Playing Chinese Checkers

Under its oriental ownership, MG leaves the brand's original sports car manufacturing habits for building new family-oriented compact crossovers like the 2017 GS

Some of you may have heard of the motoring brand MG - short for Morris Garage - established in 1924 by William Morris and Cecil Kimbers. Renowned for its 2-seat open sports cars, it also produced saloons and coupes. But much like other British marques, due to financial instability, ownership changed hands several times until it was finally bought over by SAIC MOTOR, which, by the way, is a Global Top 500 company.
Under Chinese ownership, only a handful of vehicles are produced. The new MG GS is the latest addition to their fleet and we were amongst the first publications to get behind the wheel of one. Here's the story of the GS, said like it should be told.
DESIGN & AESTHETICS
The MG GS is possibly the shortest name in automotive history. A compact crossover SUV, it very much looks the part, with an emphasis on the word 'compact'. It measures 4,500mm long, 1,855mm at the hips and stands tall at 1,699mm tall - chin up like the general.
The GS shrugs off the Chinese "copycat" notion - this looks as original as can be. And it starts in the front, where there is a lovely 'V' crease on the hood that converges into the hexagonal MG logo. Much of the design, the headlamps cluster included, can be attributed to loosely-cut gems and for good reason they call it 'Faceted Flow'. Fog lamps come as standard, but with the elite Luxury trim, you can swap those halogens for proper xenon headlamps.
The elevated ride height and the short overhangs do give it that quintessential rugged SUV look. As you may know, I am all about wheels and I do love the dual-tone, 18-inch diamond-cut alloys the GS rides on. The truncated rear end is also a cascading one, with sharp edges that neatly integrates tail lamps into it. Then, there is the set of trapezoidal tail lamps. Together, they maintain a certain distinction, easily recognisable on the roads. For something that could have had 'rental car banality' written all over, it actually looks more expensive than what the cheque demands.
On the inside, the GS brings with it contemporary styling that you may have previously seen on some Korean counterparts. There is a bounty of hard and scratchy plastics on the doors and the dash but at least its architecture involving 'cut and chop' of geometric shapes isn't offensive to the eye. The two-tone effect of the cabin is nice and the dashboard is plastered with contemporary piano black plastic that looks neat too; but, it's a bit of a fingerprint magnet and may be easily scratched.
For a crossover that has a compact visual presence from the outside, it is actually surprisingly spacious on the inside. In the front cabin, people over 6 feet can sit without problems. The steering is adjustable for rake and the 6-way power adjustments help you settle in nice and easy. The front passenger, meanwhile, gets 4-way manual adjustment. In the back, there is space for a complete nuclear family: easy space for two adults and a child; adding to the convenience are rear air vents, two cup-holders and reclineable seatbacks.
The view and feel from the driver's seat work well, thanks to a well-lit instrument cluster, a reasonably chunky 3-spoke steering wheel and a shift lever that is within reach. It's even got an electronic hand brake!
POWERTRAIN & PERFORMANCE
As I scoped through the spec sheet, I found the number 220 next to the section for the power output. Yes, the MG GS does make as many horses and torque as a potent VW Golf GTI. But whether they were ready to show on the road or simply shy horses was something I needed to find out. So I pushed the starter button to put this turbocharged direct injection 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder engine to the test.
Dispelling some dismay from the plastics was the throttle response: both engine and transmission seemed eager. And when I gave it the 'Full Monty', it powered forward quite unlike anything Chinese I have driven. So there is plenty of poke which helps it to match that 8.9 second claim in the dash from 0 to 100 km/h. But the gearbox - an almost unnecessary 6-speed dual clutch variety - seemed a little confused in terms of timely ratio swaps and the turbo boost is almost wave-like thanks to which power delivery is slightly erratic.
While that's about going, stopping came across as predictable and thereby confidence inspiring. And much of that can be attributed to the GS's light weight - it measures between 1,542 and 1,642 kg (depending on trim) and that isn't much weight to halt. So during our test routine, which often involves pushing the car to the limits, the GS kept us on the road without fender-bender incidents and with good stopping power.
The GS pleasantly surprised us with its grip from its all-wheel drive system and 235mm wide tyres, which it used to its advantage around windy pieces of tarmac. Steering feel is slightly vague, but the GS holds its ground without much body roll.
At the end of the day, the GS is meant to be a commuter, so nothing matters more than fuel economy - in which department it fares reasonably. By averaging the company claimed 8.3L/100km - with some help from the stop/start function - stretching out that 55-litre tank's range to 662km seems plausible, but in reality it's closer to 550km due to traffic.
FEATURES & FUNCTIONALITY
Besides the elevated riding position and the feeling of safety it delivers, we also questioned this crossover's other priority: practicality. It's got a decently-sized glove box and central cubby but the cup holders are smallish and the door pockets can't hold a big bottle. There are recline-able rear seat backs, which can be split in 60:40 fashion and folded flat to grow cargo capacity from 483 to 1,336 litres. These numbers are not class leading and the tail gate opening is narrow, but it fits the bill and the baggage for the average family.
My health insurance doesn't cover accidental damage and I didn't get to test most of the safety features first-hand, but the car did seem equipped which resonated a feeling of safety. The GS comes with ESC, ABS, hill descent control (useful for times when you find yourself stuck in a queue on a slope at a mall). It also comes with a tyre pressure monitoring system and a set of six air bags. Additionally, you get a rear camera, but the view isn't the most lavish and there is some hesitation in the switch between screen modes.
The GS does comes with a touch screen - a 6.1-inch infotainment system, with video game-like graphics that isn't particularly tasteful. Also the screen's response to stimulation is average. On the other hand, the car does come with an Arkamys audio system with either 4 or 6 speakers, which does a decent vocal job whether songs are played through USB, aux-in or Bluetooth.
VERDICT
The 2017 MG GS is good-sized crossover for four and a half adults, and charms us with cute proportions, distinctive styling, surprising power and interior space. Its plastic parts may feel flimsy, power delivery may seem erratic and it may not be best in class for almost any criteria, even amongst Chinese offerings, it still is a talented and affordable proposition.
wknd@khaleejtimes.com

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