The only MG car that our family ever had was the Magnette Mark IV my Dad owned in the mid-1960s, writes Brian Byrne. A trimmed-to-luxury level of the Pininfarina-designed British Motor Corporation mid-sized saloons produced under the Morris, Austin, Riley and Wolseley marques, it was walnut veneer and leather, comfortable, tough, and in British Racing Green was a handsome enough beast. It didn't have quite the same cachet as the Jaguar 240 he had traded in for it, but, unlike the Jag, it wasn't always refusing to start on any kind of a chill morning. In fact, for the four years he kept it, the Magnette proved utterly reliable. And the toughness was exemplified during one weekend when I had taken it to Achill, and had to tow at least three other cars out of the ditches they had slipped into from the high and narrow roads of the island.
In 2005, following the collapse of the MG-Rover Group in the UK, the Chinese Nanjing Automobile Group bought the MG brand and assets. Nanjing was subsequently bought by SAIC Motor of Shanghai, which in recent years has been strongly pushing the MG brand in the UK, Europe and Australia. The MG4 EV launched in 2022 has offered affordability and decent quality in the compact family electric car segment, a key driver in making MG one of the fastest-growing brands in Europe. In Ireland, MG has gone from less than a thousand units in 2024 to more than 2,400 this year to date, largely thanks to that MG4. Now at 16th place in Irish registrations, this Chinese revival of a quintessential British brand has left many established European carmakers struggling to catch up, offering four BEV models as well as PHEV and hybrid cars.
The MGS6 I drove recently has only been here since March, but is already making a serious impact in the medium-large SUV space. Before I had travelled many kilometres, I was already thinking that this is the car that most European premium carmakers are scared of. If they're not, they should be.
In style, its profile is much like any other modern SUV, but the front-end design has a mix of simplicity and detail that gives it a very elegant look. Both of those elements are repeated in different forms at the rear, the whole ethos coming out as a very smooth result.
The elegance is also apparent inside, with smooth curve-lines around the dashboard and doors, and a relatively restrained use of chrome-style detailing. The traditional octagon surround of the MG badge is mildly repeated in the shape of the steering wheel, but not so much as to make it awkward. A fairly large centre console has a selection of knobs and buttons to manage radio volume and some climate. Transmission selection is a rotary knob on that console, underneath which is space for a handbag. The infotainment screen is a quantum better in design and usability than those in earlier MGs from China. Graphics and permanent virtual buttons are large and clear, and other carmakers from that part of the world should take note. On the other hand, the over-sensitivity of driver monitoring that seems to be elemental in Asian cars is still an annoyance.
The seats are large and well upholstered in an artificial leather and suede material that both looks good and is comfortable, especially in hot weather. As a D-segment car, there's plenty of room for the rear passengers. Though this is not priced as a premium car, the whole materials selection and fit were upmarket in feel.
That sense was also evident in the drive. Obviously, the electric drivetrain was going to be quiet, but the overall road and wind noise is also noticeably well damped, with most progress verging on the serene. I'm not going to throw a large SUV around on twisty roads, but on all normal driving it was clear that the MGS6 will cope with any conditions very well indeed. (Perhaps even towing cars out of ditches on Achill.)
The 240hp electric motor gives this big car a very sporty 5.1-second sprint capability to 100km/h, vastly superior to that original Magnette. There's a rated 530km range that in practice came out at around 480km for me, and the 13.6kWh/100km was a very respectable energy efficiency.
So, no walnut veneer, and no real leather. But the MGS6 is definitely going to take a solid chunk of that almost-premium business.
PRICE: From €39,495. WHAT I LIKED: Modern execution of a premium sporty heritage.
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