with rear-axle steering.

There’s even a Rainy Night mode which affords left and right live feeds within the central screen that are enhanced by AI for clarity of other cars and pedestrians. Clever stuff, all on top of seven airbags, ISOFIX points and top-tether anchorages.

Yet, while it’s all impressive on a spec sheet, as is the norm with modern cars, some of it lacks finesse in practice. The overspeed warning is incessantly loud, made more annoying by the fact it often picks up incorrect speed zones.

By far the most intrusive aspect is the MG Pilot cruise control, which aggressively slows the vehicle if it ‘thinks’ you’re going too fast for even the slightest curve ahead. It renders cruise control unusable on anything but a straight freeway as it’s constantly triggered when traversing country roads.

The active lane centring needs to be switched off, too. The calibration of this is better, but not as seamless as systems deployed in rivals. MG knows owners will switch a lot of this tech off, hence there’s a ‘close all’ button. Yet, it doesn’t cover everything and is required every time you ‘start’ the IM5.

It’s a screen fest.

The 2025 MG IM5 Performance’s oversized 26.3-inch display is one single unit. The left-side is touch sensitive for the infotainment, the right-hand side is used for the digital instrument cluster. A 10.5-inch lower screen handles all the car’s vital functions – physical buttons need not apply.

The operating system uses a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295 chip, making response times quick and the overall experience slick. You can create and manipulate widget menus to help customise your own experience, too. A relatively intuitive virtual assistant is also standard.

Other than that, there’s the usual wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a cooled wireless charging pad, Bluetooth, DAB+ digital radio and a 20-speaker audio system that sounds more impressive on paper than its real-world acoustics. The MG iSmart app allows remote access and control of various parameters.

The 2025 MG IM5 Performance lives up to the name – it’s a rocket ship.

In terms of numbers, it has a lot of them. Being dual motor, the front axle is co-located with a 200kW/302Nm e-motor which joins an even more powerful 372kW/500Nm unit at the back. Combined, MG claims a total of 553kW and 802Nm. Which means, this ‘family-friendly’ five-door liftback is comically fast.

Simply mash the brake and accelerator together before releasing the latter. And don’t forget to hang on – you’ll need to. The way in which the four Pirelli-shod wheels dig into the tarmac and ferociously catapult the 2298kg IM5 into the distance is literally breathtaking.

In Sport mode it makes the claimed zero to 100km/h time of 3.2 seconds overtly believable – for context, that is also the same figure recorded by the venerable McLaren F1. The top speed is also more than 260km/h, meaning the MG has the firepower to rival higher-end performance EVs from European brands.

If you’re after the ultimate range, then the 2025 MG IM5 Performance isn’t the right model grade for you. Stepping down to the mid-spec Platinum is where you’ll want to be.

The Performance uses 800-volt architecture with a 100kWh lithium-ion NCM (Nickel, Cobalt and Manganese) battery. It’s claimed to offer a WLTP range of 575km, no doubt aided by the super slippery drag coefficient of less than 0.24. During our time with go-fast IM5 we achieved 21.0kWh/100km, which is a little high, but acceptable given the pace underfoot. 

In terms of charging, it’s more about what could be, instead of what is. The IM5 is capable of charging at up to 396kW, yet in Australia, 350kW is about as high as they go – and good luck finding one. At that speed you can expect a 10-80 per cent replenishment in just 17 minutes. Max AC charge is 11kW from an at home wall box.

Yes, the 2025 MG IM5 Performance is fast in a straight line, but thankfully, it isn’t merely a one-trick pony. The sleek five-door liftback knows how to corner, too.

It runs on a new platform for the company, but a few great decisions have also been made for the Performance in our market, which includes the standard air suspension, high-quality Pirelli P Zero tyres and the rear-wheel steering.

It’s the bi-directional back axle that’s intriguing – especially at this price point. With up to 12 degrees of angle, it creates a tight 10-metre turning circle, which is impressive for a car almost five metres in length. And accompanied by a quick rack and plethora of cameras, the IM5 is easy to use daily.

The air suspension (double wishbone front, multi-link rear) with adaptive dampers also results in a comfortable ride quality that, despite running 20-inch wheels, mostly irons out the road underneath. The height can also be manipulated, too.

Yet, this is supposed to be the variant for drivers – and it has more dynamic talent than most Chinese EVs. With the bulk of the power coming from the rear of the four-wheel drive layout, the IM5 is more likely to squirm from the back than push wide at the front (understeer) on corner exit, which only adds to excitement behind the wheel.

Helping the IM5 turn in positively are the premium Pirelli P Zero tyres, with 245-section fronts and 275 rear. There’s a sense of more tyre talent than mechanical grip, but the MG is dialled in while cornering. It remains impressively flat and composed, largely defying its 2.3-tonne mass.

Arresting the velocity are all-round disc brakes with four-piston callipers up front. And despite harnessing regenerative braking, the pedal returns natural feel and progression for an EV.   

However, while impressive, it’s sadly lacking the connection needed to be a true ‘performance’ offering. The MG is too numb to be engaging.

The steering is too heavy and synthetic in its raciest setting, with the Comfort mode feeling the most natural and progressive when lock is applied. And while it is staggering how adeptly the IM5 grips, turns in and finds purchase through and out of a corner, you’re more a passenger than the commander of the ride.

In an age of ‘easy’ EV power, headline 0-100km/h times gain cheap smiles. However, despite some missing tactility, there’s a lot of good in the way the IM5 Performance handles dynamically. And that’s to be commended.

The 2025 MG IM5 Performance’s cabin is both feels aspirational and upmarket for one costing $81k. Yet, it also slightly misses the mark as a true luxury car (our test vehicle had some ‘wonky’ stitching, too) – or even against its own MG S5 SUV.

Still, there’s a lot to like and, once you get a handle of how it all works, the cabin is a pleasant place to be – especially at night with the 256-colour ambient lighting. With double glazing of the glass roof and side windows, as well as active sound cancelling, the cabin is a hushed.   

The front seats are plush but also hug you in the right places when the g-forces are turned up and the electronic door releases have a manual failsafe. Without a glovebox or provisions for bottles in the door cards, storage isn’t abundant. However, a large, cooled centre console bin helps – as does the open compartment under the dash.

While having the Taycan-mimicking directional air vents controlled via the touchscreen is more frustrating here than in the Porsche, you can swipe up/down and across for easy manipulation of the fan speed and temperature. And comically, one of the fan adjustments in our test vehicle says “Ramdon” instead of “Random”. The addition of the IM MAG magnetised attachment points are novel and useful.

A downside of the battery’s location is the oddly raised floor, which is distinctly noticeable in the back seat. You sit reclined (with three adjustment levels), but with your knees far higher than normal, so it takes time to adjust. And while headroom is surprisingly decent and legroom is sufficient, there is zero toeroom.

In terms of amenities, while there’s no space for bottles in the doors, the fold-down centre arm rest has provision for them and a phone holder, while there are air vents, map pockets and a single USB-C port. The latter is a shame and could cause family fights, given there are two magnetised IM MAG adapters that attach to the back of the front seats to house phones and tablets.

Rearward visibility is poor. The IM5 is in desperate need of a live feed rear-view mirror to compensate for the tiny, letterbox-esque rear window. Not only is the view straight out the back obscured, but so is the rear three-quarter aspect.   

The boot is okay for the size of the car at 457 litres, which expands to 1290L with the rear 60/40-split seats folded. It also houses an IM MAG spot, a 12V outlet and four tie-down hooks. There’s no spare wheel, just a puncture repair kit in the 18L ‘frunk’.

While on face value it appears the 2025 MG IM5 Performance is trying to clone the opposition, the reality is there’s enough substance to prove it’s much more than an imitation. It is worthy.

It will be fruitful to drive the mid-spec Platinum, too. It could be the Goldilocks IM5 given it totes the greatest range (655km) and is $11k cheaper. However, it does miss out on the air suspension, which could prove a dealbreaker. Watch this space.

Ultimately, the IM5 Performance ‘presents’ well, is remarkably rapid and dynamic. As a premium MG offshoot and Tesla rival, it stacks up. Yet, it’s lacking some refinement and polishing. All the tools are there, the IM5 just needs to learn how best to harness them.   

2025 MG IM5 Performance at a glance:
Price: $80,990 (drive-away)
Available: Now
Powertrain: Two permanent magnet synchronous motors
Output Combined: 553kW/802Nm
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gear
Battery: 100kW Lithium-ion
Range: 575km (WLTP)
Energy consumption: 18.9kWh/100km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Unrated

Join the conversation at our Facebook page
Or email us at editor@carsales.com.au