MG Octagon

A Car brand called Morris Garages? Surely only good for a few dealer specials a set of mag wheels and gaudy stickers on some other maker’s city runabout, perhaps? Actually, MG has a long history and a decent back catalogue of sought after and original British sports cars. But as the old guy we met on our MG3 photo shoot so aptly pointed out, this MG isn’ t quite the same as the MGs of yesteryear. No kidding.

Instead, the newest model from Morris Garages is more about dropping the kids off at Mandarin classes than a topless blast through Oxford. Now wholly owned by Shanghai-based SAIC Motor, wrap your head around MG as a Chinese brand with ‘ British heritage’. 

Outside edge

Yes, that does still make it a Chinese car. The design however, is the work of a team based in Longbridge, England, where the old MGs originated from and is all the better for it. Sharp, well defined lines grant the MG3 a cohesive and distinctive suit marked out by a strong shoulder line, blacked out A pillars, hockey stick daylight running lamps and a sporty looking front airdam. Its proportions are great, too, courtesy of a 2 520mm wheelbase tightly packaged with an overall length of just over four metres. The nose does hint at someone sucking a lemon, but only if you’re being mean.

Unusually for a non-boutique city car, it’s also customisable pick from a range of colours, rim designs and decal kits. Try asking VW if you can personalise your next Vivo.

Inside glance

Yet more evidence of a solid design department is the cabin, with a facia defined by a homogenous set of rounded rectangles set within a dashboard rendered in the same unyielding black plastic that is par for this segment. A colour palette of black, red illumination and sprayed silver is commendably restrained but would benefit from shinier, chromed highlights and more sophisticated satellite steering switches. Though not totally supportive, the seats are pleasingly soft and the chunky steering wheel good to hold. General cabin quality is better than expected with tight panel gaps and no rough edges. The old stick your hand down the side of the Chinese car-seat trick won’ t leave you bleeding on any untrimmed flashing or unfinished metal burr either. Despite this display of refinement, it is still no match for the class leading (and far more expensive) Polo in terms of ambience or perceived quality.

Range topping Style spec, as tested here, includes expected convenience features such as aircon, electric windows and the full gamut of audio connectivity, etc. More impressively, it also has heated electric door mirrors, rear parking sensors, a rain sensor, cruise control, auto headlights and leather seats. Oversights include an all black key fob that makes the central locking a learn where to press affair, even in broad daylight. Six airbags, full ABS and electronic stability control headline a
decent safety set let down only by the presence of a tyre repair kit a spare wheel is an option, though it chews 29 litres of the available 285-litre boot. But a comprehensive list of standard features is a Chinese speciality; the wheels usually start to fall off metaphorically speaking of course the moment they start to turn.

Wind it up

Charged with turning those wheels is an unboosted 1. 5 litre four cylinder petrol engine that doesn’t come across as raucously uncouth at higher revs as some Chinese mills do. It’s good for 78 kW at 6 000 rpm, but its 137 Nm of torque at 4 750 rpm can’t hope to match rival turbo triples that generate as much twist from as low as 1 500 rpm. The result is frequent use of the gear lever on the freeway,
made bearable by a five-speeder with no obvious drawbacks. It’s short of throw, reasonably precise and firm in its mechanical linkages. Clutch, brake and accelerator pedals all feel appropriately substantial, too. Despite a very tight, very new engine and having to carry out our braking and acceleration tests on a wet track the MG3 recorded an 11.43 second 0-100 kph time and stopped from 100 kph in three seconds dead.

Somewhat surprisingly, the MG3 failed to disappoint us mechanically. Obviously it’s no direct injection downsized turbocharged high tech marvel but it’s certainly no thrashy, metallic sounding sewing machine either. Surely chucking it into a series of bends will throw a proverbial spanner in Morris Garages’ works?

On the drive

Well, no, and yes. No because the MG3 feels sportily sprung on its conventional MacPherson strut front, torsion beam rear suspension which, teamed with quick-geared, responsive steering makes it properly handy in the corners. Lateral body control is unusually good for this class, lending much credence to MG’s fun-to-drive marketing message. It’s only the steering’s eagerness to self centre that scuffs the dynamic shine.

The ‘spanner’, or downside is a crashy ride. At first we reckoned the tyres must be heavily over inflated so harsh were the jolts from road irregularities. Sadly, they weren’t finally, a credible Achilles heel. The MG3 is a genuine delight on unblemished roads, but you’ll do well to find many of those in SA.

The tail end

The final piece of the Chinese puzzle is the price. At R179 900, the MG3 Style is up against entry level, bare bones Ford Fiestas, Kia Rios and VW Polos. The reality is that despite all that pent-up heritage in the octagon badge, this new Chinese-owned, Thai-built MG lacks the brand cachet to compete at that level. However, the well made, well-designed, stylish and fun-to-drive MG3 is much more comfortable when tossed into the ring with the strong-selling, but bland Polo Vivo. Entry level MG3s, priced from R145k with decent kit and a two-year/60 000km service plan as standard, represent even better value. 

The old MG really has gone. In its place is a fledgling brand quite competently getting on with the job of redefining the badge for a whole new generation. The MG6 sedan was no poor start, the MG3 ramps it up a notch. Who knows, these humble hatches may just spawn some serious sports cars in the future. And that would make more than just a few octogenarians smile.