MG 3 Hatchback

• Body Glass
  • Front and rear electric windows with driver's one-touch up/down
  • Rain sensor with automatic headlight activation
  • Rear wiper
  • Variable front intermittent wipers
• Brakes
  • ABS/EBD
  • EBA
  • ESP
  • Front disc brakes and rear drum brakes
  • Hill launch assist
• Communication
  • Apple car play
  • Bluetooth connection
  • E-call
• Driver Aids
  • PAS
  • Reverse parking sensors
• Driver Convenience
  • Remote fuel flap release
• Driver Information
  • 8" colour touch screen
  • Headlamp on warning buzzer
  • Trip computer
• Driving Mirrors
  • Auto dimming rear view mirror
  • Body coloured electrically adjustable heated door mirrors
• Entertainment
  • 4 front speakers with woofer (2 main and 2 tweeters)
  • DAB audio
  • Radio, MP3 and AUX/USB
• Exterior Body Features
  • Body colour bumpers
  • Body colour rear boot spoiler
  • Body coloured door handles
  • Body coloured side sills with black insert
  • Rear side wing doors
• Exterior Lights
  • Follow me home headlights
  • Halogen projector headlights
  • LED centre brake light
  • LED daytime running lights
• Heating/Cooling/Ventilation
  • Air conditioning
• Interior Features
  • 12V socket
  • Driver's footrest
  • Fabric upholstery
  • Front and rear cup holders
  • Front sun visors with driver and passenger mirrors
  • Leather steering wheel with audio controls
  • Tilt adjustable steering column
• Interior Lights
  • Boot space lamp
  • Front interior lamp with reading lamps and time delay
• Safety
  • 2 x adjustable rear head rests
  • 3x3 point rear seatbelts
  • Drivers seatbelt reminder
  • Dual front airbags
  • Front and rear passenger seat belt reminder
  • Front seatbelts (3-point + pretensioner + load limiter)
  • Front side airbags
  • Passenger airbag cut-off switch
  • Rear child locks
  • Rear ISOFIX child-seat upper tether & lower anchor
  • Side curtain airbags
  • Side impact beams
  • Tyre pressure monitoring system
• Seats
  • 3 seat bench in 2nd row
  • 60/40 split/folding 2nd row of seats
  • Driver 6-way adjustable seat
  • Front headrests
  • Passenger 4-way adjustable seat
  • Seat back pockets
  • Single front passenger seat
• Security
  • Alarm & Engine Immobiliser
  • Remote Central Locking with Fold-away Key
  • Speed sensitive door locking
• Wheels - Alloy
  • 16" Comet diamond cut alloy wheels
• Wheels - Spare
  • Tyre repair kit

• Emissions - ICE
  • CO2 (g/km): 140
  • HC+NOx:
  • Particles:
  • Standard Euro Emissions: EURO 6
  • WLTP - CO2 (g/km) - Comb: 147
  • WLTP - CO2 (g/km) - Extra High: 165
  • WLTP - CO2 (g/km) - High: 133
  • WLTP - CO2 (g/km) - Low: 184
  • WLTP - CO2 (g/km) - Medium: 137
• Engine and Drive Train
  • Camshaft: DOHC
  • Catalytic Convertor: Yes
  • CC: 1,498
  • Compression Ratio: 11.5:1
  • Cylinder Layout: IN-LINE
  • Cylinders: 4
  • Cylinders - Bore (mm): 75
  • Cylinders - Stroke (mm): 84.8
  • Engine Layout: FRONT TRANSVERSE
  • Fuel Delivery: MULTI POINT FUEL INJECTION
  • Gears: 5 SPEED
  • Number of Valves: 16
  • Transmission: MANUAL
• Fuel Consumption - ICE
  • EC Combined (mpg): 47.1
  • EC Directive 1999/100/EC Applies: Yes
  • EC Extra Urban (mpg): 53.8
  • EC Urban (mpg): 38.9
  • WLTP - FC (l/100km) - Comb: 6.5
  • WLTP - FC (l/100km) - Extra High: 7.1
  • WLTP - FC (l/100km) - High: 5.7
  • WLTP - FC (l/100km) - Low: 7.8
  • WLTP - FC (l/100km) - Medium: 6
  • WLTP - MPG - Comb: 43.3
  • WLTP - MPG - Extra High: 39.8
  • WLTP - MPG - High: 49.7
  • WLTP - MPG - Low: 36.2
  • WLTP - MPG - Medium: 47.1
• General
  • Alternative Fuel Qualifying: No
  • Badge Engine CC: 1.5
  • Badge Power: 106
  • Based On ID:
  • Coin Description: VTi-TECH
  • Coin Series: Excite
  • Generation Mark:
  • Insurance Group 1 - 50 Effective January 07: 7E
  • Man Corrosion Perforation Guarantee - Years: 6
  • Manufacturers Paintwork Guarantee - Years: 3
  • NCAP Adult Occupant Protection %:
  • NCAP Child Occupant Protection %:
  • NCAP Overall Rating - Effective February 09:
  • NCAP Pedestrian Protection %:
  • NCAP Safety Assist %:
  • Safety Concerns?: No
  • Service Interval Frequency - Months: 12
  • Service Interval Mileage: 15,000
  • Special Edition: No
  • Special Order: No
  • Standard manufacturers warranty - Mileage: 80,000
  • Standard manufacturers warranty - Years: 7
  • Vehicle Homologation Class: M1
• Performance
  • 0 to 60 mph (secs): No
  • 0 to 62 mph (secs): 10.9
  • Engine Power - BHP: 106
  • Engine Power - KW: 78
  • Engine Power - PS: Yes
  • Engine Power - RPM: 6,000
  • Engine Torque - LBS.FT: 101
  • Engine Torque - MKG: 14
  • Engine Torque - NM: 137
  • Engine Torque - RPM: 4500
  • Top Speed: 108
• Test Cycles
  • Emissions Test Cycle: WLTP
  • RDE Certification Level: RDE 2
• Tyres
  • Alloys?: Yes
  • Space Saver?: No
  • Tyre Size Front: 195/55 R16
  • Tyre Size Rear: 195/55 R16
  • Tyre Size Spare: TYRE REPAIR KIT
  • Wheel Style: COMET
  • Wheel Type: 16" ALLOY
• Vehicle Dimensions
  • Height: 1,509
  • Height (including roof rails):
  • Length: 4,055
  • Wheelbase: 2,520
  • Width: 1729
  • Width (including mirrors): 1,912
• Weight and Capacities
  • Fuel Tank Capacity (Litres): 48
  • Gross Vehicle Weight: 1,685
  • Luggage Capacity (Seats Down): 1262
  • Luggage Capacity (Seats Up): 285
  • Max. Loading Weight: 490
  • Max. Roof Load:
  • Max. Towing Weight - Braked: 200
  • Max. Towing Weight - Unbraked: 200
  • Minimum Kerbweight: 1,195
  • No. of Seats: 5
  • Turning Circle - Kerb to Kerb: 10.4

Ten Second Review
The MG3 supermini has a lot of convincing to do in a very tough corner of the market. It certainly looks good and there's a punchy 106PS engine under the bonnet. Efficiency admittedly isn't up with the class best but extra equipment and lower pricing compared to direct rivals mean that many potential buyers may not mind that. An interesting new small car arrival offered at a very tight price.

Background
In the dark days when the Longbridge plant closed and there was a fire sale of the last of the MG stock, it looked as if this once great company had crumbled to nothing. All it had left was the residual goodwill tied up with the badge and even that had been tarnished by corporate greed and mismanagement. It's amazing to see MG struggle to reinvent itself with Chinese vehicles assembled from kits in a small section of the once gargantuan Longbridge factory. Chinese company SAIC launched the MG6 in this manner back in 2011. This was a car most expected to be awful but which surprised many who drove it with its smooth ride and fuss-free cabin. But when did you ever see one? Perhaps SAIC got off on the wrong foot here, launching a larger car that initially came with no diesel engine. Trying again with a supermini, the biggest selling car sector in the UK, looks a wise move. Step forward the MG3.

Driving Experience
The MG3 was designed with the intention of being fun to drive, the chassis having been subjected to many thousands of miles of testing on European roads. The first cars offered to journalists to drive in China were rather harshly sprung but MG promised to fit springs and dampers that offered a more supple feel for UK roads. The engine is a 1.5-litre 106PS four-cylinder unit that naturally drives the front wheels. There's nothing revolutionary about the suspension which is fairly standard set-up with MacPherson struts up front and a torsion beam at the rear. You also get a drive-by-wire braking system and an electrically-assisted power steering set up.

Design and Build
The exterior styling looks quite smart, if maybe a little supermini-generic in a way that could have been produced from one of many manufacturers in this sector if you covered the badges over. Still, because the MG3 looks to undercut many of the established names, this rather blended styling is perhaps to its credit. It continues the design theme introduced on the MG ZERO concept vehicle and the company claims it's "a distinctive statement of modern British style designed to target young and style conscious buyers". Make of that what you will. The interior will come as a welcome relief to anybody who's a bit baffled by the complexity and deep technology of many modern superminis. Climb out of a Peugeot 208, with its self-parking system and tablet computer style central infotainment system and, without being unduly blunt, it's very different. Still, the MG3 is tidy inside with seats that look and feel very Volkswagen. There are a few white touches around the stereo, on the steering wheel, the door pulls, handbrake and gear lever but aside from that, everything is uniformly grey. Sit in the back seats and you'll find the front seats are sculpted to improve leg room, while the rear headroom is genuinely impressive.

Market and Model
Prices start at under £8,500, getting you this supermini-sized car for less than the kind of money you'd pay for a little citycar. All models get signature front LED lights and a hill holder clutch as standard, with all but the entry model featuring a high quality DAB audio system. Safety-wise, there are six airbags, electronic stability control, corner brake control and traction control. The entry-level model is the MG3 3TIME which features a CD player with MP3 compatibility and Aux-in facility. Next up is the MG3 3FORM which adds air conditioning, that DAB radio, Bluetooth with audio streaming, a leather MG-design steering wheel with red stitching and steering wheel audio controls to the tally. A '3FORM SPORT' variant also adds a bodykit and 16" alloy wheels. At the top of the range is the MG3 3STYLE with premium 16" "Diamond" alloy wheels and a sports body styling pack that includes the rear boot spoiler and side sill extensions. Standard high-tech convenience features include cruise control, automatic lights and windscreen wipers and reverse parking sensors, all for around £10,000. However, the key attraction for many people will be how much fun you can have creating your own MG3, with its huge range of colours, exterior graphics, interior colour packs and leather upholstery created by the UK design team and inspired by the British fashion industry.

Cost of Ownership
Of course, the downside of getting a lot more engine is getting a fair bit less fuel economy and the MG3 can't hope to bend the laws of physics and return better fuel figures than many eco specials. Residuals are something of an unknown at present. Overall, you're looking a car that will be a little more expensive to run than its immediate price rivals but will offer more fun behind the wheel. And it will be very cheap to insure, rated at just 4E.

Summary
There's a spark of real promise around this MG3. The five-door shape squeezes a lot of styling into its four metre length and the price and equipment levels look very competitive, though of course MG has a long way to go in this country before it can mix it with the big names. With more power to call upon than its rivals, this car promises to be a far more effervescent steer than, say, a much pricier and poorly equipped entry-level Skoda Fabia. Of course, it won't be quite as efficient to run as one of those. Still, the value proposition ought to compensate for much of that. Overall then, it's trendy, tightly priced, good to drive, spacious and cheap to insure. If MG can get its marketing right, a significant number of people might be tempted by all that.