PedroPhev
Standard Member
- Joined
- May 20, 2023
- Messages
- 42
- Reaction score
- 32
- Points
- 22
- Location
- Kings Lynn, UK
- Driving
- MG HS PHEV
I’m writing this really to try to answer many of the questions and concerns I had when I was researching the forum prior to purchase. If a potential owner finds this useful then I’ve achieved the aim.
I’m 7 months and 4 thousand 500 miles in and I thought I’d give my impressions.
It’s a 22 plate, dynamic red, exclusive, with red/black interior and privacy glass.
I came here from a 2018 BMW 420d Gran Coupe sport, a great car. I researched endlessly on this forum before pulling the trigger!, but it still felt like a leap of faith into the unknown.
This is not a car your average owner can just jump in and drive. To get reliability, optimum performance and economy, you need to understand it so you can configure and drive it accordingly (this is possibly true of many plug in PHEV’s but I’d say the MG more than most). The optimum operating configuration in Summer is very different to Winter.
Treat it like a windows pc, allow it to fully boot up (system ready) before beginning any task, when starting I keep my foot on the brake until “System Ready” appears on the dash. Move the gear lever from Park to Neutral before selecting Drive or Reverse, move the lever slowly and deliberately to each indent. Overall this may seem like I’m being over cautious, but I’ve not had any significant software glitches or failed operations to date (standing by to regret that statement!).
On one extremely hot summers day I returned to the car to find it like an oven, I couldn’t touch the central display screen. It then took two attempts to get the HV battery to connect. The owners manual specifically mentions protecting the interior (which I assume primarily means dashboard, displays and controls) from extremes of heat. I understand why now, so I use a reflective windscreen shield and a dash top protector, I’ve had no problems since.
In the Summer, EV mode was readily available virtually all the time. I’d use EV up to 50 mph then switch to hybrid to avoid rapidly draining the battery, keeping a reserve of battery power for when I can achieve maximum efficiency. If I’m in no hurry I’ll choose slower roads so I can use EV to its maximum potential. The best battery range I’ve achieved around 30 to 40 mph is 49 miles which amazed me (I do live in Norfolk which is very flat).
I’ve read criticism of no selectable regen, but there is basic regen you just have to modulate the accelerator to control motor braking (in EV mode you need to disengage cruise control to allow regen to function).
I’ve read criticism of cabin heating only being available with the engine running, but it only needs to run for a matter of minutes to get up to temperature, shortly after EV can be selected and cabin temperature remains constant long after the engine has stopped even on cold days, allowing prolonged use of EV mode. (This appears to be witchcraft!, is this a heater with thermal storage capacity?)
I try to not go regularly below 20% battery charge in the interest of long term battery health, am I being over cautious?
Recharging the battery at home using the granny charger on Octopus go at 9p/kwh between 00:30 & 04:30, would allow an empty battery to be fully recharged for under £1.40 (however 4 hours of charge only equates to about 66% of battery capacity, so you’d need to charge over two nights to reach 100%; but 66% is sufficient for 90% of my charging needs). This equates to under 4p per mile for pure EV use. I do not need an installed home charger.
Overall economy since delivery is 72mpg, overall cost per mile is 9.8p (summer & autumn, but increasing significantly for winter & spring). Hybrid mode in winter is returning around 46 to 50 mpg depending on the type of journey.
Oddities:
If you’re opening or closing the tailgate and another door is opened the tailgate will stop.
I’ve had black central screen mid journey a couple of times, but selecting another display function restores the display.
Auto braking unexpectedly is a new experience , but you learn the situations when it is going to happen unnecessarily and apply light throttle briefly to minimise its effect. It no longer alarms me.
I love the 360 camera and use it instinctively to aid reversing, yes the screen has a tendency to go black momentarily when you least expect it, but you know the 360 camera view will return within a second. In winter you need to clean the cameras almost daily. Now I understand all that, I’m not bothered by the shortcomings.
I have had to re-pair my iPhone once. The car would steam Bluetooth music, but would not work as a phone. After re-pairing it worked fine again.
What else could be better?:
I think more thought could have gone into maximising storage space in the boot area, there are void spaces and foam inserts that could have provided valuable additional small storage space. I tend to keep charging cables in their bags in the rear footwell for ready access, which works for me because I rarely have rear seat passengers, but it’s not ideal.
I’ve had a small patch of topcoat paint detach on the bonnet (30mm triangle), I’m hoping this is an isolated defect rather than a general paint quality issue.
The petrol engine is less than refined and vibration is very evident through the accelerator pedal particularly when the engine is cold. But at higher speeds when warm it is no less refined than other cars.
From a technical perspective the combination of two different gearbox inputs is an impressive technical achievement (6 speed petrol drive & 4 speed EV drive). Yes there are flat spots when gear changes take place 31mph, 42mph, 48mph (the most noticeable), 62mph. Cruising at 50 to 60mph in hybrid mode is a bit dim witted as the gearbox does not select the optimum cruising gear by default. If you accelerate to 62mph the gearbox will change to the next higher gear, then decelerate back to 55mph, cruising revs will have reduced from 2400 to around 1800 revs. Reducing engine noise and improving economy.
To overtake, mashing the pedal to the metal can provide acceleration that would embarrass many fast cars, laugh out loud, it never gets old!
However, Forrest Gump would probably describe the gearbox as “like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get!” This has led to some heart stopping moments. I now mash the pedal 2 seconds before I need to overtake, to give the gearbox time to get its act together.
The high beam assistant needs overriding at times to avoid dazzling other drivers, but I think this is a problem all manufacturers face.
What’s the best points?:
Acceleration in pure EV mode is more than adequate for brisk overtaking. With 90bhp there is no need for the engine to start to supplement the EV motor as other manufacturers have to do.
I love active cruise control and traffic jam assist (maybe lane keep assist would be useful on a long motorway journey, but on any other road it freaked me out!)
The panoramic roof that opens so wide is excellent. Once experienced, I never want to be without it.
I love the premium look and feel of the interior (the red/black interior is stunning).
I love the interior mood lighting.
I love the MG puddle lights.
I love people’s reactions when they experience it for the first time.
In summary; None of the “individualities” are show stoppers, and once you are aware of them and make allowances, they are no longer a concern. Do other manufacturers have similar problems? Possibly, but probably not to the same extent. But this is MG’s first attempt at hybrid technology and in some ways they’ve led the way, in others ways they lag behind. To get a similar size, spec and technology from another manufacturer you would need to add many thousands if not tens of thousands to the budget.
Personally I feel I’ve got a quality vehicle at a bargain price, it’s individual enough to stand out, I’ve had more people come up and ask me about it than any vehicle I’ve owned (with the exception of an Impreza Turbo!). It looks and feels far more premium than the price would suggest.
I have no regrets and honestly I’m chuffed to bits with it.
I’m 7 months and 4 thousand 500 miles in and I thought I’d give my impressions.
It’s a 22 plate, dynamic red, exclusive, with red/black interior and privacy glass.
I came here from a 2018 BMW 420d Gran Coupe sport, a great car. I researched endlessly on this forum before pulling the trigger!, but it still felt like a leap of faith into the unknown.
This is not a car your average owner can just jump in and drive. To get reliability, optimum performance and economy, you need to understand it so you can configure and drive it accordingly (this is possibly true of many plug in PHEV’s but I’d say the MG more than most). The optimum operating configuration in Summer is very different to Winter.
Treat it like a windows pc, allow it to fully boot up (system ready) before beginning any task, when starting I keep my foot on the brake until “System Ready” appears on the dash. Move the gear lever from Park to Neutral before selecting Drive or Reverse, move the lever slowly and deliberately to each indent. Overall this may seem like I’m being over cautious, but I’ve not had any significant software glitches or failed operations to date (standing by to regret that statement!).
On one extremely hot summers day I returned to the car to find it like an oven, I couldn’t touch the central display screen. It then took two attempts to get the HV battery to connect. The owners manual specifically mentions protecting the interior (which I assume primarily means dashboard, displays and controls) from extremes of heat. I understand why now, so I use a reflective windscreen shield and a dash top protector, I’ve had no problems since.
In the Summer, EV mode was readily available virtually all the time. I’d use EV up to 50 mph then switch to hybrid to avoid rapidly draining the battery, keeping a reserve of battery power for when I can achieve maximum efficiency. If I’m in no hurry I’ll choose slower roads so I can use EV to its maximum potential. The best battery range I’ve achieved around 30 to 40 mph is 49 miles which amazed me (I do live in Norfolk which is very flat).
I’ve read criticism of no selectable regen, but there is basic regen you just have to modulate the accelerator to control motor braking (in EV mode you need to disengage cruise control to allow regen to function).
I’ve read criticism of cabin heating only being available with the engine running, but it only needs to run for a matter of minutes to get up to temperature, shortly after EV can be selected and cabin temperature remains constant long after the engine has stopped even on cold days, allowing prolonged use of EV mode. (This appears to be witchcraft!, is this a heater with thermal storage capacity?)
I try to not go regularly below 20% battery charge in the interest of long term battery health, am I being over cautious?
Recharging the battery at home using the granny charger on Octopus go at 9p/kwh between 00:30 & 04:30, would allow an empty battery to be fully recharged for under £1.40 (however 4 hours of charge only equates to about 66% of battery capacity, so you’d need to charge over two nights to reach 100%; but 66% is sufficient for 90% of my charging needs). This equates to under 4p per mile for pure EV use. I do not need an installed home charger.
Overall economy since delivery is 72mpg, overall cost per mile is 9.8p (summer & autumn, but increasing significantly for winter & spring). Hybrid mode in winter is returning around 46 to 50 mpg depending on the type of journey.
Oddities:
If you’re opening or closing the tailgate and another door is opened the tailgate will stop.
I’ve had black central screen mid journey a couple of times, but selecting another display function restores the display.
Auto braking unexpectedly is a new experience , but you learn the situations when it is going to happen unnecessarily and apply light throttle briefly to minimise its effect. It no longer alarms me.
I love the 360 camera and use it instinctively to aid reversing, yes the screen has a tendency to go black momentarily when you least expect it, but you know the 360 camera view will return within a second. In winter you need to clean the cameras almost daily. Now I understand all that, I’m not bothered by the shortcomings.
I have had to re-pair my iPhone once. The car would steam Bluetooth music, but would not work as a phone. After re-pairing it worked fine again.
What else could be better?:
I think more thought could have gone into maximising storage space in the boot area, there are void spaces and foam inserts that could have provided valuable additional small storage space. I tend to keep charging cables in their bags in the rear footwell for ready access, which works for me because I rarely have rear seat passengers, but it’s not ideal.
I’ve had a small patch of topcoat paint detach on the bonnet (30mm triangle), I’m hoping this is an isolated defect rather than a general paint quality issue.
The petrol engine is less than refined and vibration is very evident through the accelerator pedal particularly when the engine is cold. But at higher speeds when warm it is no less refined than other cars.
From a technical perspective the combination of two different gearbox inputs is an impressive technical achievement (6 speed petrol drive & 4 speed EV drive). Yes there are flat spots when gear changes take place 31mph, 42mph, 48mph (the most noticeable), 62mph. Cruising at 50 to 60mph in hybrid mode is a bit dim witted as the gearbox does not select the optimum cruising gear by default. If you accelerate to 62mph the gearbox will change to the next higher gear, then decelerate back to 55mph, cruising revs will have reduced from 2400 to around 1800 revs. Reducing engine noise and improving economy.
To overtake, mashing the pedal to the metal can provide acceleration that would embarrass many fast cars, laugh out loud, it never gets old!
However, Forrest Gump would probably describe the gearbox as “like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get!” This has led to some heart stopping moments. I now mash the pedal 2 seconds before I need to overtake, to give the gearbox time to get its act together.
The high beam assistant needs overriding at times to avoid dazzling other drivers, but I think this is a problem all manufacturers face.
What’s the best points?:
Acceleration in pure EV mode is more than adequate for brisk overtaking. With 90bhp there is no need for the engine to start to supplement the EV motor as other manufacturers have to do.
I love active cruise control and traffic jam assist (maybe lane keep assist would be useful on a long motorway journey, but on any other road it freaked me out!)
The panoramic roof that opens so wide is excellent. Once experienced, I never want to be without it.
I love the premium look and feel of the interior (the red/black interior is stunning).
I love the interior mood lighting.
I love the MG puddle lights.
I love people’s reactions when they experience it for the first time.
In summary; None of the “individualities” are show stoppers, and once you are aware of them and make allowances, they are no longer a concern. Do other manufacturers have similar problems? Possibly, but probably not to the same extent. But this is MG’s first attempt at hybrid technology and in some ways they’ve led the way, in others ways they lag behind. To get a similar size, spec and technology from another manufacturer you would need to add many thousands if not tens of thousands to the budget.
Personally I feel I’ve got a quality vehicle at a bargain price, it’s individual enough to stand out, I’ve had more people come up and ask me about it than any vehicle I’ve owned (with the exception of an Impreza Turbo!). It looks and feels far more premium than the price would suggest.
I have no regrets and honestly I’m chuffed to bits with it.
