MG’s cheapest new car goes hybrid, but is it worth it? Hmm

When a car brand generously donates their latest model to you to test – with a full tank of fuel – and sends you off into the next seven days with such words as “have fun” and “enjoy”, you don’t give the gift horse a second look in the mouth.

But I have to admit there were a few times last week when I seriously thought about leaving the brand-new MG3 on the driveway and hopping back into the family Mazda.

As with most modern Chinese cars, the spec sheet is littered with acronyms for every active safety feature under the sun but none of it has been finessed.

So you’ll be driving along, a good metre from the centre white line, and the lane-keeping assistance system will decide you’re far too close and the steering wheel will rudely tug on your wrist.

Or you’ll accidentally exceed the speed limit by 2 km/h and an alert will sound. Woe betide if you’re indicating at the same time, because this alert will cancel out the indicator noise, meaning the noise you actually want to hear disappears and you’re left searching the dash to check if the arrow is still blinking.

I ended up with very sore wrists – and also a little bit high.

A colleague described the interior as “smelling like the inside of a balloon” and it’s true – the whiff of freshly minted plastic inside is … intense.

But the fact of the matter is, once I’d navigated the touchscreen, worked out what ‘ELK’ stood for and why the cruise control doesn’t work if the car is not in ‘ACC’, and turned off every safety aid I could find, there was little to fault.

The MG3 is still one of the cheapest new cars in Australia, starting at $24,990 for the base Excite model.

But the big news is there’s now a ‘Hybrid+’ version, available in either the Excite or posher Essence spec, and immediately recognisable to anyone within a 500-metre radius because of the really quite loud whirring noise it emits at low speeds.

Mine, in the fetching $500 ‘Brighten Blue Metallic’ paint option, was the Essence Hybrid+ model, starting at $31,669.

The 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine really only comes on board when you put your foot into it, or at speeds above 60 km/h. The rest of the time you can trundle along under the (very loud) electrical power.

But the oomph when both the petrol engine and electric motor work together comes close to warm hatch territory – 425 Nm of torque and 0-100 km/h in eight seconds is plenty to nip away from traffic lights.

It didn’t even break a sweat when asked to perform overtaking manoeuvres along the Federal Highway at 110 km/h.

Is it worth the extra $2K for the hybrid? MG claims combined fuel consumption of 6 litres per 100 km for the petrol and 4.3 litres for the hybrid, but not only was I hovering around 5, the hybrid can also take no less than 95 RON fuel. So probably not.

You also lose the space-saver spare tyre in the boot to make room for the hybrid’s beefier battery.

The steering is disconcertingly vague, especially on the highway at 110 km/h when passing a B-double, but it rides comfortably for a car that weighs a little over a tonne.

The interior is bright and airy, and not just because the plastic scent has induced a euphoric stupor. Many of the plastics would make a Bunnings plant pot feel well made, but I have to say, the fit is excellent – there are no jagged mould lines or gaping cracks.

MG’s 10-year or 250,000-km warranty also builds confidence here.

In the end then, the only thing keeping you in your old car is the MG’s infuriatingly intrusive safety tech. And having to turn it off every single time you don’t feel like parking it face-first in a tree.

2024 MG3 Essence Hybrid+

• $32,169 driveaway (ACT)
• 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, 1.83 kWh battery, 155 kW / 425 Nm (combined)
• Front-wheel drive (FWD)
• 0-100 km/h in 8 seconds
• 4.3 litres per 100 km combined fuel consumption
• 1308 kg (kerb weight)

Thanks to MG Motor Australia for providing this car for testing. Region has no commercial arrangement with MG Motors Australia.