MG’s first-ever SUV has touched down in Australia, called the MG GS. It competes in the medium-size SUV market segment along side vehicles such the Toyota RAV4 and Mazda CX-5.
Four main variant lines are being launched here, spanning from the Vivid, Core, Soul, and topping out at the Essence X. All come with a turbo-petrol engine, paired with a six-speed manual, seven-speed dual-clutch auto or six-speed dual-clutch auto transmission, depending on the variant.
For the base model Vivid, power comes from a 1.5-litre turbo producing 119kW and 250Nm. It’s matched with a six-speed manual, and comes with rear parking sensors, Bluetooth, 17-inch alloy wheels, auto headlights, and 60:40 rear seats as standard.
Stepping up to the Core gets you the same engine but with a seven-speed dual-clutch auto, along with a rear-view camera, climate control, a six-speaker sound system by Arkamys, a cooled storage box, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel.
Moving up to the Soul sees the same powertrain as the Core, only with more standard features. Some of these including 18-inch alloy wheels, sports leather seats, an 8.0-inch touch-screen interface with sat-nav, auto wipers, and fog lights.
At the top of the range, the Essence X gets a unique 2.0-litre turbo engine producing 162kW and 350Nm. This is sent through a six-speed dual-clutch auto and into a four-wheel drive system (others are front-wheel drive). It also adds in Xenon headlights, active rollover protection, a sunroof, and hill descent control.
The new, Chinese-made model is on sale now and all come with an impressive six-year/unlimited kilometre warranty with six years roadside assistance. Prices start from the following (excluding on-road costs):
2017 MG GS Vivid 1.5T manual – $23,990
2017 MG GS Core 1.5T 7spd auto – $25,990
2017 MG GS Soul 1.5T 7spd auto – $27,990
2017 MG GS Essence X 2.0T 6spd auto – $34,990
