MGS6 getting closer

[Miles Roberts CG]

The S6 has the same generic design as the S5, but looks good.
It does have a few nice enhancements, like ventilated and heated front seats, a useful decent size "frunk" seems to have a sunroof in the video, but not sure UK will be getting it as with the S5, shown everywhere with a sunroof, but this one is UK registered, well just have to wait a little longer.
This is the car I was told (by my local MG sales manager) would arrive earlier this year, but it was beaten by the S5, it just shows MG don't even tell their sales teams what's going on!
It definitely has an interesting & nice looking interior, I'm sure over the coming weeks/months, lots more details will be revealed.

The MGS6 Trophy has a panoramic sunroof as standard in the UK.

 

[NikLiverpool]

I believe it's the retail price which determines the tax band and as I read it, whatever you manage to get in the way of discount, makes no difference to the Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) paid, known as the Expensive Car Supplement, if it's over the threshold at full retail it's £620 instead of £195. I think!
Somebody will know for sure!

Your statement is correct. It is indeed the retail price that states the luxury tax.
What I meant was that if lets say MG throws £3k contribution then the additional £2,215 will be more palatable (total 5 years tax).
If then you get it on PCP deal where you will be paying for 3 years; aka £1,275 it will be even better.

 

[DaveIJ]

Looks good I’m impressed

 

[tsedge]

It's a good in-depth review. Seems like an improvement on the MGS5, so MG are listening to customer feedback.

Although, I must say, I can't imagine needing a car this large! Small is beautiful.

 

[WonkoTheSaneUK]

The S6 has the same generic design as the S5, but looks good.
It does have a few nice enhancements, like ventilated and heated front seats, a useful decent size "frunk" seems to have a sunroof in the video, but not sure UK will be getting it as with the S5, shown everywhere with a sunroof, but this one is UK registered, well just have to wait a little longer.

The MG UK website says that the panoramic roof, ventilated front seats & rear heated seats are standard on the Trophy spec cars, but I doubt they're available as options for the SE.

https://www.mg.co.uk/new-cars/mgs6-ev

It's a good in-depth review. Seems like an improvement on the MGS5, so MG are listening to customer feedback.

Although, I must say, I can't imagine needing a car this large! Small is beautiful.

Agreed. I hope the infotaiment upgrades (and the HUD) slide across to the S5 next model year

 

[Joningy]

Call a family meeting! The most spacious MG ever is here and under £40k | Auto Express

Space, safety and aggressive pricing mark out MG’s new family-sized electric SUV

www.autoexpress.co.uk

"All models are well equipped, but upgrade to the Trophy model and you’ll find high-end kit such as a panoramic sunroof, head-up display, heated and ventilated seats, 11-speaker stereo and 20-inch wheels"

But does the S6 have a heat pump, I didn't notice it in any detail so far, that would be a game changer to lots, including me!

 

[tsedge]

I don't understand the obsessions with heat pumps - they don't save as much energy as people think. They also add £1k+ to the cost of a car, so they are not cost-free and they take up significant space for the extra plumbing.

Either the car is efficient enough or it isn't and the MGS5 is a pretty efficient offering and the MGS6 looks pretty good on paper too.

I respect everyone has different priorities, but this one really baffles me... it is like someone saying "I'm not buying this ICE car unless it has a chain driven AC pump which is water cooled." - instead of "the AC works well and the car is reliable".

 

[Anon70]

I don't understand the obsessions with heat pumps - they don't save as much energy as people think. They also add £1k+ to the cost of a car, so they are not cost-free and they take up significant space for the extra plumbing.

I suppose it's articles like this that make people think about heat pumps, but as with most things it is how an individual car will be used that will determine how much value they add.

Heat Pumps & EVs: The Ultimate Guide | The Electric Car Scheme

Heat pumps in EVs boost efficiency and range in cold weather. See how Tesla, BMW, and Audi models compare with this technology.

www.electriccarscheme.com

 

[Joningy]

I don't understand the obsessions with heat pumps - they don't save as much energy as people think. They also add £1k+ to the cost of a car, so they are not cost-free and they take up significant space for the extra plumbing.

Either the car is efficient enough or it isn't and the MGS5 is a pretty efficient offering and the MGS6 looks pretty good on paper too.

I respect everyone has different priorities, but this one really baffles me... it is like someone saying "I'm not buying this ICE car unless it has a chain driven AC pump which is water cooled." - instead of "the AC works well and the car is reliable".

Of course @tsedge, all you say is spot on, especially the space saved under the bonnet by not having one, also an EV heat pump comes into play more efficiently during colder weather, heat pumps (I have a ground source heat pump running ALL of our hot water and heating needs at home) they have a conversion factor of 3 to 4 "coefficient of performance" (COP) meaning they deliver 3–4 units of heat for every 1 unit of electrical energy consumed, that is very efficient!
I don't know how efficiently EV heat pumps work, but probably the lower end of the range I'd imagine.

Agreed they add a grand or more at retail to the cost and that takes a lot of recouping in terms of savings, so needs to be factored into the overall running costs and we are all here buying budget MG's for various reasons, mine is meanness as I only want to get from A to B in reasonable comfort and reliably, fingers crossed.

But if they have a COP of 3, for anybody doing a lot of cold weather driving, over long distances, that is a considerable saving in my mind.

I can vouch my S5 is definitely more efficient than my MG4, S5 is a bigger car, very quick if you press the "loud" pedal in sport mode, so where they get the efficiency from is a Chinese secret.

I'm a techy guy, working some years in mechanical engineering R&D, my mind was tuned to exploring fresh approaches.

 

[Miles Roberts CG]

Most of the time, automotive heat pumps just work by running the A/C system in reverse - so the Condenser becomes the Evaporator and vice-versa (this reduces the number of components in the dashboard, and the complexity of the pipe routes).

The trouble with this is that when you ask an EV to demist the windscreen, it needs to use the A/C in its standard form to dry the air, which means it then needs to use secondary heating (sometimes a resistive heater, but often a PTC heating element) to warm the air up again.

So in the cold damp weather we tend to get in the UK, the heat pump doesn't help, as we need to use the A/C to dry the air out most of the time, so the bulk of the heating is done by PTC. In other words, it rarely gets used as a heat pump at all.

 

[tsedge]

Of course @tsedge, all you say is spot on, especially the space saved under the bonnet by not having one, also an EV heat pump comes into play more efficiently during colder weather, heat pumps...

Yes, I fully understand how heat pumps work. Your explanation may well be useful for others.

I'm a techy guy, working some years in mechanical engineering R&D, my mind was tuned to exploring fresh approaches.

Me too (the techy bit), but I have a strong pragmatic streak: if a technology doesn't offer much in a given situation then I lose interest in it for that situation.

It's my understanding car heat pumps make little difference in most of the UK. Also I believe what Tesla do (which does give a significant benefit) is quite a bit more advanced than just having a heat pump (including scavenging waste heat from elsewhere) and most other makers haven't gone that route.

So my perspective is that makers include a heat pump because people clamour for them, but what they are typically given doesn't really help them. That just adds an unnecessary part/cost.

Therefore I'm advocating for improving efficiency (which should make @LenEV2016 happy) to be demanded, however it can be provided.

 

[Joningy]

I suppose it's articles like this that make people think about heat pumps, but as with most things it is how an individual car will be used that will determine how much value they add.

Heat Pumps & EVs: The Ultimate Guide | The Electric Car Scheme

Heat pumps in EVs boost efficiency and range in cold weather. See how Tesla, BMW, and Audi models compare with this technology.

www.electriccarscheme.com

A very interesting article @Anon70 , as you can probably tell, I'm a big fan of tech, saving energy and therefore money, but as @tsedge refers to, they aren't for everyone, but if the option were there, I'd definitely go for it, as the article says, non heat pump equipped traditional resistive heating systems potentially reducing an EV's range by up to 40% a hypothetical figure of course, but nonetheless a significant potential saving for some, even if we halve that figure to 20%.
A heat pump is after all a fridge working in reverse, cheap fridges sell in electrical retailers, including profit margins for as little as £130, but we have to pay a grand or more to have an EV heat pump in the UK!

 

[Joningy]

So @Miles Roberts CG, why such a hefty price tag on EV heat pumps, if they are basically using equipment already installed, or is it a lot more complicated than you suggest?

 

[Miles Roberts CG]

So @Miles Roberts CG, why such a hefty price tag on EV heat pumps, if they are basically using equipment already installed, or is it a lot more complicated than you suggest?

They've got to have extra valves to allow for the reversal of the refrigerant flow, different compressors to allow for the reversal of pressure, a few more sensors and things to allow the climate control to manage it all... Plus of course, the manufacturers like to make a profit on options.

(I used to be an IMI Awards L3 trainer on Vehicle Air Conditioning systems, as well as L3 Hybrid/Electric Vehicle Drivetrains).

 

[Joningy]

They've got to have extra valves to allow for the reversal of the refrigerant flow, different compressors to allow for the reversal of pressure, a few more sensors and things to allow the climate control to manage it all... Plus of course, the manufacturers like to make a profit on options.

(I used to be an IMI Awards L3 trainer on Vehicle Air Conditioning systems, as well as L3 Hybrid/Electric Vehicle Drivetrains).

Thanks for the reply Miles, doesn't sound a grands worth of additional cost, but your final paragraph sums it up to me, profit !

 

[Hallix73]

It's a good in-depth review. Seems like an improvement on the MGS5, so MG are listening to customer feedback.

Although, I must say, I can't imagine needing a car this large! Small is beautiful.

I also agree that the S5 is a nice size, just wish they would upgrade the S5 with same trim levels as S6 such as Pan-Roof, Ambient Lighting etc.... Call it Trophy Plus?

 

[Miles Roberts CG]

I also agree that the S5 is a nice size, just wish they would upgrade the S5 with same trim levels as S6 such as Pan-Roof, Ambient Lighting etc.... Call it Trophy Plus?

Would you pay £2000 extra for those things?

 

[Hallix73]

Would you pay £2000 extra for those things?

Yes I would if it was an option.

 

[LenEV2016]

Heat pumps only start being useful on longer journeys, so if you are doing a lot of them in colder weather then it may be worthwhile