UPDATE!!! MG has announced drive-away pricing for the petrol versions of the MG3. That means: Excite - was $23,990 plus on-roads - now $24,990 drive-away Essence - was $25,990 plus on-roads - now $26,990 drive-away That effectively means a cut of between $700 and $1500 compared to the prices mentioned in this video. Does it change your mind about it?
Haven't bought into the hybrid thing yet, don't see the advantages over ICE. But that's just me, I like simplicity. We could have gone for the I30 which I think is a great car, but we went for the petrol Essence because it ticked quite a few boxes. Sat Nav, sun roof, both essential for our needs. No annoying stop start, the facility to switch off the aids, adaptive cruise control a must. Nice fit and finish, but not as good looking as the I30. A 10 year warranty. Not a huge fan of cvt, but better in my mind than dual clutch, less moving parts. My preference has always been for torque converter regular type automatic transmission, but they're becoming rare. I think we can live with this small car. I'm in my late 70's so who knows how long I'll be driving. The wife loves it even though we don't pick it up till 19th November. We went for the metallic red.. Enjoyed this down to earth review dude...
After seeing other reviews it seems the hybrid has a serious issue with the battery running out of power very quickly under hard acceleration. Imagine this happening in the middle of an overtaking manoeuvre. The NA version is a much better option
Don't disagree, but it's interesting this doesn't seem to get mentioned with other hybrids, so it's not clear if the MG is better or worse than other brands.
Thanks Matt, your reviews are consistently balanced and wise. My wife has a Yaris Hybrid on back order but I don't think we we will cancel the order for the MG Hybrid or petrol version. They certainly seem to be improving but!
Yaris still wins on efficiency. Yaris city claimed 2.8lt per 100km. MG3 hybrid claimed 4.3lt per 100km. Highway Yaris claimed 3.6lt per 100km MG3 hybrid, a very poor claimed 6.3lt per 100km! Yaris 91 octane fuel MG3 hybrid 95!! That 1980s non fold rear seat is so stupid! Stick to the Yaris!
I think that the drivers display panel for speed would be better with a cover over it. I had a mini which was the same and with the sun it effected the vision when driving. I imagine it will be even worse with a sunroof. It wouldn't have cost MG much especially with the price rise that should have been included. Even all of the new picanto models has a cover over the drivers display. But it's a great video like normal first class 👍.
I test drove this today for 22 mins around the dealer in 0:02 Alexandria, Sydney and the L/100km ended up at 12L with an average km/h speed of 18km/h. This seems ridiculous high or is this similar to what you expect? I’ve got a photo of the dashboard to prove the consumption
Did you zero the trip before you left? Because you can’t expect it to be a decent average if it’s from idle, straight into traffic and with that as your average speed it shows you must have been doing some stop start stuff. I would expect you will see significantly better. But it’s NOT super efficient, the non-hybrid one.
I think the hybrid is worth it over the base car. As you mentioned - the resale value gonna be way better for the hybrid. On top of that the 3L more consumption of the base car means around 6 AUD savings per 100km. This makes 600 AUD savings only after 10000 km, so after ~70000km the hybrid already pays itself, while it offers way more performance. Imho the base MG3 is a rather weak proposition. SAIC (the MG owner) has a lot of work to do on fuel efficiency of the ICE part of the car(s) and I think the price positioning is not correct, but we'll see soon if I'm wrong.
I had an MG6 and it was the worst car I have ever owned. Very expensive to repair, the supply chain for parts was painful and the most annoying part was the road noise. Drive that thing it would sound like a ten ton truck. To buy the mg3, build quality and repair costs would have to be a whole lot better. Still ... its one of the three candidates for my next car ... the mg3, the swift or the picanto. Shall see what the test drives reveal.
The mid spec model is pretty good value with the sunroof in the top spec version underdone as well as not being needed. And with everyone using android auto instead of satellite navigation buying the spec level down from the top spec MG3 which is the Excite is the better choice. 😎🇦🇺👍
Very useful,complete and good review,as always.I ordered a new GT line Fiat Picanto but now I 've come across this Suzuki Swift and I have a great dilemma beetween both cars.Mild hybrid is a plus,especially in my country,but leaving this plus aside,which one would you choose from your experience driving both? Thanks
Hi, can I just ask you why doesn't your screen show the outside temperate as most of the other videos I have watched have it displayed next to the clock.... Thanks Jeff...
Thanks Matt I may have just found the perfect car for my elderly mother. This will be a monumental step up from the 2000 nissan pulsar she currently drives which is on its last legs. $23990 will suit our budget perfectly.
@@superwag634 it’s burning oil like no tomorrow. It has 225,000 Ks on it. The auto is slipping like mad. So it’s time to upgrade she has been asking me for a few months what to get.
I recently helped an elderly relative buy a new car - and found that she was put off by the digital drivers display and infotainment. It was all a bit too digital. In the end we stepped back, and bought a fairly recent secondhand car (a Kia Cerato) with less obvious tech features (i.e. a conventional dashboard and heating/cooling/demisting controls), and with a few years of warranty. Plus we saved a decent amount of cash. Interestingly enough, the Kia Cerato real world economy is similar to the MG3 in this review.
Is it safe in terms of an actual crash if it has anything slightly in common with the mg5 then it will fail the ancap safety tests the fact is many older cars are alot safer in a crash.
No split rear seat, welcome to the 1970s technology in a 2024 model car Fuel economy quite poor by modern standards.. I will take the Kia Picanto thanks..
These new MG3 certainly look & offer the best in their class , but underneath that pretty Chinese surface bling lies a car criticised by mechanics & crash repairers.
It looks like a blowfish, drives poorly as the normally aspirated and hybrid version, has a hilariously bad single fold rear seat, small boot and its expensive. Just awful.
Nah, halogen is so much better, especially when they blow often and you do not realise it when you get your annual safety check done and it fails! Have you noticed utes are the best at losing a rear tail light, they just love blowing bulbs! It's extremely rare to see a blown head or LED tail light
@@therightcar A CVT is a type of car transmission that changes smoothly through a range of gear ratios, unlike regular cars with fixed gears. This helps the car run more smoothly and efficiently because it can usually find the best gear for the speed you're going.
UPDATE!!!
MG has announced drive-away pricing for the petrol versions of the MG3.
That means:
Excite - was $23,990 plus on-roads - now $24,990 drive-away
Essence - was $25,990 plus on-roads - now $26,990 drive-away
That effectively means a cut of between $700 and $1500 compared to the prices mentioned in this video.
Does it change your mind about it?
Car reviewers complain of not enough basic safety. When basic safety gets put in, they then complain about the price lol. Not aimed at you Matt
and annoying to either to off it before going and intrusive while driving
Safety equipment is a requirement on the latest ancap testing apparently
Sadly basic safety includes annoying safety.
Haven't bought into the hybrid thing yet, don't see the advantages over ICE. But that's just me, I like simplicity. We could have gone for the I30 which I think is a great car, but we went for the petrol Essence because it ticked quite a few boxes. Sat Nav, sun roof, both essential for our needs. No annoying stop start, the facility to switch off the aids, adaptive cruise control a must. Nice fit and finish, but not as good looking as the I30.
A 10 year warranty. Not a huge fan of cvt, but better in my mind than dual clutch, less moving parts. My preference has always been for torque converter regular type automatic transmission, but they're becoming rare.
I think we can live with this small car. I'm in my late 70's so who knows how long I'll be driving. The wife loves it even though we don't pick it up till 19th November. We went for the metallic red..
Enjoyed this down to earth review dude...
Thanks for keeping your reviews really and reviewing the out going model and new one. Unlike the main stream car reviewers.
Glad you find my work helpful!
After seeing other reviews it seems the hybrid has a serious issue with the battery running out of power very quickly under hard acceleration. Imagine this happening in the middle of an overtaking manoeuvre.
The NA version is a much better option
I didn’t have any issues with the hybrid I tested. But I wasn’t driving it like a motoring journalist. Hahahaha
Don't disagree, but it's interesting this doesn't seem to get mentioned with other hybrids, so it's not clear if the MG is better or worse than other brands.
Hills shows the problem with the hybrid and, of course, 95 octane petrol! As well the petrol version uses less fuel at highway speeds
Thanks Matt, your reviews are consistently balanced and wise. My wife has a Yaris Hybrid on back order but I don't think we we will cancel the order for the MG Hybrid or petrol version. They certainly seem to be improving but!
Thanks mate. Hope your Yaris comes soon!
Yaris still wins on efficiency. Yaris city claimed 2.8lt per 100km. MG3 hybrid claimed 4.3lt per 100km. Highway Yaris claimed 3.6lt per 100km MG3 hybrid, a very poor claimed 6.3lt per 100km! Yaris 91 octane fuel MG3 hybrid 95!!
That 1980s non fold rear seat is so stupid!
Stick to the Yaris!
That real world fuel efficiency is very concerning.
Way higher than expected. Better for long distance driving (as many are).
I think that the drivers display panel for speed would be better with a cover over it. I had a mini which was the same and with the sun it effected the vision when driving. I imagine it will be even worse with a sunroof. It wouldn't have cost MG much especially with the price rise that should have been included. Even all of the new picanto models has a cover over the drivers display. But it's a great video like normal first class 👍.
Thanks for the feedback. I know exactly the issue you’re talking about with the Mini!
Cheers
The large wheel likely to enable view of front screen? A piece of tape fixes the startup disable annoyances procedure. Works for an outlander.
I test drove this today for 22 mins around the dealer in 0:02 Alexandria, Sydney and the L/100km ended up at 12L with an average km/h speed of 18km/h. This seems ridiculous high or is this similar to what you expect? I’ve got a photo of the dashboard to prove the consumption
Did you zero the trip before you left? Because you can’t expect it to be a decent average if it’s from idle, straight into traffic and with that as your average speed it shows you must have been doing some stop start stuff.
I would expect you will see significantly better. But it’s NOT super efficient, the non-hybrid one.
I think the hybrid is worth it over the base car. As you mentioned - the resale value gonna be way better for the hybrid. On top of that the 3L more consumption of the base car means around 6 AUD savings per 100km.
This makes 600 AUD savings only after 10000 km, so after ~70000km the hybrid already pays itself, while it offers way more performance.
Imho the base MG3 is a rather weak proposition. SAIC (the MG owner) has a lot of work to do on fuel efficiency of the ICE part of the car(s) and I think the price positioning is not correct, but we'll see soon if I'm wrong.
I had an MG6 and it was the worst car I have ever owned. Very expensive to repair, the supply chain for parts was painful and the most annoying part was the road noise. Drive that thing it would sound like a ten ton truck. To buy the mg3, build quality and repair costs would have to be a whole lot better. Still ... its one of the three candidates for my next car ... the mg3, the swift or the picanto. Shall see what the test drives reveal.
That MG6 was, apologies, an absolute shitter. The new MG range is a far cry from those days.
The mid spec model is pretty good value with the sunroof in the top spec version underdone as well as not being needed. And with everyone using android auto instead of satellite navigation buying the spec level down from the top spec MG3 which is the Excite is the better choice.
😎🇦🇺👍
Very useful,complete and good review,as always.I ordered a new GT line Fiat Picanto but now I 've come across this Suzuki Swift and I have a great dilemma beetween both cars.Mild hybrid is a plus,especially in my country,but leaving this plus aside,which one would you choose from your experience driving both? Thanks
Hi, can I just ask you why doesn't your screen show the outside temperate as most of the other videos I have watched have it displayed next to the clock.... Thanks Jeff...
Hey mate. Honestly, this was a year ago. I can’t remember. 🤔
You could ask at MG?
OK, thanks for the reply anyway, I will go to MG and find out.....
A fair and balanced review as usual. Not bad for the price to be honest.
Thanks mate!
I like the colour and the exterior look of it, it looks like a baby version of the MG4. But I wouldn't buy one.
This colour suits it really nicely!
Hi, is the turn indicator in the left or right side of the steering?
Left side.
Thanks Matt I may have just found the perfect car for my elderly mother. This will be a monumental step up from the 2000 nissan pulsar she currently drives which is on its last legs. $23990 will suit our budget perfectly.
That pulsar will outlast this mg. Why is it on “it’s last legs”?
@@superwag634 it’s burning oil like no tomorrow. It has 225,000 Ks on it.
The auto is slipping like mad. So it’s time to upgrade she has been asking me for a few months what to get.
get a picanto, tried and tested/bulletproof driveline and will probably outlast an mg3
I recently helped an elderly relative buy a new car - and found that she was put off by the digital drivers display and infotainment. It was all a bit too digital. In the end we stepped back, and bought a fairly recent secondhand car (a Kia Cerato) with less obvious tech features (i.e. a conventional dashboard and heating/cooling/demisting controls), and with a few years of warranty. Plus we saved a decent amount of cash. Interestingly enough, the Kia Cerato real world economy is similar to the MG3 in this review.
@@zzz-pe3mp she doesn’t like the Kia after test driving it.
Is it safe in terms of an actual crash if it has anything slightly in common with the mg5 then it will fail the ancap safety tests the fact is many older cars are alot safer in a crash.
Shame about the CVT. For that price rise, they should have updated the auto transmission.
Anyone with this car and knows if you can fit a bike in the back with the rear seats folded down?
Don't you talk to many mechanics Matt?
Previous gen MG3 are absolutely rubbish they tell me.
I am enjoying your reviews thank you.
No split rear seat, welcome to the 1970s technology in a 2024 model car Fuel economy quite poor by modern standards.. I will take the Kia Picanto thanks..
These new MG3 certainly look & offer the best in their class , but underneath that pretty Chinese surface bling lies a car criticised by mechanics & crash repairers.
would rather they saved the costs on the screen and have a conventional speed and rpm gauge cluster instead
The screen is a cost saving compared to conventional speed and rpm gauge :)
Do you think, Mazda CX3 is better than this one?
The more Tech the more chance of any age drivers taking their eyes off the road.
I guess… but also, this isn’t the first car with lots of tech.
I would love if MG kept the 4 speed auto trans
You may be on your lonesome there, sorry...
@@therightcar I don't like CVT, 4 speed auto was not bad for the old MG3, 6 speed would be too pricey for this cheap car...
in ireland the petrol version isn't even availabe, because of the emission tax it would be even more expensive than a heybrid. thank you eu
Thanks for the comment mate!
Would save the 4K and spend in on other Chinese made goods😅. Win win.
Haha
Of course it's not cheap any more, it's a far better car than the previous model BY FAR.
Yeah, was that hard though??
Not bad for the price.
But the pricing for MG4 makes it look too pricey!
Cheap and ordinary MG3 is a privilege not a right (of passage) is a watchword.
As usual, important things are left for sometime later! If ever.
I’m not really sure what you mean by this comment.
Twice the size boot of a Corolla.
Do you really need a hybrid for a car that small ?
Better than a BMW.
Would rather find a nice used Camry.
Oxymoron saying nice and Camry together. I think you'll find all the Camrys are doing Uber Eats etc LOL.
Hey @matt
Waiting for your review on Byd Sealion6.
When is that coming?
Thanks mate - it’s coming tomorrow night!
@@therightcar awesome. 😎
Love your reviews.
It looks like a blowfish, drives poorly as the normally aspirated and hybrid version, has a hilariously bad single fold rear seat, small boot and its expensive. Just awful.
wtf a bench back seat no split 60-40 rear seat really how old of a design is this
Yep it’s a poor choice.
Structurally it is stronger, but you may not notice it on the way to Coles.
Yep, not the best car to take a friend in the back with a set of golf clubs or any other long item!
This dude is consistently and utterly obsessed with led headlights.
I am. Because being able to see, and people being able to see you, is important. More important than stupid lane keeping tech, in my opinion.
Nah, halogen is so much better, especially when they blow often and you do not realise it when you get your annual safety check done and it fails! Have you noticed utes are the best at losing a rear tail light, they just love blowing bulbs! It's extremely rare to see a blown head or LED tail light
Driving outside the city with halogen headlights is plain dangerous when oncoming cars have LED headings.
cant even put the indicaters on the correct side for australia and hate piano black and fingerprints
Yep, the indicator thing is annoying.
It's on the correct side.
Way too expensive for a Chinese car.
Worst explanation of a CVT transmission ever.
Enlighten us, oh CVT engineer overlord
@@therightcar A CVT is a type of car transmission that changes smoothly through a range of gear ratios, unlike regular cars with fixed gears. This helps the car run more smoothly and efficiently because it can usually find the best gear for the speed you're going.
😂😂😂 @@therightcar
Pretty arrogant of MG
All these Chinese cars are basically turds rolled in glitter. That's just my opinion
the fact that it's chinese is the reason i wouldn't buy one.. scared of it falling apart when the coverage expires 🤣
Nobody buys this new and keeps it for eight years. It will be some teenagers problem then 😆
@@superwag634 haha true
10yrs warranty now !
@@murrayhyde4902 i've seen instances of chinese cars breaking during warranty and with low kms, stay away from them!
Just buy Tesla 😂
Oh yeah just spend $55k when you have a budget of $27k.
@@therightcar not my fault ur broke
too much money no history its chinese
I'm old enough to remember when people used to say the same thing about Japanese cars.
no history MG has been around in Aus for over 5years they are considered as mainstream and some MGs are the biggest selling cars in there segment
Same price as a Tesla! Both rubbish!
What Tesla? A crashed one at a wreckers??
How about a Holden? Maybe you should drive a captiva and a cruze
You mean Craptiva? They got that nick name for a reason lol
@@grandiora would rather take the bus, at least you will arrive.