Mighty Good..
A brand with a massive sporting heritage is helping to propel motorists into electric cars with the MG5 EV SW estate, reckons GILES BLAIR
THE MG5 is a breath of fresh air in the electric-car market for its genuine practicality, affordability and quality.
Wearing the badge of the famous British marque, the MG5 EV SW (to use its Sunday name) is a smaller family estate car with a price that really makes eco-friendly motoring a possibility for many.
By comparison, many alternative electric vehicles are either too small or too expensive for the average motorist – and sometimes both.
But the MG5 doesn’t just win on those fronts as it also delivers a dynamic driving experience, which you might not expect for the money.
Talking of which, there are four versions – the Excite costing from £25,095, on the road after the plug-in car grant, Exclusive at £27,595 and Long Range versions of both priced £26,495 and £28,995.
All feature a 115kW/156PS motor driving the front wheels, with either a 52.5 or 61.1kWh battery – giving average ranges of 214 or 250 miles, which is more than enough for most people’s needs.
I tested the car in the highest-spec version and found it enjoyable to drive thanks to its liveliness.
In common with other electric vehicles, the linear acceleration created by the one-speed automatic gearbox is delightful and the MG hits 60mph in just 7.3 seconds and tops out at 115mph.
A smart, large, centre-console dial control for the gearing is supported by buttons that add to the pleasure by offering three drive modes and increasing the force of the brakes to regenerate battery power.
The Eco, Normal and Sport modes are brilliant at providing the kind of relaxing or more engaging driving experiences you might want.
They influence various factors concerning energy efficiency and the car’s handling and responses to driver input – in the same way that many such options work in traditionally powered cars. So I found myself enjoying relaxed cruising along motorways and having some real fun accelerating out of corners on country roads.
A low centre of gravity created by the combination of the chassis-placing of the battery pack and the estate-car styling ensured excellent dynamics.
And the MG5 drove well over all road surfaces except the most weather-ravaged. But even then, I’ve had much more expensive vehicles perform far worse.
When it comes to rejuicing it, a 50kW charger will get you to 80 per cent in an hour, while a domestic 7kW wall box will get to 100 per cent in nine and a half hours.
Handily, if you find you need to, a three-pin household plug charging option is also available and works well for topping up if you have concerns.
The charging connection point is also cleverly concealed behind the MG badge on the front grille, which I thought was another nice touch.
Otherwise, the MG5’s sleek looks make it stand out in the EV market and I admired the great use of pronounced contoured lines on the bodywork, along with the bright 16in alloy wheels.
The flowing design was complemented by great use of chrome brightwork all around. I felt the way it was used to connect the front grille to the headlamps and integrate the tail lights across the boot was particular effective.
Step inside and the family practicalities are immediately obviou – but unexpected luxuries for the money are likely to impress as much
The lack of a transmission tunnel creates genuine room for two adults up front and three kids in the back, with good storage options and four USB ports.
The boot offers a minimum capacit of 464 litres – which is good for the holiday luggage – or 1456 litres for your DIY/flat pack furniture needs with the rear seats folded.
The Exclusive comes with extreme comfortable leather seating and som fine interior chrome detailing as wel as a good feeling of durability.
An eight-inch infotainment touchscreen significantly adds to proceedings with sat nav, smartphon integration, rear parking camera and access to other in-car functions.
Other creature comforts on the tes model include keyless entry and star auto lights and wipers, cruise contro and an informative instrument cluste
And the MG Pilot safety system features active emergency braking with pedestrian and bike detection, lane keep assist, traffic jam assist, intelligent speed limit assist and aut high beam.
MG is certainly proving that electr vehicles can be a reality for the everyday motorist.