MorrisDancer
Standard Member
I have just upgraded from a pre-facelift MG5 61kWh Exclusive to an MGS5 Trophy LR and these are my thoughts after a couple of weeks' ownership:
The MGS5 is much quieter inside, the outside noise drops away as soon as you close the door. Up to 30mph, it is practically silent. There is some wind noise at motorway speeds, but it doesn't affect conversation or hearing the radio, unlike the MG5. You also don't hear the artificial pedestrian-warning noise when you set off.
The ride is at the firmer end of comfortable, maybe a little bit jiggly in places, but I'm coming from the magic carpet ride of the MG5, so I might be over-sensitive to the bumps. Dropping the tyre pressures from 40psi to 36psi helped.
The handling is so much better, the MGS5 is flatter in a corner and can handle multiple changes of direction that would leave the MG5 floundering.
The interior looks better in real life than on YouTube. The various greys look smart and there is a minimalist simplicity to it.
The seats are really comfortable and supportive.
The 360 degree cameras are very bright and the picture is much sharper than the MG5's rear camera.
The windscreen and side window glass seem more substantial, unlike the clear glass on the MG5. The privacy glass at the back is effective.
The interior space is good, and in the back it's positively Tardis-like. There is so much extra rear legroom and headroom in comparison with the MG5, especially considering the length of the car.
The adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist are smoother than the MG5.
One-pedal driving is well-calibrated and it is very easy to bring the MGS5 gently to a complete stop just by lifting off the accelerator.
The centre screen is bright, responsive and well-placed for viewing while driving.
The driver's screen is OK. It would be clearer if the charge and power bars were a bit thicker.
There is a usb-a port in the cluster behind the central rear mirror which makes it a doddle to fit a dash cam on the front windscreen.
Minor complaints:
The lack of front parking sensors seems a bit mean for such a sophisticated car, especially as the car has front and rear cross-traffic sensors.
The MGS5 window controls are one-touch open, but only the driver's window is one-touch close. This is a step down from the MG5 that offered one-touch open and close on all four windows.
One usb-c port in the back seems like penny-pinching, two would have looked better. The MG5 has two usb-a ports for the rear passengers.
Still no cigarette lighter socket or usb port in the boot, so running a rear dash cam is still a challenge.
Android Auto will switch between light and dark modes when the headlights come on, but the main screen only dims. I can't find an option for the main screen to switch to dark mode when the headlights come on.
The hvac controls make it easy to turn the air conditioning on and off, but it's a couple of presses on the centre screen to get to the recirculation toggle. I would prefer a physical button for recirculation, because it's something that you might need to press in a hurry.
The adaptive cruise control is great at matching the speed of the vehicle in front, but I'm not so sure about the front collision avoidance system when the cruise control is off. Maybe I haven't got close enough to another car yet, but I'm still not convinced that it will actually brake for me.
Overall:
I'm really happy with the car, it is a huge step up over the MG5 and I'm really enjoying driving it.
The MGS5 is much quieter inside, the outside noise drops away as soon as you close the door. Up to 30mph, it is practically silent. There is some wind noise at motorway speeds, but it doesn't affect conversation or hearing the radio, unlike the MG5. You also don't hear the artificial pedestrian-warning noise when you set off.
The ride is at the firmer end of comfortable, maybe a little bit jiggly in places, but I'm coming from the magic carpet ride of the MG5, so I might be over-sensitive to the bumps. Dropping the tyre pressures from 40psi to 36psi helped.
The handling is so much better, the MGS5 is flatter in a corner and can handle multiple changes of direction that would leave the MG5 floundering.
The interior looks better in real life than on YouTube. The various greys look smart and there is a minimalist simplicity to it.
The seats are really comfortable and supportive.
The 360 degree cameras are very bright and the picture is much sharper than the MG5's rear camera.
The windscreen and side window glass seem more substantial, unlike the clear glass on the MG5. The privacy glass at the back is effective.
The interior space is good, and in the back it's positively Tardis-like. There is so much extra rear legroom and headroom in comparison with the MG5, especially considering the length of the car.
The adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist are smoother than the MG5.
One-pedal driving is well-calibrated and it is very easy to bring the MGS5 gently to a complete stop just by lifting off the accelerator.
The centre screen is bright, responsive and well-placed for viewing while driving.
The driver's screen is OK. It would be clearer if the charge and power bars were a bit thicker.
There is a usb-a port in the cluster behind the central rear mirror which makes it a doddle to fit a dash cam on the front windscreen.
Minor complaints:
The lack of front parking sensors seems a bit mean for such a sophisticated car, especially as the car has front and rear cross-traffic sensors.
The MGS5 window controls are one-touch open, but only the driver's window is one-touch close. This is a step down from the MG5 that offered one-touch open and close on all four windows.
One usb-c port in the back seems like penny-pinching, two would have looked better. The MG5 has two usb-a ports for the rear passengers.
Still no cigarette lighter socket or usb port in the boot, so running a rear dash cam is still a challenge.
Android Auto will switch between light and dark modes when the headlights come on, but the main screen only dims. I can't find an option for the main screen to switch to dark mode when the headlights come on.
The hvac controls make it easy to turn the air conditioning on and off, but it's a couple of presses on the centre screen to get to the recirculation toggle. I would prefer a physical button for recirculation, because it's something that you might need to press in a hurry.
The adaptive cruise control is great at matching the speed of the vehicle in front, but I'm not so sure about the front collision avoidance system when the cruise control is off. Maybe I haven't got close enough to another car yet, but I'm still not convinced that it will actually brake for me.
Overall:
I'm really happy with the car, it is a huge step up over the MG5 and I'm really enjoying driving it.
