Last week when charging the MGS5 on Sundrive Road in Dublin, my three charging companions at the back of SuperValu were all taxi drivers. That, I think, was confirmation that taxi drivers love MG cars and proof that MG cars are good value if you are thinking of a switch to a fully electric car.
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; they 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 De Lorean 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.
Last week I drove the newest car on offer from MG, the fully electric MGS5, which is great value for money with prices starting at €29,995.
The MGS5 EV is the direct replacement for the MG ZS EV and it’s built using the same underpinnings as the impressive MG4 electric hatchback.
On Monday, the test car I picked up was black, but for operational reasons, I switched to a light blue version later in the week. I am a firm believe that colour makes a huge difference when buying a new car and if I was buying new the light blue version of the S5 would be the one I would choose.
At the front there is very clean look; with petrol and diesel cars you get varying types of grilles, but with an electric car the front is usually a bit bland.
As usual, journalists tend to get the higher specced versions to test and my long-range version had a few extra goodies. There is plenty of leg room for front and back seat passengers and if you only have two back seat passengers they can leave down a divider to hold their drinks. That’s something you would not normally expect from car in this price category.
The infotainment screen on the dash is easy to use and I liked the slave controls on the steering wheel as they allow you keep your eye on the road. There is charging port for your mobile phone and if you don’t need to charge your phone you can place in a neat slot located between the driver and front seat passenger.
The boot is decent-size, officially 453 litres, but no frunk, so charging cables have to be stored in the boot. As usual with the majority of new cars, no spare wheel. There is a sign in the boot marked ‘Tools’, which is not incorrect, as you do get a repair kit. You also get a rear wiper, which is always appreciated.
The price of goods are increasing every day and to get a new car for just under €30k is certainly an attractive offer, once you know the issues that charging a car around the country can bring. The entry level model with a 49kWh battery has a range of around 340km while my Excite Long Range version with a 49kWh battery should get you close to 480km, especially in this great sunny weather we are having this summer in Ireland.
Kia was the first manufacturer to offer a seven-year warranty on their new cars, but now MG will match that Kia offer. I really enjoyed my time in the MGS5; the range was excellent and it charged very quicky, once I found a location where the charge cables were not cut.
I know we sometimes give out about taxi drivers, but I find that most are very pleasant and by talking to them you can learn what type of cars the taxi drivers find are best value.
