Thrills without frills
As ADViCe goes, i’ve always found ‘Keep it simple, stupid’ to have great merit. And the practical new five-seater Mg5 eV all-electric estate has clearly been designed with this maxim in mind. For while cars are becoming increasingly complicated, the new zero- emissions Mg5 really is simple to drive. its back-to-basics approach means its limited but perfectly adequate number of available functions are simple to use.
there are just two trim options. i drove the range-topping trophy, riding on 17 in wheels, which costs £33,495 — £2,500 more than the se trim at £30,995.
the controls are straightforward and there’s a 10.25 in widescreen infotainment screen on the dashboard, along with a 7 in digital driver display behind the steering wheel.
it’s a surprisingly sprightly mover, especially in ‘sport’ mode, which joins ‘comfort’ and ‘ eco’, and is set by the flick of a switch. An easy-to-operate dial sets drive and reverse.
Both versions are powered by a 115 kW electric motor, equivalent to 156 hp, enabling brisk acceleration from rest to 30 mph in 3.2 seconds and up to 62 mph in a swift 7.7 seconds.
Both also have ‘long-range’ battery capacity of 61.1 kWh (of which 57.4 kWh is useable); the trophy trim’s range of 235 miles is 15 miles less than the lower-specced se. there’s plenty of flexible estate- car boot space which expands from 479 litres with all the seats up, to 1,367 litres with the rear seats folded down.
Driver assistance and safety features include adaptive cruise control with traffic-jam assist; active emergency braking with pedestrian and bicycle detection; lane-keeping assistance and speed- limit sign detection. Charging via a plug-in port in the front grille is straightforward and takes around ten hours — or overnight — on a 7kw AC domestic wall charger.
the classic Mg marque, founded in the 1920s and now Chinese owned, offers affordable electric cars that won’t break the bank. And though built abroad, they’re designed in Marylebone, london.