Ulasan MG5: kami mengendarai sedan termurah di Australia

Apa itu?

Australia’s cheapest sedan, the MG5 is made in China and could be yours, brand new, in the driveway from just $24,990 drive-away. Whichever way you cut it, that’s insanely cheap.

Today we’re testing the higher grade model, the Essence which does away with the naturally aspirated engine of the base model for a more powerful, turbocharged unit and trickier transmission. This one is $28,990 drive-away – with more standard equipment such as a sunroof, 360-degree parking camera and electrically adjustable driver’s seat. There’s even a Turbo badge on the boot.

Apakah mobil ini memiliki silsilah balap?

MG-branded cars have festooned racetracks around the world for many years – in Britain in particular. In a factory capacity, MGs have taken on touring car championships, sports car racing and even rallying.

There is an MG5 race car, too – a TCR car. It competed for Team MG XPower in a factory capacity in the 2022 TCR Asia Series. It even won a few races.

Apa yang ada di bawah kap mesin?

Actually quite a tasty-sounding powertrain – a turbocharged 1.5-litre inline-four with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. Outputs are 119kW at 5600rpm and 250Nm across 3000 to 4000rpm. Pop the bonnet and the turbo is easily spotted at the front of the engine bay. The MG5 is, of course, front-wheel-drive, while it weighs in at 1318kg.

Bagaimana cara penanganannya?

In the urban environment the MG5 drives reasonably well, its soft suspension granting decent ride quality – even if the turbo engine isn’t going to light any particularly large fires. It performs and sounds like a naturally aspirated engine, a bit thrashy and running out of puff in the upper revs.

To be perfectly frank, this is not a car you’ll be glad to find yourself on a winding road, either. With its Torsion beam rear end the handling is merely okay, and certainly nothing inspiring.

General refinement is average. The dual-clutch transmission can engage gears with a jolt, while there’s a bit of noise intrusion from the tyres and suspension. Overall, however, the MG5 is easy to drive, certainly better than a 10-year-old, second-hand car.

Ke mana Anda paling ingin mengendarainya?

A dirt road would be fun. While all cars are fun on dirt, the MG5’s soft, slightly wayward suspension would make it even more of a laugh.

Seperti apa interiornya?

It’s not too bad. It’s a bit of a dark, drab place with plenty of money-saving hard scratchy plastics, but it also looks smart, contemporary and even nice. A 10.0-inch central touchscreen takes pride-of-place in the centre of the dash and offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a high-tech touch.

We don’t love that there’s no steering wheel reach adjustment – it’s tilt only, not that readers with overly long arms will notice – nor that all the heating and cooling controls are in a fiddly menu in the touchscreen.

The back seat is spacious and the rear bench itself is very softly padded, although it’s cost-cutting central back here with no centre armrest, only a single rear air-vent (better than nothing) and no split-fold backrest.

How much does the MG5 cost?

While the base car’s $24,990 drive-away price is designed to lure people into showrooms, the one we’re driving today is $28,990 drive-away.

We tested fuel economy of 9.5L/100km, but 7.0L/100km would be achievable. The turbo Essence requires pricier 95RON premium fuel (compared to 91RON regular unleaded of the base model).

Apakah saya akan membelinya?

It’s hard not to recommend the MG5 based on the price alone. If it gets someone out of a second-hand car – with safety technology that’s a decade older – that’s got to be a win, right? And that’s not to mention you get to experience buying a brand new car, picking it up from a showroom, and sleeping slightly easier with a seven-year warranty.

It’s telling, however, that we’re comparing the MG5 to second-hand vehicles as it’s not really a patch on any other new model. Part of the reason it’s so cheap is it’s missing safety features standard on many new cars, such as blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist and rear cross traffic alert. It’s mostly why ANCAP controversially scored it zero stars in an independent crash test in 2023.