New MG3 Hybrid as a company car, offensively quick
Discussion
I am a member of ZipCar and one of these appeared parked up near me a couple of months ago. As a shed driver I love to drive brand new cars so I can see how they compare to running a shed.
I decided to hire it for an hour so I could prove to myself that it was rubbish, and that shed ownership was the way to go. As soon as I pulled away I realised it was actually rather good, and it is the easiest car I have ever driven, everything just felt great.
The first time I put my foot down I was amazed at how fast it felt with instant torque. My current shed is a 1.4 Turbo with 130BHP and this would blow it away.
Interior felt nice, no rattles, nice and smooth ride and the suspension seemed the right compromise between firm and too soft. Lots and lots of gadgets, this was the Trophy model and had 360 cameras, heated seats, heated steering wheel etc.
It was so good that by the time I got home I was looking on CarWow to see how much one would cost. I currently have an offer of £16,374 for the SE model as I am not sure if I really need the Heated Seats, 360 cameras etc. Cheapest I have seen the Trophy for is £17,995
That seems tremendous value for a properly quick hybrid, but the finance is at 6.9%. I was offered a Clio Hybrid for £20K, and this comes with 0% finance for two years which closes the gap somewhat.
I decided to borrow it again on Wednesday as it is only £9 an hour, and it is way better than a 10 minute test drive at an MG dealer with the salesman next to me. My thoughts were
1)It is still very quick for what it is. I put my foot down going around a bend and it spun up a wheel in the dry.
2)I noticed the build quality isn't quite as good as I thought it was after the first drive. This car had 5500 miles and there was a slight rattle from the dash somewhere which was annoying
3)The tech is very impressive, I like the display which shows you how much energy the hybrid system is using/putting into the battery.
4)It claimed I got 70MPG on my drive which is incredibly impressive. I suspect my current car would struggle to get low 30s on the same drive
5)If you floor it on a dual carriageway the engine can sound quite noisy, I am still not 100% convinced by the 3 speed gearbox.
In summary, for £16,374 for the SE model it has to be a bargain. You cannot even get a bottom of the range 3 cylinder manual Clio for that, and here you are getting a hybrid with twice the power, an automatic gearbox and way more technology and features.
It isn't as good as the Hyundai i30 Hybrid we had for a week in Australia in terms of build quality or smoothness of the hybrid system. It is still very good, but once you have lived with if for a while you can tell the MG is a cheaper car.
I am still very tempted, I would love to drive the Clio Hybrid to see how that compares, But for just over £16K it is a lot of car for the money.
But for the price it is great.
I decided to hire it for an hour so I could prove to myself that it was rubbish, and that shed ownership was the way to go. As soon as I pulled away I realised it was actually rather good, and it is the easiest car I have ever driven, everything just felt great.
The first time I put my foot down I was amazed at how fast it felt with instant torque. My current shed is a 1.4 Turbo with 130BHP and this would blow it away.
Interior felt nice, no rattles, nice and smooth ride and the suspension seemed the right compromise between firm and too soft. Lots and lots of gadgets, this was the Trophy model and had 360 cameras, heated seats, heated steering wheel etc.
It was so good that by the time I got home I was looking on CarWow to see how much one would cost. I currently have an offer of £16,374 for the SE model as I am not sure if I really need the Heated Seats, 360 cameras etc. Cheapest I have seen the Trophy for is £17,995
That seems tremendous value for a properly quick hybrid, but the finance is at 6.9%. I was offered a Clio Hybrid for £20K, and this comes with 0% finance for two years which closes the gap somewhat.
I decided to borrow it again on Wednesday as it is only £9 an hour, and it is way better than a 10 minute test drive at an MG dealer with the salesman next to me. My thoughts were
1)It is still very quick for what it is. I put my foot down going around a bend and it spun up a wheel in the dry.
2)I noticed the build quality isn't quite as good as I thought it was after the first drive. This car had 5500 miles and there was a slight rattle from the dash somewhere which was annoying
3)The tech is very impressive, I like the display which shows you how much energy the hybrid system is using/putting into the battery.
4)It claimed I got 70MPG on my drive which is incredibly impressive. I suspect my current car would struggle to get low 30s on the same drive
5)If you floor it on a dual carriageway the engine can sound quite noisy, I am still not 100% convinced by the 3 speed gearbox.
In summary, for £16,374 for the SE model it has to be a bargain. You cannot even get a bottom of the range 3 cylinder manual Clio for that, and here you are getting a hybrid with twice the power, an automatic gearbox and way more technology and features.
It isn't as good as the Hyundai i30 Hybrid we had for a week in Australia in terms of build quality or smoothness of the hybrid system. It is still very good, but once you have lived with if for a while you can tell the MG is a cheaper car.
I am still very tempted, I would love to drive the Clio Hybrid to see how that compares, But for just over £16K it is a lot of car for the money.
tr7v8 said:
CarWow has a mixed review. https://www.carwow.co.uk/mg/mg3
Would totally agree with that, build quality does feel a little iffy in places (initially I was very impressed) and the hybrid system can feel a but clunky when you put your foot down. But in normal driving it is great, it's just not quite a seamless as the i30 I mentioned earlier.But for the price it is great.
Edited by ThingsBehindTheSun on Friday 18th July 09:14
The front end of these looks pretty awful to me in any other colour than black which is a shame as the blue looks quite nice.I have been on carwow and so far the best price for cash is £16.600 for a se in white.
I think a one year old Clio hybrid could be a better choice and there are plenty below £16k.
I think a one year old Clio hybrid could be a better choice and there are plenty below £16k.
Edited by A.Norton on Friday 18th July 13:59
jimmytheone said:
I hope they've improved the MG pilot since we had our 71-reg MG4 - that suffered from various phantom braking episodes, Lane change assist was borderline scary, refusal to engage reverse, constant binging and bonging. It didnt inspire confidence.
Shame as the rest of the car was quite good fun, and very good vfm.
Big thing for me is you can set up a one button press to turn all the nanny crap off. That is a decider for me, my Abarth doesn't have any of that & neither does my Mitzy.Shame as the rest of the car was quite good fun, and very good vfm.
tr7v8 said:
jimmytheone said:
I hope they've improved the MG pilot since we had our 71-reg MG4 - that suffered from various phantom braking episodes, Lane change assist was borderline scary, refusal to engage reverse, constant binging and bonging. It didnt inspire confidence.
Shame as the rest of the car was quite good fun, and very good vfm.
Big thing for me is you can set up a one button press to turn all the nanny crap off. That is a decider for me, my Abarth doesn't have any of that & neither does my Mitzy.Shame as the rest of the car was quite good fun, and very good vfm.
And nothing happened.
The speed warning is also fairly quiet, not nearly as annoying as other cars I have driven.
In two hours of driving, the MG pilot didn't do anything I didn't expect.
Jonny_ said:
3 speed auto in 2025, never thought that would happen! Feels like a throwback to the 70s.
I suppose the hybrid torque infill is enough to compensate for wide ratio spacing, and probably allows for a relatively high first gear as well.
Be interesting to know the engine speed at 70mph in top gear.
I am used to cars that are under 2000rpm @ 70mph so it would be interesting to know.I suppose the hybrid torque infill is enough to compensate for wide ratio spacing, and probably allows for a relatively high first gear as well.
Be interesting to know the engine speed at 70mph in top gear.
A.Norton said:
Jonny_ said:
3 speed auto in 2025, never thought that would happen! Feels like a throwback to the 70s.
I suppose the hybrid torque infill is enough to compensate for wide ratio spacing, and probably allows for a relatively high first gear as well.
Be interesting to know the engine speed at 70mph in top gear.
I am used to cars that are under 2000rpm @ 70mph so it would be interesting to know.I suppose the hybrid torque infill is enough to compensate for wide ratio spacing, and probably allows for a relatively high first gear as well.
Be interesting to know the engine speed at 70mph in top gear.
2000RPM @ 70 is a diesel I assume with all the rest of the issues that brings.
I thought the hybrid system on the MG3 similar to the current Honda Jazz/HR-V/Civic, mainly running as an EV with the engine as a generator to the small battery except for high speed/overtaking/accelerating where a clutch connects the engine to the wheels for extra power. It can't be that though if it's a 3 speed gearbox, the Hondas are direct drive when the engine powers the wheels.
ThingsBehindTheSun said:
I am a member of ZipCar and one of these appeared parked up near me a couple of months ago. As a shed driver I love to drive brand new cars so I can see how they compare to running a shed.
I decided to hire it for an hour so I could prove to myself that it was rubbish, and that shed ownership was the way to go. As soon as I pulled away I realised it was actually rather good, and it is the easiest car I have ever driven, everything just felt great.
The first time I put my foot down I was amazed at how fast it felt with instant torque. My current shed is a 1.4 Turbo with 130BHP and this would blow it away.
Interior felt nice, no rattles, nice and smooth ride and the suspension seemed the right compromise between firm and too soft. Lots and lots of gadgets, this was the Trophy model and had 360 cameras, heated seats, heated steering wheel etc.
It was so good that by the time I got home I was looking on CarWow to see how much one would cost. I currently have an offer of £16,374 for the SE model as I am not sure if I really need the Heated Seats, 360 cameras etc. Cheapest I have seen the Trophy for is £17,995
That seems tremendous value for a properly quick hybrid, but the finance is at 6.9%. I was offered a Clio Hybrid for £20K, and this comes with 0% finance for two years which closes the gap somewhat.
I decided to borrow it again on Wednesday as it is only £9 an hour, and it is way better than a 10 minute test drive at an MG dealer with the salesman next to me. My thoughts were
1)It is still very quick for what it is. I put my foot down going around a bend and it spun up a wheel in the dry.
2)I noticed the build quality isn't quite as good as I thought it was after the first drive. This car had 5500 miles and there was a slight rattle from the dash somewhere which was annoying
3)The tech is very impressive, I like the display which shows you how much energy the hybrid system is using/putting into the battery.
4)It claimed I got 70MPG on my drive which is incredibly impressive. I suspect my current car would struggle to get low 30s on the same drive
5)If you floor it on a dual carriageway the engine can sound quite noisy, I am still not 100% convinced by the 3 speed gearbox.
In summary, for £16,374 for the SE model it has to be a bargain. You cannot even get a bottom of the range 3 cylinder manual Clio for that, and here you are getting a hybrid with twice the power, an automatic gearbox and way more technology and features.
It isn't as good as the Hyundai i30 Hybrid we had for a week in Australia in terms of build quality or smoothness of the hybrid system. It is still very good, but once you have lived with if for a while you can tell the MG is a cheaper car.
I am still very tempted, I would love to drive the Clio Hybrid to see how that compares, But for just over £16K it is a lot of car for the money.
But for the price it is great.
It's brilliant isnt it! I decided to hire it for an hour so I could prove to myself that it was rubbish, and that shed ownership was the way to go. As soon as I pulled away I realised it was actually rather good, and it is the easiest car I have ever driven, everything just felt great.
The first time I put my foot down I was amazed at how fast it felt with instant torque. My current shed is a 1.4 Turbo with 130BHP and this would blow it away.
Interior felt nice, no rattles, nice and smooth ride and the suspension seemed the right compromise between firm and too soft. Lots and lots of gadgets, this was the Trophy model and had 360 cameras, heated seats, heated steering wheel etc.
It was so good that by the time I got home I was looking on CarWow to see how much one would cost. I currently have an offer of £16,374 for the SE model as I am not sure if I really need the Heated Seats, 360 cameras etc. Cheapest I have seen the Trophy for is £17,995
That seems tremendous value for a properly quick hybrid, but the finance is at 6.9%. I was offered a Clio Hybrid for £20K, and this comes with 0% finance for two years which closes the gap somewhat.
I decided to borrow it again on Wednesday as it is only £9 an hour, and it is way better than a 10 minute test drive at an MG dealer with the salesman next to me. My thoughts were
1)It is still very quick for what it is. I put my foot down going around a bend and it spun up a wheel in the dry.
2)I noticed the build quality isn't quite as good as I thought it was after the first drive. This car had 5500 miles and there was a slight rattle from the dash somewhere which was annoying
3)The tech is very impressive, I like the display which shows you how much energy the hybrid system is using/putting into the battery.
4)It claimed I got 70MPG on my drive which is incredibly impressive. I suspect my current car would struggle to get low 30s on the same drive
5)If you floor it on a dual carriageway the engine can sound quite noisy, I am still not 100% convinced by the 3 speed gearbox.
In summary, for £16,374 for the SE model it has to be a bargain. You cannot even get a bottom of the range 3 cylinder manual Clio for that, and here you are getting a hybrid with twice the power, an automatic gearbox and way more technology and features.
It isn't as good as the Hyundai i30 Hybrid we had for a week in Australia in terms of build quality or smoothness of the hybrid system. It is still very good, but once you have lived with if for a while you can tell the MG is a cheaper car.
I am still very tempted, I would love to drive the Clio Hybrid to see how that compares, But for just over £16K it is a lot of car for the money.
tr7v8 said:
CarWow has a mixed review. https://www.carwow.co.uk/mg/mg3
Would totally agree with that, build quality does feel a little iffy in places (initially I was very impressed) and the hybrid system can feel a but clunky when you put your foot down. But in normal driving it is great, it's just not quite a seamless as the i30 I mentioned earlier.But for the price it is great.
Edited by ThingsBehindTheSun on Friday 18th July 09:14
No other hybrid car that size has that kind of power or tech for that price, proper hidden gem, shame the front is quite ugly
I think if MG lower the car with some slightly stiffer suspension, 18 inch alloys, little splitter and some red badges, they would sell a boat load, 6 second 0-60 70 mpg hybrid hot hatch under 25k
Pretty damning safety test result, ridiculous that it couldn't be down-rated because of it.
https://www.euroncap.com/en/press-media/press-rele...
https://www.euroncap.com/en/press-media/press-rele...
Riley Blue said:
Pretty damning safety test result, ridiculous that it couldn't be down-rated because of it.
https://www.euroncap.com/en/press-media/press-rele...
Rare but not unprecedented. The Mazda 2 got a 4 star Global NCAP rating in 2021 (for South Africa), despite a front seat coming adrift from the floor. In the same year, the Nissan Almera got 3 stars but a seat back broke.https://www.euroncap.com/en/press-media/press-rele...
No doubt MG will be talking to their seat suppliers about this, and it will be fixed.
A more serious issue is with the hilariously named Dongfeng Box, which suffered spot weld failure in testing; that suggests something more serious than a single component failure.
Nissan's Datsun Go managed 0 stars
The Datsun Go was basically a restyled 3-cylinder Mk4 Micra, intended for developing markets. I didn't think that was that bad a car. And while this was obviously a despecced model for developing market, I would have thought Nissan would have done a half decent job.
I had an MG4 Trophy for 9 months and 19k miles. I initially thought it was a great bit of kit. The shine wore off due to shocking safety tech. I started to notice some awful build quality too and wouldn’t personally buy any of their stuff with my own money at this stage. I saw a video when the Cyberster was first released where someone took it apart and it was terrible quality under the shiny surface.
Mikebentley said:
I had an MG4 Trophy for 9 months and 19k miles. I initially thought it was a great bit of kit. The shine wore off due to shocking safety tech. I started to notice some awful build quality too and wouldn t personally buy any of their stuff with my own money at this stage. I saw a video when the Cyberster was first released where someone took it apart and it was terrible quality under the shiny surface.
The MG4 handles nicely, RWD, sharp handling and very responsive I found. I didn't do the miles you did however I enjoyed it. It's a basic car, not a good buy brand new but there are some bargains to be had second handChestrockwell said:
Mikebentley said:
I had an MG4 Trophy for 9 months and 19k miles. I initially thought it was a great bit of kit. The shine wore off due to shocking safety tech. I started to notice some awful build quality too and wouldn t personally buy any of their stuff with my own money at this stage. I saw a video when the Cyberster was first released where someone took it apart and it was terrible quality under the shiny surface.
The MG4 handles nicely, RWD, sharp handling and very responsive I found. I didn't do the miles you did however I enjoyed it. It's a basic car, not a good buy brand new but there are some bargains to be had second handMikebentley said:
I had an MG4 Trophy for 9 months and 19k miles. I initially thought it was a great bit of kit. The shine wore off due to shocking safety tech. I started to notice some awful build quality too and wouldn t personally buy any of their stuff with my own money at this stage. I saw a video when the Cyberster was first released where someone took it apart and it was terrible quality under the shiny surface.
I have been very tempted to order one of these, I have been offered a White Trophy for £16767 on Carwow.The big worry putting me off is the build quality and what it will be like in five or ten years. This is a picture of a 3 year old MGZS
I am concerned that the white ones rust more, whenever I see pictures of a rusty MG or Dacia it is always white.
I have also seen a video on YouTube of someone rust protecting their 1 year old MG ZS and you could see rust stains already starting on The seams.
I don't want to be fighting the rust at a year old, especially as my current Renault is 14 years old and is spotless.
This worry is really putting me off.
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