Softly softly task force

The original MG HS, which succeeded the GS that we put a lot of kilometres on in New Zealand’s South Island many years ago, was one of our favourite MG SUVs. The styling was far better balanced than the old ZS’s, with its waistline and gentle Coke-bottle over the rear wheels making for a classic, harmonious shape. The Chinese-market MG Pilot, not to be confused with the driver-assist system called MG Pilot, appeared in some markets such as the UK as the facelifted HS, showing that the original shape was generally right, and could be easily modernized with MG’s “shark hunting” nose.

For a shape that first appeared in 2018, the HS dated very well, and ticked so many boxes, including a PHEV powertrain on one model, great ride, and above-average handling that wasn’t compromised by the Chinese preference for a soft crossovers. Down the back, it was roomy, and if there was a complaint, it was that the automatic gearbox wasn’t the quickest as shifting, but this issue was so minor it barely warrants a mention.

Cue the new HS. This is an all-new model that owes nothing to the previous one. In fact, there isn’t an exact equivalent on the Chinese home market if you study the MG range. Instead, the HS comes courtesy of MG’s sister brand Roewe there, which has sold an RX5 in parallel with the GS and HS. What parent company SAIC has done is endow the RX5 with a new grille, using MG’s current design language, though you can still see similarities, with the same headlights and front wings. Roewe sells the RX5 as a petrol or plug-in hybrid, and if you want a regular petrol hybrid, then they’ll sell you a D5 X DMH, with a far sleeker grille. The good news for us is that the MG looks better than the two Roewes, something we’ll come to shortly.

Here in New Zealand, only petrol HSs are sold, due to current government policy that reverses the previous administration’s pro-EV stance. Of course, should things change, MG is in a position to bring in the hybrid and PHEV with HS badges, but for now, the trio sold here in Vibe, Excite and Essence trims, are all equipped with a 170 PS (125 kW) turbo 1·5, with power to the front wheels.

That might not sound like much given the size of the HS, but it propels the vehicle comfortably, even with our top-of-the-line Essence test car. The power comes on smoothly and effortlessly, and the seven-speed automatic has well spaced ratios with scarcely noticeable shifts.

The HS is noticeably larger this time round, with 4,655 mm in length versus 4,574 mm the last time out; wheelbase is up 45 mm from the previous generation’s 2,720 mm. Width is up slightly from 1,876 mm to 1,890 mm, and height is down from 1,685 mm to 1,655 mm. In other words, it follows Harley Earl’s dictum of longer, lower, wider. With the shallower glasshouse and the slim headlights, the size increase is visually enhanced. Gone is the Coke-bottle line for something flatter, with sculpting lower down on the doors to give the impression of haunches over the rear wheels. In fact, its looks are imposing. We’re talking about the same shift that an earlier generation experienced when the Ford Torino went from 1970 to 1971; or the XY giving way to the XA Falcon. The badge might be the same, but the design is fresh and head-turning; sleekness turns our heads in the SUV generation just as much as it did with cars a generation ago.

It’s visually striking, as MGs should be, and among C-segment crossovers it’s a better looker than the outgoing Toyota RAV4 or the gentler Nissan Qashqai. It’s the Koreans that might challenge the HS on style stakes but on the whole we prefer the MG to the Hyundai Tucson or the Kia Sportage (regardless of wheelbase). The Renault Austral and Opel Grandland B look a generation behind, despite being fairly new to the market. Volkswagen’s Tiguan looks even older. Peugeot’s 3008 still appears classy in a Gallic way but the 1·6 should be a turn-off.

The smart design extends to the interior, with its two displays side by side giving the impression of a wide screen (12·3 in each), and a logically laid out cabin that is instantly familiar to us. The steering wheel grips well, the displays themselves are clear, if typographically dull, though we no longer have the issue of the old HS’s 1s looking like 7s on the digital speedometer. We did have one fault with the cameras—the screens all displayed green—a bug which never recurred, which MG has not seen on any other vehicle, but the company is looking into it.

There are warning noises galore, however, for driver alertness and speed among them. Understandable these days for cars to get high safety ratings, but some might take time to get used to them. It knows when you have your hand in front of the alertness monitor and tells you off accordingly.

Driving assistance functions are well executed and help rather than distract: the HS reads the lanes well and didn’t make any questionable moves during our test, though we did find it humorous that the speed alert would tell the car itself off when, on a downhill part, it briefly went 1 km/h over the legal maximum.

The gear lever is a conventional type—no rotary knobs here—but it works with the ambience. You’re already sitting high up and you feel like a country gent. And no self-respecting country gent would feel quite right without a proper, rest-your-hand-on-it gear lever. Interior materials feel pleasant and the cabin well screwed together.

The seats and dashboard have a fine red stitching, perhaps a nod to the MG’s sporting heritage. And on the Essence, there’s a full panoramic sunroof that, the Cyberster excepted, is as close as we’re getting to an open-top MG in these pages for now.

We took the HS to the countryside where it felt perfectly at home by farms, even if it doesn’t have all-wheel drive. The ground clearance and big tyres are good enough for light duties, and most HS buyers are urban.

But urban in China and urban in New Zealand are two very different things, and while the HS has the ‘task force’ side reasonably sewn up, it does so ‘softly softly’.

The suspension is floaty and soft, resulting in the handling being less precise, and increasing the steering wheel’s weight doesn’t really solve the underlying tune. On paper you’d expect something sharper, with MacPherson struts at the front and multi-link suspension down the back. However, maybe we’re not typical. We’ve spoken to one colleague with another organization who complained of a rival manufacturer’s offerings being too firm, and she preferred something softer in tune. Another colleague at a consumer organization called the HS ‘a RAV killer’ and had no issue with the suspension. It is perhaps explained by the HS coming essentially from the Roewe side of the operation, preserving the old MG–Rover divide that the two historical British brands had in the early 2000s. MG’s Z cars were the sporty offerings, Rover the softer ones with the same bodies. It appears these two focuses have continued under SAIC’s ownership, and it is certainly reflected in the home market’s styling.

If that’s the case, that the typical HS buyer wants comfort above pin-sharp handling, then it’s going to be a hit. You already see plenty of first-generation HSs about, a crossover we still like because it was rewarding to drive, among its other qualities. However, the RAV4 remains a global top-seller, and it does so with comfort and economy, and its customers don’t seem to mind the old-school infotainment and noisy engine. If that is the benchmark, then a lack of a hybrid powertrain aside, the HS might have the RAV4 licked.

And that’s not even considering the price: NZ$36,990 for the base model; the Essence begins at NZ$42,990. Both of which undercut the cheapest RAV4 (NZ$48,750) by thousands. The Toyota may have more power with the hybrid engaged, and it’s more miserly with fuel, but dimensionally the HS has the advantage. This may change with the next-gen RAV4, though it’s hard to imagine its price coming down.

We’d still lean toward the MG and concur with our colleague, and we may be in the minority wishing for a sportier, firmer feel. •

Jack Yan is founder and publisher of Lucire.

Related articles hand-picked by our editors

Best of both worlds
Not ready to go full EV? MG’s plug-in hybrid, the HS Plus EV, is a very convincing C-segment crossover that blends the best of both worlds, writes Jack Yan
Photographed by the author

Unexpected journeys
MG’s new SUV, the GS, proved the perfect companion as Jack Yan and Amanda Satterthwaite head to Otago and Southland, with an unexpected detour early in their trip
Photographed by the authors

For SAIC’s goodness: MG launches HS plug-in hybrid SUV
SAIC, fresh from selling 220,000 electrified vehicles last year, was confident of its MG HS plug-in hybrid crossover as it live-streamed its launch to Australia and New Zealand, writes Jack Yan