MG, or M.G. Car Company Limited as it used to be known, was a truly British brand with a hundred years of automotive history behind them. So yes, they know a thing or two about making quality cars. Little would the company’s pioneers know where the future would lead them as they worked their little side business from the Morris Garage (MG you see) in Oxfordshire.
Yes, the brand that has given us the MGB and the MG Metro are now fully embracing the electric car revolution. And, it has to be said, they have done a pretty good job of it.
Okay, let’s address the elephant in the room. My use of ‘was’ British was intentional. MG were in fact bought in 2007 by the mega Chinese manufacturer, SAIC. Of course, SAIC are not too well known on these Sceptered Isles for a good reason.
Most of the cars that SAIC makes are for the Chinese market. However, they also manufacture cars for the American market on behalf of brands such as Volkswagen. The Chinese too are also experienced automobile manufacturers who knock out high quality products. So do not fear, the MG marque is in very safe hands.
Oh – MG 5!!!
The OMG pun is good and I’m therefore going to milk it for all its worth. This leads us onto the first of the two cars I want to talk about. The seriously impressive MG 5. The car that will go where no other electric car has gone.
Name me 5 electric cars that are estate cars. Can’t do it? I’m not surprised as it was a trick question (hashtag sorry not sorry). Other than the MG 5 and the Porsche Taycan Cross S, there just aren’t any other electric estate cars on the market. By finding that gap and plugging it, MG has made a very shrewd move.
Of course, the importance of the car’s place in the market is only relevant if the car is any good to use. Well, it’s great news! The MG 5 is a very impressive electric car indeed. The WLTP range of the MG 5 is stated to be 250 miles. Even on a damp day you will still see around 200+ miles of real world range, and more on the lovely sunny British summer days. The MG 5 is, therefore, a very practical car for family use. It can achieve the distances that a lot of similarly priced cars cannot.
The quality of the interior is also quite surprising. Although it won’t match the level of trim that you would find in a Porsche Taycan or a Mercedes EQC, the MG 5 doesn’t look cheap. It has a very respectable quality, particularly for an electric car in that price range.
The seating is comfortable and there is a huge amount of room, as you would expect from an estate car. The suspension is exceptional for such a large car in this range, and the off-road experience will not bruise your bones. The MG 5 gets a big thumbs up from us here at EVision Electric Vehicles.
Oh – MG ZS
MG is the fastest growing electric car manufacturer in Europe, and with cars like the MG 5 and the MG ZS it isn’t surprising. Which brings us onto the second electric car star of this blog post, the MG ZS.
The electric MG ZS has been around for a while. However, the vehicle has had a major facelift. MG has listened to their customers’ niggles and complaints associated with the first version of the electric MG ZS and they have made the necessary improvements.
Gone is the overly clever and awkward entrance to the charging port. Replaced by a very functional opening door. The car itself no longer resembles the petrol and diesel versions as before. It now looks as an electric car should.
While you won’t be surprised that the MG 5 is the cheapest electric estate car on the market, the MG ZS is the cheapest SUV in the electric car world. Not too bad considering that SUV style electric vehicles have saturated the electric car market in recent years. Largely due to the fact that SUVs are the desired vehicle that people want. This was true even before the electric car revolution started.
The touchscreen does have a few minor issues with useability. However, the MG ZS can receive over-the-air updates, so I don’t see the software issues being a long-term problem. The performance of the car is particularly interesting. The acceleration, for example, will surprise you by how punchy it is. Although the 0-62 time is 8.1 seconds you will struggle to believe the veracity of this figure. The MG ZS is not Tesla quick, but it’s certainly quicker than you’d have thought.
Oh – MG I have some final thoughts!!!
MG have done an absolutely outstanding job on these two cars. Neither will shatter any records, but they perform incredibly well and punch way above their price tag. The world is crying out for decent, cheap electric cars and it is the Chinese who are getting the job done.
Although, as I said, these cars will not trouble the performance of the Tesla cars, they will send shockwaves through the industry. If the legacy car manufacturers haven’t been paying attention, they really need to start. MG is a known car brand. However, there are many startups that will be coming over from China with incredibly well built, good performance vehicles at a much cheaper price than the legacy manufacturers are willing to go to. If they aren’t careful, the traditional car makers will be left behind as the Chinese electric cars take over the world. They can’t say they haven’t been warned.
Both of these vehicles will be coming to EVision Electric Vehicles later in the year. Stay tuned to our website and to our blog posts to find out when they arrive.
* All information correct as of 16/03/2022.
