MG Extender Reviews

Chinese carmaker MG unveiled its new flagship three-row family SUV at the Melbourne Motor Show last week as part of its plan to be a top three brand in Australia by the end of the decade.Lining up at 4983mm long, 1967mm wide and 1788mm tall, the seven-seat SUV will compete against well-established segment leaders in the Ford Everest, Hyundai Santa Fe and Toyota Kluger when it lands in showrooms by the middle of the year.With a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine delivering 153kW/360Nm to two or all four wheels through a nine-speed automatic transmission, the QS won’t trump its rivals on the headline figures, though it is poised to significantly undercut them on price.Positioned above the mid-sized HS, which starts at $33,990, drive-away, the QS is expected to start closer to the $45,000 mark, making it roughly $10,000 cheaper than its Ford, Hyundai and Toyota equivalents, all of which are priced before on-road costs.The three-grade QS line-up, consisting of the Vibe, Excite and Essence variants, will carry standard features such as 20-inch alloy wheels, dual 12.3-inch screens for multimedia, digital driver’s display functions and heated front seats.A range-topping Essence variant will carry larger 21-inch alloys, a premium 12-speaker Bose sound system, four-wheel drive with drive mode selection, memory seats and a large panoramic sunroof.An additional plug-in hybrid powertrain is expected to join the range further down the track. It will downsize its engine to a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol unit, but add a 24.7kWh battery pack and a single electric motor. Power and torque outputs will subsequently rise to 220kW/350Nm.The QS was one of six new MG models, including the luxury IM5 sedan and IM6 SUV models, revealed at the Melbourne Motor Show last weekend.

MG locks in a dual-cab ute for Australia.

The long-awaited replacement for the top-selling MG ZS EV has been detailed ahead of its imminent arrival in Australian showrooms.Dubbed the MGS5 EV, the new small EV replaces the affordable ZS EV that sold in significant numbers for the Chinese giant. Interested buyers can register their interest now and the new model will go on sale in May.MG is yet to confirm pricing for the MGS5 EV, but it is expected to be more expensive than the model it replaces. Earlier this year in runout the ZS EV was down to $36,888 drive-away for both model grades, but the regular pricing started around $45,000 drive-away.MG also has the mechanically-related MG4 small hatchback in its stable which is priced from about $41,000 drive-away. But being an SUV, the MGS5 EV is expected to also be popular with buyers.In Australia the MGS5 EV will be offered in two battery sizes and two distinct model grades, meaning there are four options for buyers. The battery sizes are 49kWh and 62kWh, with the Excite and Essence spec available for both.According to MG, the WLTP driving range for the 49kWh is 340Km for the Excite and 335km for the Essence. While the 62kWh offers 430km in Excite and 425km in Essence guise.Energy efficiency is rated between 16.6 to 17.7kWh/100km, which is not far off the outgoing ZS EV.The 0-100km/h time ranges from 8.0 to 8.6 seconds, depending on the grade.The rear-wheel drive EV has a motor that pumps out 125kW/250Nm and it offers one pedal driving with three levels of regenerative braking.It has a 6.6kW onboard charger and can boost the battery from 30 to 80 per cent in 19 minutes on a fast charger, according to MG. The maximum DC charging on the 49kWh is 120kW increasing to 150kW for the 62kWh.The MGS5 EV is larger in most dimensions than the ZS EV, except for height. But the 2730mm wheelbase is 145mm longer than the old EV. It also has a thin battery to liberate more room inside.Standard gear in the Excite grades includes 17-inch alloy wheels, fabric seats, manually adjustable seats, single zone climate control, keyless entry and start, vehicle-to-load functionality, 10.25-inch digital driver’s display, heated door mirrors, four-speaker audio, 12.8-inch multimedia screen with DAB+ digital radio, wireless and wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and sat nav.The Essence adds a wireless device charger, voice control, a six-speaker audio, rear privacy glass, rain-sensing wipers, panoramic power sunroof, leather steering wheel, synthetic leather/cloth seats, power adjustable driver’s seat, heated steering wheel, power tailgate, and 18-inch alloys.

MG has kicked off its massive new-model rollout in Australia, confirming it will rip the covers from some crucial fresh metal at this weekend’s Melbourne Motor Show.

MG continues to firm up its position as a mainstream player in the Aussie new-car market. The ZS small five-seat SUV has proved a hit with local buyers and a more urgent Essence Turbo variant has been added to the line-up. James Cleary spent time with it to determine if it should be on your new car short list.

MG will take another swipe at Tesla and XPeng by launching the IM electric car sub-brand in Australia this year.

MG has confirmed the name and design of the next-generation MG4, shortly after it was leaked via government documents.

Five years ago Holden executives were secretly hatching a plan to save the brand by teaming up with the Chinese car maker behind MG and LDV. Now looking back in 2025 as Chinese brands win over Aussie hearts, the move would have been one of pure genius that would have seen Holden not just survive but maybe even thrive.The deal was close and it could have worked incredibly well, given what we know now. The plan would see Holden and Chinese auto giant SAIC enter an agreement allowing MG cars and LDV utes to be rebadged as Holdens.This was all happening in 2020 - three years after Holden’s parent company General Motors had shut down local manufacturing. The Aussie-built Commodore was replaced with an imported Opel Insignia wearing a Holden badge. The move left Holden in a horrendous situation where it was having to scrape around at the bottom of the auto barrel looking for right-hand-drive vehicles within General Motors global portfolio - the Cruze, for example, was a Daewoo Lacetti Premiere which garnered a reputation for mechanical problems.The deal with SAIC was far more promising. GM already had a joint-venture with SAIC in China, so there was already technology sharing between the companies. But just as Holden’s executives were about to act General Motors announced Holden would end operations at the end of 2021.Holden’s interim chairman and managing director Kristian Aquilina faced a parliamentary inquiry in 2020 into the closure where he was grilled by Senator James McGrath. Reading the minutes of the inquiry reveal Senator McGrath asking if Holden would be sold to a Chinese owner. “I just want to get reassurance from you in relation to the Holden brand. MG, a famous British automobile company, is now owned by a Shanghai-based state-owned company in China. Can you give us an assurance that General Motors won't sell off the Holden brand to, for example, a state-owned company in China, or indeed any other company? Can you give us that assurance?” asked Senator McGrathAquilina's response was firm: “I'm not going to address any hypotheticals, but I want to assure you of this: Holden remains within our ownership, within General Motors ownership.”The exchange showed what appears to be a nervous and hostile attitude toward the prospect of the Australian brand being owned by another carmaker.But a Chinese owner might have helped Holden more than the American one - which left it with nothing. Looking at how dramatically the world’s car landscape has changed with Chinese manufacturers moving at an almost impossible speed both in the development of battery technology and production of high quality, stylish cars makes you think that a Holden owned by Chinese owners may have been a much better prospect.The suggestion also by the Senator that MG was somehow worse off under SAIC ownership is questionable now. MG produced 700,000 vehicles in 2024 and 50,000 of them were sold in Australia, making it the seventh most bought car brand here. MG has never been more successful, never sold more cars AND never been driven by more people.A Holden under SAIC ownership or close joint venture would have probably seen the brand offered in a range of petrol, diesel, hybrid and electric vehicles at prices that would have been affordable.Sure, SUVs would have absolutely formed the backbone of a 2025 Holden model line-up, but the MG3 could have been given a Barina badge and there would have even been room for a halo car in the same way MG has the Cyberster - an electric Monaro maybe? Ok, maybe not that far. But a electric Caprice luxury Car? That could work.Plus, Holden 4x4 utes could have been a thing again. SAIC could have drawn on the same ladder-frame architecture that underpins the LDV T60 ute or the eT60 ute, which might have helped Holden beat old rival Ford to the electric ute post.Of course, there’s the electric Holdens that could have been had the brand been sold to SAIC. The excellent MG4 would have been a perfect electric Holden Cruze - possibly one of the best Holdens ever in its new EV form.Then there’s all the Holden jobs which could have been saved. Sure, maybe not the production line folks, but the design teams and the engineers could have continued on in some form, as is the case with MG's design studio in London.Even today with a new version of the Holden Commodore exists in China as the Buick Regal GS. It's an Opel Insignia-based ZB Commodore and despite the platform being owned by Stellantis now, thanks to a loophole the car can be sold as a Buick by SAIC-GM in China. Yes, even the Commodore could have easily lived on here in Australia, even if it was made in China.Not to mention the other Chevrolet models the brand could have drawn from like the next-generation Equinox which is currently assembled in China.Of course none of this happened. General Motors wanted to keep rights to the Holden brand for at least 10 years as it said it wanted to provide service and support to owners for at least a decade.Perhaps in five years time General Motors will sell the Holden brand to SAIC, or Geely or BYD. Would people really think that's a bad idea now? Will anybody even remember Holden then? Then again, it did work for MG...

A new electric car from MG has been revealed via a Chinese government regulator, but just what the car is could be up for debate.

In 2011 there was a seismic shift in the Australian car market - the Holden Commodore was dethroned as this country’s favourite car by the Mazda3.