Long-Term Update After ~6 Months - follow-up

[MGThree]

Follow-up to: Taking delivery of my MG3 Hybrid+ Luxury in Italy

Hello everyone,

I’m back with a long-term update after roughly half a year of ownership, following up on my initial impressions shared in June. By now, I’ve experienced the MG3 Hybrid+ Luxury in almost every season.

I currently have around 6,000 km on the car. I don’t do long road trips very often: my typical use is about 40 km daily, with an average speed of 35–40 km/h, mainly commuting.

---

Fuel Consumption​

Without A/C or heating, the efficiency can be outstanding.

On my usual 20 km commute to work, with climate control turned off, I managed to reach 3.2 L/100 km, which is very impressive and significantly below the WLTP value.

However, enabling A/C or heating changes the picture completely.

After each refuel I reset the cumulative consumption, and with climate control on, I have never been able to go below 5.5 L/100 km. Compared to driving without A/C or heating, this feels like a major penalty.

What’s particularly frustrating is the behavior of the engine:

• With A/C or heating active, the engine stays on almost constantly, usually around 1,300 rpm
• This happens even when the cockpit shows full electric operation (blue power flow, no yellow)
• This leads to excessive and unnecessary engine running, which I’ve only experienced very rarely when climate control is off

Turning A/C or heating off immediately reduces consumption again, but realistically, freezing in winter or sweating in summer just to save fuel isn’t a real solution.

I understand that climate control requires energy, but the system feels poorly optimized. It seems the engine is forced to stay on even when the battery could theoretically handle the load. Perhaps a different technical approach was possible, though likely at a higher production cost.

---

Regenerative Braking​

I’ve switched to maximum regenerative braking, and I honestly really like it.

In many situations I barely need to touch the brake pedal. It helps significantly with battery regeneration, especially when climate control is off. For my driving style, max regen works extremely well.

---

Mountain Trip – Battery Saturation on Downhill Sections​

Regarding the mountain trip I mentioned in my original post:

• Uphill driving was fine, no real issues to report
• Downhill, however, exposed a clear limitation

After just two hairpin bends, the battery was already fully charged. Once that happens:

• Regenerative braking is essentially disabled
• There is no noticeable engine braking
• You are forced to rely only on the physical brakes

On longer downhill stretches, this became extremely annoying and not very confidence-inspiring.

---

Software, Updates & OTA​

I still have:

• No clear way to check the software version
• No access to a complete list of versions
• No OTA updates available
• I haven’t yet asked the dealer directly

Software transparency remains very poor.

---

Serious Infotainment Failure (Occurred ~4 Times)​

This is the most serious issue I’ve experienced so far.

Around four times, when starting the car:

• The car turns on and can be driven
• But the central infotainment screen remains completely off

When this happens, many systems stop working:

• No A/C or heating
• No ICA
• No camera-based emergency braking
• No 360° camera
• No music, Bluetooth, or media
• No physical buttons for volume or climate control

Essentially, only the drivetrain works.

Temporary Fix​

The only solution I’ve found:

1. Turn the car off
2. Exit the vehicle
3. Lock it
4. Wait around 30 seconds (until all screens fully shut down)
5. Unlock and restart

This fixes the issue every time, but it’s extremely annoying, especially when you’re in a hurry.

---

Answers to My Initial Questions​

Some points I mentioned in my first post are now clearer:

• ICA speed reset:
  You can reset ICA to the last detected speed by pulling the left steering-wheel paddle upward. It restarts at the speed shown in the instrument cluster.
• Speed-limit warning sound:
  Disabling it resets at every startup.
• Driving mode memory:
  Still lost at every startup, the same applies to regenerative braking level.

I strongly recommend binding one of the star buttons to regen level, so you don’t have to navigate through the touchscreen every time.

---

Euro NCAP / Recall Information​

I’ve recently seen information suggesting that MG3 models may be subject to recalls or corrective actions related to Euro NCAP results.

I will contact MG Italy to understand:

• Whether my vehicle is affected
• What actions, if any, are required

This is not something that should be ignored, and I’ll update once I receive official feedback.

---

Final Thoughts (For Now)​

The MG3 Hybrid+ can be extremely efficient, but only under specific conditions. Climate-control integration, downhill behavior with a full battery, and software reliability still feel underdeveloped.

I’ll continue updating this thread as things evolve, especially regarding:

• Software fixes
• Dealer feedback
• Recall information

I've used AI to help me translate my thoughts correctly into English for this post, as it really helps me clarify what I want to share with you all. Hope you don't mind, and that it comes across clearly!

 

[Countjagular]

Follow-up to: Taking delivery of my MG3 Hybrid+ Luxury in Italy

Hello everyone,

I’m back with a long-term update after roughly half a year of ownership, following up on my initial impressions shared in June. By now, I’ve experienced the MG3 Hybrid+ Luxury in almost every season.

I currently have around 6,000 km on the car. I don’t do long road trips very often: my typical use is about 40 km daily, with an average speed of 35–40 km/h, mainly commuting.

---

Fuel Consumption​

Without A/C or heating, the efficiency can be outstanding.

On my usual 20 km commute to work, with climate control turned off, I managed to reach 3.2 L/100 km, which is very impressive and significantly below the WLTP value.

However, enabling A/C or heating changes the picture completely.

After each refuel I reset the cumulative consumption, and with climate control on, I have never been able to go below 5.5 L/100 km. Compared to driving without A/C or heating, this feels like a major penalty.

What’s particularly frustrating is the behavior of the engine:

• With A/C or heating active, the engine stays on almost constantly, usually around 1,300 rpm
• This happens even when the cockpit shows full electric operation (blue power flow, no yellow)
• This leads to excessive and unnecessary engine running, which I’ve only experienced very rarely when climate control is off

Turning A/C or heating off immediately reduces consumption again, but realistically, freezing in winter or sweating in summer just to save fuel isn’t a real solution.

I understand that climate control requires energy, but the system feels poorly optimized. It seems the engine is forced to stay on even when the battery could theoretically handle the load. Perhaps a different technical approach was possible, though likely at a higher production cost.

---

Regenerative Braking​

I’ve switched to maximum regenerative braking, and I honestly really like it.

In many situations I barely need to touch the brake pedal. It helps significantly with battery regeneration, especially when climate control is off. For my driving style, max regen works extremely well.

---

Mountain Trip – Battery Saturation on Downhill Sections​

Regarding the mountain trip I mentioned in my original post:

• Uphill driving was fine, no real issues to report
• Downhill, however, exposed a clear limitation

After just two hairpin bends, the battery was already fully charged. Once that happens:

• Regenerative braking is essentially disabled
• There is no noticeable engine braking
• You are forced to rely only on the physical brakes

On longer downhill stretches, this became extremely annoying and not very confidence-inspiring.

---

Software, Updates & OTA​

I still have:

• No clear way to check the software version
• No access to a complete list of versions
• No OTA updates available
• I haven’t yet asked the dealer directly

Software transparency remains very poor.

---

Serious Infotainment Failure (Occurred ~4 Times)​

This is the most serious issue I’ve experienced so far.

Around four times, when starting the car:

• The car turns on and can be driven
• But the central infotainment screen remains completely off

When this happens, many systems stop working:

• No A/C or heating
• No ICA
• No camera-based emergency braking
• No 360° camera
• No music, Bluetooth, or media
• No physical buttons for volume or climate control

Essentially, only the drivetrain works.

Temporary Fix​

The only solution I’ve found:

1. Turn the car off
2. Exit the vehicle
3. Lock it
4. Wait around 30 seconds (until all screens fully shut down)
5. Unlock and restart

This fixes the issue every time, but it’s extremely annoying, especially when you’re in a hurry.

---

Answers to My Initial Questions​

Some points I mentioned in my first post are now clearer:

• ICA speed reset:
  You can reset ICA to the last detected speed by pulling the left steering-wheel paddle upward. It restarts at the speed shown in the instrument cluster.
• Speed-limit warning sound:
  Disabling it resets at every startup.
• Driving mode memory:
  Still lost at every startup, the same applies to regenerative braking level.

I strongly recommend binding one of the star buttons to regen level, so you don’t have to navigate through the touchscreen every time.

---

Euro NCAP / Recall Information​

I’ve recently seen information suggesting that MG3 models may be subject to recalls or corrective actions related to Euro NCAP results.

I will contact MG Italy to understand:

• Whether my vehicle is affected
• What actions, if any, are required

This is not something that should be ignored, and I’ll update once I receive official feedback.

---

Final Thoughts (For Now)​

The MG3 Hybrid+ can be extremely efficient, but only under specific conditions. Climate-control integration, downhill behavior with a full battery, and software reliability still feel underdeveloped.

I’ll continue updating this thread as things evolve, especially regarding:

• Software fixes
• Dealer feedback
• Recall information

I've used AI to help me translate my thoughts correctly into English for this post, as it really helps me clarify what I want to share with you all. Hope you don't mind, and that it comes across clearly!

Ref your

Serious Infotainment Failure:​

I have had this a couple of times in the past. I realized I had a tendency to just 'stab' the start button. I now press this for 1-2 seconds and have not had the problem since (several months now), so wonder if I wasn't giving the info system enough time to engage properly?

 

[MGThree]

Ref your

Serious Infotainment Failure:​

I have had this a couple of times in the past. I realized I had a tendency to just 'stab' the start button. I now press this for 1-2 seconds and have not had the problem since (several months now), so wonder if I wasn't giving the info system enough time to engage properly?

Interesting, I usually do the same thing, I “stab” the start button. The problem only happens overnight, not during the day (for example, at 6:30 PM when leaving work). I’ll try pressing the button for 1–2 seconds and hope to get the same results as you. Thanks a lot for your contribution!