The MG 5 isn’t a terrible vehicle, but it certainly doesn’t feel like RM95,000.
SAIC Motor Malaysia launched the MG 5 late last year and to be honest it was a rather unexpected vehicle. In the age of the crossover, here was a sedan. In the midst of a move towards turbocharged and electrified powertrains, here was something powered by a naturally-aspirated engine. And where just about every brand is moving towards local-assembly, we get a fully-imported car. Still, they seemed very adamant that this was a product that fit our market’s needs. And so we thought we’d give it a go over a weekend to see where the MG 5’s strengths and weaknesses lay.
It’s tough to get over pre-conceived notions about a car or brand, but we always try to approach each vehicle with an open mind. That being said, it was particularly tough in the case of the MG 5. Just a few weeks before taking our test unit, word got out about a disastrous 0-star ANCAP safety rating, and we had heard some other rumours about the size of its reserve fuel tank. So we spent the weekend driving a little more cautiously than we normally would have.
It turns out that driving the car cautiously – sticking to the speed limit, being conservative on the accelerator pedal, not pushing the driving dynamics – all sort of worked in favour of the MG 5. I mean, it sounds a little bit ridiculous to say but the MG 5 sort of excels as a daily commuter. It doesn’t have the jerky low-speed throttle response of many of its Chinese DCT-equipped rivals, so I much prefer its behaviour in traffic and when parking. Of course, at its limits the MG 5 is not very inspiring to drive, but if you approach this car for what it IS – a family economy sedan – then it actually does the job quite well.
How does it measure up against some of its price-rivals? Well, in some ways it’s a little bit better but in some ways it’s a bit worse. It’s not quite as ‘nice’ to push hard as its key Japanese rivals, but none of them are particularly great cars to drive either. The issue is expectation.
If you’re a new player like MG is, the market expects you to either give you something MORE or offer a product that’s significantly cheaper. The MG 5 doesn’t offer a driving experience that exceed what’s on offer. The only areas where it might score a little higher is in terms of NVH and possibly even comfort, but not to a very appreciable degree.
Design-wise, the MG 5 is a totally different story. I think this is where the car’s main marketability comes into the picture. There’s no denying that it has a much more sophisticated look than its Japanese rivals. The MG 5 and the Nissan Almera Turbo are now the only two B-segment sedans on sale that manage to look proportionate.
In fact, I do think that these two cars share a very similar sort of shape when viewed from the side. The difference with the MG 5 is that it clearer gets inspiration from the outgoing C-Class and I don’t think that’s a bad thing. At this price point, you won’t be judged for taking notes from the masters. You just have to excuse the fake exhaust tips, which many already have forgivenMercedes-Benz for anyway.
It’s not just big picture stuff – when the details feel more fleshed out on the MG than in some of their price rivals. There’s a large, black-finished front grille that looks like it’s intaking enough air for a six cylinder. Metal work looks really muscular both in front and at the rear. Body lines are crisp and and clean – it’s honestly quite a good looking vehicle.
The design of the interior is not quite the clean sweep though and that’s only because you have to touch and feel one or two hard plastics. By and large, the MG 5’s interior is rather respectable and classy, even. The steering wheel is flat-bottomed and wrapped in partly perforated leather.
Air cond controls are hidden inside a digital sub-menu but bringing the submenu up is just a button click away. The twin digital displays are of a decent resolution and feature good animations. A 3D-effect trim piece and faux brushed aluminium trim make up the bulk of the visual decor. Besides that you get a sprinkling of red stitching and highlight pieces to give the MG 5 a bit of a sporty touch.
Again, the downside of the interior is that some of the touch points don’t feel very good and this brings down the perceived value of the cabin by a huge degree. I mean, this is a much more presentable cabin than anything Perodua has to offer, but it doesn’t feel like it’s built to a significantly higher standard. We know MG can do better cabins than this because we’ve seen it before in the MG 4 and Cyberster. Looks aren’t everything though. Some people just want a sedan that can offer the most space and in that regard the MG 5 scores full marks. It claims to be the largest car in its class and we don’t doubt that. Perhaps this is another reason why SAIC Motor Malaysia felt the MG 5 would excel in our market.
It’s hard to undo the reputation damage that a 0 star ANCAP rating brings. SAIC Motor Malaysia has given its official reasons for why the score doesn’t reflect the car we get here (ours has pre-tensioner seatbelts) but until retests are done there’s only so much that can be said. The MG 5 comes with 6 airbags, electronic stability assist, blind spot detection, rear cross traffic alert and quite a few other passive safety features. This amount of kit would have put it in the lead 10 years ago, but today many price rivals also offer more extensive ADAS items too.
In terms of value – we mentioned before that expectations are such that new entries to the market should either offer significantly more or be priced significantly lower than rivals. In the case of the MG 5, we get neither. The car offers slightly more space, slightly more NVH and comfort, but just about matches in terms of daily ‘performance’.
In terms of design, it does have subjectively a much more mature and attractive design but in a value-conscious segment, design may not play a very big role. In terms of pricing? Well, this car was launched with an RM94K price tag and it appears as if discounts are now more or less ‘permanently’ in place.
I think ultimately it’s a pricing and perception issue that needs to be handled. In terms of perception – the only cure for a 0-star rating is a 5-star rating. Get OUR spec of the MG 5 tested at least by ASEAN NCAP and that’s half the battle won. The next part of the equation is pricing. RM94K is steep. Even when established Japanese rivals creep up to the 6-figure mark the public reaction is very negative. Those brands have more or less ‘earned’ the public trust over the last few decades, so many are willing to overlook the higher prices.
But that’s where MG HAD an opportunity. The Japanese makes have all left the sub-RM80K market. Even Proton offers discounts on their S70. If the MG 5 was presented as an upgrade path from a Perodua Myvi, it would have a fair shot at success. Is it too late to reprice the MG 5? Maybe, but like we said, discounts seem to be in place. Pay their showrooms a visit and see if you can swing a deal. Bear in mind that the Australian spec MG 5 is priced at A$24,990 – just under RM70K.
2024 MG 5 Specifications
Engine: Inline-4, 16 valve, DOHC, Petrol (N.A)
Capacity: 1,498cc
Gearbox: CVT
Max power: 114hp @ 6000rpm
Max torque: 150Nm @ 4500rpm
Top Speed: 200 km/h
Acceleration: 11.5 seconds
Price: RM93,900
