Subaru Forester vs MG HS

What's the difference?

The MY26 Subaru Forester packs plenty of punch in terms of standard features, a roomy and functional interior and overall driveability. Sure, it’s not the most exciting vehicle to drive on- or off-road but to get stuck on that is to miss the point entirely. This is a decent all-rounder with a solid background and an AWD system that long ago set the gold standard for vehicles of this type.

In a tough mid-size SUV market segment aimed more at those intent on driving through car parks rather than adventuring through national parks, the Forester offers greater versatility than most and should not be ignored.

There are a few niggles with the latest MG HS, for example the annoying driver-attention monitoring and expensive maintenance costs. We’ve not had a full sample of its open-road performance yet either, which may prove more telling.

Yet the HS is shaping up to be one of the most successful product updates of recent years, second only to, I don’t know, the MG3? The family SUV is also backed by a 10-year warranty and, despite the drastic improvements, doesn’t cost a whole lot more than before.

The entry-level Vibe is our pick, there's no need to spend more. It features all manner of safety equipment and a quiet drive but with cloth upholstery that doesn't get all sticky and sweaty in the Australian climate.

The end of 2024 is the tipping point where MG goes from cheap and cheerful to a real headache for established players. Perhaps not for the strongest in the segment like the RAV4 and Nissan X-Trail, but the HS is now an easy car to recommend for a family looking for a spacious SUV that drives their dollar further. The hybrid will boost appeal further when it arrives next year.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with meals provided.

This Forester is 4655mm long (with a 2670mm wheelbase), 1830mm wide and 1730mm high.

The new generation retains more than enough of the previous Forester – blocky profile included – to remain clearly recognisable.

Traditionalists may chafe at the slicker, more citified appearance of this Forester over previous generations but the overall package is inoffensive enough to not elicit any howls of outrage from passers-by on the street.

The Forester’s interior maintains a similar cabin look and feel as before but with a 11.6-inch portrait-oriented multimedia touchscreen dominating up front, a mix of physical and on-screen buttons, as well as soft-touch surfaces and durable plastics.

Though the previous HS had shapely bodywork, the wheels sat too far in-board and the rear end looked awkward. It’s not the same story with the new model which is designed as a family SUV first, rather than a converted hatchback platform.

Part of the improved looks are better proportions. The new HS is 81mm longer, 14mm wider and rides on a 45mm longer wheelbase yet sits 21mm lower for a sleeker appearance.

The front end takes cues from the new MG3 and ZS design language with a broad grille and thin LED headlights. At the back, MG’s design team references the UK’s capital with ‘Shard’ lighting signatures that also appear in the alloy wheels.

It is still fairly anonymous, though perhaps that comes from a lack of familiarity with the brand. The painted wheel arch cladding and metallic-only paint give it a premium boost.

The biggest improvement is inside, where the HS takes plenty of inspiration from the excellent MG4 electric car with the hexagonal steering wheel (though here with perforated leather finishing), high-set controls and confident lines. It’s a welcome, modern change after the old car’s bloated cabin design.

There are soft-touch rubbery materials in all sorts of prominent places, including on the dash top, front and rear door cards as well as where the driver’s knees rest on the doors and transmission tunnel.

The Forester is quite roomy for a mid-size SUV and this is the top-spec variant so there’s leather everywhere.

The interior layout is neat and tidy and lands firmly on the correct side of being practical and familiar, with all controls easy to locate and operate.

The touchscreen offers mostly simple intuitive functionality with infrequent need to cycle through numerous menus and sub-menus to access what you want.

The aforementioned mix of physical and on-screen buttons, as well as soft-touch surfaces and durable plastic are welcome here because, you know... real life.

The front seats offer ample support and the driver is able to dial-in their preferred position via power controls on the eight-way power-adjustable seat (with dual memory). The front passenger has an eight-way power-adjustable seat. Both seats are heated and ventilated.

The 60/40 split folding second-row seats aren’t too shabby either, in terms of comfort and amenities, with a fold-down arm-rest with cupholders and directional air vents etc.

Cargo volume is 496 litres (with rear seat in use) and 1174 litres (with the rear seat down, 1667 litres to ceiling.

The tailgate is powered and hands-free with a kick sensor (apparently). But I never tried that, instead opting for the tailgate-mounted button to open and close it.

There is nothing especially ground-breaking about the MG HS’s front cabin. The cupholders are medium-sized and the door bins have enough storage for a one-litre bottle, so this is no Skoda Karoq when it comes to clever cabin solutions.

Telling a tale of the HS’s Roewe RX5 base car’s earlier 2022 launch (and the staggering development speed of personal technology) the lack of USB-C charging ports is now frustrating with all USB ports regular old-school items. Apple CarPlay or Android Auto phone mirroring requires a cabled connection.

The centre multimedia screen is high resolution with day selectable light and dark modes. It was a little laggy to use MG’s software, however, especially when swiping across menu screens. 

There are four hard shortcut buttons beneath it that can jump to the home screen, activate the HS’s front and rear demister and turn the ventilation on and off.

To adjust the temperature you need to go into the touchscreen, though there is a persistent shortcut on the main menu.

A 12.3-inch digital cluster has several selectable info displays and can show navigation mapping and directions in Excite and Essence trims. 

The seats are comfortable and supportive and it's easy to find a good driving position thanks to power-adjust driver's seat and tilting/telescoping wheel adjustment. The front passenger does not get height adjust, though, and is set too high.

Where the extra size pays dividends is in the back seat which has ample room for passengers beyond 185cm, especially when it comes to leg space. The fold-out armrest is sturdy, too, with twin cupholders. Rear air vents are fitted to only the top-spec Essence.

For baby capsules or child seats the HS has ISOFIX anchors fitted to all three rear seats matched with a trio of top tether points.

The MG HS’s boot is about average for the class measuring 507 litres. It grows to 1484L with the 60:40 backrest folded. For reference, class leaders include the Toyota RAV4 (580L), Nissan X-Trail (585L) and Volkswagen Tiguan (up to 615L with rear seats slid forward). 

There are few amenities, with no 12-volt socket, only one (dim) boot light and no shopping bag hooks. The carpet isn’t bargain basement and the luggage cover is sturdy with additional separated storage compartments below the floor and netted cubbies off to the side. 

MG has also been smart in packaging a space saver spare tyre beneath the boot floor (and a cumbersome Styrofoam piece).

Shock horror, the new HS is 10 per cent more expensive than before… but that still makes it $33,990, drive-away, for the basic Vibe — easily undercutting established rivals from Honda, Mazda, Toyota and others. 

You get a lot for that extra $4000, too, right down to basic presentation. There’s no fridge-like solid white paint with all six hues either metallic or pearlescent for no extra cost. MG even offers the upper trims with the option of an eye-catching tan upholstery colour. 

The three-strong trim line-up starts with the Vibe: dusk-sensing LED headlights, 18-inch alloy wheels, adaptive cruise control, auto wipers, tyre pressure monitoring, a six-speaker sound system, nice cloth upholstery and six-way power adjust driver’s seat are standard.

The Excite sprinkles in 19-inch alloy wheels, perforated synthetic leather upholstery, navigation, fog lights and MG’s 'iSmart' connectivity system for a smart $36,990, drive-away.

The range-topping Essence gains a panoramic sunroof, rear privacy class, a power tailgate, front parking sensors, wireless phone charging, eight-speaker audio, 10-way power adjustable driver’s seat with memory, seat heating, dual-zone climate control, rear air vents and wireless phone charging for $40,990, on-the road. 

The short of it is that, although MG’s prices are up, even the basic Vibe is a more enticing proposition on price than the new Chery Tiggo 7 Pro Urban ($39,990, drive-away) and established Mazda CX-5 Maxx (currently on offer for $37,990, drive-away).

It also is much closer to the popular GWM Haval H6 ($31,990-$37,990, drive-away) — if only MG had brought ventilated seats to the flagship Essence then this mid-sizer would be (almost) sold on paper alone.

The Forester has the line-up’s 2.5-litre four-cylinder naturally aspirated boxer engine (producing 136kW at 5800rpm and 247Nm at 3700rpm) matched to a constantly variable transmission (CVT), which some people detest, and some people couldn’t give a rat’s whether it’s there or not.

Also onboard is Subaru’s all-wheel drive system, driving modes (including 'Normal', 'Deep snow/Mud', and 'Snow/Dirt') and 'X-Mode' “that constantly monitors the traction available to each wheel and centralises the control of key components including the engine, transmission, drivetrain and brakes to help manage slippery conditions”, according to Subaru.

The new HS petrol has a 1.5-litre, turbo-petrol, four-cylinder engine that develops 125kW at 5000rpm and 275Nm from 3000-4000rpm, with those outputs up 6.0kW and 25Nm on the old car.

MG claims new engine features, including the variable geometry turbocharger, centre-mount variable valve timing and a lighter dual-mass flywheel, add up to a 30 per cent improvement in engine response.

More importantly, the insulation is excellent. You barely hear any unpleasant engine noises out on the road and although the four cylinder’s tone isn’t sexy at full-throttle, it is warm and pleasant enough.

The HS petrol is front-wheel drive only which may rule it out for some buyers, but there is a saving grace. The new seven-speed type dual-clutch transmission behaved itself impeccably on a brief first encounter taking in awkward hill starts and reverse manoeuvres. It’s a huge improvement over prior efforts and more refined than even a Hyundai or Kia dual-clutch.

MG claims a 0-100km/h acceleration time of 9.6 seconds, which is about right for entry-level versions of the HS’s typical rivals.

MG no longer offers a more powerful 2.0-litre turbo but a plug-in hybrid with a punchy 223kW and an all-new full-hybrid option will join the line-up in the first quarter of 2025, details of which are yet to be confirmed.

Official fuel consumption on the combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle for the Forester is 7.9L/100km and it uses 91RON 'standard' unleaded petrol at a minimum.

On this test, I recorded 8.1L/100km. But fuel consumption was as low as a dash-indicated 1.7L/100km while driving the Forester with adaptive cruise control engaged.

The Forester has a 63-litre fuel tank, so, going by our on-test fuel-use figures you could reasonably expect a driving range of almost 780km from a full tank. However, as with any vehicle, once you’ve loaded the Forester with any real-world burdens (e.g kids, dogs, camping gear, etc) you’ll soon see the fuel consumption increase.

In the ADR combined (urban-extra urban) fuel efficiency cycle, the MG HS petrol is rated at 6.9L/100km, emitting 156 grams of CO2 per kilometre in the process. A 55-litre fuel tank gives the HS a theoretical driving range of around 800km.

We weren’t able to get a true read on the fuel consumption but the trip computer showed 8.1L/100km after an hour-long run. It lacks an idle start-stop system and requires 95 RON premium unleaded petrol.

The Forester feels comfortable and composed on sealed surfaces and offers some degree of dynamism to the driving experience – so in line with previous generations.

It feels more refined, sharper to steer and more responsive than before. There’s ample visibility to the front but a substantial B pillar obscures the driver’s vision back over their right shoulder.

The Boxer engine and CVT work well together, power and torque outputs are more than adequate in this package, and that much-maligned transmission is not intrusive if the Forester is driven with care and common sense.

However, acceleration from a full stop is sluggish.

The suspension set-up – MacPherson struts up front and double wishbones at the rear – yields a firm but not jarring sense of ride and handling.

The 1662kg Forester proved nimble to manoeuvre around the Big Smoke, the suburbs and in the bush (more about that soon) with a neat 10.8m turning circle.

All-wheel drive vehicles are capable of tackling off-road adventures in their own right but, for safety’s sake, AWD drivers should avoid anything beyond well-maintained dirt tracks in dry weather. AWD cars are designed for use on bitumen roads with some dirt or light-duty off-road use.

And so it was with our test of this Forester. On-test off-road terrain equalled firm-packed sand and gravel/dirt bush tracks in dry weather, although we did drive through one shin-deep mudhole with no trouble.

The Forester has a listed 220mm of ground clearance, the suspension held up well over a brief stint on mild corrugations and Subaru AWD proved more than up to the task when things became a little trickier, providing improved grip and traction in slippery conditions that demanded to be driven at very low speeds.

If push comes to shove, it’s capable of more than light off-roading, but the Forester’s ground clearance and off-road angles ultimately limit its off-road capabilities.

The Forester’s 'all season' tyres – Falken Ziex Z001A A/S (225/55 R18 98V) – are fine for light to moderate off-roading but anything more difficult than that and you’ll need to get a set of more aggressive all-terrain tyres. It does have a full-sized spare onboard.

It has maximum towing capacities of 750kg (unbraked trailer), 1800kg (braked) and a maximum towball download of 180kg. GVM is 2223kg; GCM is 4023kg.

Some niggles: The driver awareness system is annoyingly over-reactive.

MG’s launch drive program was too brief to really get under the skin of the HS, which is a shame because the initial signs are extremely positive.

Compared to the old ZS, in which a gumnut hitting the roof was loud enough to distract you from your thoughts, the new car is packed with sound deadening for a vastly more premium experience.

The electronic power steering system has a natural ratio (2.6 turns lock-to-lock) and weighting in 'Comfort' and 'Sport' modes, which cannot be said for rivals such as the Chery Tiggo 7 and Haval H6.

This new HS rides nicely, too, with enough compliance from the suspension without sacrificing body control — at least around town. It has struts up from with a multi-link rear end which is not a given, even in this segment.

There were a few sharp-edged bumps that sent a shock through the body but that is to be expected on Sydney's awful roads. The new HS rides about as well as a Mazda CX-5 and believe us, that is a dramatic improvement.

Visibility out the front and sides are good as is the comfortable driving position, however I wasn’t able to move the driver’s side mirror far enough out for my liking. That’s a small blip in an otherwise strong first showing.

The MG HS has not yet been evaluated by an independent safety testing body such as ANCAP or Euro NCAP.

MG has fitted the new HS with seven airbags, including driver and passenger, front side, side curtain and a centre airbag.

The HS has a long list of active safety and driver assistance features, such as front and rear auto emergency braking with junction detection, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control with stop and go and driver-attention monitoring.

I can’t say all the aids are perfect but the adaptive cruise control and lane-keep assist systems were less intrusive than those in Chery and Haval products.

The regularly-beeping driver-attention monitoring remains a constant frustration as it does across almost every brand at the moment.

The MY26 Subaru range is covered by a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, five-year/75,000km capped price servicing, and 12 months roadside assistance.

A service is required every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever occurs soonest. After your free “1 Month Health Check and Chat”, cost per service is $347.95 (at the 15,000km/12 month mark), $520.45 (30,000km or 24 months), $393.10 (45,000km or 36 months), $679.30 (60,000km or 48 months) and $358.20 (75,000km or 60 months). Average over the five years is $459.80.

Subaru Australia has more than 140 dealerships across the country with a decent spread over metro and regional areas. Foresters may be serviced at those dealers or by approved mechanics.

MG has recently moved to a 10-year/250,000km new car warranty in Australia which covers the HS and is the longest non-conditional offer in the market.

GWM/Haval, Kia and SsangYong remain at seven years while Mitsubishi requires you to service the car at a main dealer for its 10-year guarantee.

This long warranty period should help allay concerns for new MG buyers that the brand stands behind its products.

Less impressive is the cost of maintenance, which adds up to $2354 over five years/75,000km with a particularly steep $936 service at the four-year mark. There’s a big $1647 service at 120,000km, too.