New MG HS driven: A big family SUV that’s big on value too

MG has really made a (new) name for itself in the past decade in the UK, selling a range of very well-priced cars and SUVs, pushing into electric power, and just occasionally turning out a car that’s really quite good to drive.

This new HS SUV isn’t one of the latter, but it is quite a handsome SUV. It maybe looks a touch generic from some angles, but the big grille at the front, and the complex-looking LED brake lights at the back save it from total blandness. Just avoid the too-predictable metallic grey paint and it actually looks very smart. No wonder it’s soaring up the UK new car sales charts.

If anything, the MG HS looks even smarter inside. There’s a really lovely tan leather option available which makes the cabin look very posh indeed, and there’s plenty of space on offer with comfortable space for four adults, and just about enough room to get a fifth passenger into the middle rear seat.

There’s good boot space too, with 507 litres of luggage space on offer. That means that the MG HS has a slightly smaller boot than the likes of a Skoda Karoq or a Ford Kuga, but the better news is that you get the same boot space whether you go for the turbo petrol HS, or for the plug-in hybrid model. Usually a plug-in hybrid version will always have a smaller boot, so the MG scores serious points here.

Up front, the HS’ cabin has improved out of all recognition compared to the previous, slightly cheap and nasty, model. You get two big 12.3-inch digital screens — one for the driver’s instruments, which manages to look a little classier than is the norm for MG, and one for the infotainment. The downside is that the infotainment menu setup is pretty fiddly, with lots of small on-screen buttons, and it’s a shame that MG didn’t give the HS the same physical buttons panel as you get in the new MG S5 EV electric SUV. That would make using the big screen way easier. There are some cheap materials used in the cabin, but surprisingly few, and the whole thing feels well made.

You can choose from petrol, hybrid, or plug-in hybrid engines for your MG HS. The basic 1.5 turbo petrol model has 169hp, which is just about enough, but it’s pretty thirsty and not all that quick, although it’s good to note that you can actually have a basic model with a manual gearbox. The hybrid version uses a 224hp combo of that same 1.5 turbo engine and an electric motor, and it’s pretty decent, although you’ll struggle to hit the claimed 51.3mpg fuel economy figure in real-world driving.

The best of the bunch is the plug-in hybrid, which has an exceptional claimed electric-only range of up to 75 miles, and around 50-60 of those should be realistically available to you. The HS plug-in scores on longer journeys, where it’s less thirsty when running on a flat battery than the norm (figure on about 40-45mpg) although the fact that you can’t fast-charge the battery is a bit of a disappointment.

The HS is only OK to drive. The steering’s pretty lifeless, even if it is quite direct, and the plug-in hybrid suffers from being too firm over bumps (the standard petrol model is better in this respect) but it’s hardly disgraced, and anyway — did you expect a big family SUV to be fun in the corners?

So it’s not exciting – but the MG HS makes a great case for itself as a good-value family car, especially if you’re taking the plug-in hybrid model as a cost-effective company car.

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