MG5 review: 0 ANCAP stars, RM94k – Should you even consider it?

MG5 review: 0 ANCAP stars, RM94k – Should you even consider it?

It’s uncommon for us to welcome new “affordable” sedans in the Malaysian market, especially from Chinese manufacturers. So the “new” MG5 is a rather daring contender, with aspirations of going against the popular Toyota Vios, Honda City, and the also-newly-launched Proton S70.

At this point, most of us would already know that the MG5 made headlines with its 0-star ANCAP rating. And it’s a tough obstacle to get over before you even consider the MG5 as an option. I’ll address this in this review, but first, let’s get a basic overview of what the MG5 has to offer. There is only one variant of the MG5 in Malaysia, and it costs RM93,900 (although it is currently on offer with n RM7,000 rebate, lowering its price to RM86,900).

The MG5 at a glance:

  • Engine: 1.5-litre inline-4, Naturally Aspirated 
  • Transmission: CVT with 8 virtual gears (iCVT)
  • Engine Max. Power: 114 PS @6,000rpm
  • Engine Max. Torque: 150 Nm @4,500 rpm
  • Drivetrain: Front-wheel drive (FWD)
  • Price: RM93,900

MG5 exterior – Not the worst-looking B-segment saloon

The MG5 perhaps offers the most aggressive styling in the B-segment saloon category. Looks are subjective, but what I can say for sure is that it isn’t the ugliest-looking B-segment saloon. It may rank in the middle or even at the very top end of the pack for potential buyers. Some may agree that it essentially looks better than the GN2 Honda City and the BH Proton Persona.

If you told me to think of an MG sedan, the first model that comes to mind is the MG ZT. That was a decent-looking sedan. Unfortunately, I find it hard to relate this MG5 with the MG ZT, at least  based on its exterior design. If anything, the MG5 appears to take inspiration from the W205 Mercedes-Benz C-Class at the rear (even down to the fake dual exhaust tips).

And if we look at the practicality aspect of the MG5’s exterior, it does come with keyless entry for both front doors,  LED projector headlamps, all-around disc brakes, a MacPherson strut front suspension, and a torsion beam rear suspension. All are pretty standard items across its B-segment rivals.

And as for the wheels and tyres, the MG5 comes with a set of 17-inch wheels which are wrapped in a set of of “Maxxis Premitra 5” tyres. The grip is at an acceptable level although it does get a bit noisy at high speeds.

MG5 Exterior Pros:

  • Largest B-segment sedan
  • Considerably good-looking for its class
  • Keyless entry for both front doors

MG5 Exterior cons:

  • Fake exhaust tips

MG5 Interior - Ticks the boxes for perceived luxury items, but gets an old-looking head unit

The best thing about the MG5’s cabin would be its “perceived luxury” features such as the powered driver seat, fully digital instrument cluster, and powered sunroof. You basically tick the boxes for these items with the MG5, just like you would with the Proton S70.

In terms of feel, it doesn’t feel more expensive than the S70 or even the Honda City. The overall cabin design of the MG5 does look more premium compared to the Toyota Vios (due to its Perodua relation), although it isn’t exactly something to shout about.

As a car, the MG5’s cabin is decent. The seats are nice, and finding the perfect driving position wasn’t too difficult for me despite its lack of telescopic steering adjustment. It feels “driver-oriented” too thanks to the angled dashboard (something not so common for cars in its category). The centre console also appears to be designed for a left-hand drive (LHD) car as its parking brake and auto-hold button are located on the left side instead of the right.

As a screen on wheels, the MG5 is perhaps not really great. Aside from the presence of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the default head unit system is quite slow, looks outdated, and doesn’t have much to offer. But the MG5 does make up for this with a rather interesting digital meter cluster that shows interesting (but unnecessary) information like the G forces acting on the car and a 0-100 km/h acceleration timer. What can be useful in the meter cluster is the fuel efficiency graph which helps you find a sweet spot for fuel efficiency and “performance driving”.

The second-row seats of the MG5 suffer the same fate as the Toyota Vios as the “fastback” roofline has compromised headroom. The leg room, though, is still decent and it can be a nice road trip machine. Another Vios-like problem here is the lack of a foldable armrest for the second row, although the MG5 does at least get folding rear seats (WITHOUT a 60:40 split).

And as for its boot space, the MG5 offers similar practicality to the Proton S70. The best boot space offering in this segment would still belong to the likes of the Honda City and Proton Persona – the City with its clever packaging, and the Persona which has sacrificed aesthetics for practicality.

MG5 Interior Pros:

  • Comfortable seats
  • Powered driver seat
  • Driver-oriented design
  • Decent cabin space
  • Apple CarPlay & Android Auto connectivity

MG5 Interior Cons:

  • No telescopic steering adjustment (tilt only)
  • Head unit looks outdated
  • Centre console appears to be designed for left-hand drive (LHD) car

MG5 Driving Experience - Needs more power, otherwise it holds its ground well at high speeds

The MG5 needs to be more spritely. There I said it. Sure it has a higher maximum power output than the Toyota Vios, but it doesn’t seem to be keen on unleashing its power the moment you call for it. And it can be frustrating when you’re trying to overtake on the highway or even merge quickly onto a ramp.

So it does struggle to get up to speed, but once you are at high speeds, you will realize that it is a decent car for fast highway driving – the car is stable and the NVH levels are plausible. It’s such a shame that you have to ring it to its absolute limit to finally discover just what a comfortable high-speed cruiser it could be. MG, , this is your sign to bring in the turbocharged version of the car into Malaysia.

The handling of the MG5 can be sharper and more responsive, but it’s good enough for a B-segment saloon. It’s also super easy to maneuver in tight spaces, so that’s always a plus point for a city commuter.

8.3 l/100 km achieved by the car I was driving. Other media members managed to record 7 l/100km

MG5 fuel consumption - 7 l/100km at best (at least during our media drive), 11 l/100 km if you gun it...

With about 10 units of the MG5 driving to Desaru from Kuala Lumpur, the best fuel consumption that some of us recorded was 7 l/100 km. And mind you this is with fast-ish driving on the highway. It’s just a long straight to Desaru.

With the car that I was driving, I managed to get 11 l/100 km and this was with fast driving on the highway at 160-165 km/h. A more moderate driving style allowed me to achieve 8.4 l/100km.  I could have driven more aggressively but there was really no point in doing that.

MG5 safety - What's up with the 0 ANCAP stars?

We can’t talk about the MG5 without talking about its 0 ANCAP star rating. Safety is a matter of concern for everyone and you mustn’t overlook something like this. So what does SAIC Motor Malaysia have to say about this?

Well, according to them, the MG5 used for the ANCAP testing was built in China and somehow the crash test units didn’t come with seat belt pretensioners. Thus the poor score. It also doesn’t help that the test unit isn’t fully decked out with advanced safety features which has become a main scoring criteria for the ANCAP test. The MG5 that we have in Malaysia is built in Thailand, and does come with seat belt pretensioners.

And as to why there are no ASEAN NCAP ratings for the MG5, MG says that the car already passes the standard safety requirements to be sold to the masses (think UNR regulations like the case of the Toyota/Daihatsu safety scandal which concerned UNR135 for the side impact test). Yet we didn’t get an ASEAN NCAP retest for the affected Perodua/Toyota models.

The Australasian NCAP (ANCAP) is also generally stricter, with 5-star ASEAN NCAP cars like the Honda CR-V scoring 4 stars instead. If you ask me, I wouldn’t doubt the technicalities of the test that led to the poor score of the MG5. I also understand that an ASEAN NCAP test for the current MG5 would be costly for the company, but it would definitely build confidence in the brand.

MG5 Verdict

If you list out its features and creature comforts, the MG5 looks like it can give the Proton S70 a run for its money. I say it could be more spritely too. After all, MGs are supposed to be fun to drive right?

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Arif Chan
With a deep interest and relevant experiences in the automotive industry, Arif writes about everything automotive. His employment history includes being an automotive engineer, a highway engineer, an alternative-fuel researcher, and a motoring journalist.