I am not saying it wouldn't be better with a LSD. And ok, maybe it wouldn't be heavier.
But the whole point of MGs/IMs is to provide better value than the competition and they do that by leaving out things that otherwise would make it more expensive.
This isn't something I'd expect to feature on a very large and heavy comfort-oriented SUV. As such, I think it is overkill and I suspect we could get a list from people of 10 things that they would like to have on the car which would raise the price significantly.
There are always ways of making a car better. The trick is to get the price/performance balance right for the market. I think they've done that well.
Arguably the Performance variant is overpowered for what it needs, that's fair comment.
I think it's a case of IM and the Chinese trying to find their niche. I disagree it just a big and comfy car. They and BYD were both playing up the bhp game and 0-60 times. So there is an element of performance and sportiness they are trying to market. Furthermore, the IM5/6 weren't just marketed by MG in Europe because of dealer networks. The non-active suspension has actually been tuned by the MG testing team at Longbridge to provide a more sporty and responsive ride (with mixed results). So they do seem to try to pitch the IMs as sporty tourers in the European market. And it makes marketing sense. Sports variants are marquee models to drive media attention, brand awareness and sales of cheaper variants.
But the Chinese despite their advanced tech, are still in the stone age when in comes to marketing. The best example was when BYD sponsored the last Euro tournament and had some completely garbage assigned URL for their german website. Most German viewers thought it would be byd.de ( I mean of course, right?). Turned out to be a dildo company!
Going back to LSD, I had a quick look. Both the Xiaomi SU7 and Yanwang U9, the EV supercars of China do not have LSDs. They have individual motors driving each rear wheel and vector torque accordingly. Which makes sense as it provides better control, easier finetuning and mechanical simplicty. but certainly overkill for a mass market model. However the differentials of EVs are built into their motors unlike ICEs, especially rear driven ones. This makes changing them impossible.
But the Alfa Romeo Junior has a simple Torsen LSD fitted and it is credited in lifting the car to greater heights. Simply because the huge EV torque is better distributed and utilised without any need to reduce drive power to regain traction.
And it is not true sportiness has to be sacrificed for comfort. Maserati for example is marketed as a sports GT. vs Ferrari which emphasises more on the sport bit.
So let's see. As I mentioned in a previous post, the Chinese reached higher income levels in the last decade or so. Cars were initially functional, then status symbols, but not toys. But there clearly is a demand now with the oversubscription of the Su7 and U9. So I don't think it will be long before sports tourers start appearing on the horizon. We will look back at the IM6 as an early foray into this sector.
