MG3 Excite 2024 Review

Priced at $24,990 drive-away, the 2024 MG3 Excite is the most affordable member of this four-car range of compact five-door five-seat hatchbacks.

The price was originally $1300 higher, but that was cut just two weeks after the June launch.

Above the base model is the $26,990 drive-away Essence, which has the same 1.5-litre engine and CVT auto, but adds some extra equipment. Then at $27,990 and $29,990 plus on-road costs are, respectively, the MG3 Hybrid+ Excite and Hybrid+ Essence.

While no longer in the bargain basement below $20K like its predecessor, the MG3 Excite is still among Australia’s cheapest cars.

The tiny Kia Picanto is the only new car still sold below $20,000, while other small city cars in the vicinity are the ageing Mazda2 hatch that starts at $22,870 plus on-road costs and the new Suzuki Swift at $24,490 drive-away.

A number of small SUVs are also in the vicinity: the aged $21,490 Suzuki Ignis, the equally ancient MG ZS from $22,290 drive-away, the $22,500 Hyundai Venue and the brand new Chery Tiggo 4 starting at $23,990 drive-away.

As the entry-level model in the line-up the 2024 MG3 Excite is the starting point for equipment. But it’s a bit more than a pauper pack.

Externally, it comes with 16-inch alloy wheels, while white and yellow are the only two – out of seven – colour choices that don’t attract a $700 metallic paint surcharge.

You have to plip the key fob to unlock the Excite (Essence gets keyless entry) and enter the cabin, where you’ll find push-button start, fabric seat trims, manual front-seat adjust, a rear seat that folds only in one piece, a steering wheel that only adjusts for rake, power windows and single-zone air-conditioning with rear vents.

Comfort equipment the Essence variant adds includes a sunroof, rain-sensing wipers, a leather steering wheel, polyurethane leather/fabric seat trim, and extra storage options including a sunglass holder and rear map pocket.

Both petrol MG3 models come with a space saver spare tyre, something the hybrids miss out on. For me, given the awful state of our roads these days, that’s just about a deal-breaker on the hybrid.

All MG3s come covered by a seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty and seven years roadside assist. The service intervals are 12 months and 10,000km – the latter is short by current standards (15,000km is becoming the norm) and simply means you’ll be headed back to the workshop sooner if you regularly cover more kays.

A capped price servicing program costs $1838 (October 2024 figures) for the first five services.

The 2024 MG3 range has been awarded a disappointing three ANCAP stars based on 2023-25 testing protocols. The independent authority found a variety of structural and equipment issues, along with aspects of the autonomous emergency braking.

Still at last the new MG3 has AEB, unlike its predecessor.

Which - even taking into account the three star result - points toward what a substantial step forward on its predecessor the new MG3 is with a comprehensive suite of ‘MG Pilot’ driver assistance systems standard. They include autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, front collision warning, lane departure warning, emergency lane keep assist, blind spot detection, rear cross traffic alert and speed and driver fatigue monitoring.

We’ve got some concerns about the turning of some of this stuff which we’ll get into further along in this review.

There are six airbags, a reversing camera, rear parking sensors (no front), tyre pressure monitoring, three top tethers and two ISOFIX mounts. The Essence swaps halogen for LED headlights and upgrades to a 360-degree camera.

Jump in the 2024 MG3 Excite and there’s a lot of similarity in the tech to the MG4 electric car – our reigning carsales car of the year.

It has the same small seven-inch digital instrument panel sitting on the dashboard behind the same two-spoke squircle steering wheel and the same 10.25-inch rectangular infotainment touchscreen mounted at the top of the centre stack.

This is a minimalist presentation that eschews as many buttons as possible. This brings with it some issues we’ll delve into in when reviewing the interior.

Standard features include wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, FM and AM radio bands, Bluetooth and a six-speaker audio. There is a USB-A and USB-C port in the centre stack and another USB charge port in the rear view mirror to mount a camera. Another USB-A port is located in the rear seat.

The Excite misses out on the Essence’s embedded satellite-navigation, digital radio and MG’s iSMART connected car smartphone app, which allows such services as remote activation of the air conditioning and door unlocking.

The 2024 MG3 Excite is powered by an orthodox 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that makes a modest 81kW at 6000rpm and 142Nm at 4500rpm.

It drives the front wheels via a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) with multiple steps programmed into it to help it feel more like a conventional automatic when changed manually via the gear lever (no flappy paddles here).

The extra dollars charged by the electrically-assisted 1.5-litre Hybrid+ brings with it a huge boost in combined power to 155kW.

Using the cheapest 91 RON petrol, the 2024 MG3 Excite claims a theoretical fuel consumption average of 6.0L/100km.

On our standard test loop which has a wide variety of road types and speeds, the real-world average climbed to 7.2L/100km.

That’s ok but not exceptional for a small car like this. We’ve seen 5.6L/100km average out of the new Swift mild hybrid on the same loop, while the MG3 Hybrid+ achieved around 5.0L/100km on the launch drive.

Combine the consumption average we achieved with the MG3 Excite’s 45 litre tank and it seems reasonable to expect a range between refuels of 500 to 600km.

It’s probably instructive to note MG never put the old MG3 on the local test fleet. It sold in big numbers, but many examples went to rental car fleets.

So no chance here to state whether the 2024 MG3 Excite is a better car to drive than its predecessor.

But the competence of the new car’s fundamentals are encouraging. It has no weird foibles in the powertrain, no obvious issues with steering, ride or handling.

It just is. It exists. And that’s about all there is. At this money these days that’s okay.

Having said that don’t expect to get anywhere in a hurry. This is a weak engine that has to be revved hard to deliver minimal performance. Hills are not its friend.

There is no sports mode to liven up the powertrain, just an eco mode and manual shifting for the CVT, which does delver extra engine control and make it a more engaging drive. Left to its own devices the CVT eddies, flows and surges in a mildly irritating way.

Happily, even when the engine is being revved hard the MG3 isn’t horrifically noisy inside.

For the most part, this is an urban commuter and in that role its light electric-assist steering, basic MacPherson strut/torsion beam suspension’s ability to soak up bumps without the driver wincing too much, and reasonable outward visibility – its most restricted through the rear window – make it a logical econo-box choice.

Where the package falls apart a bit is the intrusive driver assist systems, most obviously driver and speed monitoring. The relentless bing-bongs had to be shut down each time the car was started via a multi-step process in the touch-screen

Lane keeping could be toned down via a similar process, but in the end it was easier to just switch it off.

I also experienced a couple of ghost reads from the AEB, which jammed on the brakes for no discernible reason. Traffic sign recognition also misread a school zone speed sign, insisting the limit was 40km/h when it wasn’t.

This is such a disappointing shortfall that compromises the car’s ease of use, and it’s a common problem with Chinese brands.

As already mentioned, the 2024 MG3 Excite shares a lot in terms of its controls with the MG4 and that means it has the same plusses and minuses.

Much of the writing in the tri-part instrument panel is small and hard to read, and the rev counter for the petrol engine is an obvious after-thought shoved down in the bottom right hand corner.

The positive is the simple way cruise control is triggered and adjusted via the steering way controls. It’s a very simple button press and away you go.

Sadly, buttons and dials are in very short supply in the MG3. Which means a lot of basic functions are conducted through the touch-screen, including air conditioning adjustment.

The problem there is if you’ve got a smartphone mirrored then it’s a multi-step process to get back to the MG screen and make your changes.

Eschewing buttons and dials for screens saves money when building the car, and at this budget end of the market it’s an understandable ploy. Doesn’t stop it being annoying though.

Speaking of building to a price, that also shows up in the well-presented but mostly hard plastic interior surfaces, the way the glovebox clangs open without any damping and the lack of steering wheel reach adjustment.

But up-front the seats are large and comfortable, there are multiple storage options including a shelf for your phone (it’s not a charger) and that uncouth glovebox, which compensates by being sizable.

In the back seat there is a shortage of features such as map pockets, a fold down armrest or the split-fold function for the seat. But thanks to a 50mm increase in wheelbase over the old car there is enough space to fit taller people. In fact in every measure except roof height the new MG3 overshadows the old model.

A 180cm passenger behind a 180cm driver is still able to sit without knees squashing into the backrest. There’s also decent headroom and two passengers won’t be knocking elbows too often.

During our test we even squeezed three adults across the back seat for a short while!

The MG3’s boot is basic and pretty small at 293 litres. That means you can fit one full-size suitcase in here.

The 2024 MG3 Excite has a misleading name. The most exciting thing about it is its affordable price.

It delivers what much of the Australian auto industry seems to have given up on – budget motoring. If you want a Toyota for this money you’re shopping in a used car lot.

The MG3 is not a great car. In particular I despise the poor tuning of the driver ‘aids’ and the convoluted way of accessing them. MG should be better at this stuff now. It’s that simple.

But much else is competent. And that’s what you should expect at this money.

2024 MG3 at a glance:
Price: $24,990 drive-away
Available: Now
Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol
Output: 81kW/142Nm
Transmission: Single-speed continuously variable automatic
Fuel: 6.0L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 139g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested

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