MG cars, which are distributed in Ireland by the Frank Keane Group, bounced back into the Irish market a few years back with their fully electric MG4 and MG EV which quickly became very popular with Irish taxi drivers. Taxi drivers certainly know a bargain when they see one.
Since then, MG has expanded and given us the gorgeous two-seater Cyberster. It reminded me of the first and probably only car produced by John DeLorean at his Dunmurry plant in Belfast back in 1981. That was the DMC-12, which was later used in the film Back to the Future.
I think I’m probably too old for the Cyberster, but the plug-in hybrid version of the MG HS that I drove last week was more to my liking. It’s a spacious SUV and very, very frugal.
I had read that the range with a full tank of petrol was over 1,000km, but when I picked up the car last Monday the range, with a full tank of petrol showed 960km. Now that’s very good and when you test any kind of car much will depend on the driving habits of the previous tester.
Colour is so important when you are thinking of buying a new car and I don’t think the Charcoal Grey metallic paint did much for car. If it had come in the gorgeous blue used by Skoda for their plug-in Kodiaq, I think I would have got a lot more comments from my neighbours. But I accept that some people prefer a discreet colour.
At the front there is a very wide grille and at the back you get a wrap-around effect in the lighting.
Inside, the décor is a bit dark, dark seats and overall the interior is fairly dark. However, a white roofline does brighten the décor. You get two 12.3-inch screens on the dash and they blended in seamlessly to provide a massive screen across the dash.
Plenty of room for five well-built adults and the boot space is huge.
Every time I parked the car it was difficult to know whether the engine was completely turned off. If the car wasn’t properly turned off and I tried to lock the car with the fob, then the horn sounded. Later, I was told the ‘trick’ was to hold your finger on the on-off button for a few seconds and apply the parking brake, then you knew the ignition was definitely off.
The Exclusive version that I drove had a narrow running board, which was hardly necessary as the car was not difficult to climb on board; my wife who has arthritis had no difficulty getting in. However, she did like the running board when exiting the car.
A few years back I think it was a Ssangyong car that had a huge running board and at the time I said that it reminded me of watching television coverage of secret service agents protecting US presidents.
Two trim levels available, the Excite version start at €40,995, while the Exclusive version, which I drove, starts at €43,995. This is really good value for a plug-in hybrid where 1.5-litre engine and a 16.6kW battery will give you over 100km in full electric mode with a full charge. Surely the taxi drivers know by now.
Kia were the first to have a seven-year warranty but now MG also offer a seven-year or 150,000km warranty. Have a test drive, believe me you will be impressed and if you buy, you definitely won’t have to make many pit-stops.
