Captivating crossover SUV

Photo: David Thomson

David Thomson finds that MG’s upgraded compact EV goes the distance.

ROAD TEST

What is new?

The MG ZS EV was the country’s cheapest pure electric vehicle when it was launched in 2021. As such, and no matter that it was spawned off a conventional internal-combustion platform, this chunky compact SUV played a vital role in giving MG an early foothold in the electric-vehicle segment of the market.

That foothold expanded when the MG4 appeared in 2023.

Featuring solely electric propulsion on a purpose-built EV platform, the MG4 impressed enough to win New Zealand Car of the Year honours. That accolade, accompanied by strong sales, confirmed MG as a serious player in the electric game — to the point that many now think of it (incorrectly) as a solely electric brand.

Amid a slew of recent arrivals, such as the petrol-powered MG QS seven-seater tested in these pages late last year, and the diesel-propelled MG U9 ute (look out for a Drivesouth appraisal soon), the MG S5 EV has also landed. Rather than opening new niches to MG as the QS and U9 do, the S5 is there to hold existing ground as the successor to the ZS EV.

Where comparisons with the ZS EV are concerned, the S5 EV is more revolution than evolution. Crucially, rather than being cobbled together on internal-combustion underpinnings, it takes its DNA from the MG4, being fashioned around that vehicle’s ground-up electric platform and associated battery and rear-wheel-drive architecture.

Though budget pricing is no longer the priority, the S5 EV is still sharply positioned, opening at $44,990 for the Excite 49. The better-specified Essence 49 — with the same 49kWh battery — lists at $48,990. Opting for the larger 62kWh battery adds $6000 to either variant, bringing the Excite 62 to $50,990 and the Essence 62 to $54,990.

All variants are supported by MG’s industry-leading 10-year / 250,000km warranty.

It was the top-flight Essence 62 that came to Drivesouth for appraisal.

What does it look like?

Although it sits in the same compact-SUV segment as its predecessor, the S5 EV is slightly larger in key dimensions: 154mm longer and 40mm wider. That extra length is enabled by a wheelbase that’s 145mm greater, which in turn has positive implications for interior space.

Photo: David Thomson

Visually, there’s nothing especially startling about the new arrival, but the overall look is exceptionally clean and cohesive.

Up front, there’s been an obvious effort to avoid the gaping-grille look of some contemporary EVs. Instead, the panel that sits where you would find the grille on a fossil-fuelled car is delicately sculpted. The thin eyebrow-style lights that flank the upper edge of the panel are the S5 EV’s daytime running lights, while the main headlights sit lower on the nose. The lower intake adds texture and depth, keeping the front end from looking sterile.

There’s further delicate sculpting along the flanks, and this feature, along with the rising waistline, gives a poised, athletic look from the front three-quarter angles and in profile. The rear is similarly clean-lined and contemporary, with a full-width light strip and a discreet spoiler.

The translucent Champagne paint finish of the test car worked particularly well with the sculpted panels, shifting in hue under different lighting.

Because it sits on 18-inch alloys rather than the lesser variants’ 17-inch rims, the Essence looks more confident and firmly planted. In either guise, though, the MG S5 is an attractive car from every angle — poised and elegant rather than brash and shouty.

What’s it like inside?

Subtlety in design is as apparent within the cabin as without, yet the interior avoids feeling overtly minimalist.

The combination of light upper trim colours and the panorama sunroof provide a bright, airy ambience during daylight hours, and extensive soft-touch surfaces contribute to a premium tactile feel. MG has opted for a subtle approach with chrome and metallic highlighting, the main contrast coming from a carbon-fibre-look insert running the full width of the dash. Thin air vents are another design element that looks great, although they were fiddly to direct accurately during testing.

A large landscape-format touchscreen stands proud in the middle of the dash, with a separate panel below hosting conventional knobs and buttons for key climate functions and a few other essentials. The driver’s instrument cluster is fully digital — quite small, but clear enough and customisable in various ways.

While an element of faff is inevitable when diving into the touchscreen menus for navigation, media, drive-select, vehicle-support or EV-specific settings, the system is largely intuitive. Voice command and the option to assign preferred functions to a steering-wheel shortcut button are helpful.

It is a little unfortunate that the drive-mode selection (normal, sport, comfort, snow and custom) is buried in the touchscreen. These modes alter power delivery, steering heft, climate-control aggressiveness and regenerative-braking strength. Ideally they would be controlled via a more easily accessed physical button or dial.

Smartphone connectivity is excellent, with Android Auto seamless to set up and reliable throughout testing.

Trimmed in a mix of artificial leather and contrasting cloth on the Essence variant, the front seats are separated by a wide "floating" centre console with substantial rubberised storage beneath. The top of the console includes dual cupholders, the drive-select knob, a wireless charging tray with a grippy felt-like surface, and a handy phone slot. USB points are well positioned, and a lidded centre bin, good-sized glovebox and wide door bins add to the S5 EV’s impressive storage credentials up front.

Photo: David Thomson

In the rear, the seating position is slightly knees-up for taller occupants, but head and shoulder room is good, and the cabin width and flat floor makes carrying three across the back a realistic proposition. A fold-down centre armrest with moulded cupholders is available if only one or two seats are needed.

There is more hard-touch plastic in the rear than up front, but there are also some welcome touches: map pockets on both seatbacks, separate air vents, rear grab handles, vanity lights and coat hooks are all signs of thoughtful design.

Accessed via a power tailgate at Essence level, the boot offers 453 litres with the rear seats up — on par with the ZS EV, and around 25% more than the MG4 hatch. The 60:40 split rear seats fold to provide 1441 litres of carrying capacity.

What comes as standard?

The Excite variant includes exterior LED lights, roof rails, keyless entry and start, wireless smartphone mirroring, a reversing camera, rear parking sensors, satellite navigation, V2L (Vehicle-to-Load) capability, heated power mirrors, single-zone climate control, and tilt-and-reach adjustment for the multi-function steering wheel.

The Essence adds plusher upholstery, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, a power tailgate with foot-swipe activate, panorama sunroof, rain-sensing wipers, wireless charging, voice control, a premium 6-speaker sound system, rear privacy glass and a 360-degree camera. Both variants are compatible with MG iSmart, enabling vehicle locating, status checks, travel planning, and the ability to activate climate control and seat heating via smartphone.

Camera systems aside, safety specifications are identical across the range. Key features include adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, speed-limit recognition and driver-attention monitoring. Particularly praiseworthy is the MG Pilot custom mode, which allows the driver to select which aids are active — far preferable to dismissing unwanted alerts one by one on startup.

What’s it like to drive?

Settle in behind the wheel, adjust the driving position, and the next question is how to start the MG S5 EV.

The short answer: you don’t have to. Simply engage drive (forward or reverse), press the accelerator, and away you go.

On paper, 125kW and 250Nm are modest outputs for an EV of this size, and the 0 to 100kmh time of 8.2 seconds confirms the S5 EV is more of a strong performer than rocket ship. Yet instant linear power delivery makes it feel livelier than expected when accelerating briskly and at no point on test did it feel underpowered.

Around town, the S5 EV is an easy, light steer and refinement is good aside from a tendency to jiggle over poor-quality patchwork tarmac. On the open road, it cruises effortlessly and is pleasingly quiet, even on coarse-chip surfaces.

Winding backroads may not be its natural habitat, but there are genuine rewards to be had for keen drivers. The rear-drive layout delivers pleasing balance and in the sportier steering modes the helm is both precise and well-weighted. Battery mass low in the chassis contributes to a low centre of gravity and body roll is well contained. With the battery pack positioned within the wheelbase, overall balance is excellent.

The result is a surprisingly engaging drive through twists and turns, with strong turn-in, confident grip and secure composure unless pushed to extremes.

Photo: David Thomson

One area MG should consider for future improvement is regenerative braking. The system itself works well, offering both an adaptive mode and driver-selectable mild, medium and high settings. However, engaging these settings requires either fiddly menu-diving via the touchscreen or assigning a steering-wheel shortcut. So, while the joys of one-pedal driving are available, they are hard to access; paddle-shift controls would be an ideal solution.

A few gravel roads were traversed on test too and while not the S5 EV’s natural habitat, it coped well enough. Despite its technical classification as a crossover SUV, I wouldn’t recommend anything more challenging than a smooth and dry dirt track; ground clearance, after all, is just 136mm and it’s shod with road-focused Bridgestone tyres.

In terms of economy and range, MG may have missed a trick by not offering the S5 EV with the 74kWh battery pack that ships with the top-spec MG4. This seems a less likely future addition to the range than the current 62kWh battery paired to a more powerful electric motor.

No matter. As things stand, the 62kW model as tested has an estimated combined economy return of 17.1 kWh/100km, which translates into a hypothetical real-world range of around 360km. I am normally quite sceptical of these "standard test" estimates, but the test car actually managed better than that in Drivesouth’s hands, with a 16.2kWh/100km return.

Exclusively highway motoring will not be quite as kind on battery use, but I would anticipate a real-world range on a city-to-city highway drive of between 250km and 330km, depending on road and weather conditions and, of course, vehicle load and driver skill.

When it comes time to recharge, the S5 EV offers the usual choice of AC home charging and commercial DC charging. For the latter, charging rates of up to 139kW are possible, meaning that the vehicle can take advantage of the increasingly rapid chargers that are now available in many places.

Connected to a charger than can match its maximum capability, the 62kW version of the S5 EV will replenish from 10% to 80% of full battery capacity in just over half an hour. The same boost will require close to 70 minutes on a standard 50kW commercial charger.

Verdict

Cleanly styled, well finished, thoughtfully equipped and dynamically engaging, the MG S5 62kWh EV is an unpretentious yet surprisingly captivating vehicle that deserves a place on the shortlist for anyone considering a fully electric compact crossover SUV.