Hyundai Accent vs MG MG5

What's the difference?

It might be getting harder and harder to hide its age, but there is still plenty to like about Hyundai's cheapest car. Those who really love to drive need not apply, and nor should long-distance travellers, but the Accent Sport's alloy wheels, true smartphone integration and plenty of power and USB points will thrill its younger owners, while its long-range warranty and cheap servicing costs don't hurt either.

Still, if you think you can stretch to an i30, you should definitely drive one first.

The MG5 works well as a budget-friendly small car, and it’s genuinely good to drive.

Some small let-downs in terms of packaging don’t detract from this car in any major way, but the lack of active safety is a concern considering the features most of its rivals offer.

If it’s on your shopping list, make sure you know what else is on offer in terms of safety before you lock in the MG5 for the savings.

It looks good, the Accent, just not quite as good as its bigger Hyundai brothers. And that’s got to sting, if only a little bit. 

Words like "subtle", "restyled” and “enhanced design” pepper the Accent’s media information, and so we’re not talking massive changes. But the exterior of the Sport looks sharp, especially in the 'Pulse Red' of our test car. Other colours include 'Chalk White', 'Lake Silver', 'Phantom Black', 'Sunflower' (yellow), and 'Blue Lagoon', but there’s no green, orange or grey paint available.

First, though, don’t let the whole 'sport' thing fool you. You’ll find no Fast and Furious body kit, nor is there much in terms of a rear spoiler, side skirts or a rear diffuser. Instead, a silver-framed mesh grille (a smaller version of the one that adorns the i30) blends into the headlights that then sweep back into the body, while subtle power lines create a little dome in the bonnet, starting at the edges of the Hyundai badge and getting wider as they sweep back across the bonnet. 

Side on, the alloys are clean and simple, and a single style crease runs the length of the body, intersecting both door handles on each side. At the rear, though, the concave body styling doesn’t quite work so well, ending up looking busier than the rest of the car, and leaving it with too much body and not enough rear window.

Inside, as you can see from our interior photos, there is plenty of hard plastic, but there have been some design flourishes that give them a nicer texture and go some way to disguising the fact they’re hard enough to be used as a weapon in a roadside road rage dispute.

But it’s a simple and clean design, with patterned cloth (what, you were expecting leather seats at this price point?) seats, an uncluttered centre cluster and a sparing use of silver highlights that break up the black of the dash and doors.

You can also option everything from tailored floor mats to interior lighting, forming a kind of personalised premium package for the Accent Sport.

The MG5’s styling might be a little divisive, with the overall shape and look of the small sedan sitting somewhere between its direct rivals, like the Hyundai i30 Sedan, and aspirational models like the Mercedes CLA.

In this Essence variant, the grey insert for the grille gives the front a darker, more aggressive look, though the way the grille mesh weaves makes it look a little like moustache hair.

The large ‘intake-style’ design at the sides gives it a sportier look than its outputs have perhaps earned - not to say the MG5 is sluggish - and following those around to the side of the car leads to a fairly minimalistic and tidy silhouette.

Here, probably most notable is the rather tall gap between the tyres and wheel arches.

The rear, with that sloped-up roofline, transitioning into a gentle lip spoiler, flanked by those lights, is where CLA fans might have the most to say about the MG5’s design.

Notably, the exhaust vents at the bottom are fake. The real exhaust exit is hidden well underneath.

It’s every bit as practical as you might expect, the Accent Sport, given that you’re unlikely to be using something this size as a pseudo moving van anytime soon.

The 4155mm long, 1700mm wide and 1450mm high (the sedan is 4370mm long) Accent Sport's interior dimensions feel spacious up front, and while the front seats are a little too flat, the cabin feels airy and light. There are two cupholders up front, too, and there’s room in the front doors for extra bottles. 

Like all Hyundais, the little Accent boasts most of the technology options favoured by younger buyers, like a USB point, an aux connection and two 12-volt power outlets all housed in a tiny storage bin underneath the centre console. There’s a sunglass holder, too, integrated into the roof. 

The backseat is sparse but spacious enough, with enough room for adults to sit behind adults in comfort - at least in the two window seats. That’s about it back there, though, with no technology options, vents or air-con controls.

Boot space is a useable 370 litres in hatch guise, but luggage capacity grows to 465 litres should you opt for the sedan, with both of those figures measured in VDA. Optional roof racks and rails (and other offical accessories like a rubber cargo liner, mud flaps or dedicated bike, snowboard and surfboard carriers) help increase the pint-size Accent’s load-lugging ability.

As does a handy (and optional) cargo liner that helps separate your groceries, sitting neatly under the cargo cover that shields you luggage from prying eyes outside. Perhaps unsurprisingly, you can’t get a factory-offered bull bar.

There are two ISOFIX attachment points, one in each window seat, as well as three top-tether points across the back row.

Some newer brands to Australia, often MG’s compatriots from China, get some of the ergonomic or tech basics wrong as they focus more on an impactful first impression. Fortunately, MG doesn’t do that, for the most part.

Inside the MG5 is a cabin that looks more expensive than it is, but has some useful features to back it up without the superfluous add-ons.

Aside from the lack of physical climate controls - an annoying cost-saving or interior-tidying trend embraced by brands from budget to bougie - the MG5’s interfaces and ergonomics are pretty sensible.

Accessibility ticks for the steering wheel buttons being few and large enough to use without needing to look, as well as the lack of a panel of buttons and switches in the centre console. Looking at you, BMW.

The screen is also functionally sound, with obvious menu layouts and fairly large buttons as touch points, so it doesn’t feel like trying to operate a tablet while you’re driving.

It does, again, lose points for the climate control situation, which weirdly features a temperature slider as a colour gradient rather than numerical temperatures.

No wireless phone charger means needing space for a plugged-in phone, which the MG5 has just enough of, though similarly ‘just enough’ is the size of the cupholders, which won’t fit a big water bottle.

In the rear, there’s space enough for an adult to sit comfortably behind another adult, though it’s not the place for long journeys.

Strangely, there’s only one central vent control in the rear so only one passenger gets cool air or heat, plus there isn’t a great deal of storage. No armrest or cupholders for rear passengers, either.

Also noteworthy is the single-piece rear seat, which means if longer items need to be transported in the 401-litre boot, the whole rear seat must be folded down and the MG5 temporarily becomes a two-seater.

Under the boot floor is a space-saver spare, though, so bonus points for a more useful addition than a simple repair kit.

MG has managed to cram quite a bit into the MG5 for less than $25K drive-away in its Vibe entry-level variant.

More specifically, you’re forking out $24,990 to head off from the dealership in one, even with its missing active safety features, but we’ll come back to that.

In Vibe specification, the MG5 comes with 16-inch alloy wheels, auto LED headlights, a reversing camera and a tyre pressure monitor, while inside you’ll find a 10.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability (both wired) with four speakers for the sound system, as well as a push-button start, synthetic leather seats and three different selectable steering modes.

Stepping up to the Essence, which we’re testing here, costs $28,990 drive-away and adds a sunroof, a six-speaker sound system, electric seat adjustment for the driver, steering wheel paddle shifters - for a reason we’ll return to - and turns the rear-view camera into a surround-view parking camera.

The Essence is also visibly different on the outside thanks to slightly larger 17-inch alloys, auto-fold (when locked) side mirrors, and a grey grille insert rather than body-coloured.

On that, you can have white or yellow as no-cost paint colours in either MG5 variant, but metallic red, blue, black or grey are all $700 options.

The one Accent on offer is powered by a single engine; a petrol-sipping (there’s no diesel, LPG or turbo), 1.6-litre motor that will produce a solid-sounding 103kW (138 horsepower) at 6300rpm and 167Nm of torque at 4850rpm. They are good specs, and it stands up to most competitors in an engine vs engine models comparison. It pairs with a choice of six-speed manual transmission or six-speed automatic transmission.

There used to be a fairly underwhelming 1.4-litre engine size paired with a CVT auto in the now-axed Accent variant, but this bigger engine is much, much better, and makes for much happier reading on the specifications sheet.

The Accent is front-wheel drive only, with no 4x4, AWD or rear-wheel drive options available. It will serve up a 900kg braked and 450kg unbraked towing capacity, with an optional tow bar/ball fitted. Kerb weight is listed as between 1070kg and 1170kg.

The Accent Sport uses MacPherson strut front and torsion beam rear suspension (no sophisticated air systems on offer), and Hyundai doesn’t quote any 0-100km/h, acceleration or speed figures.

Both versions of the MG5 come with a 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine that drives the front wheels, but the similarities mostly end there.

In the entry-level Vibe, that engine is naturally aspirated and makes 84kW and 150Nm - similar to the MG3. Power is transferred to the front wheels via a continuously variable transmission (CVT).

In our Essence variant the engine is turbocharged and makes a suitably higher 119kW and 250Nm, driving the front wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

For fuel consumption, Hyundai claims 6.3 litres (6.6 litres for the sedan) per hundred kilometres on the combined cycle. But as with all of these manufacturer-supplied figures, there’s always a some sort of variation in the real world km/l fuel economy.

Just how much variation is dependent on how heavy your right foot is, but after my (admittedly city-based) week with the car, the trip computer had my mileage at 11.0L/100km. If you were to adopt an eco mode driving style, that would surely improve, though.

The Accent’s fuel tank size is fairly small, with a fuel capacity of just 43 litres - perfect for the city, less so for long-distance cruising. Emissions are a claimed 146g (154g in the hatch) per kilometre of C02. 

The naturally aspirated Vibe's official combined cycle fuel economy figure is 5.7 litres per 100km, while the turbocharged Essence drinks a little more at 5.9L/100km.

For comparison, Toyota claims its non-hybrid Corolla Sedan will sip 6.0L/100km, while a Mazda3 Sedan claims 6.1L/100km. Not bad, then, if you can keep it near MG’s claim.

During our testing, with a mix of city, suburban, highway, and rural driving, the MG5 Essence burned through 95 RON premium fuel at a rate of 9.1L/100km, checked at the pump, though I wouldn't expect this to be representative of normal, calmer day-to-day driving.

With its sharp design and gleaming alloys, the Accent Sport doesn’t look like an entry-level model, and nor is it immediately obvious that it’s the cheapest way into the Hyundai family. The downside, though, is it does feel that way from behind the wheel.

A little harsher, a little more road noise and a little more gruff than Hyundai’s more expensive models (including the very good i30), it’s the unfair victim of the brand’s staggering success, which has left the Accent feeling a bit old-school by comparison.

That said, it's perfectly suited to inner-city life, and if you’re cruising around using minimal inputs, it does it all smoothly and quietly. The steering feels a little slack at slow speeds, with plenty of dead air when you first start turning the wheel, but none of that bothers you much in the city.

With its sharp design and gleaming alloys, the Accent Sport doesn’t look like an entry-level model.

The grunt from that engine is refreshingly ample for a small car, and provides plenty of punch to get you moving from traffic lights, while the seating position is high enough that vision is great out of every window (except the rear - you’ll be using the reversing camera for that one).

Take it out of town, though, and the refinement begins to vanish. The engine sounds harsh under heavy acceleration, the transmission can be confused - especially around 80km/h, where moving your foot a fraction can force continual changes up or down, like it's wrestling with a big life decision. 

The only other question mark is over the suspension set-up, which for some reason favours sporty firmness in a car unlikely to be asked to achieve anything more dynamic than sitting at 50km/h. The result is a ride that can feel noticeably firm over bad road surfaces.

The Accent’s 140mm ground clearance (not to mention the fact it’s a front-wheel drive city car) should be enough to persuade you not to test its off-road performance. And its turning radius is 10.4m.

Perhaps the biggest surprise about the MG5 is that it’s quite good to drive. And not just ‘for an MG’ or ‘for a car from China’. It’s actually good.

The turbocharged engine takes a moment to get going, and the dual-clutch can be a little hesitant off the mark.

The combo of the two means sometimes you need to plan your take off ahead of time - but in its above-3000rpm sweet spot, the Essence has a good bit of urgency to it.

That’s fortunately paired with a combination of comfortable suspension and a composed chassis, with well-weighted steering.

On urban roads and with a little awareness of the slow take-off, the MG5 is capable and well-suited to small roads, though it can be a little frustrating in stop-start traffic.

On the other hand, outside the confines of city driving, the small sedan is more dynamic than you might expect, able to get up to speed and comfortably overtake on highways, as well as handle corners on twisty roads confidently.

Potholes and rough sections of road don’t rattle the MG5 as much as you might expect from a car in this segment, though road noise can be a intrusive on coarse roads - of which Australia has many.

Dare I say it - the MG5 is rather fun.

Here’s the bit that might turn potential owners off the MG5. Or here aren’t the bits, more accurately.

The MG5 comes with a short list of safety features that amount to the minimum standard for a car to be sold in Australia.

That is, six airbags, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), anti-lock brakes (ABS) and electronic stability control (ESC).

MG also lists hill-hold under its safety features, as well as its active cornering brake control and auto door unlock and activation of hazard lights in case of an accident.

There are also ISOFIX and seat tether points for the outer rear seats.

The reverse camera in the Vibe is replaced by a surround-view camera in the Essence, though the visual quality of the feed leaves a bit to be desired.

Crucially, it’s missing a host of safety features that would be standard, or at least optional on a rival like the Toyota Corolla Sedan or Mazda3 Sedan, like steering assist, a pre-collision safety system, pedestrian detection, active cruise control and even lane departure alert.

Rear cross-traffic alert and blind-spot monitoring? Nope.

MG Australia CEO Peter Ciao told CarsGuide not long ago it’s about keeping the price of the car accessible for more customers, which means you’ll have to make your own call regarding whether it’s safe enough for you.

To that, ANCAP hasn’t crash tested the MG5, but if it did we wouldn’t expect it to score any higher than three stars.

While we don’t know how it would hold up in the area of crash protection, it lacks too much of the active safety gear that ANCAP expects of a maximum five- or even four-star car.

It’s a very strong ownership picture, with the Accent Sport covered by Hyundai’s five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, and requiring a trip to the service centre every 12 months or 15,000km.

A capped-price servicing plan helps take the guesswork out of your service cost, too, with guide prices at between $245 and $345 per year for the first five years.

For known Hyundai Accent issues and common problems, complaints and faults - including any known clutch, suspension, gearbox, engine, battery or automatic transmission problems - head to CarsGuide's dedicated Hyundai Problems page. 

One of the most common mechanical questions asked is whether the Accent uses a timing belt or chain, and the Sport uses a timing belt. Check your owners manual for recommended durations between changing  it.

Hyundais traditionally score very well in international reliability rating surveys, which helps protect its second-hand ratings.

MG offers a seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty on the MG5 as with all its models - even electric cars. That also comes with roadside assist for the duration of the warranty, though only 160,000km is covered by the warranty if the car is used for commercial purposes.

Servicing prices for the MG5 range from $266 or $272 for the Vibe or Essence, respectively, up to $581 or $661 for the most expensive of the seven 10,000km/12-month scheduled services.

The total cost of servicing the Vibe over its seven years under capped-price servicing comes to $2661, or about $380 average per service. For the Essence, that bumps up to $2764 or an average of about $394 per service.