MG U9 Extreme Pro 2026 Review

Pricing is one of the core attributes of the 2026 MG U9 dual cab ute family. The Explore Pro flagship is $60,990 drive-away, the sort of price where big-selling ute brands are just warming up. Some high-end Ford Ranger utes will cost you more than $100,000 to get on the road.

Other popular utes in the $60K vicinity include the Isuzu D-Max X-Rider, Mitsubishi Triton GLS and Toyota HiLux SR.

There are other Chinese utes in this pricing zone too. The GWM Cannon Alpha Lux plug-in hybrid and the BYD Shark 6 are both a bit cheaper. The similarly-huge Foton Tunland is quite a bit cheaper.

If the Explore Pro is a bit rich for your blood, there are two other cheaper MG U9s, the $52,990 drive-away Explore and the $55,990 drive-away Explore X.

While the money’s affordable by dual cab ute standards, the 2026 MG U9 Explore Pro is no pauper pack.

Standard exterior equipment includes LED headlights either side of that imposing grille, 20-inch alloy wheels housed within squared-off black wheel arches, roof rails, side steps and an electric release tailgate with inbuilt steps – the latter exclusive to this flagship trim.

The tub comes with a spray-in liner, cargo slide rails with hooks, and lights built into the roof of the cabin. Our U9 also came with an optional mid gate (or smart hatch as MG also calls it).

Press one button and the rear window retracts, press another button and the firewall folds down into the cabin. It adds an extra 400 litres of capacity (out to 1600 litres).

The idea is you can transport extra-long loads such as surf boards. You pay for it though. This option is $5490.

There are six paint choices, five of which add $800.

Access to the interior is via remote central locking and keyless entry and includes push button start, dual-zone climate control, six-way powered and heated front seats and leather trim for the heated steering wheel.

Explore Pro exclusives include a panoramic sunroof, real leather seat trim, eight-way powered driver’s seat with lumbar adjust, heated rear outboard seats and LED reading lights for the back seats.

Being a commercial vehicle MG’s wound back the U9’s coverage from the 10 years available for its passenger cars. Five years and unlimited kilometres are standard and that can be bumped up to seven years if you service at an MG dealer.

Service intervals are 12 months/15,000km after the first service at 10,000km. Capped price servicing costs $2355 over five visits to the MG workshop.

The 2026 MG U9 range picks up the maximum five star ANCAP rating based on 2024 protocols. But there is a catch.

It didn’t actually get crash tested, instead it was awarded five stars based on the performance of its relation, the Maxus (LDV in Australia) eTerron 9 electric dual cab ute in Euro NCAP testing.

Both MG and Maxus (LDV) are divisions of the Chinese auto giant SAIC. ANCAP was willing to accept the combination of eTerron 9 EV’s crash test data and additional technical information from MG to make its judgement.

In addition to its rating, the U9 includes driver assist features such as autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, various forms of lane policing, speed monitoring, blind spot monitoring, driver monitoring, rear cross traffic alert and reverse AEB.

There are seven airbags, two rear seat ISOFIX and two top tether child seat anchorages.

Only the base model misses out on a really impressive 360-degree high-definition camera offered with a whole bunch of view options, including transparent chassis and side views. These prove very handy threading the bulky U9 through tight gaps on- and off-road.

Front and rear park sensors also help out.

Less impressive is the way the driver assist systems are tuned. The cruise’s minimum gap to the car in front is too large, so other vehicles keep filling the space in commuter traffic. Lane keep assist grabs at the steering wheel too aggressively, speed and driver monitoring bing-bong away frantically.

Thankfully there are shortcuts allowing the lane keeping and monitors to be switched off without drilling into the touchscreen. But this must be done each time the vehicle is started.

While the shortcuts are appreciated, the systems should be tuned deftly enough so you never feel the urge to turn them off.

Dual 12.3-inch screens for infotainment and instrumentation sit stitched together imposingly on the dashboard of the 2026 MG U9 Explore Pro.

They look great with high-res visuals and the system includes embedded GPS satellite-navigation, DAB+, AM and FM radio bands, Bluetooth and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The Amazon Music app, 12-month complementary access to the MG ‘iSmart’ smartphone app, wireless smartphone charging and over the air updates are also included.

There are four USB outlets onboard, split equally between Type-A and Type-C.

The Explore Pro gets an eight-speaker JBL audio system while other models make do with a six-speaker unbranded system.

The 2026 MG U9 range is powered by the SAIC-developed SC25T turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine also found in the LDV Terron 9.

It produces 160kW/520Nm and comes fitted with water-to-air intercooling and a more durable timing chain rather than a belt.

The U9’s power and torque rating is competitive against other four-cylinder turbo-diesel dual cab utes.

It drives all four wheels via a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission and BorgWarner intelligent 4x4 system.

This means it can run on the bitumen in all-wheel drive as well as rear-wheel drive.

The centre diff will lock in 4x4 mode and there are front and rear diff locks to improve off-road progress too.

The 2026 MG U9 is officially claimed to consume fuel at a rate of 7.9L/100km on the ADR Combined cycle, which is a competitive number.

However, during our unladen on-road and off-road testing the average came out at 10.7L/100km.

When a 650kg payload was added that real world consumption number cycled up to 13.4L/100km.

Both outcomes are a bit higher than what we’ve recorded with some other laden and unladen tests for competitor utes.

But then the MG U9 is pretty heavy at 2550kg (kerb), so even before you add a load it’s hauling plenty of metal.

Where the 2026 MG U9 differs itself from most of its rivals is in the rear-end.

While it employs the same double wishbone front suspension and ladder frame chassis for much of its length as the Terron9, the rear end is underpinned by a multi-link independent coil spring suspension.

Also, the tub is integral to the body rather than being bolted to the chassis separately.

In the interests of maximum payload, towing and off-road capability, most dual cab utes employ a live axle and leaf springs at the rear.

The use of IRS suggests MG sees the U9 as very much a lifestyle ute. The fact the Explore Pro’s payload tops out at just 770kg backs that up.

Most utes are closer to – or above – one tonne. Another IRS ute, the BYD Shark 6, also falls short on payload.

If you are driving on the open road without a payload the U9 is pleasant enough.

It has a plush and forgiving suspension set-up that soaks up country road and highway speed hits and crags. That usual ladder frame shake is there, but not excessive.

It’s electric-assist steering is light (albeit tuneable through three modes) and not prone to kick or deflection on- or off-road. It is slow geared, with plenty of turns lock to lock.

While not in reach of the Ford Ranger, the U9’s behaviour is compliant and cordial.

The engine has no trouble hauling the substantial kerb weight and it does it without vociferous complaint and only the occasional tremor or stutter was recorded as the transmission clonks into the next gear.

If all driving were at highway speeds without any payload, MG U9 life would be just fine.

But sadly, that’s not the whole story.

If this is a lifestyle ute with family intentions then this thing is going to be used in city and suburbia and at 5500mm long, 1874mm high and 1997mm wide (excluding mirrors) it’s over-sized for the task.

A massive 13.3m turning circle emphasises that.

The low speed unladen ride on rougher roads is unhelpfully stiff. On one ripple-riddled gravel road it was either slow right down or be shaken to bits. It was a surprising contrast to the higher-speed plushness.

When 650kg was added to the tub the U9 sank into its rear suspension and pointed its nose at the sky. The rear springs completely overwhelmed the dampers. The U9 pogoed down the road, taking three or more heaves to settle after a bump. It felt top heavy and lumbering in corners.

Furthermore, it required heavy throttle pressure to gain a solid response. Manual shifting is by flappy paddles and they are handy when you need to hang on to a gear.

Disc brakes at all four corners also required plenty of pressure to pull up this heavyweight combination.

There was no towing on this test, but this experience didn’t leave us encouraged grey nomads should be flocking to the U9 for their next lap. The claim is it can tow 3500kg braked.

Disturbingly, the transmission with its selector that looks like jet throttles twice wouldn’t select drive after being in neutral or reverse. I dunno if it was operator error or a transmission problem. I’ll take the blame this time.

The IRS system fitted to the 2026 MG U9 Explore Pro also creates some off-road constraints.

Basically, it just cannot keep its rear wheels on the ground as much as a well-sorted live axle ute. And that limits traction.

It also made for some spectacular moments on our moguls test as one rear wheel or the other pawed high in the air, as if trying to high-five an imaginary LDV Terron9.

Progress over the tougher stuff based on low range and traction control alone was juddering and rough. It didn’t help it was a hot day, the sand was loose and U9 Explore Pro’s Continental tyres were highway-oriented.

Lock in the rear diff and progress uphill was a lot smoother and fuss free. Just remember to unlock afterwards, something that the system did smoothly. Changes between low and high range were also slick.

The hill descent control proved effective but noisy, a bit like an old Prado.

With a long 3300mm wheelbase and 220mm of ground clearance unintended underbody contact proved unavoidable. That’s exacerbated by only minimal armour.

The side steps took more than one hit and a rubber strip under the nose was strategically placed to cop a good beating.

The parking sensors kept coming back on after a certain speed was reached off-road, which was annoying.

There are a plenty of gizmos and adjustments you can make through the screens and modes, including an off-road crawl control and a wading sensor (max wading depth is 550mm).

But nothing you press or tap is going to add the rear wheel articulation the U9 needs to become a Toyota HiLux-rivalling off-roader.

No doubt about it, the MG U9 Explore Pro will win over heaps of fans at first sight, sitting pretty in the showroom, because this is a really impressive cabin.

For a start, it’s spacious.

Up-front the driver has soft surfaces on which to rest his elbows while grasping the reach and rake adjustable steering wheel and obtaining the right position in the huge (and soft) armchair-of-a-seat.

In the rear there is no shortage of knee or headroom along with plenty of appointments including adjustable air-con vents, USB ports and a multitude of storage opportunities including two bins in each door.

As is the ladder frame ute way you do sit a bit V-shaped and knees-up and the seat backrest is short. The seat base flips up and there is underfloor storage.

It’s just as generous for stowing stuff upfront with a huge, lidded centre bin including a movable shelf and a rubberised bottom to stop items rattling about.

Even the cupholders are different heights and are spring loaded.

The trims and materials are impressive. It all looks good quality and is nice to touch and work with. Fantastic that there are proper physical air-con controls and you don’t have to drill into the touch-screen menus.

Sadly though, there’s no physical volume control dial on the multi-level centre stack.

As is the current trend, the instrument panel itself has information scattered seemingly at random, some of it tiny in size. The tachometer is only a bar graph, which is not helpful.

And while we are griping, the sunroof does nothing to shield the sun’s blast, instead it seems to magnify it even more than a Tesla’s glass roof. Thankfully there is an inner blind to block it.

And what’s with the tiny power door levers? Opening the door becomes a chore requiring either a two-handed push or a solid shoulder shove. An ergonomic and design misfire.

Then there’s the internal mirror that shows a camera view. It has a gloss black surround that also reflects what’s going on behind you, which makes it very hard to focus. It also can’t be switched to just being a normal mirror.

Better news can be found in the tub where there’s enough room to fit an Aussie pallet between the wheel arches.

And if you’re tired you can always relax on the that power tailgate … step … er seat … thing. One bit of me likes it, another bit thinks it’s another element that might break and be expensive to fix.

The 2026 MG U9 Explore Pro makes a lot of sense in terms of specification, presents well and is priced brilliantly.

Then you get behind the wheel and discover some frustrating shortcomings, revolving around its independent rear suspension and poorly calibrated driver aids.

Fix that stuff up and the MG U9 would be a much better vehicle and a more viable challenger for established ute brands.

2026 MG U9 Extreme Pro at a glance:
Price: $60,990 (drive-away)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 160kW/520Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.9L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 208g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2024)

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