Drivesouth - Best Motor Buys: November 04, 2022

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NEW CAR REVIEW By Ross Kiddie MG powering into EV market • Price – MG HS PHEV Plus, $55,990 • Dimensions – Length, 4574mm; width, 1876mm; height, 1664mm • Configuration – Four-cylinder, front-wheel-drive, 1490cc, 119kW (+90kW), 250Nm (+230Nm), continuously variable automatic • Performance – 0-100km/h, 6.9sec • Fuel usage – 1.7l/100km It wasn’t the ideal start to an evaluation. Just one day into my time in an MG HS PHEV Plus, a plug-in hybrid electric sport utility vehicle, I thought I’d take the opportunity to boost the battery capacity at a designated charge port. However, I couldn’t get the key fob to register and was scratching my head wondering what to do next when a kind Nissan Leaf owner, who had pulled up beside me, offered his fob to charge the MG as well as his car. That was fine until 50min later when it was time for me to leave I discovered I needed his fob to release the MG from the charger. There was no sign of my Samaritan and I was trapped plugged in and attached to the charge port. After much detective work, I managed to locate the Leaf owner and he came back some time later to release his car and the MG. Lesson learnt there – make sure the fob is registered to all charge point providers. If you’ll pardon the pun, the long-standing brand MG is powering into our market with electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, supply is relatively plentiful and all models are priced for affordability. MG has the fully electric ZS, a small sport utility vehicle that I’m about to drive soon, it sits alongside the HS PHEV SUV a car one-step bigger. At 4.5m the HS sits in the mid-size market and has all the benefits an electric motor and petrol engine can provide. What’s more, the HS PHEV is priced so that those who are heading in the eco-friendly direction can do so without breaking the bank – the HS is here in two specifications Excite and Essence that list at $51,990 and $55,990 respectively, the evaluation car was the latter, and it is fully functional and equipped with a high range of specification. Before you do the maths, take into account as well the Government will open its purse and refund you $5750 on both as part of its clean car rebate programme. It gets even better from there, MG’s prices include on road costs, seven year warranty, seven year roadside assistance and seven year warrant of fitness checks. What’s more, you are buying into a very well recognised brand, there are many who will buy an MG solely as a way of reconnecting with the nameplate they have known as desirable during the heady days of English sports cars, convertibles and reliable sedans. Even though development work and design is carried out in the United Kingdom, MG today is owned and operated out of the giant Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation in China. SAIC is a well-established conglomerate that has had connections with General <strong>Motor</strong>s, Volkswagen and a number of heavy vehicle manufacturers. Those who are working in the Christchurch MG dealership are passionate about the product, and the brand has a high profile in the city, you can tell that things are ticking over nicely for MG here, there are a healthy number on our roads and the dealership is busy. In terms of the HS PHEV’s drive system, it is not so difficult to explain. In EV mode the HS is powered by a 16.6kWh lithium-ion battery, its high rating will give you range, according to the distributors up to 63km between charges. In normal EV fashion charging can be done in two ways, but you will need two different cables. One is a type 2 to type 2 that I used at a DC rapid charging point taking about 45min to charge from low to 80 per cent. The other is a three-pin cable that can be plugged in from a domestic supply, MG claims an estimated five hours to fully charge. The HS PHEV also has a four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine. Its capacity is 1.5-litre and is rated at 119kW and 250Nm, healthy figures that sure provide solid momentum. Add in the 90kW and 230Nm Page 26 from the electric motor and you have a powerful driveline combination that will send you to 100km/h from a standstill in 6.9sec. It will also complete a highway overtake in 5.6sec (80-120km/h). The power flow is instant, when charged, the electric motor will give you most of the impetus, petrol power takes on largely a back-up role. When activated it is rather dynamic, although it makes its presence known in a quiet and orderly fashion. My daughter took ill while on a field trip and I had to make a hasty trip to the shores of Lake Ellesmere to get her medical attention. On that journey the HS PHEV dispensed the kilometres with little fuss, it is quiet and smooth. None of that is a surprise given the mechanicals aren’t under a great deal of load. A couple of tight corners on those roads were dealt to with balance and stability underneath. The suspension is fully independent and it is engineered with a certain amount of firmness that exudes a dynamic feel. The high grade variant gets wheels an inch in diameter larger than the entry model, and the 235/50 x 18in Michelin tyres offer a surefootedness and steering feel that is quite involving. More importantly is MG’s fuel usage claim. Rated at 1.7-litres per 100km, the HS PHEV can only achieve that at best possible usage. My sudden excursion to Southbridge did little to enhance economy, but I did take the evaluation car back to the dealership showing just 4.5l/100km on the readout that I thought was respectable and is something that can surely be improved with a light throttle and sensible driving behaviour. There’s no doubt about the success of MG in New Zealand at present, after years with little product in our market it’s a brand that has had major resurgence in recent years. There’s good choice between petrol only and hybrid or electric, which is a part of the market that has taken off with a hiss and a roar in recent times.
*Prices listed is for Triton 4WD GLSB. Prices includes Clean Car Fees of $4,082.50 but exclude on road costs. On Roads Costs includes WoF, registration, 1,000km road user charges and a full tank of fuel. 10 year / 160,000km Powertrain Warranty (whichever comes X-TRAIL SALE HUGE SAVINGS ON ALL MODELS Available to drive home today from $ 37,990 +ORC +CCF* Price from is for a Nissan X-TRAIL ST 7 SEAT model at a special run out price of $37,990 excludes ORC and Clean Car Fees. On road costs include initial 12 month registration & WOF, fuel and vehicle delivery. While stocks last. Offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Nissan reserves the right to vary, extend or cancel this offer. CHRISTCHURCH NISSAN, 380 Moorhouse Avenue, Christchurch Ph: 03 595 6820 www.christchurchnissan.co.nz NISSAN 150,000 KM’S FACTORY 5YR WARRANTY christchurchnissan.co.nz TRITON 4WD BLACK EDITION $ 49,990+ORC INCLUSIVE OF $4,082.50 CLEAN CAR FEE * • Factory-fitted black body kit • 6-speed automatic transmission with sports mode • Smart phone connectivity • Super select II 4WD system • Front and rear parking sensors • 3.5T towing† • Forward collision mitigation • Auto high beam • Keyless operating system • LED headlamps • 10 Year Powertrain Warranty CHRISTCHURCH MITSUBISHI 386 Moorhouse Avenue, Christchurch Ph 03 379 0588 | christchurchmitsubishi.co.nz first) (non transferable). 5 year / 130,000km New Vehicle Warranty (whichever comes first) (non transferable). Page 27
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Drivesouth - Best Motor Buys: November 04, 2022

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