★★☆☆☆ | MG3 Exclusive
What Have We Got?
The MG3 comes in a 3 car model line up from £9495 for the base Explore to £12,795 for the Exclusive. MG has been slow and steady sellers and numbers on the road are beginning to increase. Recently the MG3 went through a facelift and it’s attractive changes that MG have made.
Is there any carryover from MG of old I hear you ask? The British have a thing for MG and there is no getting away from the fact that today’s MG has nothing to do with those of old except for the octagon badge. But is this a bad thing, or does it need that MG thing to make it a desirable car?
Driving
This is a bit of a letdown and shows that it isn’t like previous generations of MGs. For a twin cam 1.5 petrol with initials like VTI-TECH, you’d expect something a little lively. On the road, it turns out to be more leisurely than lively. You need to work the gearstick around a bit to get the best out of it.
The ride is what you would expect it to be and it’s not that bad. Due to the lack of engine excitement you’d probably not get to exploit its handling.
Inside
It’s pretty simple and basic where it needs to be. You need to remember that MG is still winning fans and price is key. Door cards, for example, are plain and simple and the dashboard as normal as you can get. That hasn’t stopped MG having some fun and the silver trim with silver printed tartan is a nice touch to break up the expanses of black.
The infotainment system is also simple to use, effective and nicely laid out. Some of the larger manufacturers could learn from this system.
Living With It
One of the nicest touches the MG3 comes with is hill hold control where for a brief moment in time, it’ll hold the brakes. For this price, it’s a rare treat.
It’s a small 5 door hatchback that does what you would expect a car to do and if that’s what you want, then you could live with this.
The lack of engine excitement does disappoint me somewhat. I’m sure underneath there is a better car waiting to shine. A bit like MG’s of old. So perhaps there is some of that old MG magic in there, somewhere.
The Verdict
For the money, you get a car. I can’t really jazz it up in any other way. That car is attractive in Exclusive guise. Explore comes with 14” steel wheels and is a little on the basic side visually.
Excite and Exclusive are probably where you’d want to spend your money.
What will probably sell this car more than its dynamics will be the 7 years or 80,000-mile warranty.
Love
Price
7-year warranty
Simple yet effective infotainment system
Loathe
Lacklustre engine
Needs a better engine
Base model is rather spartan on the outside
The Lowdown
Car – MG3 Exclusive
Price – £ 12,795 (as tested)
MPG – 47.1 mpg (combined)
Power – 106PS @ 6000rpm
0-62mph – 10.4 seconds
Top Speed – 108 mph
Co2 – 140 (g/km)
