2020 MG 3 vs 2021 MG HS

What's the difference?

Aside from its safety shortcomings and underwhelming powertrain, it’s easy to see why the MG3 has become a successful part of the brand’s line-up. If you’re driving around a rural centre like I was, it makes a lot of sense.

Whether you choose the Excite model, which has a bit more visual pizzazz, or the Core model, which is our pick of the range, the MG3 is well priced, has the media tech buyers are after, is a charming looking thing that comes in a range of great colours, and is smartly packaged, too. 

Thanks to the team at Orange MG for assisting us with this the loan vehicle for this review. Head to Orange MG for more information.

The MG HS Excite has beautiful styling with a premium look. It’s loaded with advanced safety tech and is better value than rivals such as the Mazda CX-5 and Toyota RAV4 (which demand more money for similar equipment).

There are weaknesses. The driving experience isn’t as good as those rivals and the quality in-car feel of these competitors exceeds that of the MG.

The HS Excite is a good choice for an urban car. It’s not too big, but offers excellent practicality, and there’s great city safety tech, even if the AEB in my test car got a bit confused.

Only the jerky transmission and the fuel economy stops it from being a great urban car.

There is a plug-in hybrid version of the HS. Sure, it’s more expensive, but it’s one of the most affordable electric vehicles in Australia, and my colleague Tom White covers it in his range review.

It’s a fresh looking thing, the MG3. 

From its attractive front-end with “London Eye” LED daytime running lights, its Euro-look angular front bumper and chrome-trimmed grille, and its angular window lines, it really does have a distinct personality.

It looks a lot more modern and enticing than the first version of the MG3 sold here, and I have no doubt that a lot of buyers of the MG3 have been attracted by its sharp styling first and foremost. MG has done a tremendous job of creating a family look - it just happens that the family looks like it has been taking good care of itself, keeping active and trim, too.

The rear end isn’t quite as attractive, with the vertical tail-lights making it seem taller than it is. It’s still a nicely sculpted back-end, though.

On the Core model you’ll get some lower blacked-out design trim bits, and the wheels fitted are 15-inch alloys. 

The Excite model seen here is a little more, dare we say it, exciting to look at. That’s down to its body kit, consisting of lower chrome elements on the front bumper, a set of black side skirts, and a hatch-mounted rear spoiler. You get 16-inch alloy wheels, too. 

In terms of dimensions, it’s closer in size to the Kia Rio than it is the Picanto. With a length of 4055mm (on a long-for-its-size 2520mm wheelbase), a width of 1729mm and height of 1504mm, it’s a pretty chunky little unit. 

It is rather conventional in the way its interior is designed, however - there’s no sliding second row (like the Suzuki Ignis) or flip-folding seats (a la the Honda Jazz). Check out the interior pictures below to see for yourself.

The MG HS's design isn’t exactly unique with some areas, such as the grille and headlights, bearing a close resemblance to the Mazda CX-5's styling.

Lookalike it may be, but the MG HS Excite’s design is stylish and modern. That goes for the interior, too, which has a premium look with high-tech touches such as the big 10.1-inch media touchscreen.

The feel of the cabin materials doesn’t match the high-end look, however, with flimsy plastic switches for fan speed and volume control, for example.

Tactile controls with good feel aren’t just nice, they’re important in urban cars where reaching quickly to turn the volume down or to adjust the fan makes life easier in stressful traffic.

The front seat design doesn’t seem quite right, either. The driver and front passenger seats are too high, even on their lowest setting, but more on this in the driving section.

The MG HS’s dimensions make it good for tight city streets and tiny car spaces. That said, measuring 4574mm end-to-end, 1876mm wide and 1685mm tall, it’s one for the larger medium-sized SUVs on the market.  

If you’ve owned the same old car for years and you’re setting foot in an MG3 for the first time, you’ll probably feel amazed that you can get an interior with interesting finishes, a high-tech screen and decent materials at this price point.

Earlier versions of the MG3 were nowhere near as good inside as the current model, which has been on sale since 2018. It’s not perfect, but there are plenty of things to like.

The seats offer plenty of adjustment, including a huge amount of height adjustment for shorter drivers. The seat is comfortable, though some drivers might find it hard to get the right position: there is no reach adjustment for the steering wheel (only rake adjust), and you can’t adjust the seatbelt height, either. 

I really like the seat trim which is a broad tartan design (with “synthetic leather” bolsters and contrast stitching in the top-spec Excite), mirrored by an etched tartan aluminium trim piece on the dashboard - it looks really smart, even if my OCD radar was set off by the fact the trim wasn’t aligned to match perfectly between the cushion sections. Take a look at the interior pictures to see what I mean.

There are some really nice elements to the cabin. Things like the 'lock' and 'unlock' button on the driver’s door, which looks like it has been stolen directly from Audi’s parts catalogue. The same can be said for the speedo instrument font. 

There’s no doubt that it’s built to a price, but it doesn’t feel anywhere near as cheap as you might expect. We’ve criticised Audi, VW and Skoda for cutting costs with hard plastic trims on doors and dashboards, and the MG has plenty of hard plastics, too - but it’s expected at this price, not double it.

There’s a standard 8.0-inch touchscreen media system with AM/FM radio and Bluetooth phone and audio streaming, plus USB connectivity and smartphone mirroring - meaning you get Apple CarPlay, essentially negating the need for sat nav if you use an iPhone. You can option a GPS navigation system on the Core model, but satellite navigation comes standard on the Excite. There's no Android Auto mirroring available at all, though.

In previous models from the SAIC stable - including the LDV T60, and MG ZS - I had troubles with the media screen, but the version in the MG3 Excite I drove was quick and problem free, even when disconnecting and reconnecting my phone multiple times. 

There are other little things that could be improved, like the fact the trip meter is difficult to navigate, and there’s no digital speedometer. Also, the digital climate control in the Excite model shows up on the media screen, though by way of a graphic rather than a temperature number. In the base model Core there’s a simpler manual a/c system. 

The steering wheel has a part leather trim with perforated edges which makes it look and feel a little bit sporty – and it has a flat bottom as well, which will appeal to the sporty-minded buyer. There are stereo and cruise control buttons on the wheel, but the stalks behind are “back to front”, with the left stalk for indicators and lights, and the right for wipers. 

As for storage, up front there is a single cup holder between the seats, a couple of small storage sections including a trench for a wallet, and another storage section in front of the gear selector - that’s where the MG3’s single USB port is, too.

The front door storage includes bottle holders, and there are soft padded elbow pads on the front doors - which is more than we can say for some of those aforementioned Euro brands.

With the driver’s seat set in my position (I’m 182cm tall), I had enough back seat space to be comfortable. There was enough knee room and toe room, and reasonable headroom if I sat perfectly still - although the slightest tilt of my head to the outer side of the car saw my noggin contact the headlining. Rear seat comfort is okay - the backrest is a firm, but there’s good visibility out the windows. There are dual ISOFIX child seat anchor points, and three top-tether points for baby seats. 

In the back the storage is minimal. There are two map pockets, but no door pockets, and there’s no flip-down centre armrest with cupholders. But there is one large pocket in front of the middle-seat rear passenger which would do for a bottle. The back seat also misses out on soft elbow pads on the doors. 

Boot space is good for a car in this size segment. You’ll only really do better if you buy a Honda Jazz or Suzuki Baleno, as the MG3 offers a deep and boxy cargo zone, with a cargo capacity of 307 litres to the cargo cover. 

Need more luggage capacity? The back seats fold down in a 60:40 split, alleviating 1081L of space - though the load-through is limited as the seats don’t fold completely flat. Or you could fit a roof rack. 

Practicality is one of the MG HS Excite's strong points. There’s plenty of people space up front, and in the second row, where even I (at 191cm/6'3") can sit behind my driving position with ample headroom back there.

Cabin storage is good with a decent-sized centre console box up front, as well as large door pockets, a deep storage tray in front of the gear shifter, and two cupholders.

In the back there's a fold-down armrest housing another two cupholders, plus a built-in container for loose items.

There are directional air vents in the rear, plus two USB ports, while another two USB ports can be found up front.

Boot capacity is 463 litres (to the top of the seat backs), and that was plenty of room for my little family of three.

The MG HS tested here is the Excite grade, found high up in the line-up, and it’s the front-wheel drive version which, at $32,990, is $3000 less than the all-wheel drive Excite X ($35,990).

Is that expensive for an MG HS? Nope, not in a range which starts at $29K and tops out at $46K.

The Excite grade is the best value in the range, especially this more affordable FWD version.

Coming standard are all of the features from the two grades below it, such as the proximity key, 10.1-inch media screen, adaptive cruise control, leather-look seats, roof rails, leather steering wheel and rear parking sensors.

Then there’s all the Excite level equipment such as LED headlights, sat nav, dual-zone climate control, rain-sensing wipers, power tailgate and 18-inch alloys.

The sat nav, power tailgate, proximity key and rain-sensing wipers are all helpful urban features, but the lack of front parking sensors isn’t ideal.

For about the same price as the MG HS Excite there’s the Mazda CX-5 Maxx, Toyota RAV4 GX, and Hyundai Tucson Active.

In my opinion, the MG HS Excite isn’t priced low enough to tempt buyers away from such superb rivals, but it’s still better value considering the features you’re getting.

Keen to know the engine specs for the MG3? Well, it’s pretty simple on the specifications front.

There’s just one motor available: a 1.5-litre four-cylinder non-turbo petrol engine, dubbed NSE Major by MG. 

It has class competitive outputs of 82kW (at 6000rpm) and 150Nm (at 4500rpm). It is only available with a four-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive. There’s no manual transmission available anymore - it was available in the earlier MG3s, but no more. 

While some competitors offer higher-powered flagship variants that act as the horsepower hero of the range, there’s no such variant in the MG3 range. Not yet, anyway. For now there’s just one engine size, no turbo, and no diesel or EV models to speak of either.

The tare mass/tare weight for the MG3 hatch is 1170kg, which is a bit heavier than a Mazda 2, but pretty much on par with a Kia Rio. 

Considering a caravan holiday with your new MG3? Maybe think twice - the maximum towing capacity is just 200kg. 

If you’re worried about engine problems, clutch problems, or have questions about the battery, gearbox, or the oil requirements, be sure to stay tuned to our MG problems page. And if you're curious about whether it has a timing chain or timing belt? It's a chain.

The Excite features the less powerful of two engines available in the MG HS – a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol making 119kW/250Nm.

Sure, it doesn’t have the grunt of the 2.0-litre but if you’re just looking for something to get you around the place you aren’t going to be super concerned about high-performance.

Our test car was also the FWD version, which is fine because AWD isn’t necessary in the city.

The seven-speed automatic transmission is a dual-clutch type, prone to jerky shifts in some cars, and the MG HS is one of them. MG needs to improve this transmission for a smoother city drive.

The combined cycle fuel consumption claim - which is what the brand claims the vehicle should use across a mix of driving situations - is the same across the MG3 line-up: 6.7 litres per 100 kilometres.

During my time with the car - which consisted of exactly 100km of mixed driving - I saw an at-the-pump fuel economy return of 7.7L/100km, which is decent.

The fuel tank capacity of the MG3 is 45 litres - meaning a theoretical mileage per tank of about 580km. It runs on regular unleaded (91RON), too.

Just be aware, the filler neck of the fuel tank is a little less angled than some other cars, so you might find it can splash back when it ‘clicks’ the first time.

In my fuel test of the MG HS I covered 303.2km, a good chunk of which was a freeway trip back from Canberra to Sydney, followed by a day or two of inner city driving.

The Excite used 24.1 litres, which translates to 7.9L/100km. Not far off the 7.3L/100km MG says you should get after a combination of open and urban roads.

If you never leave the city, your fuel usage will climb. MG says the 1.5-litre engine will use 9.2L/100km in pure urban driving.

That figure alone is too high for me to call our test car a great urban vehicle.

There is a plug-in hybrid version of the HS, which is much closer to the ideal variant for urban dwellers.

You might think of MG as a sports car brand - that’s what they built back in history, after all, and those are the reminiscences the company is hoping you’ll have when you see the famed octagonal badge.

And of the current crop of models that MG sells in Australia, the MG3 is undoubtedly the sportiest. 

That comes down to its driving manners, steering and ride - but not the engine and transmission.

The powertrain feels to be lacking enough power and torque to make it feel light and zippy when accelerating. The automatic transmission doesn’t make the greatest use of the engine, and can be indecisive when climbing hills or when you ask more of the car. Oh, don’t even think about a 0-100 performance claim - no such number exists.

In urban driving at lower speeds it’s fine. Between traffic lights and encountering roundabouts, and there’s not much to complain about. It doesn’t have any lag or lurch from a standstill, and is smooth and quick enough to get away from rest, too.

It’s just once you start to ask more of the engine and transmission that you notice that things could be better. There is, at least, a manual shift mode for the transmission to allow you to take control of the shifts, and there’s a sport mode too, which will hang on to gears and quell the indecision of the transmission to a degree.

On the open road it gets along fine, sitting at the speed limit without much fuss - although once you encounter a hill, you will notice the speed drop off a little. And the cruise control seemingly has a bit of a mind of its own, with a set speed displayed at 100km/h, I noticed the speed varying between 90km/h and 110km/h, depending on the terrain.

It’s the road holding, grip, handling and steering that help it live up to the badge, with steering that has a nice hefty weight to it and good directness at pace or around town. It even offers a little bit of feel through the wheel, which is welcome. That grip was surprising given the tyres fitted to the Excite’s 16-inch alloy wheels (Giti GitiComfort 228 tyres in 195/55/16 size).

The ride is tuned with a firmer character to it than you might expect. It’s not to the point of discomfort, and nor is it fidgety or clumsy over potholes or sharp edges. And that tune for the Macpherson strut front suspension and torsion beam rear suspension means that it feels plenty grippy in corners. Over my drive loop - incorporating sweeping bends and tighter twists - the MG3 stuck itself to the road commendably, with no noticeable skittishness to speak of. 

Indeed, I kept thinking that the suspension tune reminded me of a VW, Skoda or Audi city car - assured, confident, and ultimately a bit of fun.

The braking performance was good, too - it pulled up true and straight under heavy braking, and offered decent response at city speeds, too.

One minor criticism was some noticeable wind noise from around the windscreen pillar / mirror area, which was evident at speeds from 70km/h up.

Can we talk about the driver’s seat first? The design of the front seats means the driver and co-pilot sit overly high, even on the lowest setting.

That really bugged me to begin with as an ideal position has the driver sitting lower so they can look over the steering wheel and up the road ahead, rather than down onto it.

Compounding the frustration is the fact that this height means the rearview mirror obstructs vision through the windscreen.

After a few days driving the MG HS Excite I became used to the elevated driving position, and I’m sure you will, too. But I believe the design is a bad one and not something an owner should have to work around.

Okay, enough about the seats. This isn’t seatsguide.com.au. Let’s talk about the engine and how the 1.5-litre four cylinder doesn’t have the pep and acceleration of the 2.0-litre AWD model, but is perfectly fine for the city.

Besides, that larger engine's a bit manic just driving around town. There’s more than enough oomph from the 1.5-litre in the city, and even my motorway trip to Canberra (in gale force winds) was as uneventful as any Hume Highway trip should be.

What’s not noticeable on the freeway, but pronounced in the city, is the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission's lack of refinement. Jerkiness, sometimes on hills and when taking off from stand still.

Now, the ride. The news isn’t good here. either, I’m afraid. Our test car was comfortable enough on a smooth road, but throw speed humps, potholes and all the normal Aussie urban road imperfections at it and this SUV struggles to maintain composure.

A tendency to lean in roundabouts compounds a below average driving experience.

Finally, look at the steering wheel in the images. There’s a red button on it, just like you’ll find on the steering wheel of a Ferrari.

Only this button says, ‘Super Sport’ and when I pushed it nothing appeared to happen. It’s a setting that’s supposed to activate a performance driving mode, but there was nothing ‘super’ or ‘sport’ about it.

The MG HS scored the maximum five-star ANCAP rating under 2019 testing rules.

The safety tech list looks impressive with good city-focused features such as an AEB system that can detect cyclists and pedestrians (up to 64km/h) and vehicles (up to 150km/h), along with lane keeping assistance, traffic jam assistance, blind spot detection and rear cross-traffic alert.

But I received a stark reminder that AEB systems aren’t perfect while travelling at about 30km/h approximately 40m behind two cyclists on a city street.

The MG HS Excite braked hard for no apparent reason. Forcefully enough to throw everybody in the car forward, straining the seat belts.

The cyclists hadn’t stopped or slowed down, and I couldn’t see any no other obstructions which would have caused the pretty violent stop.

Luckily, there were no injuries in our car, and it was fortunate there wasn’t a car close behind which may have impacted us.

We know of AEB ‘misfires’ like this across other brands, but it's still a concerning behaviour.

It tells me not all safety systems are created equal and ‘advanced’ tech still has a long way to go before it is truly advanced.

Along with six airbags, there are two ISOFIX points and three top tether anchor points for child seats across the back seat.

A space saver spare wheel is under the boot floor.

I kept thinking about one particular thing over my time in the MG3 - the warranty. It’s such a great peace of mind move from the company to back its cars with a seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty plan. 

If your brain works like mine, you could calculate it out and see the purchase of the MG3 completely differently: what about thinking of it as a $2500-ish-per-year investment, and at the end you get a free car…! The same can be said of the Kia Picanto and Rio, though.

That warranty should put your mind at ease when it comes to reliability, problems, common faults and issues, as any required fixes are set to be covered by the brand over that period. And buyers get seven years of roadside assistance included, too.

Maintenance is required every 12 months/10,000km, whichever comes first. That’s a bit more regular than some rivals (most have 15,000km intervals), but the brand backs its cars with a seven-year fixed service cost plan. Servicing costs averaged out over the first seven years/70,000km of ownership equate to $382 per visit (before GST), which isn't cheap, but nor is it expensive.

Here's a rundown of the recommended service costing (all prices pre-GST): 12 months/10,000km: $231.76; 24 months/20,000km: $385.23; 36 months/30,000km - $379.72; 48 months/40,000km - $680.74; 60 months/50,000km - $231.76; 72 months/60,000km - $533.19; 84 months/70,000km - $231.76.

Keep the service logbook stamps up to date in your owners manual - it’s a ticket to better resale value. 

The HS Excite is covered by MG’s seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, which is two years more than most carmakers offer.

Servicing is recommended every 12 months or 10,000km. Here are the costs: 10,000km ($279.04); 20,000km ($382.44), 30,000km ($330.23); 40,000km ($437.54); 50,000km ($279.04); 60,000km ($800.66) and 70,000km ($279.04).

That's an annual average of $398.28 for the first seven years.