2025 MG HS Essence – Long Term

The MG HS has been useful for family life over the past couple of months, the five-seat SUV proving easy to like.  

It has a good sized boot as we discovered on holiday, with three big travel cases fitting snugly in the hold. And during the weekly grind, the grocery shop is swallowed easily, so too all the kid-related items. It’s handy that the boot floor can be easily removed for cleaning, while the interior mats are quality and held firmly in place by a velcro-like backing.  

The rear seat space gets a tick. Though it doesn’t have a reclining function, the kids didn’t mind much because the legroom is good, and there are enough USB ports too. Up front, the seat is comfortable, heated too, while the interior trim is hardwearing. Nothing broke or fell off during our time, which is always reassuring. 

The HS has a sound ride quality, the steering is easy and it has a good turn around. The 1.5 turbo delivers decent low-end torque, which is what you need around town, and rarely do you have to resort to extending it beyond 3000rpm. The transmission, a dual-clutch number, is generally a polished operator but can be a bit slurry when trying to pull away in second gear. When you’re in a rush, slipping it over into the S mode sees it shift more decisively. The HS averaged 9.6L/100km over 1300km, the majority of those miles in the confines of the city. 

The one issue we have is the sighting of the side mirror hard up against the A pillar which creates a blind spot at times when negotiating turns at intersections; you really do need to crane your neck in order to get a clear view.

While not immediately intuitive, the multifunction buttons on the steering wheel become easy to live with, and we like the configurable shortcut buttons. One we used to quickly summon the surround view parking camera. While it doesn’t deliver the sharpest image, it’s a handy feature. As is the active cruise, which manages itself well in motorway traffic, if the lower speed operation is a bit jerky. 

We reckon the HS is good honest value, especially starting at $37k, while the up-spec Essence is hardly breaking the bank these days at $43k. 

For those keen on a hybrid, MG has added these options to its HS line-up now too. The hybrid+ runs a self-charging set-up with a combined output of 165kW and 340Nm while consumption is stated at 5.2L/100km. It’s priced at $45k for the Excite and the Essence is $49k. 

And that’s not all, as a Super Hybrid is set to arrive too. This is a plug-in with a 24.7kWh battery that can give a claimed range of 135km between charges. During electric running it uses a 154kW/340Nm motor, so should go alright around town, while in hybrid mode it can deliver 220kW and 350Nm. However, the price is steeper still at $51k and $55k, though competitive with the other Chinese origin plug-in hybrids out there.