Three Months In An S5

[Lovemyev]

Not me.

When I'm parking the car & suddenly realise I might be upsetting my lovely neighbours, I want a reliable way to turn down the volume.

The problem with steering wheel controls is that they are only in the right place when the wheels are centralised.

In contrast, I never need to change the temperature in a hurry.

I also like the mechanical 'home screen' button where it is.

Good point, maybe leave the home button on the right hand side, but move the rotary part over to the passengers side .
You can adjust the climate control from the steering wheel as well.

 

[German Paddy]

What do I look for in a car?

• Drive me from A to B every time, all the time
• Drive me around safely
• Be reasonable priced (value for money)

Everything else is luxury and I can or cannot pay for it. And if I like luxury, then I shouldn't buy a very competitively priced Chinese car.

 

[dx4100]

They have always come on together in my previous cars too and they include Ford Mondeos, a Frord Focus and a Rover.

So I should also avoid Fords

 

[dx4100]

Wow I generally think this is the first ever proper negative forum post on a car that I love. It is always caveat emptor and do your research before you spend your hard earned Dosh. Yes there are niggles but I'm not prepared to spend 45k on a car to fix them.

Yeah as much as I am finding issues with the MG and comparing it to my Skoda. There is at least a £10k difference on the sticker price between the two if not more.

 

[dx4100]

Ghost breaking is super rare here, there is one spot on the motorway (E6) where there is a smaller road passing over where it happens and I've seen many other brands doing it at the same spot. First hand experience in Tesla model S doing the same.
As for headlights i have experienced them in the face rather often so there is that...

How much weight you choose to give each problem is up to the individual, my point was that these are not unique problems for the MGS5.

Every journey for me while using ACC. There is loads of bad cars out there. Not sure that gives the MG a pass...

Its 2025 and its a brand new car and it has "niggles" I would have expected to see on a car 6+ years ago when some of the features where considered new.

Its a very good cheap car and you get what you pay for. Its a huge improvement on the 2010 Mazda 3 it replaced but I know next time around whats important to me.

 

[dx4100]

The whole car just needs a bit of a software update and it would be so much better.

 

[LenEV2016]

The whole car just needs a bit of a software update and it would be so much better.

It will get there

 

[TimothyN]

The whole car just needs a bit of a software update and it would be so much better.

...careful what you wish for. I've just gone from iOS18 to iOS26 and literally everything is worse.

 

[nem]

Every journey for me while using ACC. There is loads of bad cars out there. Not sure that gives the MG a pass...

Its 2025 and its a brand new car and it has "niggles" I would have expected to see on a car 6+ years ago when some of the features where considered new.

Its a very good cheap car and you get what you pay for. Its a huge improvement on the 2010 Mazda 3 it replaced but I know next time around whats important to me.

I didn't really mean it gets a free pass, but the issue exists on a lot of different cars and model.

The whole car just needs a bit of a software update and it would be so much better.

Yeah, 100% agree on that and I hope it will get some love fixing some of the quirks.

 

[Ian Key]

The whole car just needs a bit of a software update and it would be so much better.

...careful what you wish for. I've just gone from iOS18 to iOS26 and literally everything is worse.

Microsoft aren't any better. Several times in their history they've bricked peoples computers with an update.

Typed on a Chromebook and use a Pixel phone.

 

[LenEV2016]

Microsoft aren't any better. Several times in their history they've bricked peoples computers with an update.

Typed on a Chromebook and use a Pixel phone.

I've no idea what the S5 software is like other than what I read on here, it certainly seems to have arrived in a far more usable and stable state than it did on the MG 4.
However it still seems to have a good few niggles in some cars.
If it's like the MG 4 it will get there eventually and probably quicker a as it appears to be starting from a better place.

Some People are obviously a bit frustrated with their new purchase as they want it to work as it should,

 

[Loveclose]

Lol that's funny. Will try next time thanks. What an odd decision.


Skoda Kodiaq

I thought that turning on rear demist was the only way to heat the door mirrors in just about every car I've owned that had heated door mirrors!!

 

[tsedge]

So I've had my S5 Trophy Looking Range for three months now. Have to say, I'm pretty disappointed overall.
There's just so many wee niggles. Wee cost saving annoyances. The non automatic window closing for instance. Or the lack of a light on the vanity mirror under the visor.
Then there's the missing things that I'd expect in a modern car. Steering wheel buttons to pick up and hang up the phone. Front parking sensor. Front fog lights. Cornering headlights. And a bloody screen that automatically changes from dark to light when it gets dark outside.
Then most annoying, the things that just don't work well. The phone link that keeps cutting me off. The infotainment system that just doesn't 'flow'. The front collision avoidance system. The auto headlights. The cruise control that randomly slams the brakes on as you're happily tootling along the motorway.
Trying to think of what I like about it. The turning circle is pretty good. It's quite comfy.
I think when I come to change cars again in a couple of years I'll be very wary of getting another MG.

The big question, of course, is - software issues apart - whether you would have bought it had it not had the cost reductions you note. Let's suppose it would have been £2,500 more with everything you expect. Would you have bought it?

MG have sold an awful lot of cars on the basis that price beats everything else.

 

[LenEV2016]

The big question, of course, is - software issues apart - whether you would have bought it had it not had the cost reductions you note. Let's suppose it would have been £2,500 more with everything you expect. Would you have bought it?

MG have sold an awful lot of cars on the basis that price beats everything else.

I think if you added that extra cash on and it still (with discounts) came in under the £30k mark then it's still a bargain.

As with all things people will always pay more for a more premium brand if they want it.
An iPhone springs to mind, the latest one still makes calls, sends messages and can access the internet the same as some of the cheap Chinese phone brands (Oppo, Huawei, honor) on the market but you will always have people go for the Apple or Samsung or Google phone and be happy paying more.

At the end of the day though there might never be a car out there that fits everyone's exact needs and is still relatively cheaply priced. I think MG have the "good compromise" part of the market sewn up.

 

[LenEV2016]

I thought that turning on rear demist was the only way to heat the door mirrors in just about every car I've owned that had heated door mirrors!!

Certainly VW group cars appear different, as my Cupra has a separate toggle, as did my arteon and the members Skoda, as I said it's a pretty handy function, in no way a deal breaker though

 

[tsedge]

Certainly VW group cars appear different, as my Cupra has a separate toggle, as did my arteon and the members Skoda, as I said it's a pretty handy function, in no way a deal breaker though

The older VWs have the door mirror demist function on the door mirror adjustment controls on the driver's door, which might have been logical but feels like a strange place for it.

And it had the drawback that for an auto-dipping feature in reverse you needed to leave the adjustor selected on the side you wanted to dip (e.g. L for UK) but you can't do that and have the demisting on at the same time.

 

[TimothyN]

I thought that turning on rear demist was the only way to heat the door mirrors in just about every car I've owned that had heated door mirrors!!

In the Audi it was always on if the door mirror switch was in the middle between left movement and right movement.

I had no idea the rear demist switched them on, thank you, I will try that in future.

 

[Gonzales Bojangles]

The big question, of course, is - software issues apart - whether you would have bought it had it not had the cost reductions you note. Let's suppose it would have been £2,500 more with everything you expect. Would you have bought it?

MG have sold an awful lot of cars on the basis that price beats everything else.

No, you're 100% right. I'm aware that it's good value for money and I wouldn't have paid another £2,500. It's just the silly wee niggles more than anything. Like the display changing from light to dark automatically. I don't think that would have added much to the price, and I can't remember the last car I had that didn't have it. Maybe a Triumph Dolomite I had in the early 80s

 

[tsedge]

No, you're 100% right. I'm aware that it's good value for money and I wouldn't have paid another £2,500. It's just the silly wee niggles more than anything. Like the display changing from light to dark automatically. I don't think that would have added much to the price, and I can't remember the last car I had that didn't have it. Maybe a Triumph Dolomite I had in the early 80s

Yes, I agree the software niggles shouldn't be there and it is well over time for MG to get to the grips with them.

 

[Chris H]

In the Audi it was always on if the door mirror switch was in the middle between left movement and right movement.

I had no idea the rear demist switched them on, thank you, I will try that in future.

I've had Renault, VW, Mercedes, Jaguar, Honda, Vauxhall, BMW, Ford, MG and probably others.
I don't remember having had a car where the mirror heaters (if it had them) didn't turn on with the rear demister.