MG 5

MG hasn’t gone overboard in the interior cabin as well, as the layout of the dashboard and driver’s cockpit looks simple and understated.

The three-spoke flat bottomed multifunctional steering wheel looks and feels nice to hold, and while the instrument console behind it has a rather sober layout, the coloured MID screen does lighten up things here. The large and wide centre console housing the large touchscreen infotainment system looks simple yet elegant enough, which is well complemented by the sleek AC vents.

The long profile of the MG5 does enhance the sense of space on the inside, providing an ample amount of room and a capacious boot space of 512-litre. The long-wheelbase ensures that it has an exemplary amount of legroom and knee room at the back, which is simply best in its class. Also, with features like push-button start with keyless entry, electrically adjustable and foldable outside rearview mirrors, tilt and telescopic steering, reverse camera, electric sunroof, electrically adjustable driver’s seat, automatic climate control, rear AC vents, and cruise control, the MG5 feels too premium for a car of this size.

Being an entry-level sedan, the MG5 has got a good road presence, thanks to its big dimensions playing a major role in giving it an appeal of a car from a segment above. However, with a very safe approach in styling, the MG5 looks too simple and conventional.

The front fascia of the MG5 looks wide, thanks to the large trapezoidal chrome grille with a total of five chrome slats and chrome surrounds. The large and angular headlamps are slightly curvy towards outer edges and do engulf daytime running lamps and projector units.

Due to a sufficiently long wheelbase, the MG5 has a nice low slung stance, and the nice curvy character line flowing all the way from the edge of the front headlamp to that of the rear tail lamp does give it a sense of continuity. In our opinion, the MG5 looks best from this angle.

At the rear too, MG has played safe with the design of the MG5, by making it look very Maserati-esque with the thick chrome bar joining the curvy tail lamps. This layout, along with high loading lip, makes the MG5 look large and wide as well.

The Vti-TECH system employed in the inline 1.5L 4-cylinder 16V gasoline engine enables the vehicle to deliver an efficient mileage of 21.81 kmpl and it can go from a speed of zero to 100 km/h in a mere time span of 12.1 seconds. All this thanks to its multi-point fuel injection system.

The MG5 is fitted with Macpherson struts at the front and torsion beam axle at the rear, which are set on a softer side, making the overall ride quality pretty comfortable on regular urban conditions. The steering setup is on the softer side too, which is a boon for city driving, but not too involving in feel at higher speeds.

All the variants of the MG5 are powered with a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, which produces a maximum power output of 113 PS and a peak torque output of 150 Nm. While the base Core variant has both 5-speed manual and CVT gearboxes on offer, the other two variants have CVT as the standard gearbox option.

The MG5 is quite very well equipped in terms of safety as well, as the sedan features four airbags, ABS with EBD, reverse parking sensors, electronic stability control, and tire pressure monitoring system, which makes it one of the safest cars in its segment.

With a starting price of PHP 658,888, the MG5 is a tremendous value for money vehicle, considering its big car appeal with segment-best dimensions and a sufficiently long list of comfort and convenience features. While it is not a driver’s car, it still has enough performance and decent on-road dynamics to make a strong case for itself as a family oriented car at a much more accessible price point.